Dear Editor,

Is there a current shortage of coins in circulation?

I ask the question as there appears to be a development in which gas stations are not returning the correct change when you make a purchase at their convenience stores. Over the past couple of months I have noticed this trend, and on two separate occasions buyers got into an argument with cashiers over not being given the correct change. The reply was that they did not have any coins.

Of concern to customers was that they weren’t notified when making the purchase and were intentionally receiving short change without notice. This made them very upset. The cashiers weren’t even bothered. Within two days, I had a similar experience when I received incorrect change, and the cashier didn’t even care to tell me she didn’t have any coins.

In another case, the cashier said he didn’t have any coins and wanted to owe me. I flipped it around quickly and asked, “Why don’t I owe you?” Of course, there was some discomfort with me owing him $20 to avoid him giving me the incorrect change.

Is this an intentional practice by gas stations to make free money? Or is there a genuine shortage of coins in circulation? This surely deserves a response from the Government, Consumer Affairs Commission, or even Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport (MSET).

Gas stations must ensure they have adequate coins to make change or notify customers of a lack of coins to do so before they make a purchase. This practice needs to stop; it is unethical and disingenuous.

Richard Delapenha

rdelapenha@gmail.com