‘How is she arguing with you over YOUR money?’: Woman places order at Taco Bell. She doesn’t expect the worker to try and pull a fast one on her
Now that pennies are on their way out, getting change looks a little different.
Earlier this year, the U.S. government announced that it had produced its last penny. This decision was a long time coming; the penny cost significantly more than a single cent to produce, and inflation had effectively removed all purchasing power from the coin.
Now that the coin is going away, stores are responding to the change in different ways. Some are rounding to the nearest 5 cents. Others are demanding that customers pay with exact change if they want to pay in cash.
Whether due to penny problems or not, one user on TikTok said that she had a particularly difficult time getting change at her local Taco Bell. Here’s how it went down.
What Went Wrong With This Taco Bell Purchase?
In a video with over 1.1 million views, TikTok user Makhela Inez (@makhelainez) shows herself placing an order at Taco Bell. In a follow-up video, she explains she was only filming because she wanted to create a celebratory video about passing 10,000 followers.
While the order goes fine, things change when Inez receives her change. Counting it back, she realizes she was supposed to get $9.74. Instead, the workers only gave her $9.55.
“The change was $9.74, but you only gave me 55,” she tells an employee.
To her surprise, the employee confirms that she gave the wrong change—and that it was apparently intentional.
“Yeah, because…We don’t have quarters,” the employee states. “We don’t have pennies.”
“You don’t have dimes?” the TikToker responds, incredulous. “Or nickels?”
Why Does This Taco Bell Customer Have To Argue For Her Change?
What follows from this is an absolutely bizarre argument. Inez repeatedly pushes to simply get the money she’s owed, while the worker makes excuses for why that’s not possible.
“We could have got closer to 70, at least!” Inez says about her change.
Eventually, the worker passes her a single coin, saying, “Here you go, queen!” That coin is a single nickel.
“Y’all are telling me you only have one nickel back there?” Inez asks in disbelief. She is then handed another nickel. “I need at least one more!”
After a bit more argument, the employee asks, “Queen, what are you going to do with a nickel?”
“I’m gonna go pay for my Dunkin Donuts, is what I’m going to do with a nickel!” Inez answers, laughing. In the overlay text, she says she’s laughing “so i don’t get angry.”
“The difference between 74 and 55 is 19 cents,” she continues. “I understand you’re not going to give me 19 pennies, but like, we could at least get to 70!”
She is finally given the rest of the change.
“Thank you!” Inez says. “The way I had to beg for my change is crazy!”
To conclude the video, Inez states that “the people are not mad enough.”
“The people are not united, because how are you going to go out of your way to save the company 19 cents? But you wouldn’t have given me 19 cents,” she says. “Like if y’all just wanna round up to the nearest 10 cent, then do that on your end, not on my end when my change needs to come back.”
Has This Happened Before?
This isn’t the first time that an internet user has complained about change disputes at Taco Bell.
Back in 2023, an internet user claimed that a Taco Bell worker “rounded up” her $30.44 total to $31 without her permission. When asked why, the worker claimed that she altered the total because she did not have change. The internet user’s receipt showed a 56-cent donation to the Taco Bell Foundation that she did not authorize.
That same year, another internet user alleged that they were told their total was $2. When they paid with a $10 bill, they were told that the location did not provide change. The customer was not given his change nor a receipt for the transaction.
The reasons for these interactions are unclear. While there was a reported coin shortage in the years leading up to 2023, that doesn’t explain the above interactions—or why Inez had to argue so aggressively for her change.
@makhelainez oh so the people just robbing us now? lmao WHATISSGOINGOONNN #fypシ゚ #viraltiktok #weird ♬ original sound – makhelainez
Commenters Can’t Believe It
In the comments section, users were shocked that Inez had to push so hard to get her own money back.
“If you were short 19 cents they wouldnt have given you your food,” noted a user.
“As a former Taco Bell employee…CALL CORPORATE,” advised another.
“Children need to be taught how to count cash,” shared a third.
“How is she arguing with you over YOUR money?” questioned a further TikToker.
The Mary Sue reached out to Taco Bell and Inez via email.
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