If you’ve ever shopped in Ghana, you’ve likely experienced the great national crisis: no change.
It doesn’t matter how small or big your money is—whether it’s a ₵10 note for a ₵9 purchase or a ₵50 note in a supermarket—you will still hear the classic phrase: “Boss, short of coins.”
The Mystery of Perpetual Shortage
The most baffling part? Shops somehow never have change, yet they always have customers. Where does all the small money go?
Does it vanish into a black hole? Are there underground vaults filled with coins and ₵1 notes? No one knows.
“Madam, Take Biscuit” – The Alternative Currency
Instead of giving you your rightful balance, shopkeepers have mastered the art of offering random items as substitutes.
- “Madam, take biscuit.”
- “Boss, take toffee.”
- “I don’t have ₵1. Take pure water.”
At this point, biscuits have become an unofficial currency, and if you shop often enough, you’ll end up with an entire grocery bag filled with unwanted snacks.
The Exact Money Dilemma
Thinking you can outsmart the system by carrying exact money? Think again.
- You give the shopkeeper a ₵10 note for a ₵10 item. They still check their drawer and say, “Ah, I don’t have coins.” But you didn’t even need change!
- You give the mate exact fare in a tro-tro. Somehow, the mate still finds a reason to say, “Short of coins, boss.”
The Magical Search for Change
Once it is confirmed that there is “no change”, the shopkeeper will pretend to look for some.
They will disappear for a solid 10 minutes, visiting other shops in a long, dramatic process that almost always ends with them returning to say, “Still no change.”
At this point, you have two choices: accept an unwanted item as change or walk away, defeated, knowing your money is gone forever.
A Never-Ending Saga
No one knows when, or if, Ghanaian shops will ever have change. Until then, always carry small denominations, prepare to collect random biscuits, and remember: the house always wins.
