# 'Murikan Dopers: What's wrong with the $2 bill? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 7, 2006, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394 "2006-11-07T04:49:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/21 "2006-11-07T14:29:01Z")
On NPR yesterday they mentioned that a possible cause for the rise in $2 bill usage is their popularity at strip clubs. I don’t know if this was a serious comment or not, but is their any truth in this? ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/22 "2006-11-07T14:30:38Z")
[QUOTE=audiobottle] On NPR yesterday they mentioned that a possible cause for the rise in $2 bill usage is their popularity at strip clubs. I don’t know if this was a serious comment or not, but is **there** any truth in this? [/QUOTE] AAAH!!! I just died a little inside when I saw that typo. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/23 "2006-11-07T14:59:40Z")
I could see a use for the deuce spot: _20oz soft drink purchases._ Most everywhere you go a 20 costs between $1 and $2 - often over $1.50 in convenience stores in the urbanized northeast. [size]The sad kicker is that _none_ of the employees in these places would recognize one, and a bulletin from the home office would have to be issued.[/size] ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/24 "2006-11-07T15:05:01Z")
[QUOTE=audiobottle] On NPR yesterday they mentioned that a possible cause for the rise in $2 bill usage is their popularity at strip clubs. I don’t know if this was a serious comment or not, but is their any truth in this? [/QUOTE] Yeah, apparently they give $2 bills as change and then those bills are passed on as tips instead of $1 bills. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/25 "2006-11-07T15:13:33Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Mudd] I miss $2 notes. [/QUOTE] I still have one in my wallet, folded up nice and neat. I bought it from someone a couple of years ago who got some from someone else for whatever reason, and I bought one from him. I’ve kept it since. It’s sort of been a good luck charm because ever since then I’ve had nothing but good luck professionally. > [@Rigamarole](#): > > It just doesn’t seem that necessary to me. We have a $1 bill and a $5 bill. Do we really need a $3 bill and a $4 bill too? That’s not quite the idea; A $2 bill or coin is twice the value of a single and evenly divisible by 10 thus making it a sensible denomination – something $3 and $4 bills could not be. But singles can accumulate; spend $1.29 on something with a $5 bill and you’ll get three singles and some change back. A little more paper than one single and a $2 bill, but carried over a period of time during a day of shopping, for example, that can accumulate. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/26 "2006-11-07T15:19:31Z")
[QUOTE=yabob] If your average retailer gets a $2 bill, it generally gets stuck under the tray and goes straight back to the bank with the next deposit. [/QUOTE] That’s a big part of the problem right there. Retailers don’t give them out as change, so when you spend one it winds up right back in the bank. Another problem is hoarding. Some folks who get a $2 bill think it has collectible value (because they see it so seldom) and they squirrel it away in a drawer somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/27 "2006-11-07T15:37:19Z")
[QUOTE=Seven] There is no reason to use 2’s in the states. Cash drawers have spaces for 1, 5, 10 and 20’s. Coin spaces for all coins between the 1 cent and quarter. l. [/QUOTE] A typical cash drawer > **[Redirect Notice](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:%2F%2Fwww.bookrack.org%2Faccents%2Fcashregister%2FCash_Drawer_Photo.jpg&imgrefurl=http:%2F%2Fwww.bookrack.org%2Faccents%2Fcashregister%2FCash_Register%2FCash_Register_Screens%2FCash_Register_Screen.htm&h=1000&w=1504&sz=178&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=ObPrrU8qJF-6aM:&tbnh=100&tbnw=150&prev=%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dcash%2Bdrawer%26svnum%3D100%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG)** …has five bill slots, and five or 6 coin slots. Thus, they have room for $2, or one could use one of the extra coin slots for $1, and have a bill slot for $2 and one for $50/$100’s. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/28 "2006-11-07T15:40:42Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] Another problem is hoarding. Some folks who get a $2 bill think it has collectible value (because they see it so seldom) and they squirrel it away in a drawer somewhere. [/QUOTE] Right beside their treasured collection of quarters from every state. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/29 "2006-11-07T16:28:32Z")
We don’t need no stinkin’ $2 bills, and we don’t need yer fancy met-ric system! ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/30 "2006-11-07T16:38:48Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] A typical cash drawer > **[Redirect Notice](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:%2F%2Fwww.bookrack.org%2Faccents%2Fcashregister%2FCash_Drawer_Photo.jpg&imgrefurl=http:%2F%2Fwww.bookrack.org%2Faccents%2Fcashregister%2FCash_Register%2FCash_Register_Screens%2FCash_Register_Screen.htm&h=1000&w=1504&sz=178&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=ObPrrU8qJF-6aM:&tbnh=100&tbnw=150&prev=%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dcash%2Bdrawer%26svnum%3D100%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG)** …has five bill slots, and five or 6 coin slots. Thus, they have room for $2, or one could use one of the extra coin slots for $1, and have a bill slot for $2 and one for $50/$100’s. [/QUOTE] But most retailers don’t seem to set them up that way. A couple of times I’ve gotten a bunch of $2 bills from the bank to see what reaction I’d get. The most common result when you hand one to a cashier is that they stare at it for a couple seconds, then lift up the tray and stick it underneath. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/31 "2006-11-07T17:34:26Z")
A place I used to skydive at in Illinois used $2 bills to make change whenever possible, and they made sure that people in the nearby town knew that’s where all the $2 were coming from - it was a way of showing how much business the DZ was bringing to town (restaurants, gas, hotels, etc). ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/32 "2006-11-07T17:56:57Z")
[QUOTE=Mindfield] That’s not quite the idea; A $2 bill or coin is twice the value of a single and evenly divisible by 10 thus making it a sensible denomination – something $3 and $4 bills could not be. But singles can accumulate; spend $1.29 on something with a $5 bill and you’ll get three singles and some change back. A little more paper than one single and a $2 bill, but carried over a period of time during a day of shopping, for example, that can accumulate. [/QUOTE] Singles accumulate? You don’t spend them? I rarely have more then 4 singles in my pocket. Using a $2 just doesn’t reduce things enough. You still have to have $1 coin or bill. At most, I’ve reduced the number by 2 bills. Heck, my wallet would be thinner if I just bothered to throw away the receipts. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/33 "2006-11-07T18:23:26Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] A slice of pizza, a subway ride, and a blowjob from a crackwhore. [/QUOTE] I gotta move, I can’t get any of those for $2. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/34 "2006-11-07T18:34:13Z")
[QUOTE=yabob] Whatever the reason for the bill’s historic unpopularity, and there are several theories, that unpopularity creates a bit of a self-perpetuating cycle - it’s not a commonly circulated denomination, so retail stores don’t usually set up a cash register slot for them, so they don’t circulate. If your average retailer gets a $2 bill, it generally gets stuck under the tray and goes straight back to the bank with the next deposit. [/QUOTE] I’ve worked at some stores where they’d keep a $2 bill at the bottom of the till. They’d note the serial number on the supposition that if they were robbed, a crook would be careful about how he laundered the big bills, but no so careful with a little $2 bill. But I doubt the police would put a look-out for a specific bill in the hopes of catching someone who heisted a fast-food joint. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/35 "2006-11-07T18:43:39Z")
[QUOTE=yabob] Whatever the reason for the bill’s historic unpopularity, and there are several theories, that unpopularity creates a bit of a self-perpetuating cycle - it’s not a commonly circulated denomination, so retail stores don’t usually set up a cash register slot for them, so they don’t circulate. If your average retailer gets a $2 bill, it generally gets stuck under the tray and goes straight back to the bank with the next deposit. [/QUOTE] I’ve worked at some stores where they’d keep a $2 bill at the bottom of the till. They’d note the serial number on the supposition that if they were robbed, a crook would be careful about how he laundered the big bills, but no so careful with a little $2 bill. But I doubt the police would put a look-out for a specific bill in the hopes of catching someone who heisted a fast-food joint. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/36 "2006-11-07T19:02:36Z")
[QUOTE=Lissa] Right beside their treasured collection of quarters from every state. [/QUOTE] ah yes…all those quarters will just about get you cheeseburgers and fries for two, and the gas to get you down to the Carl’s Jr. Regarding the bills, I’m more concerned about the $10 bill, which also seems to be on the way out. This has been attributed to ATM machines only giving 20s, but it’s only been in the past couple of years I’ve noticed the thing with 10s, and ATMs have been around a lot longer than that. In my opinion even the $2 is too small for paper money, but it would be an improvement over singles–(exactly twice as good, I suppose). ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/37 "2006-11-07T19:14:19Z")
[QUOTE=Tastes of Chocolate] Singles accumulate? You don’t spend them? I rarely have more then 4 singles in my pocket. Using a $2 just doesn’t reduce things enough. You still have to have $1 coin or bill. At most, I’ve reduced the number by 2 bills. Heck, my wallet would be thinner if I just bothered to throw away the receipts. [/QUOTE] By this reasoning however, the $20 bill would be precisely as pointless as the $2 bill because you’ve got $10s to take up the slack and a $50 bill on the outside, yet $20 bills are arguably the most popular higher-denomination bill – and I don’t think it’s just because ATMs give them out, given that the $20 has been around a hell of a lot longer than ATMs. ---
**Author:** ![acaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5ac83/32.png) [@acaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acaos)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/38 "2006-11-07T19:16:20Z")
[QUOTE=yabob] But most retailers don’t seem to set them up that way. A couple of times I’ve gotten a bunch of $2 bills from the bank to see what reaction I’d get. The most common result when you hand one to a cashier is that they stare at it for a couple seconds, then lift up the tray and stick it underneath. [/QUOTE] I worked at a gas station as a cashier while I was in high school. We were actually instructed to drop $2s into the safe as soon as possible to prevent any confusion, because there was a $2 kept in the register under the $5 bills. This $2 had its serial number recorded, in an attempt to trace thefts. As it happens, after a few months working there I was held up, and sure enough, the robber took all the $20s, $10s, and $5s, including the $2 at the bottom of the $5 stack. They eventually caught the robber, but I doubt it was the $2 that did it (he was on a spree holding up all the local gas stations for drug money). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/39 "2006-11-07T19:39:52Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] A slice of pizza, a subway ride, and a blowjob from a crackwhore. [/QUOTE] An old joke… A big city, c. 1950. A man comes into St. Mark’s for confession and tells his elderly priest that he’s addicted to blowjobs from the downtown whores. He gets blowjobs whenever he can, morning, noon and night. He’s going through $2 bills like they’re going out of style. His marriage is on the rocks, he’s broke, etc. The priest, who’s led a sheltered life, doesn’t know what a blowjob is, but doesn’t want to admit it. He assigns the man penance and leaves the confessional. He goes directly to the Mother Superior of the adjoining abbey and asks, “Sister, what’s a blowjob?” She looks at him, puzzled. “Why, Father, $2, same as downtown.” ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394/40 "2006-11-07T20:10:36Z")
[QUOTE=Valgard] A place I used to skydive at in Illinois used $2 bills to make change whenever possible, and they made sure that people in the nearby town knew that’s where all the $2 were coming from - it was a way of showing how much business the DZ was bringing to town (restaurants, gas, hotels, etc). [/QUOTE] Louis Farrakhan pulled a stunt a few years back where on one particular day all black people were supposed to make all of their purchases with two dollar bills in order to show the buying power of the African American community. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murikan-dopers-whats-wrong-with-the-2-bill/379394.md?page=3)