A penny saved is a penny earned: Chinese man buys new truck with half a tonne of small change
13 staff members at the motor dealership spent 10 hours counting the money
A man in Southern China shocked staff at a motor dealership when he brought 80,000 yuan (HK$94,000) in small change weighing half a tonne to buy a truck on Monday afternoon, a local newspaper reported.
The cash, mostly banknotes and some coins comprised small denominations – 10, 20 and 50 fen (cents) and one yuan – was packed in 10 boxes, the Zhanjiang Daily News reported in Guangdong province.
It took 13 staff members 10 hours to count the money, the report said.
According to the report, the man, surnamed Cai, sold biscuits and sweets to tuck shops in villages, which were paid for in change.
“I receive more than a thousand coins a day. I have too much change for most banks to exchange for larger bank notes,” Cai said.
“Although some people might think that I’m flouting my wealth by paying for everything in small change, but it’s all I have and I just hope that the other person will accept them.”
Luckily, the car dealer was sympathetic.
“Mr Cai is a loyal customer and has already bought four cars from us, so we have to help him solve this problem,” the manager Yang Huai was quoted as saying.
“After receiving his money, we’ll discuss with the bank how we can make the deposit. If not, we’ll just have to spend it internally.”