Frustrated Assistant Manager Left to Explain to Teen Cashiers That Real Money is Just Old
An assistant manager at a frozen yogurt shop in Florida was left feeling frustrated when his Gen Z coworkers incorrectly declared a customer’s money as fake. Sam, 22, took to Reddit’s r/mildlyinfuriating sub to share the story, which quickly racked up 15,000 upvotes.
According to Sam, the issue arose when the customer paid with two bills – a $10 and a $5 bill – which the teen cashiers deemed “counterfeit” and scrawled with Sharpie to indicate they were fake. However, Sam revealed that the bills were simply old, dating back to pre-1999.
Sam explained that the teens likely had never seen old bills before, given their reliance on digital payments and cards. He acknowledged that the cashless trend is widespread, even among himself, as he “rarely” uses cash. Sam speculated that the lack of exposure to physical currency is one reason the teens were unaware of the older bills.
Other Reddit users shared similar experiences, recounting times when they had to explain to cashiers that real money was not fake. One user recalled using a $2 bill, which the cashier thought was counterfeit, while another wrote about having a $100 bill from 1950 that was deemed fake due to a cashier’s Sharpie scribble.
The story highlights the gap in knowledge and experience between older generations and Gen Z, who grew up in a digital-first world. The anecdote has sparked a wider conversation about the decline of physical currency and the challenges that come with it.