Change or a sweet?

I heard on the radio this morning that the government were going to put a stop to shops/traders giving sweets to customers in place of change.

Does this really happen? Yes! This has actually happened to me at a petrol station shop.  When the till was a shilling or two short, I was offered a boiled sweet in place of change. The basket of loose boiled sweets on the counter did not look very enticing so I said no, but I was in disbelief.  Turns out, it's common practice here.

Seeing the bowl of loose sweets on the counter did not come as a surprise because boiled sweets are sold individually here - I just hadn't realised up until that point that they were used as currency.  Did you know that cigarettes are also sold individually here. Oh and individual boiled eggs, taken with a pinch of salt