"I get to keep your change"

Recently, my son and I went to retrieve his fishing pole from his Papaw's house. While out that way we met my dad for lunch at my favorite fast food Italian restaurant. Since my dad had given me $25 in gift certificates for my most recent birthday it was an added incentive. I even offered to pick up the tab for my father's meal. The total was $12.78. I handed over 3 gift certificates in the amount of $15.00 ($5 a piece.) The girl behind the counter, with all 4 of her facial piercings, innocently declared, "I can't give you your change back, I have to keep it."

I laughed at the girl, informing her that she couldn't do that, that it was illegal. She shrugged her shoulders and declared ignorance. My non-confrontation father quickly whipped out $3.00 in cash and handed it over, squashing my hopes for a debate of legalities.

Mind you, this was not a gift card, nope. However, there sat on the top of the counter a solicitation for gift cards. I asked my dad, as we stood at the register, why he didn't just get a gift card so as not to have caused this situation to begin with. He said he tried, but that they didn't know how to work the machine. Of course! How else do you swindle people out of a couple of dollars at a time??

Food just doesn't taste so good when irritated.

When I got home I informed my attorney husband of what occurred. He quickly looked up the KRS statue regarding gift certificate laws ignored me. So I took it upon myself to look them up. Of course, after reading more than 4 pages of the gift certificate act, I found out that I'm right. But I was also intrigued that gift certificates can not expire before 365 days, and only if the expiration date is clearly declared on the front or the back of the gift card. This is KY statute, your state's may vary. Check out this link for a basic summary of your own state's law. This knowledge is good to know, since I've gotten gift certificates in the past that say they expire in as little as 45 days!

And just so you know, my son got his fishing pole and even caught his first fish at the Annual Fishing Derby in Lawrenceburg Kentucky!