{"id":41822,"date":"2015-07-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-07-04T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/41822\/no-more-chiclets-why-im-sick-of-getting-candy-for-coins"},"modified":"2023-08-11T04:17:37","modified_gmt":"2023-08-11T04:17:37","slug":"no-more-chiclets-why-im-sick-of-getting-candy-for-coins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/41822\/no-more-chiclets-why-im-sick-of-getting-candy-for-coins\/","title":{"rendered":"No More Chiclets: Why I’m Sick of Getting Candy For Coins"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your total is 5,250 Lebanese pounds, says the local retail vendor. I ruffle through my pockets and pull out a crumbled 10,000 LL. The vendor pulls it up to the light, looks closely and flips it over. He looks at me suspiciously: Do you have a smaller bill?<\/p>\n

[Seriously, how much smaller do you want?]<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d I answer curtly. With a heavy sigh, he reluctantly hands me back 4,000 LL, and points to a tray of stale candy. \u201cPlease pick something from below.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all been there. Most local Lebanese vendors and small grocery stores have historically handed back cheap chocolate, chiclets, or candy in lieu of small change.<\/p>\n

I now have a desk drawer filled with expired goodies: from dark chocolate wafers, to generic tasteless cookies, and then let\u2019s not forget the all-time favorite of most Lebanese kids: cr\u00e8me-filled chocolate delights, also known as tarboush or rass al 3abed. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But what\u2019s even worse is when you step into a place that doesn’t even have a pack of stale chiclets to offer up and instead cheats you out of your change. What\u2019s a mere 500 coin shortage to you? Calculate this shortage over a five-year span, and you\u2019ve got your answer.<\/p>\n

But wait… there could be a really cool solution to all this.<\/p>\n

According to the Arab Business Review<\/a>, in 2013, Vodaphone Egypt launched micro re-charge cards for talk-time. The cards \u201cwere designed to fit into the cash register\u2019s cash tray\u201d and were handed out in place of small change. <\/p>\n

Brilliant – now that\u2019s a thought for the Lebanese market!<\/p>\n

So the next time you plan a trip to the supermarket, do yourself a favor and have exact change \u2013 or be ready to demand your right to frata<\/i>. But don’t be surprised if you end up leaving with the stale scent of 10-year-old chiclets on your breath instead. <\/big><\/p>\n

[Photo via totalcontent.co.uk<\/a>]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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