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Monedas and Taxis
No Change!!!Transactions in this city are not simply the exchange of pesos for goods or services, like everywhere else in the world. There is always an ulterior motive: the need to accumulate monedas, or coins. You see, there’s a drought, and the main form of public transportation, the colectivos, uses monedas exclusively. I cannot explain to you how there is a drought. Every corner store, and most banks have signs in the windows that read: No Hay Monedas, or No Tengo Monedas. Even big chains like the supermarket Carrefour, or the pharmacy Farmacity are willing to round down from 50 cents rather than give up precious monedas. When someone asks if you have change you lie. And when someone actually does give you change in moneda, even if it’s a single 25 cent coin, you’ve struck gold. You carefully, and immediately put it in your change purse, the one you didn’t own before coming to Buenos Aires but bought within the first week, rather than dare risking it in your pocket. This game, the moneda tango, can make you friends and enemies.
My first week in Buenos Aires, I took a cab from my homestay in Recoleta to meet up with a friend in Palermo. The ride came to be about $8.50 (in pesos). I had five two peso bills. I handed him all five, coming to 10 pesos. He turns around with a look of pure hatred. You see, there are no 1 peso bills, they only exist in coin form. I had handed him 10 pesos, requiring change of $1.50, all moneda. “¿Tenés monedas?” (Do you have change, note the use of the vos conjugation, the argentine word in lieu of tú). “Disculpá, tengo ocho pesos o diez, no tengo moneda,” which wasn’t even a lie, after a week in Buenos Aires I had only acquired enough change for the three bold bus rides I took that week. He immediately starts yelling about how he doesn’t have change, and I can’t leave eight because the price is $8.50. I had no choice, he refused to give me change, and I had no coins, I gave him eight and ran out mid-yell. He burned rubber as he drove off, yelling out the window.
Another cab ride, three weeks later. I expected my friend to share a cab with me home because she lives on my block. She… found an unforeseen reason to… not go home, we’ll say, and I forgot that I had already asked her to spot me for the cab home. About half way back to my homestay, the meter read $5.80. I tell the guy he has to stop because I can’t pay for it. He was upset. I managed to find a crumpled two peso note at the bottom of my bag, and handed it to him, and franticly started emptying my change purse. I got to $5.75, with my moneda. At the sight of the moneda, his anger dissipated, and as I was opening the door to walk the rest of the way home, he offered to drive me for free.
Monedas.
jajaja!
Oh man. i know exactly what you mean—the face of disdain after requesting change from a cabby, the beatification these weirdo Argentines have when you jingle some plata their way. And yet, how easily we drank the Kool-aid. What fools we are, like Pavlov’s perritos, salivating in the back seat for the same 50 centavos.
But I sort of appreciate the frankness of signs like the one in your photo. No need to saunter up to the kiosko and pretend that you suddenly have the urge for some gum, just to be told "NO TENGO MONEDAS!" or worse to leave with a pack of gum that cost you 50 centavos less than the real price. At least when you see that sign you can be sure of one thing, they've got monedas--but you're not gettin' any.
That's so weird. I suppose it
That's so weird. I suppose it is a burden to carry change around but it seems strange that the whole city has adopted that way of conducting business. On a slightly related note, I am studying abroad in Shanghai and nobody here expects to be tipped. Cab drivers don't expect tips, waitresses and waiters don't expect tips, barbers and masseuses don't either. China operates on a full service/no tip basis. I threw out my own trash at KFC one time and the employee there got upset. They get yelled at by their managers if they don't clean up after patrons. Hope you can adapt to this new culture and way of doing business.
Where did you take that
Where did you take that picture, if you took it yourself??? The other day I didn't have the monedas or small enough bills to buy my cafe con leche...the man gave it to me for free! I have heard that there is a moneda mafia in Buenos Aires where you give the moneda mafia 10 pesos and they give you 9 pesos back in monedas. Hmm....