Old Hundred Dollar Bills....

[Murphy Slaw]

A young cashier stopped Christmas progress yesterday.

She held the bill up to the light and there was no metal strip, and no watermark. If she would have had an alarm button I'm sure she would have set it off.

A bunch of us old timers tried to explain to her that those were relatively new inventions, and older bills had none of that, and there are still MILLIONS of them in circulation. She would have none of it, and called for help sure that she had a counterfeiter. And he was going down...

Of course, nothing happened except the line was delayed and progress stopped until she was educated. Again.

You would think this would be protocol for someone handling money...

[Otterhound]

Try using dollar and even half dollar coins .

[thomasinaz]

I had a similar experience recently. I got two 100 dollar bills from the 70s, as part of payment for a guitar I sold. I tried to deposit them in the ATM and they were rejected. Tried one of them at the local Walmart, and it was rejected. I took them inside my bank and the teller said he'd deposit them into my account. He ran them through two of the bill counters and, instead of putting them in the drawer he set them off to the side, but didn't say anything. The receipt said the funds would be delayed and I asked about it. He said everything was fine, but looked a little nervous.... I was thinking the Secret Service would be flying in on black helicopters anytime ... They were posted to my account a couple days later and all was well. The electronic bill takers don't like old money.

[piper_L]

Also, try using $2 bills, just to confuse people. -)

There are stories (well, Internet stories...) of folks being accused of counterfeiting for using $2 bills, since the bills were so unfamiliar to the cashier. Sounds plausible at least - but don't most stories?

The $2 bill certainly has a beautiful reverse side, a engraving of the painting "Declaration of Independence" by John Trumbull.

[Silly Moustache]

Here in the UK our £5, and £10 notes have all changed to polymer.
The £20s will change to polymer in February 2020, and the £50 in 2021.

The polymer notes are neater and tidier and will last far longer than the paper ones, but they are slippy and don't like being folded.

Obviously they are all different sizes and colours and braille details.
I'm so old that I remember my Father's roll of White Fivers (about A5 in size), and worth about a week's wages for most back in the 1950s.
They looked like this - 1st minute will do ya.



edit : I've got some US dollar bills hanging on my wall here Ones and twenties. All the same size but can't find any braille - how to blind folks manage with these?

[CoffeeFan]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

edit : I've got some US dollar bills hanging on my wall here Ones and twenties. All the same size but can't find any braille - how to blind folks manage with these?

My brother used to date a woman who had a daughter who was blind; born without eyes. I don't know how she did it, either, but I could never stump her. I'd hand her a $5 bill, and she knew it was a five. I handed her a $100 bill and she knew it was a hundred. I handed her an old school $20 bill and she said it was fake.

Wanna' hear something crazy? You could hand her a red sock and blue sock and she would tell you which was which...

[Jim Owen]

Originally Posted by piper_L

Also, try using $2 bills, just to confuse people. -)

There are stories (well, Internet stories...) of folks being accused of counterfeiting for using $2 bills, since the bills were so unfamiliar to the cashier. Sounds plausible at least - but don't most stories?

The $2 bill certainly has a beautiful reverse side, a engraving of the painting "Declaration of Independence" by John Trumbull.

The two-dollar bill was a headache for anyone who ran a cash register. Ain’t a slot for it.

In Charlottesville, Va, they were common currency, though. Aside from the Nickel, it’s the only currency with Jefferson on it.

[RedJoker]

Good for her. Sounds like she did what she should have done and it all worked out as it should.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Murphy Slaw

...the line was delayed and progress stopped until she was educated. Again...

ATTENTION ALL MILLENNIAL CASHIERS/BANK TELLERS:

If a customer presents you with one of those older large-denomination bills, please follow the directions below:

1. Remain calm - do not panic, call for Security/Management, etc.
2. Discreetly ask the customer to pay with a credit/debit card
3. Place the bill(s) in question under your cash drawer until your shift is over
4. At the end of your shift, put them in a plain white envelope and contact me through the AGF - I will be happy to pick them up and dispose of them for you

Your cooperation is appreciated...

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by RedJoker

Good for her. Sounds like she did what she should have done and it all worked out as it should.

Yes she did the right thing. Counterfeit bills have been a growing problem in the business units where I work and some smaller business owners I know have been speaking about the problem too. It's very easy for the bank to find them compared to the business so it's real hurt when you're robbed that way.

It's easier than one might think to have their own problems from this even if you're innocent. Keep in mind how most merchants use their video including following you to your car. Fairly often the police end up with a video of you and your car even if you got that counterfeit bill by your own mistake or misfortune.

As for the ageism dig, my fellow boomers should be careful because where we have testing and formal qualifications in our enterprise it seems more and more many in my own generation are quite pathetic.

[robj144]

As with others here, I don't see the problem at all. It's $100, not $1, with no definite method of easily showing it's not counterfeit. She should ask someone else to verify.

[frankmcr]

I don't think the $100 thing is common knowledge. I wouldn't blame the cashier. I would blame the corporate MBA genius who decided they shouldn't waste time (and time is money!) on training cashiers to do anything but scan barcodes and say "Haveaniceday, next".

And they pass the savings on to you!

[Murphy Slaw]

Originally Posted by frankmcr

I wouldn't blame the cashier. I would blame the corporate MBA genius who decided they shouldn't waste time (and time is money!) on training cashiers to do anything but scan barcodes and say "Haveaniceday, next".

That was what was entertaining to me. I wasn't mad although I WAS behind the guy with the BIG bill.

This wasn't at a small Mom and Pop store, where a hundred dollars could be a big deal. This was at WALMART.

And with the Christmas rush on, there were MANY people behind us moaning because it was taking so long. With only half of the checkouts open, as usual, and lines as long as you will ever see it was almost a scene.

And then the guy who approved it was about my age, just smiled at us and that was it. The bill wasn't checked with one of those "pens" or anything, he just knew the old ones didn't have the strip, or the watermark and that was it. And she was embarrassed because she simply wasn't trained to be a cashier.

I gave her a hundred too, but mine was newer.....

[12barBill]

Originally Posted by Murphy Slaw

That was what was entertaining to me. I wasn't mad although I WAS behind the guy with the BIG bill.

This wasn't at a small Mom and Pop store, where a hundred dollars could be a big deal. This was at WALMART.

And with the Christmas rush on, there were MANY people behind us moaning because it was taking so long. With only half of the checkouts open, as usual, and lines as long as you will ever see it was almost a scene.

And then the guy who approved it was about my age, just smiled at us and that was it. The bill wasn't checked with one of those "pens" or anything, he just knew the old ones didn't have the strip, or the watermark and that was it. And she was embarrassed because she simply wasn't trained to be a cashier.

I gave her a hundred too, but mine was newer.....

As a boomer myself, I have learned that trying to show a little kindness in these situations makes everyone feel better, including me.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by thomasinaz

The electronic bill takers don't like old money.

Yeah, all those "old money" kids's days are numbered..............