Can You Change RMB 100?
After five years in China there is one thing I don’t understand, Chinese store keepers reluctance to change 100 kaui notes. This morning I paid for my RMB 20 breakfast with a 100 kaui note. The waitress response was “YI bai kuai ayah!” It was like I presented her with an impossibly large amount of money. She did change though without much fuss which is more than I can say for the ayi at my local C-store.
I could see this if the notes were rare, but this is the standard denomination of notes that you get when you go to any ATM in China. It’s the equivalent of getting CDN$20 from an ATM in Canada. You would think that stores would be prepared to change a 100 kaui note because of this. And I think the worst thing is that I will buy more things sometimes to get around the store keeper’s whining particularly if it is an old lady as she seems to make feel as though I am personally responsible for the Opium Wars and the century of humiliation the Chinese endured just because I brought a 100 kaui note with me.
Any one else experience this?
J.
John–
Next time they protest, just pant furiously and say: “Sorry, I just came from robbing a bank and they only gave me 100 yuan notes. Now take it and give me my change, or I’ll take all your money!”
Paul Denlinger
7 Sep 08 at 4:32 pm
Thanks Paul, I try that. Hope it won’t land me in jail. :O)
J.
One-Eyed Panda
7 Sep 08 at 4:54 pm
Hi John,
I’m Zak, a casual Aussie acquaintance of Ryan (The Humanaught) living in Suzhou, about 500 m away actually, same compound.
Never had an experience like yours with the redback Mao. What did piss me off to the nth degree however, was once getting a fake redback Mao from an ATM here.
Took 200 kuai from the device, folded them and put them in the wallet. Later that day, went to a Kedi to buy milk, yoghurt and some beers. Handed over the red one to the Ayi.
She fondled it, mumbled and put it under the black light.
“Fake” she exclaimed and gave it back. I gave her the other one, passed the acid test.
I took the change and headed down the street. Bought a packet of cigarettes from a hole in the wall vendor and handed over the fake reddy.
Got the smokes and serious legit change.
Some might say “A**hole” but hey, you rip me off from a legitimate Bank in China, then I’ll keep it in circulation.
Bad Karma I know, but how the hell do you exchange a fake redback for a real one at a bank ?
Sorry for the smokes vendor, she needs to make a modest living – but I was enraged inside.
Perhaps I’ll go back and give her a redback one day soon to recover the Karma.
J.
Jamieson
17 Dec 08 at 8:36 am
@Jamieson I tend to also get rid of ripped or counterfeit bills at hole in the wall stores as well. I know that it isn’t right but I didn’t access for these bills and it’s usually the hole in the wall stores that give them to me.
J.
One-Eyed Panda
17 Dec 08 at 9:09 am