Small change in shops in Poland!?

Evidently, for some it is. For me it's generally not but I have seen more change problems for others in almost 6 years here than 24 back in Scotland.

oh you just can't embrace the local culture...

I embrace the local culture passionately every night :)

in your grocery store? ; p

On a more serious note, I really don't believe in that no spare money in every shop...

Grocery stores tend not to be open at night time ;)

Every shop, no ;)

Strangely this happened to me today of all places.... the train station!

We had pre-planned our route as it was across the whole country changing 3 times, when we told her, she pumped it into her computer and 2 minutes later replied "Do you know that's going to be expensive?, Around 80zl each, are you sure that's OK??"

Amazing! 80zl is nothing especially for a 400km train ride, her attitude was amazing! like she expected us to say "80zl! well no way, we will walk then!"

Another lovely day, in PL :)

p.s. NEVER use Inter Reigo services, unless absolutely no other choice (like we had today)

This is exactly my point. I have worked in very busy pubs in Britain. can you imagine if I, as a barman, had asked everyone for exact change because i only had paper money? In UK we have rolls of coins, 1p, 2p, 5p and upwards and the till was full of them. Why can't a decent sized supermarket have a full till first thing in the morning during a relatively quiet period.


So do I, but when they have an ATM outside of their shop 9which doesn't give small change) why should they be caught unawares?


Believe it or not, the Skoda car showroom in Olsztyn also doesn't accept cards. I have to pay car insurance (and once paid a deposit of about 10.000 zl) in cash! Funnily enough, my dentist takes credit cards... which says alot about how much the dentist costs!


I'm in Olsztyn but according to some of the replies it is more wide-spread.


I had to get used to British money changing to decimal, so they can get used to coinage.

I disagree, i would hate to have the American system of money, when ever i go on holiday with Dollars i get amazing annoyed with all the paper, coins rock!


Weatherspoons??, mainly based on


I managed bars in the U.K., and wouldn't expect my staff to ask for change, mainly due to speed of service and the main fact, it would annoy me, if i was a customer

Although on the positive, how great is it when you wake up after a big night out with 30 pound coins in your pocket :)

Try "osobowy" for that extra touch of comfort :-)

No, it was a small chain of M&B theme pubs/restaurants in the midlands called "Sawyers". It was a pretty busy cocktail bar.

I did used to drink in a pub in Glasgow which actually refused my loose change on a couple of occasions (I'd been busking).

I was manager in a 4* in Cardiff for some time, the cash office refused to bank anything lower than 10p's, some people used to get really angry!


I know of them, well sounds rather familiar :)


well TKL is even more comfortable! not that that is really that difficult in comparison to IR :)

Not sure how many still exist. The Shropshire one became a carpet shop a few years ago.

Had a look at the M&B website, it would seem none! apart from one is Stafford, so many bars/pubs come and go.... sad times

Indeed. Had some good times in many a long gone pub... and only occasionally was asked for small change.

Don't mix these 2 things, barmans in pubs and bars and clerks in supermarkets are 2 different things.. no such thing has ever happaned to me in a pub..

Good point, i have a tab in my local anyway

It proves a point, alcohol improves customer relations :)

Does it come with an optional brawl once a month? ;)

That's a mandatory clause with being a regular :)

This is slightly annoying at times, but as cultural scripts go, it's very easy to manage. Watch what Polish shoppers do and do something similar.

1. When you hear the amount, first look for small change at the end and give any you can. Don't be afraid to offer a few grosze less than the bill (especially in smaller shops). If i'ts 16.28 and you offer to give them 23 grosze they'l usually jump at it.

2. If they ask and you don't have it, all you have to do is make a show of looking in your wallet and say one magic word: Niestety. (literally: "Unfortunately", here it means "Nope, no small change. Your problem."

3. Here's the tricky part for obliging English speakers. Don't do anything else (esp try to explain in English, that's just dumb). Just stare straight ahead and let time pass.

4. The person behind the counter will figure something out. They may go elsewhere to find change (like the store next door) or they may ring up a few customers in back of you who do have small change. Maybe something else. Don't worry about it. Eventually you will get your change.

Interestingly, in Hungary it works in the opposite direction. If you try to give anything like exact change they glare at you and/or throw it back at you.

I know, my point was that pubs usually have a load of small change ready.


I tried that one... I knew i had absolutely NO small change. Normally i try to give them some, which is why I was so p1ssed off at the reaction this time.

However, thanks for the tips. I shall try them next time.

But you made the fatal mistake of trying to explain and/or reason with her. Don't do that, it just encourages them. You have to learn the flat, indifferent I-don't-care stare and wait her out. Look at it as a war of nerves. You might find it hard, culturally, in the beginning, but it gets easier.

You can also try the nuclear option: say 'trudno' and give up the entire purchase (without offering to put anything back where it goes). That usually works wonders in producing hitherto missing change.

I had considered that... maybe next time. Thanks.

I find that they generally don't care about that at all. The habit from the old days of shop workers 'doing you a favour' by selling you something still lingers.

You're not wrong!

A Polish friend of mine went to buy a rather expensive camera for his workplace. They wanted 100% deposit and they'd ring him when it came (and this was a big shop in the major town shopping centre). He said he couldn't do that as he was buying for the place he worked for. He'd need receipts and could only pay a part deposit.

They said, if he didn't like it he could go somewhere else.

He did. Media Mart gave him better deal and some extras.

Like he said, a crazy situation when a shop turns away a customer willing to buy a very expnsive item, with cash in the middle of a crisis.

I had a similar experience a while back.

I'd found the computer monitor I wanted and asked to see it working before I bought it.

Apparently not possible. My "You do realise I'll buy it if I can see it working?" made no difference.

Customer service is shocking in this country.

Customer what? ;)

You made the right decision there. I recently went to the shop to buy "a quiet fridge to keep my beer in". They said they had exactly the one so I bought it. After turning it on I found that it's actually louder than the ten year old fridge it was replacing: because it has a fan at the back which is designed to "keep your food fresher for longer". I immediately asked to exchange it but the shop insist that I can't. Looks like this will end in court (despite them not having a leg to stand on, they refuse to back down).

>>>>I had to get used to British money changing to decimal, so they can get used to
coinage.
...So had I. And let's just get one thing clear - in football language 'WE WAS ROBBED'.

I always try to have change and in supermarkets, shops, will empty my whole purse to let them take whatever suits. Usually with good maths, there is a way to work somehting out.

I still remember being charged 3p for something and arguing that my sixpence should bring me 3p change!

polish cashiers are never happy, if the item costs i.e 28.56zl and you give them all in change they look at you like you killed one of their family members, only because they have to count all that money and their time is so precious and the other way round if you give them 50zl they are unhappy that they have to give you change back especially 1.44zl to top up with the other notes. Perhaps its laziness.