August 8, 2026 at 7:55 pm

She Tried to Pay for a Small Item With a $100 Bill—Then Threw a Tantrum When the Register Ran Dry

by Heather Hall

Man holding $100 to pay for goods

Pexels/Reddit

Handling big bills can be a headache when your register only has so much change.

One gas station employee dealt with that after several customers tried to pay for small purchases with $100 bills.

Some of them he was able to talk out of it, but not all of them. In fact, one customer forced him to empty his drawer.

As if that’s not bad enough, another woman came in just a few moment later, wanting only a few dollars in gas and handed him another $100.

When he told her he couldn’t break it, she blamed his customer service.

Read on to see what happened next.

Customers that try to pay in big bills can be the rudest and trashiest people.

I work at a gas station, and last night just about every other customer tried to pay with $100.

The first customer I got shortly after clocking in wanted to put $10 in his car. I rang up the gas, and he pulled out $100. I asked if he had any smaller bills. He said no, then walked out, dragging his feet angrily.

The second customer came in and got 4 hot dogs off the roller grill, put some stuff on them, grabbed a 2-liter off the shelf, and got the biggest fountain cup and filled it with ice. He opened the 2-liter, then came to the counter eating one of the hot dogs.

I rang him up, and the total came to $12-something. He pulled out a grimy $100 bill. I tried to tell him I didn’t have any change, even though I did, but it was a couple of $20s and fives and ones.

Of course, a Karen came in as soon as he ran out of change.

He then pulled out a bunch of cards, and every one of them got declined, so I ended up caving and breaking the bill. I gave him almost every bill in my drawer, and the change box didn’t have enough fives.

The next customer was a Karen who came in for $5 in gas and pulled out a $100.

I then told her that I did not have change because I was cleaned out by the last customer, and then she ranted about customer service and said, “You just lost a customer.”

I wanted to go off on them so badly.

Oh no! That sounds like a very stressful shift.

Let’s take a look at what the readers over at Reddit think about people like this.

This cashier hates when that happens.

100 Bills 3 She Tried to Pay for a Small Item With a $100 Bill—Then Threw a Tantrum When the Register Ran Dry

Here’s another retail worker who deals with it all the time.

100 Bills 2 She Tried to Pay for a Small Item With a $100 Bill—Then Threw a Tantrum When the Register Ran Dry

This banker gives out a lot of $100s.

100 Bills 1 She Tried to Pay for a Small Item With a $100 Bill—Then Threw a Tantrum When the Register Ran Dry

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a grandson who is tired of driving 5 hours one way to work on his grandparent’s investment property for free.

Here’s someone who can always break them.

100 Bills She Tried to Pay for a Small Item With a $100 Bill—Then Threw a Tantrum When the Register Ran Dry

This kind of thing would get frustrating fast.

Customers can’t expect a cashier to magically have unlimited change for every large bill that comes through.

Still, some people take it personally when a store can’t accommodate them.

Unfortunately, the employee is the one who gets stuck dealing with the attitude.

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Heather Hall | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Heather Hall is a contributing writer for TwistedSifter specializing in internet culture, workplace conflict, and viral customer service stories. With over a decade of editorial experience in digital publishing, Heather excels at curating trending online discussions and providing insightful commentary on the daily dramas that capture the internet's attention.

Since beginning her career in 2011, she has developed deep expertise in SEO-driven digital content, having written for a wide array of publications covering lifestyle, business, and travel. At TwistedSifter, Heather focuses on synthesizing complex social media threads into engaging, highly readable narratives that highlight the human element of viral news.

When she isn’t analyzing the latest internet discourse, Heather is a dedicated mother of three sons who takes family gaming nights entirely too seriously—whether she is dominating in Mario Kart, exploring The Legend of Zelda, or jumping into Roblox.

Connect with Heather on Facebook and LinkedIn.