Are mini mart clerks regularly screwing me out of 100-200 riel in change?

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Cam Nivag
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Are mini mart clerks regularly screwing me out of 100-200 riel in change?

Post by Cam Nivag »

I went to "8 Day" minimart last week, the one a few doors down from Larry's towards the Riverside.

One thing I hate about this particular minimart is that the counter space is totally covered with viagra and condoms and cheap cigars, so instead of sliding your items across the counter like anywhere else, you have to lift the items up, and then place them down on the other side of that wall of crap. If I were an aggressive dickhead like Ricecakes, I would just use my items as a bulldozer to push all that shit out of the way and onto the floor everytime I want to buy something. But I'm not, so I just passive aggressively roll my eyes at the clerk each time as I lift my stuff over and carefully put it down.

Anyway, last week, I buy 2 large bottles of water, and the screen says I owe $1.20. I hand over one dollar and 1000 riel to the girl. She takes the money and says thank you. And that's it. I'm pretty sure the screen also said change due 5 cents. But the screen is now blank. And she's not giving me any change.

Now, I'm not the kind of guy to argue over 100 riel. But will I argue over 200 riel? Absolutely.

I tell her she owes me change, she says she doesn't. She says the 1000 riel I gave her = 20 cents. We go back and forth on this for a while, and she outlasts me. She just keeps playing dumb until I leave, without my 200 riel.

I go back to the same minimart yesterday, having actually forgotten about the incident a week earlier. I buy two large bottles of water, which I might point out, are kind of heavy for a short arse weakling like me to have to lift up to shoulder height so that the bottoms of the water bottles clear the boxes of viagra and condoms and pointy cigars on the counter as I am reaching across to put them down on the other side.

There are two dudes behind the counter. The screen says the total cost is once again $1.20. I hand one of them a $10 bill.

The screen now shows that I am due $8.80 AND it also explains that this is $8 + 3200 riel. The clerk hands me back $8 and 3000 riel, as the screen I'm looking at goes blank. I tell him he owes me 200 riel more, that I JUST saw on the screen that I'm due 3200 riel. He shrugs his shoulders and gives me the 200 riel.

I think these shenanigans happen all the time. If I go to Panda Mart and buy 1.37 worth of stuff and hand over two bucks, am I due 2400 riel in change? 2500 riel? 2600 riel? I don't fucking know. Some of them have signs saying $1 = 3900 riel or $1 = 4100 riel, and I can't do the math on that. If something costs 50 cents and I hand over a 5,000 riel note I have no idea if I'm getting back 2900, 3000, or 3100 riel.

Can't these clerks just short change everyone by 100-200 riel on every transaction, and is that what they are doing?
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Re: Are mini mart clerks regularly screwing me out of 100-200 riel in change?

Post by khmerhamster »

They have to make up any till deficit at the end of the night from their own pocket.
So if they can minimise their financial obligation by saving the 200 riel change from a dehydrated (pissed) foreign sexpat then they’ll probably do so.

They’d be dumb not to.
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Re: Are mini mart clerks regularly screwing me out of 100-200 riel in change?

Post by timmydownawell »

Didn't they give you a receipt?

I'm guessing they don't have a sign saying 'if you get the wrong change we'll pay you $10' like a place I used to go to near Orussey.
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Re: Are mini mart clerks regularly screwing me out of 100-200 riel in change?

Post by Brody »

Who is Ricecakes?

Also, might I add, you're American, don't use the word "arse", it's weird.
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Re: Are mini mart clerks regularly screwing me out of 100-200 riel in change?

Post by TheWarrior »

Cam Nivag wrote: Mon Feb 04, 2019 2:04 pm I went to "8 Day" minimart last week, the one a few doors down from Larry's towards the Riverside.

One thing I hate about this particular minimart is that the counter space is totally covered with viagra and condoms and cheap cigars, so instead of sliding your items across the counter like anywhere else, you have to lift the items up, and then place them down on the other side of that wall of crap. If I were an aggressive dickhead like Ricecakes, I would just use my items as a bulldozer to push all that shit out of the way and onto the floor everytime I want to buy something. But I'm not, so I just passive aggressively roll my eyes at the clerk each time as I lift my stuff over and carefully put it down.

Anyway, last week, I buy 2 large bottles of water, and the screen says I owe $1.20. I hand over one dollar and 1000 riel to the girl. She takes the money and says thank you. And that's it. I'm pretty sure the screen also said change due 5 cents. But the screen is now blank. And she's not giving me any change.

Now, I'm not the kind of guy to argue over 100 riel. But will I argue over 200 riel? Absolutely.

I tell her she owes me change, she says she doesn't. She says the 1000 riel I gave her = 20 cents. We go back and forth on this for a while, and she outlasts me. She just keeps playing dumb until I leave, without my 200 riel.

I go back to the same minimart yesterday, having actually forgotten about the incident a week earlier. I buy two large bottles of water, which I might point out, are kind of heavy for a short arse weakling like me to have to lift up to shoulder height so that the bottoms of the water bottles clear the boxes of viagra and condoms and pointy cigars on the counter as I am reaching across to put them down on the other side.

There are two dudes behind the counter. The screen says the total cost is once again $1.20. I hand one of them a $10 bill.

The screen now shows that I am due $8.80 AND it also explains that this is $8 + 3200 riel. The clerk hands me back $8 and 3000 riel, as the screen I'm looking at goes blank. I tell him he owes me 200 riel more, that I JUST saw on the screen that I'm due 3200 riel. He shrugs his shoulders and gives me the 200 riel.

I think these shenanigans happen all the time. If I go to Panda Mart and buy 1.37 worth of stuff and hand over two bucks, am I due 2400 riel in change? 2500 riel? 2600 riel? I don't fucking know. Some of them have signs saying $1 = 3900 riel or $1 = 4100 riel, and I can't do the math on that. If something costs 50 cents and I hand over a 5,000 riel note I have no idea if I'm getting back 2900, 3000, or 3100 riel.

Can't these clerks just short change everyone by 100-200 riel on every transaction, and is that what they are doing?
Always keep 20 x 100 riel. And pay exact amount.
Last edited by TheWarrior on Mon Feb 04, 2019 2:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Are mini mart clerks regularly screwing me out of 100-200 riel in change?

Post by Clemen »

What the register says should be correct. Keep in mind that if the item you buy is priced in Dollars and you pay in Riel that $1 is at market rates. So, local shop $1 =4000 Riel, chain store with actual registers $1= 4123 Riel, or whatever the daily rate is.
up to you...
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Re: Are mini mart clerks regularly screwing me out of 100-200 riel in change?

Post by aussieguy100 »

Usually they offer you a receipt, on which the correct change will be noted. Good evidence to request your missing 100 riel.
Or you can request a receipt as the POS machine keeps a record of all recent transactions.
One local minimart near me went that extra mile to try to get their 100 riel.
The Phnom Penh Post has a price printed on it of 4,000 riel. I offered them 4,000 riel rather than a $1 note and they demanded an extra 100 riel. I pointed out that the actual newspaper price is shown as 4,000 riel.
They claimed that the price is $1 and their exchange rate is $1=4,100 riel therefore I owe them 100 riel. It took some minutes of negotiation with the supervisor before they conceded that I could have my 4,000 riel newspaper for 4,000 riel!


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Re: Are mini mart clerks regularly screwing me out of 100-200 riel in change?

Post by Brody »

Cam Nivag wrote: Mon Feb 04, 2019 2:04 pm I think these shenanigans happen all the time.
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Re: Are mini mart clerks regularly screwing me out of 100-200 riel in change?

Post by violet »

Firstly, back on form with this post. You are so funny in your descriptions of self.
Secondly, I have noticed the same thing myself in the past. Obviously I just let it go.
Thirdly, perhaps the computer/register/till exchange rate isn't inline with what the boss has said they should be using, or perhaps the boss has said round up to the nearest 500 riel. Because, you know, 100 riel/200 riel is like 2 cents. In Australia, the till says, say, $9.58 but a person pays 9.60 because they have done away with one and two cent pieces. Because, you know, it's just taking up space and worthless. Perhaps they figure they are doing the Barang guy a favour....who wants all those notes taking up space when on a night out?

Personally, my 100 riel notes go in a bag. For giving away or for using 1000 riel at a time among real money every now and then....just for the benefit of gambling TUK TUK drivers, who must be the only people with any real use for 100 riel notes.


Excuse typos.
Last edited by violet on Mon Feb 04, 2019 2:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Despite what angsta states, it’s clear from reading through his posts that angsta supports the free FreePalestine movement.
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Cam Nivag
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Re: Are mini mart clerks regularly screwing me out of 100-200 riel in change?

Post by Cam Nivag »

aussieguy100 wrote: Mon Feb 04, 2019 2:38 pm
One local minimart near me went that extra mile to try to get their 100 riel.
The Phnom Penh Post has a price printed on it of 4,000 riel. I offered them 4,000 riel rather than a $1 note and they demanded an extra 100 riel. I pointed out that the actual newspaper price is shown as 4,000 riel.
They claimed that the price is $1 and their exchange rate is $1=4,100 riel therefore I owe them 100 riel. It took some minutes of negotiation with the supervisor before they conceded that I could have my 4,000 riel newspaper for 4,000 riel!
If you're talking about the Panda Mart on Street 130, they used to charge $1.02 for a Phnom Penh Post, then they changed the price to 98 cents about 9(?) months ago and started giving out 100 riel in change. I don't know what they charge now.
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