If you have been to a car dealership, you probably know they like to play a trick or two. It could be an artificially low price, for example, but some tricks are a bit more unusual. One has recently sparked a lot of debate online, thanks to a viral video from TikTok user Shaun Young (@shaunloveselissa).
Young is a car salesman, and in his video, which has nearly 160,000 views, he has discussed the trick whereby salesmen will leave loose change on the ground. That sounds very unusual, especially as many of us do not need loose change in a digital world.
However, Young explains there are reasons for this. Chief amongst them is that this is a trick often used by older car salesmen. Rather than being an actual negotiation tactic, this is actually an old dealership tradition that has somehow carried on.
It is all about superstition and a salesman who might be in desperate need of a sale at his dealership. More reasons feed into that, but it essentially boils down to tradition and superstition. Remarkably, this is something that you can still see happen in 2026.
Why Do Salesmen Leave Coins on the Floors of Dealerships?
@shaunloveselissa Did you know this is why there are coins on the lot at car dealerships? #fourstatetirekickers #carbuyingtips #truckbuyingtips #tradition #carsales ♬ original sound – shaunloveselissa
In his video, Young explains why you might have to “look at the ground” when you enter a dealership. “Why? You’re looking for loose change,” he said. “If there is loose change on the ground, there’s a good chance that an old car guy is working there.” This, according to Young, is down to an old dealership tradition that has been passed down for generations.
“There’s a saying in the car business: ‘If you feed the lot, the lot feeds you,’” Young said. Essentially, if an old car guy is having a bad month, day, or week, he will throw his loose change on the ground. He ‘feeds the lot’ in the hope that the lot will feed him back and give him a sale. In other words, give the lot some money, and it will put more back into your pocket.
There are different explanations for this. A promotional piece by a Texas Dodge dealership described how they would “pray to the lot gods” by throwing their loose change onto the ground, hoping customers would start to appear. This also appeared on a Reddit thread that discussed superstitious practices. Others say that you are actually seeding the lot, not feeding it. This suggests that by putting change on the ground, you encourage customers to pick it up. At that point, they will feel happy and lucky and may elect to buy a car.
Can the Loose Change Mean Anything Else?
Amazingly, this isn’t the only superstition involving loose change at a car dealership. One called “car coining” owes its existence to New York and New Jersey. This is when someone buys a car; it is tradition to throw a few coins into the car for good fortune. Some have argued this is also a practical measure, at a time when people kept coins in their cars for toll roads.
In order to prepare the new owners of a car for the open road, friends and family would give them coins to put into the car. This is where that particular tradition began. This tradition does still take place; however, with many toll roads now offering payment via card, it’s become more of a habit than a useful practice.