Falta de Cambio

That means "Lack of Change" for any non-Spanish speakers who happen to stumble across this.

Just for the record, I don't mean "lack of change" in a high-minded institutional sense. I mean that in Buenos Aires, it is nearly impossible to get change for your money. The situation is so bad that last year these posters started showing up in subway ticket windows:



Translation: "Help us resolve the lack of change. Use your coins, don't save them."

The message comes from the both the Subte and the Central Bank of Argentina, which happens to be the main provider of coinage for the subway system. Earlier this month, a Subte spokesperson admitted that passengers were sometimes being allowed to ride for free due to lack of change. This is not a new problem, as Clarín ran a similar story back in November. The more recent story included this telling quote:

"Una de las cosas que nos decía el Banco Central es que hay una cultura de guardar las monedas", aunque reconoció también que "no es que la gente no colabore, sino que falta el cambio".

Translation:

"One of the things the Central Bank told us is that there is a culture of keeping coins", although she also recognized that "it's not that people aren't cooperating, but that there is a lack of change."

Whether Argentinians are greedily holding on to their coins or the Central Bank is simply not putting enough in circulation, the fact remains that getting change is a serious problem. The change situation plagues expats and Argentinians alike, and is not just limited to the subway system.

For some reason ATM machines here give out $100 bills by default. Yet few day-to-day purchases cost anywhere near $100. That requires business to give back change with nearly every single transaction. As a result, many stores, cafes and kiosks are extremely reluctant to accept large bills. Even places like supermarkets and movie theaters will often request smaller bills before completing a purchase. When it comes to transportation, paying for a taxi with a large bill is nearly impossible while buses only accept coins.

To combat the problem, many locals withdraw odd amounts at the ATM, such as $390 or $590. Only by requesting these amounts will an ATM actually distribute $10, $20 or $50 bills, although $50 bills are only slightly easier to break than a $100.

Outside of the ATM trickery, the only other feasible tactic is to horde change. It seems ridiculous, but consumers and businesses are hopelessly locked into a battle for smaller denominations. People often attempt to pay for things with the largest bill possible in hopes of receiving change, while businesses respond by requesting the smallest bill possible. When that fails, businesses will often ask if the customer has enough coins to cover the coinage portion of the purchase amount. For both sides, the level of inconvenience is astounding.

In a place where many businesses do not accept credit cards and checks are practically non-existent, the demand for cash and change is constant. Factor in that hundreds of thousands of people utilize the coin-only bus system on a regular basis and Buenos Aires has perfected the recipe for a major headache.

At least when the subway runs out change they let passengers ride for free. Although there were also plenty of free rides last week when protesting subway workers simply opened the gates during peak hours, so maybe it's not so special after all.