Finance Discussions

That was me, and I'm coming over there to give you a piece of my check and mind. Just kidding (-:

I use a credit card and pay off every month at the end of the month. I'm just anal like that.

Some of my relatives and neighbors do the check thing, because they do not want to get into debt (like so many others these days). Yeah. I know they can do debit cards. It's a strange concept for some.

I guess life is just slower in the South. If the person in front of me wants to do a check, that's fine. I plan my dinner mentally or think about articles or reviews I have in progress. I suppose I'm pretty laid back. I also drive behind tractors taking hay here and there if I hit the back roads. I just wave and look for a chance to pass safely (and just listen to music if I can't speed it up).

I find it more disconcerting when someone is on the cell phone while paying a bill at the register and not even treating the check out person like a real person than when someone old fashioned breaks out the check book.

Naw. I'm not holding you up in line. But, I'll wait a minute or two while someone pays by check if that works for them. Heck, it might be my Mom. Her checks are good and if she's comfortable with that, then I say, "More power to her."

 

I hardly write checks anymore unless I am having to pay a bill via mail.

I usually use my debit card when shopping, I slide my card, and push my PIN #, and I am done. I prefer plastic than the paper. It is quicker. However, I do carry my checkbook with me because there have been times a store's debit/credit machine has been out of order.

I am like Cyndi A. if someone is in front of me in line and they are paying by check, that's OK with me! Some people are more comfortable with writing checks.

This is what the world is coming to. Fast, faster, fastest! Sorry, but to me if someone is paying buy check it's no biggie. Were talking about a few more seconds. This world is moving fast enough as it is to be worried, or upset about someone filling out a check.

PERRYEASTEP said…

This is what the world is coming to. Fast, faster, fastest! Sorry, but to me if someone is paying buy check it's no biggie. Were talking about a few more seconds. This world is moving fast enough as it is to be worried, or upset about someone filling out a check.

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No, what the world is coming to is that no one gives a damn about anyone anymore.  We live in what I call the "it's all about me" society, where nobody cares how their actions affect anyone.  All they're worried about is themselves and if they have to cause you inconvenience in the process, then that's just too bad.  This is a problem that goes way beyond writing checks, but checks happen to be the subject of my rant today.

When I'm in line and it's my turn, I try to take my turn as quickly and efficiently as I can.  A small part of that is me wanting to be finished.  The vast majority of it is that I actually care enough about the people behind me to want to do what I can not to hold them up.  I'm sorry you don't feel that way.

I don't need this.

Sorry, I did not mean to upset you with my post. I get the same feeling too when at checkout. I'm trying to speed things along. I just try to "let it be", and that works for me. I dont use checks myself, but I have no problem with people that do.

BTW, This is a very interesting thread, thanks for sharing your thoughts!

I don't know how to say this without sounding like a "b"...but I will...lol.  I think it's a little rude that you can't give a person an extra minute or two to pay by check because it is an inconvience to you. Some people may have a disability that they have to pay by checks because they can't keep up with accounting; others are just into their ways; some may be paying on an expense account.  It's not up to you to judge or decide.

I recently went out, but before I did I changed handbags and left my wallet on the kitchen counter.  I didn't realize that until I got to the checkout counter.  I had to pay by check.  It was out of my norm, I always use my debit or credit card, but thankfully I had the checkbook on me.  Do you really think it's fair to stand behind me rolling your eyes in your head because I took an extra minute at checkout? 

I'm sorry, but I give extra mintues to strangers all the time...help them put groceries in their cars, reach something down off a shelf, let them take a parking spot ahead of me (even though I was there first). 

Like I said, I don't want to sound rude and insult you....we are all entitled to our opinions and feelings, but there are way too many serious things to rant about these days....but then again, maybe you are one of the lucky one's that don't have that problem.:)

JazzSinger said…

Still not convinced?  Well, let me give you one more reason not to write checks.  Whenever you write a check, you're giving someone a piece of paper with all the information they need to clean out your bank account.  Most people's checks have their name and address on them, and they all have the account number and routing number of the person's account.  That's plenty enough information for a thief to go on a shopping spree in your name.

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I used to work for a check-printing company and know that there are security measures that prevent this. Most personal checks will have a small ''lock'' icon adjacent to the Dollars line.  This indicates that security features are built into the check that cannot be duplicated.

For example, the signature line may have tiny printed letters imbeded in it that someone cannot recreate on their own printer. Also some checks have a magnetic strip or lightly printed text on the reverse that cannot be duplicated either. A phony check wihout these features will be spit-out, even if the MICR encoding is the same as the original.

When I'm in line and it's my turn, I try to take my turn as quickly and efficiently as I can. 

 

I do too.  I live in NJ where people do everything full speed ahead.  I try to be as efficient as possible so I don't hold people up who are waiting behind me...

...that being said, it really makes me angry when the cashier starts ringing up the next person before I've even had a chance to put my change (or debit card) and receipt into my wallet.  It makes me feel like a jerk when their stuff starts rolling down in front of me and the next customer is trying to get to it to bag it... and there I am fumbling with my wallet.  Can't the cashier just wait a moment until I've had a chance to move away?

JazzSinger said…

1. Writing checks is time-consuming and inconsiderate.  Writing a check takes longer than any other method of payment.  Not only does it make your transaction take longer, but it forces the people behind you to have to wait longer.
2. For merchants, unless you have a system that validates checks at the register, you're taking a chance of someone writing you a bad check.  We have a TV show here in Lafayette every Monday night put on by the Lafayette Marshal's office.  They show names and pictures of people the have warrants out for, and a number of those are for writing bad checks.
3. Most, if not all, banks now offer a debit card that can be used where either Visa or Mastercard is accepted, depending on the bank.  Worried about your precious check register?  There's nothing stopping you from still writing down your transactions.  Just don't hold up everyone else in the process, which some people do.
4. Still not convinced?  Well, let me give you one more reason not to write checks.  Whenever you write a check, you're giving someone a piece of paper with all the information they need to clean out your bank account.  Most people's checks have their name and address on them, and they all have the account number and routing number of the person's account.  That's plenty enough information for a thief to go on a shopping spree in your name.

I realize that there are some situations where you have to write a check, but those situations are becoming fewer and farther between.  I am definitely an advocate of the abolition of checks, especially in any situation where you have to wait in line.  People, please stop writing checks.  It's for your convenience, your safety, and for consideration of the next guy.  I hope I gave you guys something to think about.

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Sorry to disagree with you, and you are entitled to your opinion, but, seems to me insisting someone pay with a debit card and not a check so you don't have to wait is not giving a damn about them and what they need to do.  Standing in like for 5 minutes, THEN digging around in your purse or pocket for the checkbook when you could have had it out and mostly filled out IS inconsiderate.  Paying with a check is not.  Not everyone likes debit cards, which, by the way is just as suseptible to ID theft as checks.  Moreso when you consider that, if you use that debit card as credit, all you have to do it swipe and almost NOONE will check your ID.  You could have Tiger Woods' debit card and, as long as the system approves it, no one will ever know.

I'm a manager in a fairly large supermarket chain and I've observed as well as been on the business end of much rude behavior.  Writing a check doesn't even come close.

I never write checks because we get airline miles with our credit card. Once in awhile I'll find a store that only takes cash or checks and then I have to but some people really don't like charge cards because they can shop endlessly which I have been doing on QVC and HSN - YIKES!! I'm not sure what happens if you don't have a charge card. Maybe you can't buy online or on tv and maybe that's a great thing. $40 sounds great for a top and matching pants but do that about 6 times and get the bill!! I've warned my husband but:)

I also pay everything I can with a credit card and pay it off each month--if they are going to give me cash for using their card, I like that arrangement.

I agree that it does take longer to write a check, but I think I'd rather wait in line behind someone who is ensuring that they are paying with money they have rather than dealing with the inconvenience of an economy where people are spending money that they don't have.

That person in front of me who is taking forever may have just lost a spouse, sibling, friend, or child. Maybe she is caring for a husband that can't remember her name or has been up all night with a crying baby. I will never forget going to the grocery store after my first day working on the unit as a nurse. A patient coded and died on his anniversary. I did chest compressions and could feel ribs break. He was so jaundiced that he was green. I had a brand new uniform and my first white color job, but my view of nursing and being able to help people quickly changed focus. I was a mess. I got to the check-out in a daze. I probably used cash that day and probably couldn't even count.

When I've only had 3 or 4 items in the cart with 3 kids hanging off the sides, I am eternally grateful for those who have let me in front of them. I try to return the favor when I have the buggy so full that I wonder if the wheels are going to fall off. Usually someone has to use the potty before I get to the check-out anyway.

njchicaa said…

...that being said, it really makes me angry when the cashier starts ringing up the next person before I've even had a chance to put my change (or debit card) and receipt into my wallet.  It makes me feel like a jerk when their stuff starts rolling down in front of me and the next customer is trying to get to it to bag it... and there I am fumbling with my wallet.  Can't the cashier just wait a moment until I've had a chance to move away?

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This is my biggest pet peeve, and it's always done to me in WaWa! 

Might I shed some light here.... There may be times when a checkbook is all the person has available to pay for something.  In my own experience, I had my wallet stolen last year causing us to have to switch banks.  In the process, for some odd reason, I did not get a debit card for the account for several months.  I also don't usually carry cash.  So during this time, pretty much I needed to use a checkbook for some purchases.  Generally I have the information ready before checkout and really I don't feel the process to be any more time-consuming than any other checkout method. 

That being said, in many places, systems are in place to process your check as a card which makes it as quick as paying with a card.  A few weeks ago we went to a different store than usual and paid with a check.  Once it was processed, the cashier handed it back to us since it wasn't needed.

LOL  Perhaps we should be in favor of a bar code on our wrists that we can just scan as we check out. That would save another second or two.   ;-)

I used to work in a bank and I saw too many people with overdrawn accounts because of using debit cards and not keeping track of their purchases.  For that reason, I don't even own a debit card- I am probably the only person left in America that only has an ATM card.  I like the old fashioned method of check writing and record keeping.

When shopping, I write checks and I have everything filled out except for the amount before reaching the cashier and I am not bothered by someone else writing a check.  There are other things that annoy me but check writing is not one of them.

I seem to always pick the line [even if appears shorter] that will take the longest so if you see me in line; go to another one.  ;-)

There are all kinds of explanations why people use checks and they have a right to do so. We just have to learn to be patient. I don't have a checking account and I only pay cash when I have the money. But when I head to the check out, I look for the one with the shortest line. Either way, I have to wait and I must be patient. I don't find anything wrong with people paying for their items with checks. :)

I'm super aware of other people around me. I often wonder if someone in my group is talking to loud if it's bugging the other people around me. When I'm at the grocery store or bank I don't want at the counter to put my money or receipt away I move down to do this. I just can't help it, then I feel rushed. So if I was the person in front of you I'd be like, man I'm probably pissing this guy off. Haha.

I don't see anything wrong with writing checks, as long as you've got the money to back it. Most places today will scan your check and hand it back to you (the money is taken out right then and there).

I don't mind waiting for people to pay by check or any other means of payment. I just smile and wait patiently until it's my turn. Like Katrena said.."You don't know what that person has going on in their life (like a death, illness, disability..etc)."

Like my husband says...."Nobody has common courtesy anymore".

So what if you have to wait on someone writing a check....Get over it!!!! It's not gonna kill you to have to wait a few minutes more!!

PERRYEASTEP said…

This is what the world is coming to. Fast, faster, fastest! Sorry, but to me if someone is paying buy check it's no biggie. Were talking about a few more seconds. This world is moving fast enough as it is to be worried, or upset about someone filling out a check.

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AMEN!!! I AGREE WITH YOU 100%.

Nissan charges me $16 per car payment unless I pay with a check either online or on paper. They require an actual account #. My utilities need to have a stub included.

One time I was at Walgreens and I forgot the PIN code to my card. I had it for years and still I can't remember it. I needed to write checks until I could get to the bank and have my card re-PINned.

I'll admit I sigh when I see the checkbook come out. Mostly older folks write checks. When ATM cards first started to be issued, I drove up to an ATM, and my Nan asked me if you put a quarter in and get money out. That may sound funny, but really? She wouldn't have figured it out and the buttons on the POS terminal would have been too small for her to see or push with shaky hands. And forget the touch screen ones that use a stylus.

So, that's what I think of if I feel annoyed and it dissipates.

I don't mind HOW people pay, as long as they are fast about it.  Nothing more frustrating then the 80 year old trying to use the credit card machine, but she can't read the options and keeps hitting the wrong buttons! So pay by check if you want, but please know how to fill out a check and be quick about it!  Pre-filling in half the check is nice.

The other day I was at the store trying to print photos in the self print thing.  While I was waiting for mine to print, an older lady came along.  Everyone there knew her and apparantly she prints ALL THE TIME. I was standing there watching her and she seemed clueless!  She kept hitting the wrong buttons and having to restart and I ended up showing her how to do it after seeing her mess up 3 times.  Technology isn't for everyone, so for someone like that she may have been better off handing her CD of photos to the photo lady and having her print them. 

Same goes with Checks, some people are better off writing the check then trying to figure out hte machine at the self-scanner.  All I know is that I certainly don't want to be the one waiting while you screw up the uscan!

vivasuzi said…
All I know is that I certainly don't want to be the one waiting while you screw up the uscan!

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Now the U Scan is a whole other ball of worms... I much prefer to go to the cashier most of the time as it really can be more of a hassle, even with 1-2 items in hand.

 

lilsquibb said…

vivasuzi said…
All I know is that I certainly don't want to be the one waiting while you screw up the uscan!

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Now the U Scan is a whole other ball of worms... I much prefer to go to the cashier most of the time as it really can be more of a hassle, even with 1-2 items in hand.

 

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You are right about the U Scan! At the HEB supermarket in Texas, you could weigh and type in the SKU and a bar-code label sticker would print in the produce aisle out so you can make life easier for the cashiers. I was always so annoyed by people not printing the barcode in the produce aisle and spending so long at the U Scan going through all of the different produce screens trying to find their produce. If you are buying weird stuff like UGLI fruits and plumalots, stay away from the U Scan! It's going to take you more time to find it in the menus than it will take the cashiers to type in.

I don't know how JazzSinger would feel about this: you can show up at the U Scan with a basket full of produce that needs to be weighed, and pay for it with a check at the HEB in Texas. That is probably a worst case scenario! You have to write the check and run it through the reader. I did NOT think that should have been allowed. At least you have the option of regular cashiers!

The uscan is my friend :)  I tend to sneak in even if I have 20 items ;)  But I'm a pro, I can speed through it so fast, always have my credit card ready, and I'm in and out like that!  But when someone is using it who doesn't even know how, and a line starts to form, I want to go up there and say "let me do it!!"

I don't think people are allowed to do checks though.  Most do credit cards and a few do cash.

In Texas, pretty much every supermarket and Walmart had U Scans. In Iowa, you see them only once in a while. When they work right, they are awesome. IMO most of the people having problems with the U Scan is due to the machine. They are really sensitive.

Some of these messages bear out what I have felt privately for a long time -- it's not the people ahead of us but those eager-beavers behind us that are the problem.  Relax a little, you'll live longer.

 

I think it all boils down to common courtesy, which, unfortunately, is not all that common anymore.  Sometimes people do have valid reasons for taking so long to write checks or put their stuff away.  Many times, as I've observed, you just have a person who doesn't give a rat's a@# about the people behind them.  I've actually witnessed someone get grippy about the person in front of them taking too long, then they get up to the cashier and take forever themselves.  Seems people want YOU to hurry along so they can hold every one else up themselves.  What kind of ego does THAT take??

So, Anna, having worked in retail quite a while, I can tell you, sometimes it's the people who are ahead and sometimes the ones behind who are the problem.  When  a person is at the cashier with a bunch of people wating behind them, they shouldn't dig into the depths of their purse for 2 minutes counting out the EXACT change when they could have given the cashier another bill and accepted the change in a MUCH shorted amount of time.  Also, the person behind, instead of standing there chatting with your buddy in line, fuming while the person ahead takes forever ONLY to not pull out your loyalty card/ form of payment until AFTER the cashier is done ringing you up, well that's inconsiderate, too.

Bottom line is, consider the other people in line just as important, or, better yet MORE important than you.  When I go through a line, no one has to ask me for my bonus card.  I have it out.  I NEVER write checks, but, when I did, I was working on it while the cashier was ringing me up.  If we all thought of others instead of ourselves in the grocery store, things would go more smoothly and faster.

Don't EVEN get me started about USCAN.  98% of all the problems at USCAN are operator error and most of those are because the customer can't be bothered to pay attention to what they are doing.

We do need more common courtesy. Since Mike is in retail I am sure he has many stories of idiots on cell phones while checking out or giving their orders or whatever. That's blatantly rude and I'd take a slow check writer any day over that.

I swear the U Scan always tells me the item I put in the bag isn't the right weight. I gave up because I do find it embarassing to be seen as an inconvenience in a line that is supposed to offer more convenience.

MikeMaroon said…

I think it all boils down to common courtesy, which, unfortunately, is not all that common anymore.  Sometimes people do have valid reasons for taking so long to write checks or put their stuff away.  Many times, as I've observed, you just have a person who doesn't give a rat's a@# about the people behind them.  I've actually witnessed someone get grippy about the person in front of them taking too long, then they get up to the cashier and take forever themselves.  Seems people want YOU to hurry along so they can hold every one else up themselves.  What kind of ego does THAT take??

So, Anna, having worked in retail quite a while, I can tell you, sometimes it's the people who are ahead and sometimes the ones behind who are the problem.  When  a person is at the cashier with a bunch of people wating behind them, they shouldn't dig into the depths of their purse for 2 minutes counting out the EXACT change when they could have given the cashier another bill and accepted the change in a MUCH shorted amount of time.  Also, the person behind, instead of standing there chatting with your buddy in line, fuming while the person ahead takes forever ONLY to not pull out your loyalty card/ form of payment until AFTER the cashier is done ringing you up, well that's inconsiderate, too.

Bottom line is, consider the other people in line just as important, or, better yet MORE important than you.  When I go through a line, no one has to ask me for my bonus card.  I have it out.  I NEVER write checks, but, when I did, I was working on it while the cashier was ringing me up.  If we all thought of others instead of ourselves in the grocery store, things would go more smoothly and faster.

Don't EVEN get me started about USCAN.  98% of all the problems at USCAN are operator error and most of those are because the customer can't be bothered to pay attention to what they are doing.

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Excellent points, Mike! 

And it's not just lines in grocery stores that are hampered by the thoughtlessness of a precious few.  If you want to read what I have to say about reception lines, just check out my Associated Content article about "The Future of Funerals, Some Serious Thoughts."

www.associatedcontent.com/article/1997406/the_future_of_funerals_some_serious.html?cat=7

I'm with you mike :)  My husband and I always have our cards in hand before they are requested, and are always ready to swipe our credit card the second the price is announced.  I don't get people who just stand there while their groceries are being swiped for 5 minutes, and then when the amount is announced, suddenly they have to dig through their purses to find their credit card.  Um, hello?  Why not get it out while you are standing their for 5 minutes doing nothing?

Interesting topic! I don't have a debit card. I always pay by check at the grocery store and they print the check for you, all you have to do is sign. I don't get upset if someone is writing a check, I don't take it like they are personally out to annoy me or are being rude. I live in a community with a lot of elderly and I have a lot of compassion for them. And I have even helped someone count out the exact change to pay with.

I agree about it being rude when people are checking out and on the cell phone and i do get antsy when someone has a hard time with the pin pad, but I never think they are being rude. 

Jazz, I would feel bad if you were behind me when i was handing over my check and you thought I was doing it to be rude. 

Sometimes it is our own perceptions of others actions/motives that get us riled up when there is no bad intentions there.