Count Your Change

Shopping in Mexico is different than shopping in the United States (U.S.) with respect to money.  In the U.S., I rarely shop with actual money on my person.  Instead, I use my debit card or credit card.  Of course you should always watch your items as they are being rung up to ensure that you are being charged the correct price. And, to make sure that if you are getting cash back, the cashier is giving you the correct amount.

My experience in Mexico has been a little different.  It’s a cash environment, so I’m always checking to make sure I have plenty of pesos with me for the day or if I need to make a run to my local ATM machine.  If I’m going to be perfectly honest, it feels really strange to be walking around with cash in my pocket.  

Carrying cash means I have to carry a larger cross-body bag that can hold the pesos, a small calculator, a coin purse and my other womanly incidentals. 

Who knew that carrying cash (pesos) around would be so involved?  

The reason for the calculator is to help me count my change.  When you live in another country, and are getting accustomed to using the money of that country, you need all the help you can get.  

The coin purse is to have someplace to keep all the coins you end up with when using and paying in pesos. 

Believe me; my calculator has saved me money!  Each and every time I use pesos, I use my calculator. I don’t care if it takes me a little longer at check-out or the funny looks the locals and foreigners give me.  It’s my money and my goal is to preserve it.

I’m sure it’s just an honest mistake, but there have been 5 situations and 3 places in Playa del Carmen, Mexico in which I was given incorrect change.  Each time, by using my calculator, I have been able to catch the error, bring it to the attention of the cashier, and have the mistake corrected.

(TIP: never just take your change without counting it, put it in your pocket and walk away.  If you discover the error later, it's too late.)

The 3 places were:
1 - Sam’s Club: once at the regular check-out line, and once at their pharmacy,
2 - ADO Bus Terminal: twice while buying bus tickets on two different days by the same person, and
3 - Cinemex Movie Theater: Once while buy movie tickets.  

I have to elaborate on the incident with the movie tickets.  After I purchased my 2 tickets, I slid to the right a little bit so that the next person in line could buy their tickets.  While I was standing at the counter with my tickets, calculator and change on the counter, before I could look up and tell the cashier that there was an error, he was approaching me with the money in his hand, giving me back the correct change.

All I can say is to always be vigilant about counting your change and never be afraid to bring it to someone’s attention.  Anyone can make an honest mistake.

It really does not matter where you live, or travel, or vacation; or the types of currency you use…ALWAYS COUNT YOUR CHANGE.