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Daft, I tell you. New Zealand no longer has 1, 2, or 5 cent coins (I've been away for a while), so the smallest denomination coin is now 10 cents (the 5 cent went in July 2006). But you don't find things for sale at sensible prices, like $4.10 and $9.90. Oh no, it's $4.12 and $9.97. Although you can pay such amounts electronically (using EFTPOS), not everyone seems sure what to do when you give them cash.

For example, we had an invoice to pay for a reserved car-pack that ended in 24 cents; I wanted to pay it in cash. The booth attendant had to speak to three people on the phone before he could tell we what change I'd get. Would they round it up or down? Luckily I had two 10 cents coins on me, so we were able to overcome that obstacle.

New World, where we buy our groceries, publishes a "rounding policy" on each till. It says they will round $x.01, $x.02, $x.03, $x.04, and $x.05, to $x.00, and $x.06, $x.07, $x.08, $x.09, to $x.10 (some shops round $0.05 to $0.10). But this only applies if you pay cash. So a bill of $71.12 paid via EFTPOS costs you $71.12, yet a bill of $29.04 settled in cash costs $29.00. Confused?

There are sometimes ways around it, if you consider it a matter of principle not to get cheated out of a few cents. Don't use EFTPOS for charges under 5 cents; do use it for charges that would otherwise be rounded up. When paying with cash, for example, don't buy a single 45 cent stamp—that will cost you fifty cents, so you'll be cheated out of 5 cents. If you buy two 45 cent stamps it will cost you 90 cents—a figure that gives you 10 cents (exact) change from a dollar.

I know the amounts are trivial and barely worth a mini-rant. But it's the stupidity and the principle of it!

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