Nickels
I am a big fan of McDonald’s restaurant. I really like their hamburgers, I will take theirs over those of lots of different chains. Currently, a burger is $1, quite the bargain. You can also get any size beverage for $1, my go-to is the large Diet Coke. Lots of days, I drive through and get those two items for lunch.
So this is how it plays out; I sit in my truck, trying my best to look cool as they tell me that I owe $2.07, ask me to confirm my order, and then drive around to pay for it. $2.07? Right, pop is taxed. They don’t tax the hamburger, but if you want a Diet Coke, you have to fork over the government’s share.
Virtually every time I order, I struggle to find the correct change on my short journey to the pay window. I always have lots of quarters, dimes, and pennies. But, for me, nickles remain rare and elusive. It is always a pleasant surprise when one appears from the console between the front seats. The problem is, rarely do I find one.
This got me thinking about change, all kinds of change, the change I get when I go to the store, and the change I am constantly rifling through in an attempt to come up with the exact amount I need. I ended up making a spreadsheet (big surprise, I know). I considered all possible amounts I could be charged and then input the change I was most likely to receive. By that, I mean, if I was owed 78 cents, I assumed I would get three quarters and three pennies, not seven dimes and eight pennies. I created a simple bar chart of the results, this figure should put my constant search for nickles in perspective.
As you can see, the nickel is by far the rarest of all coins I can expect to get back as change whenever I make a transaction. Consequently, I spend an undue amount of time searching for them.
The chart shows that for every nickel I get, I am receiving 5 pennies, 2 dimes, and 3.75 quarters. The big assumption is that every amount of change I might get, from 1 cent to 99 cents, are equally likely. For this short essay, I believe that is fair enough.
If you are like me and still pay cash for most everything go ahead and take a look in the change compartment in your vehicle. My guess is you won’t find a lot of nickels. The same should be true if you unload the change from your pocket. As for me, I am going down to the local Circle K to get my breakfast. The cost? Of course, it is $2.05.
