It’s been the third time in this week I am being given New Zealand’s coins as change when I buy something. Luckily I have eyes like hawks’. I showed them straightaway before i put into the pocket.
Some cash-registers are quite friendly, they swap the NZ coin with Australian coin. One of them, like i encountered today in JB Hifi, said "They are just the same… you can use NZ coins in Australia too.".
Well, i smilingly and nicely rejected their offer, and still ask for the Australian coin. If they really consider that NZ coin has same value as Australian value, then give them to other customer, NOT to me. Coz once you have 20-cent NZ coins in your pocket, it’s quite hard to use them to buy something else. Three out of five times u try to pay something with NZ coins, they will detect it. Thus.. the chance of being able to use it to pay something is only 40%. Unless u use it for buying Coke off vending machine. Or to make phone call from public phones.
When I was working in food court few years ago, I ever got into few occasions where the customers simply rejected the 20-cent NZ coins i handed out as their change (either purposely or accidentally), and asked for Australian coins instead.
Call me fussy customer, but i’d rather not accepting something that worth only 40% of its value while i should have been entitled to 100% of the value.