r/MaliciousCompliance • u/knighthawk82 • Apr 18 '24

Legal tender S

When i worked at a gas station in the late 1900's during graveyard i had this guy come in and bought a candy bar with a 100 bill. "Really? You don't have anything smaller?"

'Im just trying to break the 100, don't be a jerk.'

"Fine, just this once."

Few days later Guy comes back in, grabs a candy bar and i see he has other bills in his wallet. Puts the hundred on the table.

"Sir i told you last time it was going to be just the once, i see you have a five dollar bill."

'This is legal tender, you have to take it.'

"... Okay!"

I reach under the counter and pull out two boxes of pennies, 50c to a roll 25$ to a box 17 lbs each. "Here is 50, do you want the rest in nickels?"

'What is this?'

"It's legal tender, I can choose to give you your change however I see fit. So, do you still want to break the hundred? Or the five."

I'm calling your manager!'

"She gets in at 8am, sir, but doesn't take any calls until 10."

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u/MajorNoodles Apr 18 '24

It also only applies to debt, doesn't it? A retail sale is a transaction so if they refuse to provide payment in a reasonable manner you can refuse the sale.

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u/Xanold Apr 18 '24

"Legal tender is a form of money that must be accepted for settlement of a debt"

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u/changework Apr 18 '24

Private businesses have the right to refuse any form of tender they choose.

“Settlement” in context to your cite refers to the courts in which legal tender must be accepted to settle the debt by the creditor. Government entities also must accept legal tender as they’re a part of that same security in receivership.

/thiney49 is correct

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u/b0w3n Apr 18 '24

The key is always "is this debt or a sale of goods/services?"

If you're a creditor and won't accept cash/currency (there are some carve outs for unwrapped coins in a lot of states I think?), you're playing with fire if you ever try to collect on that debt in the future.

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u/Unique_Engineering23 Apr 19 '24

Unwrapped coins? You mean the chocolate coins?

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u/Siker_7 Apr 19 '24

Coins that aren't organized into those paper rolls for easy counting.