"i'm sorry we don't have change."

here in brazil, having little money is a way of life. however, having too much money in the form of big bills can be a curse. anyone, that's been here awhile can attest to the fact that walking out with only a 50 reais note can be difficult to make any small purchases.


hell... they even made a commercial out of this problem that was shown a million times during world cup.







there is a particular store that i frequent nearly daily. generally, to make some small purchases. i have shown up with a 50 reais note, 20 reais note, and even a 10 reais note. and have been denied my purchase because they didn't have any change. in fact, there hasn't been one time that i have shown up without change within 2 reais of my purchase that they haven't had change for.


this is a completely normal annoyance down here. and they generally don't care if they make the sale or not. they will stay open hoping to tend to customers with exact change only.


the point of this is, always prepare yourself with small change. if you know of a few spots that always have change and don't mind you breaking a large bill with a small purchase, i'd suggest you make that a regular pit stop in life.


this is why i'd recommend pharmacies. they tend to have (this is a suggestion, not a guarantee) to have a well stocked till.


going out and about with no small bills will almost guarantee you a wild goose chase for change.


here's a brazilian joke about the whole ordeal:

Um homem entra em uma farmácia e pede ao balconista um comprimido de Viagra.

— São três reais!

O homem saca uma nota de cem reais mas o balconista reclama:

— Não tenho troco!

— Então vou no bar ao lado tomar um lanche e troco o dinheiro.

No bar, ele toma um refrigerante com um lanche e apresenta a mesma nota de 100 para pagar a conta.

— Não tenho troco!

— Tudo bem! Vou na padaria comprar dois pãezinhos e troco o dinheiro.

Na padaria, ele compra os pães e um litro de leite e entrega a nota de 100.

— Não tenho troco!

— Tudo bem, vou trocar na farmácia e já volto!

Uma hora depois, o cara tinha sumido e o cara do bar e o da farmácia se encontram com o rapaz da padaria.

— Puxa, esse Viagra é bom mesmo! — comenta o rapaz. — O sujeito só tomou um comprimido e fodeu nós três!

now for the translation:

A man walks into the pharmacy and asks the person at the counter for one Viagra.

— That'll be 3 reais!

The man takes out a 100 reais bill but the person at the counter complains: 

— I don't have any change!

— Ok then, I'll go to the bar next door have a snack and bring back some change.

At the bar, he has a soft drink and a snack and presents the same 100 note reais to pay the bill.

— I don't have any change!

— Ok then! I'll go to the bakery and buy 2 pieces of bread and bring back some change.

In the bakery, he buys the bread and a liter of milk and brings the 100 note reais.

— I don't have any change!

— Very well, I'll break it at the pharmacy and be right back! 

An hour later, the guy having disappeared, the people from the bar and the pharmacy run into the guy from the bakery.

— Damn, that Viagra is really good! — said the guy from the bakery — He only took one dose and screwed all three of us!

i think you get the point. make sure you have SMALL bills. they're more valuable then the sum of their parts.


experiences with change nightmares? put 'em in the comments.