Penny Principle

Contrary to apparent-public-opinion, pennies are still official U. S. currency. They are worth one cent. One hundred pennies is worth one dollar (feel free to check my math; more often than not, I'm wrong--just ask T and how she could have had a free trip to Germany). Anyway, pennies are important. If you save them up, they are worth a whole lot.

However, a trend seems to be growing. First, it happened at the movie theatre. Then, it happened at Dunkin Donuts.

Eddie and I took a quick trip to the local DD to buy some K-cups for my mom's birthday. They cost 11.99 a box. We put the box on the counter. The guy asked, What can I get you?

Eddie pointed to the box and said, Just this.

The guy said, 11.99. Eddie handed him a ten dollar bill and two singles.

The guy took the ten dollar bill and two singles and put them in the register and closed the register. Then he looked at us. He nudged the box towards us.

Then he got a look on his face like, oh, I've forgotten something! He handed us the receipt with a complete and definitive nod, as if to say, and here now ends our transaction.

We left with Eddie laughing and me gnawing at the inside of my lip as to not start in with the cashier so that I wouldn't get Eddie into a fight over nothing, only the fight would have been over more than nothing. It would have been over a penny.

When we were outside, I was like, Why didn't you say anything?

He was like, yeah, I was wondering why he was just standing there.

I was like, I know it's a penny and you were gonna put it in the tip jar anyway....

He finished, I know but he didn't even ask if I wanted the penny back.

I was like, I know! He's a thief! He just stole your money. I'm going back in to get it.

Okay, I did not go back in to get it, but as we passed by the big window into the parking lot, I gave him a very mean stare. In my head, I was screaming, Penny Thief! Penny Thief! I! Am! The 99%! I! Am! The 99%! Out loud, I was simply mumbling about how the next time something like this happens, I'm saying something so Eddie had better be prepared to walk away while I cause a scene.

And now for something similar:



The more pennies I lose, the more I like them.