Reading this headline, I expect dear reader you probably thought it referred to political change; well it’s not!
While the call for political change is one of our long-standing themes here in Zimbabwe, our other, more recent, daily struggle is getting change after purchasing stuff.
When the change is a round figure, not a problem but when there are coins involved, then you know you will get sweets, chewing gum, a pen or pencil instead. As a journalist, I prefer the last two.
The whole thing is so frustrating because it looks like shops, including major supermarkets, no longer bother looking for coins or R10 notes for change knowing that they will just offer customers the above mentioned items instead.
Other outlets have come up with coupons which they give to customers in place of change, for use in their next purchase.
By the way, or as you already know, the major currency here is the United States dollar but the change is mainly in Rands as there are no US$ coins.
This week I found myself with a lot of sweets and several pens in my handbag which I had to give away to our helper’s children.
Of course they were happy to get the treats but for me this was a waste of my hard earned cash and all because of our complex currency situation.
Imagine how much people lose in a week or month because of this change issue. If I am given sweets for 25 cents (R5) 10 times a month, it means I would have lost R50, which is a lot for us here in Zimbabwe.
But well, a clever Zimbo has found an opportunity in this change crisis and has come up with a much better solution than giving people sweets.
A local business is now producing miniature versions of major household products that people can get in place of small change amounts.
These products include toothpaste, bath soap, detergents, washing powder and many others.
So shops will now have a small toothpaste tube for 25 cents, deodorants for 50 cents and washing powder for 5 cents.
For me this is a much better solution and big up to the founder as people will now get useful things from their change.
In other news, three years after his death, the empire of the late businessman and socialite, Genius Ginimbi Kadungure is slowly collapsing due to alleged mismanagement by his siblings who took over the estate.
According to local media reports, a chunk of property belonging to Dreams Nightlife will be auctioned this week to settle some debts.
Dreams Nightlife is a high end nightclub which was owned by the late famous Ginimbi, who died in November 2020 in a late night car accident.
