Has Chipotle Been Ripping You Off By Rounding To The Nearest Nickel?

By Edwin Goei Wed., Aug. 29 2012 at 7:00 AM

So the New York Times and Huffington Post picked up on a story The Star-Ledger wrote about when a Chipotle consumer noticed that his receipts were a few pennies over the actual total, rounded off to the nearest 5-cents. He said it wasn't the pennies he lost, but the principle.

The original story outlined it this way:

On the first, dated July 13, the nine items added up to $32.93. There was $2.31 in tax. The total should have been $35.24, but next to the 'total' line on the receipt, it said $35.25. The next receipt, with the same sale date, showed a subtotal of $8.64. The tax was $0.60, so the grand total should have been $9.24. But no. With Chipotle-style math, the total was $9.25.

The burrito chain was contacted and said they did it at high-volume stores because pennies simply slowed the line down, but they either rounded up or down. It was a wash for them. And no one's made a big deal of it until now.

To mollify any literal penny pinchers, the New York Times reports that the chain will now start rounding down for all receipts.

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Michael Lee

Mmmmmm... McDonalds dressed up in a poncho and sombrero... tasty!

Jeff Frost

Oh brother, first off Chipotle is a very economical place to eat, and second, whatever keeps that line moving!

MeToo.

Sweet! That is a skim worth potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars a year! rounded up of course.

Mike MacDuffee

It's a good idea to get rid of pennies and incorrect change. But at the same time it just gives the companies more opportunity to charge more for crap.

afamado

I stopped going there when they fired all the Mexis and I kept getting my food cold because it took the college kid replacement 5 minutes to try to wrap it. Ordered a burrito and ended up with a taco bell tostada look-alike.

Laurie Guillen

Oh brother, here we go... People have to find SOMETHING to complain about. Two weeks ago it was that chicken joint and gay rights. Now its Chipotle!! Really???

Michael Rizzle

Australia dumped the penny Best move ever....and the time saved labor wise Is wdll worth it.....

Jesse Mendoza

I like turtles that eat burritos Eric Enciso

Jesse Mendoza

I like turtles that eat burritos Eric Enciso

Mike Martinez

Chipotleaway!!!

Mike Martinez

If you eat that crap you deserve to get ripped off. Nasty.

Eric Enciso

I like turtles

Cindy Martinez

they should be writing about how they rip people off with their expensive nasty gucamole haha

Kristen Pearson

I don't care about a few pennies at all- it's fine

Jeff Isles

A good idea that some asshole lawyer will fuck up. Oh wait, I'm an asshole lawyer. Let's sue the bastards.

Brandice Lea Strotman

They are not the only company that does this. I believe starbucks does too. I prefer it, easier to have exact change.

Sun Hong

My complaint with Chipotle is portions, they vary from each worker and place, they need to have measuring spoons to make sure you don't get too little, i hate that!!! I wrote to them but of course they were like OK, thanks! *trashed*