Tried to buy beer with my credit card at the Extra convenience store yesterday. The clerk informed me that they don’t take credit cards, and she pointed to the ATM. (As an aside: The very same chain A BLOCK AWAY takes credit cards. But whatever.)
So, I got money. I returned to pay for my beer. The clerk eyed one of my 50-peso bills.
“It’s torn,” she said. Sure enough, a tiny piece maybe half the size of my fingernail had ripped off.
“And….?” I asked.
“We can’t accept it.”
“But it came out of the ATM like that. The ATM in this store!”
“Sorry.”
“And what do I do now?”
“You have to go to the bank and they’ll change it for you.”
“What bank?”
“Any bank.”
Suddenly an old man smoking a cigarette decided to weigh in on the matter. He wore a convenience store uniform too.
“Yeah, we can’t accept that,” he said. “Just go to the bank. They’ll change it for you.”
I gave her another 50 peso bill and received my change in silence.
Walking home, I grumbled about the ludicrousness of this, the ridicularity, the lameosity. (I like to invent words when I’m mad.) Then I realized how flippant I’d been to the clerk. “And now what? What do I do now?” In the Yucatan, I’d raised my voice to a guy at our hotel who’d demanded to know where we got our free Chichen Itza passes. Maybe I’m running out of patience. Has anyone else experience this? Especially people who moved from slower-paced, polite Southern cities?
Crayton, my sweet Alabama-bred husband, suggested that maybe gruffness just goes further here. A French restaurant — an empty one — turned us away last week because we didn’t have a reservation. We’d dined at this restaurant before without a reservation. Walking away, we wondered if it would have been better to chew them out. “Yeah, reservation, right, because you’re so BUSY.”
Or maybe we just need a vacation.
I am sure I have had this exact same experience here! So frustrating. But hilarious at the same time. Love your blog. I am going to add a link to yours on mine, if you dont mind!
Cheers from a fellow Gringa-in-Mexico City,
Amanda
En realidad tienen la obligación de aceptar tu billetito roto, incluso había hace poco una publicidad en la TV de un señor muy viejito que pegaba con mucha pasión un billete mientras una voz en off decía algo así como “no importa que esté roto, sí sirve, utilízalo”. Ahora, el punto es que si no te lo quieren aceptar, pues qué haces, te jodes y punto, je. Pero bueno, tal vez deberías cambiar de tienda.
ALAMBAMA? WHERE IS THAT? I’m going to ALABAMA tomorrow and will see Schmubb and the Breeeeeeeeeeeeeeeej on Friday. ALAMBAMA? ARGH
Whoops. Maybe Mexico City is turning me into a horrible speller. Thanks for bringing that to my attention, Dubbers. I’ll fix it as soon as I find time to go to an Intermnet cafe…
I think all massive-city dwellers unfortunately have to be a bit of a jerk sometimes.
What’s wrong with torn money? I haven’t seen money since college, I am sure of that.
Lesley Says:
April 8, 2009 at 9:43 am
“Whoops. Maybe Mexico City is turning me into a horrible speller. Thanks for bringing that to my attention, Dubbers. I’ll fix it as soon as I find time to go to an Intermnet cafe…”
Genius response, Les.
LOL. Sorry, the same thing has happened to me. Torn bill? No problem use it to pay the taxi driver at night – he won’t notice! THIS is a normal here – welcome to Mexico, hehehe. Adjust 🙂 or you’ll break a vain in your neck. And now you know.
An internment cafe? I want nothing to do with whatever comes out of the ovens at that place. (No? Yes? Too much?)
Glenn: I laughed. So, yes. 🙂
And Arturo: Thanks for the info on the commercial. I hadn’t seen it before. Although even if I would have said, “But that commercial said you have to take it!”, I think they would have rolled their eyes at me. I am NOT going to that Extra store anymore.
hola lesley!
So glad I found this link on joy’s blog! I hope you and Crayton are doing well. I’m enjoying your blog entries, they’re making me miss the DF. I think I brought some of my Chilanga jerkiness to Austin. I am in total culture shock when people at banks, bookstores and even HEB are sooo smiley, relaxed and chilled out here. Jeremy and I keep telling ourselves, “this would never fly in the DF.”
keep in touch!