# Can you still get a tab anywhere? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 1, 2009, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423 "2009-06-01T23:05:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/21 "2009-06-02T20:37:30Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Tabs don’t charge interest. That’s a significant difference. How long would people run a tab at the local market? My credit cards don’t charge interest if I pay off that months charges when I get the bill. That generally means that I am getting things interest free for about 6 weeks to 2 weeks depending on when in the billing cycle they were purchased. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/22 "2009-06-02T21:22:32Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Tabs don’t charge interest. That’s a significant difference. As \*\*gaz \*\*pointed out, credit cards don’t charge interest if you pay them off in a timely fashion. People who fail to pay their other tabs on time could conceivably face some kind of repurcussions, too. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/23 "2009-06-02T22:31:03Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > As \*\*gaz \*\*pointed out, credit cards don’t charge interest if you pay them off in a timely fashion. People who fail to pay their other tabs on time could conceivably face some kind of repurcussions, too. Sure. But with credit cards it _is_ going to be charged by the month. The whole allure of the tab is that it’s a low-key hassle-free arrangement. Even if you abused your tab and didn’t pay up for over a month, I doubt the business owner could legally charge you anything other than what you owe - even in a small claims court. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/24 "2009-06-02T23:19:28Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > I thought you were talking about the soda from the 70s. Just don’t ask for a Pepsi Free. They’re gonna expect you to pay for it. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/25 "2009-06-03T16:03:21Z")
The pharmacy I used to work at lets you charge and then send you a bill each month. The local hardware store does too. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/26 "2009-06-03T16:50:53Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > The ‘roach coach’ that comes by my work runs a tab on the bus drivers. Sometimes people don’t have cash, but that guy still wants to sell sandwiches/burritos/mystery meat so he’ll write your name down/how much you owe and you pay it back next time. I guess it kind of works on the honor system (much like how co workers sell snacks in unsecured containers) One of Houston’s taco trucks (that probably serves work sites) has a big painting of a cockroach on the side with the words\* La Cucaracha\*. Don’t know if they run tabs. But they probably do have a horn that plays the tune… ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/27 "2009-06-03T17:21:49Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > I thought you were talking about the soda from the 70s. Yes! It’s not just me who thought that the OP was going to be about [Tab](http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/img/imagebrands/downloads/lg_tab.jpg). And it’s too bad, because I actually do know where you can buy Tab still. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/28 "2009-06-03T17:47:30Z")
I thought it was about acid, and I wondered, “What? They don’t sell it anymore?” ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/29 "2009-06-03T17:49:12Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Yes! It’s not just me who thought that the OP was going to be about [Tab](http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/img/imagebrands/downloads/lg_tab.jpg). And it’s too bad, because I actually do know where you can buy Tab still. Well? ---
**Author:** ![Dandibear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Dandibear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandibear)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/30 "2009-06-03T17:57:55Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Well? Sam’s, at least on the west side of Cincinnati. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/31 "2009-06-03T18:41:07Z")
My sister-in-law lived in Manhattan until recently and regularly ran up a tab in the $300 dollar range. Of course, she had been frequenting that deli for 30 years and she always got around to paying it eventually. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/32 "2009-06-03T19:12:56Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Yes! It’s not just me who thought that the OP was going to be about [Tab](http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/img/imagebrands/downloads/lg_tab.jpg). > [@ratatoskK](#): > > I thought it was about acid, and I wondered, “What? They don’t sell it anymore?” I’m surprised no one’s yet chimed in with, “It’s to the left of the Q.” ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/33 "2009-06-03T19:18:28Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Well? Market Basket occasionally has it. It’s a grocery chain in MA and NH. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/34 "2009-06-03T20:46:35Z")
That’s one of the things about the small run stores in Chicago. A lot of them are run by immigrants and they cater to immigrants and they extend them credit. This is why you see smaller markets able to make money while most people would ask, “Why don’t they go to Jewel” (a major grocer in Chicago). They don’t go because the smaller markets charge more but will give them credit. So at least in Chicago, and I assume other large cities with immigrant populations, the local tavern and markets give credit like they did in the old days, you know you go in and say “I know so and so and he’ll vouch for me.” ---
**Author:** ![Lily\_Milliner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8edcca/32.png) [@Lily\_Milliner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lily_Milliner)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/35 "2009-06-04T01:28:00Z")
We live less than half a mile from a locally-owned small grocery store, one of two in this area. They have an account system that basically lets you run a tab; in fact our monthly bill is in today’s mail. Very handy for when I pick up a few things at the end of a neighborhood run or walk–don’t need cash, card, or any form of payment, just give a four-digit account number and sign the receipt. We picked up sandwiches there once with a friend from out of town who witnessed the account system in action. As we left the store, he said to me, in the tidewater Virginia accent of his youth, “They run book!” I was totally confused. He said, “Your grocery store! They run book for you–keep a tab.” Now I like to use his expression with my neighbors. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/36 "2009-06-05T07:59:13Z")
Up until last year, I had a tab at a local gas station / convenience store. It was handy for gas and cigarettes. I paid once a week. It also gave me a better picture of my day to day expenses. Unfortunately, this local business was the victim of the high gas prices and the credit crunch (from the supply side) last summer and closed after a number of years. ---
**Author:** ![nightwolf1166](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e495f1/32.png) [@nightwolf1166](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightwolf1166)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/37 "2016-03-12T17:43:43Z")
I had a tab at a local family owned store. I have had it for years. recently they cut out all tabs for business reasons. but they also told me that them running tabs or giving credit they call it without charging intrest was illegal. I do not believe this. is it true that running a charge account or tab without charging intrest illegal? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/38 "2016-03-12T17:47:36Z")
> [@nightwolf1166](#): > > but they also > told me that them running tabs or giving credit they call it > without charging intrest was illegal. I do not believe this. is it true > that running a charge account or tab without charging intrest > illegal? If so, then all those credit card companies offering me 0% APR are gonna be in a heap of trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/39 "2016-03-12T20:25:58Z")
I don’t know where you are located, but I doubt that it’s illegal to loan someone $20 until payday. I’m sure there are regulations for offering actual credit accounts, but an awful lot of businesses in my neck of the woods rely on the accounts that only bill once a month (examples include mechanics that service fleet vehicles, or hotels that bill their corporate clients once a month.) In fact, just a few weeks ago, I was offered a “tab” at the c-store where I usually buy gas. The owner knows my vehicles, so I frequently pump my gas and then go inside to grab a drink or something, and then pay all at once. I did that one day, and my debit card declined due to a bank error. The owner was fully prepared to just let me come back later to pay for my gas, and even the soda, candy bar, and pack of beer I was buying. (He’s awesome. Which is why I stop at his store.) I used a credit card instead, because I didn’t want him to be inconvenienced if my bank couldn’t fix the issue quickly. But it’s nice to know that he would do that! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2016, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423/40 "2016-03-13T00:58:36Z")
At least in the US there are a raft of regulations that have to be complied with to issue consumer credit. The exact border between something like a store charge (“tab”) billed monthly versus simply paying your electric bill at the end of the month is kinda tough for non-experts to see. My wife’s a banking attorney. Keeping all her clients on the right side of the ever-changing regulations is a full time job. Your store owner may have gotten scared by some enforcement agency (or by a confused Google result). So now they think they have to jump through a lot more legal hoops to safely do a revolving charge system even if they charge zero interest. So they made a business decision to stop; it was just more potential trouble than it was worth. By the time the explanation got down to the clerk you talked to, it had morphed into “not charging interest is illegal.” There’s also the business problem that they lose X bucks a month due to uncollectibles. Cutting that off might be their real goal. Blaming it on government regulation is just face-saving. “Blame the evil government, not us good-guy small businessmen!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-still-get-a-tab-anywhere/498423.md?page=3)