# Random “Why don’t we have this in the US” thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 20, 2023, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294 "2023-07-20T09:15:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [July 20, 2023, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/41 "2023-07-20T20:16:45Z")
If dollar coins were the size of dimes and maybe bright blue or something so they’d be visually obvious I could see the small fraction of people who still use coins beginning to carry a few of them. Absent that sort of out-of-box thinking IMO US coinage is all but useless and should simply be done away with entirely. I handled a US coin last week. First time in probably 18 months. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/42 "2023-07-20T20:56:02Z")
Since we’re on the topic of money, anyone who uses world coins would notice that nearly every other country uses denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 centavos/pence/whatever, instead of 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50. They’re not adverse to eliminating “worthless” denominations when practical, like Canada has done with their one cent piece. They also have this quirk of using numbers on their coins, instead of words. Just what is a “dime” or “quarter dollar” to a non English speaker. It all started with the infant US using the Spanish milled dollar and its fractions of pieces-of-eight, and Jefferson’s initial proposal of a decimal coinage system. That is something quite logical that took a while for much of the rest of the world to emulate (pounds-shillings-pence? Ugh!). ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/43 "2023-07-20T21:39:23Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Who wants 4 dollar coins in their pocket. Who wants 4 dollar bills in their wallet? Why have change mixed in with real money? A bill, after all, takes up more room than a coin. If you don’t believe me, try folding a dollar so that it’s smaller than a quarter. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/44 "2023-07-20T21:42:50Z")
Weight, I’m talking weight. Coins are silly archaic things. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/45 "2023-07-20T21:47:34Z")
I can handle the weight - I’d rather be able to redistribute the volume more evenly with coins than have to deal with an ever-bulging wallet. I think that cash in general is silly and archaic; I haven’t actually used any in months. In fact, I carry my wallet around largely for the ID. Most transactions, I use my watch. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/46 "2023-07-20T21:48:55Z")
My first trip to the UK (and out of the US) I passed a panhandler, and decided to give him all the change I’d accumulated in my pockets during the day. Realized while I was handing them over that there were like 15 one pound coins in the pile, but it was too late to back out of the interaction without looking like a dick. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/47 "2023-07-20T22:42:20Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Hah! As someone who spent decades of my adult life outside of the US, I often ask myself, “why don’t we have folders [like this](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083VSLJZ4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) (except 8.5” x 11" instead of A4) in America?" Yeah, I love those so much, I just put up with them being, what, a quarter inch off? I stock up at Japanese “100 Yen” stores, or Daiso stores in the US. Or art/stationery stores (Kinokunya is my favorite, there’s one near Schaumberg, IL… and one in the Uwajimaya store in Seattle). You DO have to get ones with cute characters…or English that makes no sense. I have both. [![](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/KV8AAOSws~piYmLL/s-l1600.jpg) ](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/KV8AAOSws~piYmLL/s-l1600.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/48 "2023-07-20T23:03:51Z")
Roundabouts. Traffic circles. They _are_ starting to catch on in the US - there are a good half dozen I know of in the Atlanta area - but they’re not as common as on the other side of the pond. About 25 years ago, I took a driving vacation in Ireland, and quickly realized how much more efficient roundabouts are, compared to four-way stops. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/49 "2023-07-20T23:05:16Z")
New Jersey here, we’ve always had circles. Big ones slowly going away but little ones being added as they work so well. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/50 "2023-07-20T23:49:50Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > why don’t we have folders [like this](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083VSLJZ4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) We do. I use them often. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2023, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/51 "2023-07-21T00:59:08Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > > [@CairoCarol](#): > > > > why don’t we have folders [like this](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083VSLJZ4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) > > We do. I use them often Maybe the problem @CairoCarol is having is that nobody in the USA calls those those things “folders”. That’s totally _not_ a word associated with those. Those are “sheet protectors” or “document holders”. Try googling by those terms and you’ll have a hundred kinds to pick from. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/52 "2023-07-21T06:46:38Z")
I’m seeing results from Googling “document sleeves.” ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/53 "2023-07-21T12:43:01Z")
I can walk around with ten of them in my pocket and not really notice them. > [@Horatius](#): > > How much effort has been wasted by millions of Americans trying to get machines to accept wrinkled dollar bills? Somebody asked me once why I carried dollar coins around. I pointed out that I have never had a vending machine reject one because it was too wrinkled or damaged. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/54 "2023-07-21T12:47:11Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > I can walk around with ten of them in my pocket and not really notice them. Yeah, it’s another example of “America is just different!” Canadians have been using dollar coins for over 30 years now, and this image so many Americans have of people “loaded down with coins” is kind of hilarious. In fact, in my experience, it’s the exact opposite. Every time I go to the States, I end up with what “feels” like a lot of money, but then it turns out that 70% of the bills are one dollar bills, and I just feel poor all of a sudden 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/55 "2023-07-21T13:45:10Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Yeah, it’s another example of “America is just different!” Canadians have been using dollar coins for over 30 years now, and this image so many Americans have of people “loaded down with coins” is kind of hilarious. Because Canada got rid of the one dollar bill. One could say they had to remove the option of dollar bills to get people to use dollar coins. I have no doubt that Americans would use one dollar coins if there were no bills. But I still maintain that many of find bills preferable to coins and will use them so long as the option exists. I, at least, am one of the. I don’t mind the “bulk” of bills mentioned, don’t have an issue with vending machines (which I almost never use), and would prefer less weight. You feel differently, and that’s fine, but don’t act like people are unreasonable for having different preferences than you have. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/56 "2023-07-21T14:03:34Z")
> [@Tzigone](#): > > You feel differently, and that’s fine, but don’t act like people are unreasonable for having different preferences than you have. It’s not that they have “different preferences”, it’s that they conjure up out of whole cloth this image of people being weighted down by coins. They use ridiculous hyperbole in place of argument. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/57 "2023-07-21T14:13:59Z")
I use to walk around with a pocket full of coins. Quarters down to completely useless pennies. I resent your use of “ridiculous hyperbole”. Coins are not something I want to be burdened with again. Paper Money, Cards and other electronic means are far superior in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/58 "2023-07-21T14:39:59Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Roundabouts. Traffic circles. They _are_ starting to catch on in the US Username/post checks out. 🙂 They are becoming more common in my part of the NW US and I love them! So much more efficient. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/59 "2023-07-21T14:42:46Z")
DEATH TO CHANGE!!! Feel free to parse that however you want. Coins are evil and I refuse to carry them under almost any circumstances. Dollar coins are the stupidest of all. Then again, I don’t carry any bills smaller than $20 either. All my change from any cash transaction goes into the plastic cup in my car, to be used to purchase any fast food meals I may eat. If it gets too full, then it gets dumped into the hands of the next kid I see selling lemonade or the like. Or it goes into the YAPS box (the local no-kill shelter where I have adopted quite a few cats.) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294/60 "2023-07-21T15:14:11Z")
> [@Wolf333](#): > > This was apparently more of a local town thing than a Japanese thing, but I paid for my trash pick-up by paying for the bags. The more trash I had, the more/bigger bags I used, which cost me more. This is fairly common in some parts of the U.S. It seems to be most common on the west coast, New England (where I am), and the upper Midwest. It’s called [pay-as-you-throw](https://archive.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/tools/payt/web/html/index.html). Typically you can buy the bags at local grocery stores and other retailers. I always thought it made a lot of sense, but many of my older relatives absolutely hate it. They seem to think municipal trash pickup should be “free” but they’re also the same ones who complain about property taxes being too high. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-why-don-t-we-have-this-in-the-us-thread/987294.md?page=4)