dedhed

Lots of businesses here won't take bill denominations over $20 or $50

ClydeClydeson

Businesses where I live generally haven't taken cheques for YEARS. You can pay parking tickets and bills and property taxes with cheques, but I wouldn't assume I can pay at any business with a cheque unless I were a friend of the business owner.

Bald Paul

Cash, checks, credit cards, Paypal, Venmo, Bitcoin.... you people are all behind the times!

The microchip implants that let you pay with your hand - BBC News

gpburdell

Hmmm. wonder if they'll also have a version to implant in your forehead?

jadmt

I was in a burger place in Idaho that on a small sign said no checks or debit/credit cards cash only. We never saw it until after we started eating. I had just enough cash to cover it and had none left for a tip.....

Reflector Guy

If you want to create some real confusion, try paying with Traveller's Checks. I'm not even sure the last time I've seen one besides the ones my parents have kept in a drawer all these decades.

jadmt

holy crap a blast from the past...when was the last time you saw a traveller's check commercial. In 1977 my buddy and took a bike trip from Montana to Seattle and then proceeded down the coast all the way to Mexico we each had $500 of travelers checks on us. and actaully made it back home without running out of money..

Dean51 

My LBS will not accept checks....'cept for a few "special" customers and I'm proud to be one of those. That said, I endeavor to pay with cash to save him the fees associated with using my credit or debit card.

Dean

jadmt

anybody ever tried to pay with live chickens?

Iride01 

I'd forgotten all about that. Back in the early 90's I was based in Miami for a time. Many of the retail shops wouldn't take anything over a $20 bill. I was told it had something to do with the drug money and/or prevalence of counterfeit money coming through there.

Then again, I remember going to Hot Springs, AR in the late 80's and virtually no one would take anything but cash. No checks, credit or debit cards! Imagine our surprise and desperation after running up a 500 dollar food and bar tab.

And in the early 80's when I had my own business, American Express wanted 5% off the top of any payment I took from someone using that card. And at that time, businesses were not allowed to add a surcharge for accepting CC's.

livedarklions

They really were inconvenient as hell. The biggest problems were trying to find someone who'd make change for them and if they accidentally got wet, they were instantly voided. If you spilled something on your wallet for example, you were SOL. I'm pretty sure I haven't seen one since the early 1980s.

Milton Keynes

Considering the cost of eggs these days, live chickens would be a good trade.

veganbikes

FBOATSB

I seem to remember retailers having a terminal at their service desk, way before online anything, that would take a picture of your face, your check, and your ID all once. Anybody remember those?

FBOATSB

I paid a roofer in cash once, got a $1000 discount. Well worth going to the bank and cashing my own check.

gpburdell

ah yes, the underground economy of unreported income...

livedarklions

Hey, does anybody know how to get the clock on my VCR to stop flashing 12:00?

Troul 

Unplug it.

Reflector Guy

I'm sure I've got a Mimeographed set of instructions around here someplace...

Milton Keynes

Depends, is it VHS or Betamax?

Iride01 

Yes!

Forget the old tech and get something newer that sets it own time.

Though I have to admit we still have several VCR's too. Though they are just taking up space in the attic. My wife won't let me get rid of them because we also have a lot of VCR tapes! Which are meaningless now since I can find most everything we have taped on one of several streaming services we now use.

msu2001la

I worked at a pizza shop in college, late 90's, that had a "no checks" policy. No credit cards either, we were cash-only. Not accepting credit cards was pretty common back in those days, but the "no checks" policy would occasionally catch people off-guard. We would sometimes make exceptions (like someone calls in a big order and shows up with no cash, but has a checkbook... OK, gimme your DL#, phone, etc...) but most people didn't care and just paid cash. Even with those limited checks we did accept, we still got burned often, and chasing someone down over a bad check is no fun.

The owner opened a second location further out of town, more rural area, and had the same policy. Within days of opening we had irate customers who apparently were used to paying for EVERYTHING with checks. I'm talking less than $15 orders. These people took it as a personal insult that we wouldn't accept their checks for payment. It was crazy.

Anyway, it's 2022. I wouldn't expect any retail establishment anywhere to accept a personal check from anyone. It's possible my LBS would take a check from me because they know me, and I've done business with them for years, but I'd be very surprised if they let an unknown customer roll out the door with high-dollar merchandise in exchange for a personal check that hadn't yet been cleared by a bank.

msu2001la

It's fairly common in big cities now to see the opposite.
I'd say at least half of the quick-service restaurants and coffee shops in Chicago are now cashless and ONLY accept cards for payment. This likely started as a pandemic thing for them, but I think they've found that it's easier to deal with, less trips to the bank to get change for registers, less employee theft opportunities, etc.

I'd be curious to know if tips are better or worse now. I used to always throw a few bucks into the jar because I'd pay with cash and had it on-hand. Now I generally just punch the 20% button on the screen, but never know if that money actually gets to the employees or if the owner is just taking it, etc.

I used to also always tip in cash at restaurants, even if I paid with a card, but now I never have cash on me anymore.

Camilo

That was an option when I got my first Covid shot. Wasn't it for you? It requires a hand held scanner by the clerk. It can be a problem if you're getting a message through the chip when you're trying to make a payment at the same time. A lot of people are saying it will be improved with an update soon.

prj71

This^^^

It's been 15 years since I last wrote a check.