Barber thought he had struck the right note

Dec 21 2009 by Andy Newport, Paisley Daily Express

A STUNNED barber thought he’d struck it rich after a well-travelled customer handed him a tip for a whopping 100 TRILLION DOLLARS – until he discovered the bank note isn’t worth the paper it is written on.

Vincent Evangelista could barely believe his eyes when the businessman gave him the note for 100,000,000,000,000 Zimbabwean dollars.

But the barber soon found out that the currency from the crisis-torn African country – which has been hit by years of hyperinflation – is worthless.

Around a year ago, the massive note would only have been worth £20 – but today it holds NO VALUE at all after the currency was suspended by President Robert Mugabe’s regime.

Vincent, who runs the popular Evangelista barber shop in Inchinnan Road, Renfrew, admits he had a fleeting thought of hanging up his scissors.

That was until he realised he wasn’t filthy rich after all.

“It’s the biggest tip that I’ve ever been given,” said 27-year-old Vincent.

“It’s just a shame that it’s not worth the paper it’s written on.

“If it had been a note for US dollars, I could have retired, paid off the national debt and bought everyone a Christmas present with the change.

“I could have brought an end to the credit crunch in an instant.”

After seeing his dreams of a life on ‘Trillionaire Row’ dashed, Vincent was still able to see the funny side of it all.

He had just given his well-travelled customer a short back and sides when the businessman handed over the useless dosh.

Vincent, who was brought up in Elderslie but now lives in Renfrew, said: “The guy was a travelling businessman and was a really interesting customer.

“We were both having a real laugh.

“And then, when it was time to pay, he handed over the £7.50 fee for his haircut and pulled out the Zimbabwean note.

“It was funny because, when the guy handed the note to me, he asked if I had change of a 100 trillion dollar bill.

“I just laughed and told him I’d only opened a couple of hours before and didn’t have that much smash in the till.”

Vincent, whose dad Paul runs a busy barber salon in Johnstone town centre, has now placed the bank note in a frame inside his shop.

He added: “I’m always grateful when someone hands over a tip but getting 100 trillion dollars is a bit more unusual.

“I don’t think I’m ever going to head out to Zimbabwe on my holidays to spend it though because I don’t think the note will get me very far.”

Zimbabwe suspended the use of its own currency back in April as Mugabe’s government set about trying to rebuild the country’s shattered economy.

Hyperinflation in 2007 and 2008 – which at one point reached 231 million per cent – made Zimbabwe’s currency virtually worthless, despite the introduction of bigger and bigger notes, including the 100 trillion dollar bill.

Prices have stabilised or fallen since the government legalised the use of other currencies, including the US dollar, in January.

Zimbabwean leaders have asked for billions of dollars in foreign aid to restore broken government services and revive the economy.

The country is currently suffering from food shortages and more than 90 per cent of the population are unemployed.

Critics blame the situation on the policies of Mugabe, especially the seizure of white-owned commercial farms.

Mugabe blames interference and sanctions by Western governments, led by former colonial power Britain.