The Department of Boneheadedness.

[garhkal]

What is the entrance exam for this school? They check for a pulse?

Texas college student takes topless selfie, hits police car, gets arrested

Serves her right!

[garhkal]

You guys know those days where you occasionally find a dollar bill, or even a fiver/tenner on the ground (or in the case of those self serve kiosks at supermarkets, in the cash dispenser for change).. Well it seems it was My turn to be the durned fool who dropped a bill and in my case it was a tenner.. Still wracking my brain as to WHERE i dropped it, but i had 31 bucks this morning, spent 15 so should have 16 left.. but only can find 6 in my wallet....

Now admittedly over the past 7 or so years in the states i have picked up probably close to 45 bucks on the ground/from those machines that others have dropped.. BUT still losing a tenner in one flop.. GRRR

[Ian-S]

That's why I don't like large denomination notes, I used to have a customer who always paid his bill in fifties, the first thing I'd always do was go down the bank and change them to tens.

[Pharaoh Hamenthotep]

Old people are still using physical money?

Jel! This is why stealing their credit cards never works!

[Ian-S]

Oh yes, you are going to have to wait until all us old timers die off before ushering in your so called cashless society, cos we like cash, it's physical currency in your hand you can buy stuff with, not a piece of plastic that can be wiped clean by standing in the wrong place at the till or rendered useless in a power cut.

I wish I'd had a camera when I bought some fireworks the other week, the guys face was a picture when he handed me the electronic terminal and I handed him a wad of cash lol.

You could say hoards of people entrusting everything they have to a "computer" is a subject worthy of being labelled "boneheadedness".

[Pharaoh Hamenthotep]

Paper money can be destroyed by a washing machine, or fire. My card only represents my money. The card is easy to replace. You can't take a box full of ash to the bank and tell them to replace it.

[Ian-S]

We have started using plastic notes that survive washing machines, and here anyway, you only have to take a certain part of a damaged note to the bank to exchange it, the rest can be missing.

I'm not talking about the replacement of damaged items here, that's easy, i'm talking about the scenario where all your "money" is emptied out your bank account and the bank simply say "you spent it, not our problem" or the other scenario where your card is declined at the checkout for your weekly shopping. With cash as an alternative you simply pay with that and sort the issue out when you get home, in a cashless society you don't eat, or can't get home.

Both these scenarios have happened here recently, very recently infact.

By all means use your card but I'll stick to cash.

[jelgate]

I use both personally. Sorry PH, when it comes to money I am old fashioned. I refuse to online banking. Although, I prefer direct deposit to a regular paycheck.

[Pharaoh Hamenthotep]

!!

*shakes cane at Jel* Stay off my lawn!!

[jelgate]

*burns name into PH's lawn*

[Annoyed]

I use both. The convenience of a debit card is nice for some situations, primarily gas stations, which all require pre-pay these days.
With cash, the process goes like this:

Arrive.

Go inside, wait in line (you can't even take a crap around here without waiting in line)

Give attendent enough cash to cover how much you think the vehicle will take.

Go out to pump, wait for attendant to authorize pump, sometimes having to go back inside, wait in line again and then tell the idiot that he forgot to turn the pump on.

Pump gas.

Go back inside, wait in line yet again to get my change.
Time spent filling tank: 5 min. max. Time spent waiting in line: very often twice that.

Debit card process:
Arrive.
Swipe card.
Fill tank.
Get receipt from pump.
Leave.

That's what motivated me to get a debit card to begin with, years ago.
Today, I'll use cash for small purchases and purchases at unfamiliar merchants, but most of the time I use the card.

The financial institution I use (a credit union) is very good about reimbursement for fraudulent use of the card/etc. There have been two instances over 20 years, the first was reimbursed within a day of notifying the institution, and the second was reimbursed before I was even aware of the issue, within hours of the unauthorized withdrawal.

[Pharaoh Hamenthotep]

With cash, the process goes like this:

Arrive.

Go inside, wait in line (you can't even take a crap around here without waiting in line)

Give attendent enough cash to cover how much you think the vehicle will take.

Go out to pump, wait for attendant to authorize pump, sometimes having to go back inside, wait in line again and then tell the idiot that he forgot to turn the pump on.

Pump gas.

Go back inside, wait in line yet again to get my change.
Time spent filling tank: 5 min. max. Time spent waiting in line: very often twice that.

Debit card process:
Arrive.
Swipe card.
Fill tank.
Get receipt from pump.
Leave.

That's what motivated me to get a debit card to begin with, years ago.

!

Here we arrive, pump gas () go inside, tell them which pump we used, pay, and then leave.

[Annoyed]

!

Here we arrive, pump gas () go inside, tell them which pump we used, pay, and then leave.

Ah, the days before the coming of the "Please pre pay before pumping gas" sign.

There is also a marketing aspect to the current cash process. Since gas stations are all convenience stores these days, they are hoping that you see something else to purchase while you're waiting in line.

[jelgate]

A lot of the pre-pay is because people were driving away without paying. I do remember the old days when you could pay at the pump. I can't really fault a gas station from wanting to make sure they get paid for purchases. I will say I have never had to wait as long as Annoyed for a pre pay transaction

[Annoyed]

Oh, I know the reasons & don't argue with them. Drive offs were killing them.