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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To get change from self service machines?

43 replies

greenvoid · 12/02/2025 12:01

We often need a few pounds in change (tooth fairy, school fairest/disco/party, church donations, dh gets a raffle ticket at the football etc). Occasionally, I will pop into my local supermarket (like Tesco Express but not that) and use a £10 note for something £1 at a self service machine to get £9 change. I've started to wonder if I can get in trouble for this is I do it often? Or am I entitled/allowed to do this as regularly as I want? Genuinely don't know if IABU.

OP posts:
Spanielsaremad · 12/02/2025 12:03

Why would you get in trouble?

JacquesHarlow · 12/02/2025 12:03

What has the store manager said? ........

..... if anything...

Oh wait...

💅🚶🙄

purplecorkheart · 12/02/2025 12:05

Why on earth would you get in trouble for that? You are buying an item from a business that sells them. You are paying with legal tender and getting your rightful change.

Coconutter24 · 12/02/2025 12:06

Why would you get in trouble for buying an item, paying in cash and getting the change you are owed 🤦‍♀️

thecrispfiend · 12/02/2025 12:06

I get my change from the machine at the arcade in our local bowling place!

thaegumathteth · 12/02/2025 12:07

What?

Original poster
greenvoid · 12/02/2025 12:08

I honestly don't know but it is small (2 tills, 2 self service) although part of a massive chain. It's just I worried if they see me doing it regularly that they'll think I'm taking the piss somehow? I'm an over thinker if you can't tell 😂

OP posts:
Original poster
greenvoid · 12/02/2025 12:09

Also because I assume that the manager has to organise and arrange change and there's me taking it all every week?

OP posts:
Magnastorm · 12/02/2025 12:10

greenvoid · 12/02/2025 12:08

I honestly don't know but it is small (2 tills, 2 self service) although part of a massive chain. It's just I worried if they see me doing it regularly that they'll think I'm taking the piss somehow? I'm an over thinker if you can't tell 😂

Supermarkets get thousands of people in every day. They are not going to notice or care if the same person comes in a few times a week and pays for a low-value item with cash.

Itsrainingagaintoday · 12/02/2025 12:12

People do far worse things than this, not that is a worse thing to start with.😉

Needmorelego · 12/02/2025 12:26

Why is there suddenly a whole load of threads about people thinking they are going to get in "trouble" in shops for doing perfectly normal things in shops?
Has the generation raised on internet shopping and home delivery come of age and they have zero clue how shops actually function?
All so odd.

NebulousDogwhistle · 12/02/2025 12:28

For every person doing this, there's one paying for their weekly shop in shrapnel.

LittleRedRidingHoody · 12/02/2025 12:29

People do this all the time. No one cares.

Do second and arcade or something though if you're often near one (DS is currently obsessed) - I normally get a load of £1s and stash them in the car. Saves having to specifically get cash out/go to a Tesco etc.

ItGhoul · 12/02/2025 12:39

There is literally no reason on earth why the store is going to give even the tiniest of fucks about this. They won't even have noticed.

Honestly, nobody is spending their working day monitoring your use of the self-service machines. You're just a customer buying something. They're not interested. You could be putting a £50 note in to pay for a single potato, for all they care.

Please tell me you don't overthink everything to this degree, because you must be genuinely exhausted if you do.

ItGhoul · 12/02/2025 12:41

greenvoid · 12/02/2025 12:09

Also because I assume that the manager has to organise and arrange change and there's me taking it all every week?

You're not 'taking it all every week'. You're getting eight or nine pound coins now and again. That's a tiny amount of the change they stock the machine with. It's meaningless to the manager.

It wouldn't be a problem even if you did this every day.

DemonicCaveMaggot · 12/02/2025 12:44

You are buying something you probably wouldn't otherwise have bought from them specifically so you can get change.

They just care that they have made a sale.

burnoutbabe · 12/02/2025 12:45

I have done this often when needing coins for the cleaner.

I have since gone into my bank and got £50 worth of £1 which will cover me for 10 visits.

KeepScrapingBy · 12/02/2025 13:04

I do this all the time! For me it’s the main reason I use them! Buy something for £1 and pay with a £20 note. It’s fine, they want us to use self service, let’s use it to our advantage!

LadyMaryCrawleysVaginaOfDoom · 12/02/2025 13:09

You're being resourceful, surely? Not doing anything wrong!

MissEloiseBridgerton · 12/02/2025 13:14

Change comes into shops whether you get £9 in coins or not, they're not needing to order more change because of you!

I can't believe people live with such high levels of anxiety!

KeyWorker · 12/02/2025 13:18

It’s absolutely fine. Even if they did notice you doing this regularly (which I doubt they would) they have absolutely no reason to ask or prove that you have any other option but to use that £10 note for this £1 item. The whole point of self service tills is that they don't have to interact with you. Don’t overthink it.

Crunchymum · 12/02/2025 13:24

Maybe they'll start filling the machines with 1p's - that'll teach you @greenvoid 😂

Actually I hate using cash with self service machines as I always seem to end up with too many coins? If my change was meant to be £1.50, I seem to end up with x2 50p coins, a 20p, a 10p, x2 5p's, x4 2p's and x2 1p's!

I've actually gone to customer services in M&S before when I got given £2.20 change all in 20p's and they swapped me for a £2 coin out of a manned till.

UbiquitousObjects · 12/02/2025 13:29

I don't do this at self service but do it every couple of weeks at our local coop.

I take £20 cash out at the free ATM at the door, buy something for a couple of quid and get the change. I ask if there's any chance of coins please rather than notes and they've always given me maybe one fiver and the rest in £1 or 50p's.

Zero issues, I'm not sure why you'd even give it headspace tbh.

Crumpleton · 12/02/2025 13:32

If I was a supermarket manager, or any other shop owner I'd just be pleased you pay for your goods.

StrawberrySquash · 12/02/2025 13:35

You won't get in trouble - it's fine! But supermarkets are clearly trying to get away from having to deal with cash at all.

Similarly they don't want your small change, hence fitting a slot over those chutes they used to have. And hence spitting out a terrible selection of small change that a human never would.