A Dollar Tree worker says a customer threw a ‘fit’ over getting a nickel instead of a penny, so they paid her one cent out of their own pocket

Service jobs come with a range of customer experiences, but one recent confrontation with a Dollar Tree customer sent an employee to Reddit to vent. The worker (Neither_Doughnut_318) took to the DollarTree subreddit and shared, “A customer came in and was owed one cent. My cashier didn’t have any pennies which we haven’t had in the store in at least a month. She did what policy says to do and rounded it up to a nickel.”

“The customer [threw] such a sh-t fit about the fact that she didn’t get her penny, she demanded the manager come up,” the Redditor wrote. According to the post, the customer insisted, “I want my penny I don’t want extra money from the store I want my one cent.” Despite the manager explaining the store had no pennies and that policy dictated rounding to the next nickel, the customer continued to be “loud and obnoxious.”

The employee said they “ended up reaching into my pocket and taking a penny out of my own personal pocket to give her a penny to shut her the h-ll up!” They said that when they told her they were removing the penny from their own pocket to cover it, “people in line behind her got very upset hearing that and started yelling at her.”

The penny is fading out of existence

According to the U.S. Treasury, the production cost of a penny has climbed to 3.69 cents, leading to the decision to stop manufacturing new ones. The penny remains legal tender, but the supply is beginning to fall. The Treasury emphasizes that retailers should continue to accept pennies while they remain in circulation.

The Treasury recommends that when businesses lack pennies, they should round cash transactions to the nearest five cents in a fair and transparent manner. The government guidelines suggest that if a final total ends in 1, 2, 6, or 7 cents, it should be rounded down, while totals ending in 3, 4, 8, or 9 cents should be rounded up.

The Reddit community couldn’t understand the woman’s perspective, especially over a coin that others have left as an insulting tip. One user remarked, “Imagine being able to profit 400% at the expense of the company and complaining about it. Literally penny wise, pound foolish.” Another commenter asked if the customer was older, suggesting that some older customers might argue over minor issues simply because they are desperate for interaction.

Other commenters focused on how to handle such behavior. One user shared a similar story, saying they told a complaining customer to take it up with corporate or with President Trump, who they said signed the order to stop making pennies. Another said they would have told her pennies were being discontinued, and “therefore she can take her nickel, or you will call the police.” A third suggested a more direct approach, writing, “At that point I will ask the customer to please stop cursing at my teenage cashier, and ask them how much their time is worth that a penny is worth the five minutes you’re standing here abusing someone.”

Attack of the Fanboy was unable to independently verify the customer’s side of the story, as this account originates solely from Neither_Doughnut_318’s Reddit post.