The Jerk Store called...They don't want your checks anymore.
If you're a check writer, you may not want to read further ;) I'm sooooooooo tired of them holding up the lines at the registers! Why does it seem to take hours to write a simple check?And even more importantly, don't they know checks are obsolete? haha...okay, so maybe i'm a little biased since being a hardcore credit card fan and all, but i just don't get why people still use them at stores.
Yes, using them to pay your mortgage and such makes sense - i have no beef with that - (i used to do this until mastering the art of online checks through the bank) BUT at the dollar store? or the grocery store?? Arghhhhhhhh...
If i have to wait another 5 whole minutes for someone to whip it out, ask whom to make it out too, and then fill out the register part ONE MORE TIME, i swear i might loose it....or worse, accidently walk out of the store w/out having paid for my items! I almost did that once, until the beeper thing went off and i realized i was still holding the things i meant to buy. i almost got in a lot of trouble, as i look pretty "punky" anyways. yikes.
Everyone has their own method of payment, and if it works for you that's awesome. But please, for the love of money, at least learn how to cut a check faster and be cognizant that you're in the 10 items or less lane and that the point is to get through it quickly. Maybe go early in the morning or late at night? haha.... or learn what a debit card is!
I feel a little bad saying all of this, especially cuz i know most of these people are grandmas and/or busy mothers, but i must admit if feels good getting it out of my system. And to be honest, i'll even take part of the blame since i only add to the impatience with society these days.
But perhaps we could strike a deal? If you, the check writer, can speed up the process a bit on your end, I will promise to be more understanding and nicer about it. Maybe you could even throw in a "sorry to hold up the line" every now and then? hehe...either way, i think checks are the devil. I'll leave it at that ;)
Labels: checks, randomness 3000, rant
posted by J. Money at
12:02 PM
18 Comments:
Impatient much? After all your posts on responsible spending, you should be happy these folks are writing the purchases in the register - which you should also do if using a debit card. They know exactly how much money is in their account - unlike some of us debit/credit card swipers who have a general idea. By the way, before you assume otherwise - I never write checks, but I do use an unbelieveable number of coupons and will call the manager over if necessary. Do you feel the same way about those of us saving money? Just curious.
or at least have the check filled out BEFORE you get to the register (except for the total, obviously).
I agree with you, it takes FOREVER for some people to write a check. At the grocery store it's especially bad. Fill it out BEFORE!!! 99% of the time, it's your home grocery store and you're still asking who to make it out to!! Get there faster!
Wow. I can honestly say I have never dealt with this yet! However, it would make sense for the person to have the check written out PRIOR to getting in line. Who uses checks in the store these days anyways? Only thing I use it for is to pay my car payment, which reminds me I need to do that tonight! Thanks!
haha, yes i am definitely impatient when it comes down to this subject, without a doubt :)
but to my defense, it's only because these check writers usually a) can NEVER find their checkbook and/or take a good 2 whole minutes whipping it out and then looking for the start of the next blank check. and b) always do what Tom and Doctor S alluded too - asking whom to make it out too and going soooooooo s.l.o.w.
i know i came off pretty harsh, but i'm really not against ALL check writers. if you know what you're doing it's all good in my books...i might not understand it, but it's all good ;)
i also don't mind when people use coupons or call over managers. people should always stand up for what they need/want.
i do, however, see your point in filling out the register - that's always a good thing to do. and if you already have the checkbook open, then it works out nicely.
so yeah, i'm totally impatient at times, but it still annoys me ;)
My mom is a master check writer... BUT, she can have that checked written out faster than I could type in my pin number! She is good!
Actually writing a paper check and recording the transaction in my register helps me be much more cognizant of my spending. Debit just doesn't feel quite like spending money, and I'm thinking of switching back to checks precisely because it does slow me down and make me think for a few extra seconds.
i imagine that you can write it in your register either a) while they are processing the check, or b) at home. you get a receipt right?
i don't need to know what is exactly in my account - i round up, so a general idea is good enough. at the end of the day, i tally up my receipts. faster for me and the people behind me in line.
i'll probably get flack for this, but if you have to use checks to keep better track of your money and fill out the register right then, then you might be a slave to your money, which is potentially worse than being up to your ears in debt.
i understand elderly people needing to do it this way - i worry about forgetting things when i'm older. but if you're under 40, get a debit card and always get a receipt. it's 2008. i don't even have a check book (let alone a register).
and no, i have no problems with coupons, price checks, etc. as long as you aren't being rude about it.
Hey jerk! Just kidding! ;) I still write a lot of checks, however, if I am going to write one at the grocery or the pharmacy, I always write the check in advance and record all the info in the register before going in to the store. That way, I only have to write in the amount and sign the check, quick and easy. If I am making an impulse or unplanned purchase, I use my debit or credit card. I hope I have passed muster with you on this one. :) An intersting topic for sure.
And I have to agree with ec, writing checks does make you more aware of the money you are spending, especially when you are subtracting the amount just spent from your balance. Yikes!!
"it's 2008. i don't even have a check book (let alone a register)." haha...well played paradigmshifted ;)
budget mama more power to her! i have no problem w/ that at allllll.
e.c. and changeisagoodthing - you both pass ;) if a process works for you, i'm all for it...but filling it out beforehand makes all the difference in the world! you do that, and i probably wouldn't even notice!
oh gosh, i couldn't agree more. i was in the express line with a gallon of milk and loaf of bread the other day and just wanted to get home...and this one lady took 8 minutes to write out a check. i'm not kidding. i checked my watch. i was so tempted to leave, but i needed the milk for a recipe. it's irritating!
I understand how naive this sounds, but I didn't even know these people still existed. I don't even use cash on a regular basis, never mind checks. I guess this means I should be thankful I haven't run into any lately!
I'm with Jon Kepler on this one.
I can't believe people in the US still use cheques so frequently. You can't even use them in Canada anymore (except for things like rent, mortgage, etc.).
We hardly even use cash these days, and we don't need to swipe or sign with our credit cards either. It's a little bewildering whenever I visit my family in the States and my aunt whips out a chequebook, lol!
Hopefully the US will get up to speed with the rest of the world, soon! I think it will save all of you time!
If you had ever run a small business, you would know credit card transactions are EXPENSIVE.
Seriously, next time you get your hair cut or pay your independent small business person, ask them. I bet they prefer checks.
Haven't written a check for three years. Don't carry a credit card, either, use a debit card linked to a checking account set up separately from your direct deposit account. This caps your spending so you don't start using it like a credit card, and is a more effective deterrent to overspending than check writing.
I go through the labor-unfriendly self-checkout counters specifically to avoid coupon-clippers and check-writers, but then I end up waiting behind the lady who has her toddler punching the touchscreen, or the senior citizen who can't put the item in the bag fast enough before the machine starts screaming for the manager.
Makes me want to push them aside and checkout their stupid Cheez-Its and FunOnions for them. I can't think of a more aggravating, regular experience than grocery shopping. The agita of grocery shopping are slowly degrading my respect for my fellow man, casting him as an obstacle rather than an equal.
oh, i'm sure credit card swipes cost small business owner's alotta money, no doubt about that. but that's a whole other topic here - i seriously doubt the majority of people are using checks with that in mind (at least the people that i've been coming across). And like i said, i have no problem with checks in themselves, i have a problem with the amount of time it holds up the rest of the line when absent-minded people are using them.
And if i ever did frequent a smaller store that has a nice little memo asking that we write checks instead, i'd gladly oblige. I might not like it, but i'd save up my patience a whole lot more in that case.
@thinkingthing - you are hilarious! i love it.
Sorry, I have to cast my vote for check writers like e.c. and dogatemyfinances.
Furthermore, what are we all in such a hurry to pay for that we can't wait even two minutes to consume?!
OK, so I'll admit I'm getting up there in years but one lesson I wish I had learned earlier in life is to slow down and relax.
Otherwise, I appreciate what I've read on the blog thus far.
Thanks for your comment and honesty Bill, it's one of my favorite things about blogging :)
And I agree that slowing down and relaxing sure would be better! it's def. a quality of mine, personally, that needs a bit of tweaking...if you ever figure out *how* to do this, do tell!
Two years ago I got rid of the debit card. Not because I couldn't track my spending, but because *SOMEWHERE* I used the card *SOMEONE* swiped the card and made their *OWN* version of *MY* debit card. Imagine my suprise when I logged into my bank and saw that over the three days prior FOURTEEN THOUSAND dollars had been spent in Mexico City! I haven't been to Mexico City in my life.
Anyway, when I go to the bank to get MY money back, imagine more of my suprise when I find out that it is going to take approximately THREE months to get my money back due to government regulations. Yeah.
In the meantime, those people in Mexico had spent EVERY dime in my account. It was near the beginning of the month, so I still had some outstanding checks waiting to clear. I had to borrow money to put into my account so the checks wouldn't bounce, because the bank was not going to honor them without funds in the account.
Since then, I only write checks where the checks get scanned and are given right back to me (I don't want all the personal information on a check in the hands of a clerk longer than it takes to run the check through the machine) or I pay cash.
I will never have a debit card again because of that situation.
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