Bring money with you

[ArenaBoy]

Yesterday was a mellow day for me which I always like but there were a few snags. I was a cashier and when I got my bank ($100 in $10s along with receipts.) The first group of customers I got were handing me $50s and $100s. This is always bad because you don't have any $20s to give them change with. This calmed down a bit but this lady won the prize of SC for the night. She came in and asked if parking was free. I told her no and gave the price. Her SC instinct kicked in when she spoke very quietly, I couldn't hear a word she said and even told her this. She ignores me and pulls out her credit card, we don't take credit cards because obviously we're standing outside. She whines a tad about how much of a rip-off parking is while she scrounges for cash. I pointed her to an ATM and she took off from there.

While I was on break, she came back and paid $5 and the other half in change. She didn't bother counting the change and it was wrong and as soon as we took it she drove off immediately. I always wonder why some people don't have the sense to carry money with them in case of an emergency. I carry at least $20 in case of emergencies.

[alphaboi]

Where do people keep getting so many big bills? I mean ATMs don't have them and any bank will be glad to give withdrawls in 20s (I actually have to ask if I want 50s/100s). Old people seem to do this alot.

[toolbert]

I think its because some people feel the need to carry over one grand in cash with them at any given time and one grand in twenties is ridiculous. I hate it when I get a fresh changed out drawer that people want to pay with hundreds and fifties. I've recently started to pay people with one dollar bills when they pay with big bills like that. "I'm sorry sir, I just changed out my cash and all I have are these one dollar bills..."

[dragonflygrrl]

This very morning I had a guy want to buy a $10 prepaid card with a hundred. I told him I wouldn't be able to make change this early and he totally freaked out on me. I mean, come on, who is really going to take a hundred five minutes after open on a $150 drawer? The next guy is going to love me giving him his change in quarters and dimes.

[skeptic53]

"I'm sorry sir, I just changed out my cash and all I have are these one dollar bills..."

Repost from pre-hack: Old story about a lady getting on the trolley early in the century. The fare is five cents. She hands the conductor a $5 bill and says "I'm so sorry, I haven't a nickel". The conductor grimly replies "Don't worry, lady. In a minute you'll have 99 of them".

[Mighty Girl]

It's an ego thing.

I dated this guy a really long time ago- I was just out of high school (feeling very old right now.....but, moving on). When he cashed his paycheck at the bank, he insisted they give him 50 dollar bills. I would simply take whatever they gave me, I didn't care. When I asked him how he always had 50s, he said with a very condescending tone, "You have to request them". Needless to say, we didn't date long. (Side note- he then dated and married my ex-best friend, and they're divorced, surprise surprise!)

Anyhow- he was kind of small guy- not short, but had difficulty putting on weight. I think this was his way of compensating.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

A lot of people do not have checking accounts. How they function without one is beyond me, but that might account for why so many people walk around with wads of big cash on them.

[Qwakkeddup]

Back when I was young and rode the city bus to school. It was $0.75 for the fare. The driver wouldn't let me ride because I only had a $1.00 bill. I knew they didn't give change, but I didn't ask for any. I was trying to put the money in the box and he just kicked me off.

Sheesh

[Tigress]

A lot of people do not have checking accounts. How they function without one is beyond me, but that might account for why so many people walk around with wads of big cash on them.

This never ceases to amaze me, too. I used to work in two rather big -- and fairly crime-ridden -- cities. Carrying around that much cash on you is begging to get jumped. Most banks have free checking accounts and will give you a debit card. And we now have laws protecting customers if their bank of choice goes under due to fraud or something equally nasty.

[ArenaBoy]

One of my biggest pet peeves of being a cashier is when you can plainly see a $10 in their hands and instead hand you a $20 or more.

[Coconut]

One of my biggest pet peeves of being a cashier is when you can plainly see a $10 in their hands and instead hand you a $20 or more.

Yea, and then they ask for specific change back, i.e. all ones... then get mad when you have to wait for it. Sometimes I just wanted to yell, "we are not a !@#$%^& bank!"

[Mark Healey]

Bring money with you: Defending the carrying of cash

I think its because some people feel the need to carry over one grand in cash with them at any given time and one grand in twenties is ridiculous. I hate it when I get a fresh changed out drawer that people want to pay with hundreds and fifties. I've recently started to pay people with one dollar bills when they pay with big bills like that. "I'm sorry sir, I just changed out my cash and all I have are these one dollar bills..."

I carry large amounts of cash with me (U$500-1000) for several reasons.

1) I don't like being tracked by marketers. Every purchase you make with a Debit or Credit card is recorded and that information is kept forever. When I am buying a really big ticket item I will go to the bank and withdraw the cash. On the forms for store discount cards, I lie.

2) The used book business (and I imagine other resale businesses) is largely cash. There have been several buying opportunities that I would have mised if I wasn't carrying. If I should get robbed I'm still ahead of where I would be if I didn't carry the money.

4) I know how much it sucks to have to run a card for small purchace. I've had people whip out their cards for purchases as small as U$2.69. 19 cents of that is tax. U$1.65 is cost of the book and rent for the building. Then there is staff, utilities, and all the other miscelleanous expenses. By the time you add it all together the fees for using the card have eaten all the profit. C'mon people. Carry some money!.

[Broomjockey]

I never carry cash. I'm a horrible impulse shopper, if I have cash, it's gone in two, three days tops. My debit card on the other hand, I for some reason scrutinize every purchase, plus I don't get charged per transaction with my account, so I have no reason to carry money unless I know in advance I'm gonna need it, like if I'm going to the bar or something (usually the something )

[Mr. Rude]

Cash on hand ... Ya can't make the scene if ya ain't got the green.

[pbmods]

Some customers have told me that they tend to spend more when they have smaller bills; I guess they like having 100's and 50's in their hands, so they're more reluctant to spend them.

Now me, I personally like giving out change. But then, I work in a cushy drug store where if I need smaller bills, I can just call for them, and a manager will sell them to my drawer

But I'll tell you this much: the fewer small bills and change, the faster it is to check out the drawer at the end of the day.

It's an art form, really.