interesting experience at fuel/convenience station

[eljefino]

Most banks do not check for counterfeit's either. They don't want to be holding the bag (they would be obligated to turn it in, no compensation). Another dirty little secret of our banking system.

Retailers not taking cash are just being lazy - they don't want to handle it. I won't shed a tear when they go under. Maybe they could invest in one of these.

View attachment 280546

The irony is not lost on me, buying a counterfeit detector on AMAZON of all vendors.

I think OP confused the cashier by asking for 90 bucks in change back, but wait, make it 30 in money and 60 in gas. The three-way math blew her mind.

She might have thought Chris was trying to pull a variation of the change scam and defensive because of it... though again I'm not sure retailers train for such things very much.

 

[SC Maintenance]

In some areas up here there isn’t much profit selling gas because they drop the prices so much lower towards the end of the day to compete with other stations. There are nightly price wars in many areas. And during this time period they often are losing money for a while on the gas but they hope to make that up on more people buying cigarettes, snacks and especially car washes if the station has one.

On my drive home today I saw the beginning of another price war, as all of the stations along that one stretch were at about $1.30 per liter and one station was down to $1.18. The rest will surely have dropped their prices to match shortly after this and possibly gone another cent or two lower. Then at midnight everyone resets to a new higher price again. It’s a very odd situation but it’s been happening here for decades.

If they were loosing money for decades they would be not there anymore. There making something, and doing it in volume maybe?

I had a old boss (Kellog MBA, immigrant, spoke many languages) that also owned a gas station. He wanted the property - it was in a very posh part of town, and he had someone run it for him. But you could occasionally find him there, pumping gas for patrons and such. Realize he had an office in Mahogony row of a Fortune 500 and wore a suit every day. I learned much from him. I lost touch with him years ago, but I looked it up on Google maps a while back and its not there anymore. A 5 story "executive center" with completely mirrored facade an all sides is now. I assume that is why he bought it all those years ago.

 

[andrew_j]

Pay for food with ATM and go elsewhere to one of those silly places that charges less for cash. Not worth the effort.

 

[Patman]

If they were loosing money for decades they would be not there anymore. There making something, and doing it in volume maybe?

Not losing money all day long though, just during the hours at the end of the day when the price wars happen.

 

[Hall]

BoA tellers dispense $100's - and if you take $300 or more your almost certain to get one.

I used an ATM for the first time in probably 5+ years (thinking how long ago it was that our youngest went to an after-school sitter and I'd stop for cash to pay her....). I tried to withdraw $400 ... it wouldn't let me. Said it exceeds the daily limit. Turns out the ATM has the limit, not my bank account. Tried again with $300 and it let me. No prompt asking what denominations I wanted either - it spit out 15 $20 bills. Granted, this was a small-town, single location bank with an ATM.

 

[Chris142]

Yes, the math is easy, assuming that's what he meant when he typed: $14.66 gallons.

The $ sign in front of 14.66 indicates he's referring to dollars.

However, if he indeed is referring to gallons, then why is the $ sign in front of the 14.66?

I was trying to figure out what he meant, so was asking for clarification.

Sorry $60 would have got me 14.66 gallons of gas at the $4.09 cash price

 

[JayhawkRoy]

This 3% for credit cards is spreading. My Subaru dealer wanted a check for services performed, as does our veterinarian. On the other hand, the ATM nearest us issued me $20's for a $300 withdrawal.

 

[Astro14]

This 3% for credit cards is spreading. My Subaru dealer wanted a check for services performed, as does our veterinarian. On the other hand, the ATM nearest us issued me $20's for a $300 withdrawal.

I don’t bother with $20 bills unless I’m forced to. Grab $500 for spending money, perhaps a nice dinner out, or maybe a tool purchase, and have half an inch of bills jammed in my wallet? No thanks.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

I don’t bother with $20 bills unless I’m forced to. Grab $500 for spending money, perhaps a nice dinner out, or maybe a tool purchase, and have half an inch of bills jammed in my wallet? No thanks.

Tend to agree, but I take what ATM gives out. If I cash a check at the bank, I generally ask for $50's. Most places around here have fewer issues accepting $50's.

 

[ArrestMeRedZ]

I don’t bother with $20 bills unless I’m forced to. Grab $500 for spending money, perhaps a nice dinner out, or maybe a tool purchase, and have half an inch of bills jammed in my wallet? No thanks.

Just looked it up. A $20 bill when I started college is worth $170 today. Nobody didn't accept a $20 bill in 1969. Since inflation has devalued the purchasing power of a $100 bill to where it is at now, it should be universally accepted.
I think Chris handled it appropriately. Let em "eat" the food waste.

 

[Dave Hess]

I always have $50 cash in console just in case credit card at pumps are down and I need to fill up.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I always have $50 cash in console just in case credit card at pumps are down and I need to fill up.

What again is the color and model of your car ... ?

 

[eljefino]

Just looked it up. A $20 bill when I started college is worth $170 today. Nobody didn't accept a $20 bill in 1969. Since inflation has devalued the purchasing power of a $100 bill to where it is at now, it should be universally accepted.
I think Chris handled it appropriately. Let em "eat" the food waste.

There are also four slots in cash drawers to go with the four coin pockets. Since we're giving up on the penny, dollars should become coins and then that'll make room for fifties.

This is also why two dollar bills didn't catch on-- where would cashiers put them?

 

[Dinoburner]

Round here many businesses give 3 percent back for cash which is popular with the older crowd.

 

[scoot]

Some people make a mountain out of a mole hill . Life isn't that complicated unless you want to buck the system at every turn . You have a credit card but don't carry it because you control your spending ? People create their own circumstances then claim the world is against them and then claim the whole system is screwed up .

 

[bunnspecial]

It's obvious they choose not to accept larger bills which is very, very common. I've never seen an ATM dispense $100 bills or even $50 bills.

A few years ago(actually I think pre-COVID...), my bank ditched the pneumatic tubes at the drive through and instead put in fancy machines that more or less are high tech ATMs. When the bank is open, you pull up to them and a teller pops up on the video screen and "operates" the machine for you based on what you ask them to do. It's capable of accepting and dispensing change as well as any size bill $1-$100. Of course with a teller operating it, there are no ATM withdrawal limits or anything like that.

(they also kept the lane closest to the building with a physical drawer, so will direct anything that involves handling cash or checks to that lane).

After the bank closes for the day, most of the lanes convert to ATMs. Even though things like the per-transaction and daily limit are still present when they're operating as an ATM, they are some of the most flexible/capable ATMs I've ever used. I think they only let you go in $5 increments, but still will allow you to specify basically any combination of bills to reach your desired amount.

A lot of ATMs I use still only do $10 and $20, but I've used plenty of others that do $50s and/or $100s.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

All that pneumatic tube stuff is so pre Y2k with the imaging deposit apps and fully e-transactions.

 

[dishdude]

Some people make a mountain out of a mole hill . Life isn't that complicated unless you want to buck the system at every turn . You have a credit card but don't carry it because you control your spending ? People create their own circumstances then claim the world is against them and then claim the whole system is screwed up .

Have you ever encountered a business that accepts cash but refuses to make change?

 

[Hall]

All that pneumatic tube stuff is so pre Y2k

My wife works at an almost brand new hospital and they still use these tube systems for various things. Irony is, it's all computer-controlled now and non-operational currently due to a ransomware attack.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Have you ever encountered a business that accepts cash but refuses to make change?

- not a reply to you personally dish, just a general response

Absolutely If they are NOT equipped to detect fraud Benjamin's or you are trying to move an old series.

Like I stated before, I always ask out of courtesy, If you are so full of yourself your entitlement, whip out that fancy 'Mercun Expresso Gold card and wow the chicks in line behind you

With the latest anti counterfeit "tech" bills a clerk - if trained - can just look for three things: the watermark, the security thread and the ink shifting on the inkwell image.

Many may not even recognize a modern 100 - they appear like foreign currency,