# That's what banks are for, nimwit! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 25, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709 "2018-06-25T15:24:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/41 "2018-06-26T15:03:43Z")
Only after you ask them, ‘What’s up Doc?’ ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/42 "2018-06-26T15:13:49Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > The reason he paid ~$550 in small bills - someone paid him that way and he wanted to get rid of the small bills and just put them on a card. Hey doofus, go to a _ **bank** _. That’s what they’re for - exchanging large volumes of cash. Not the Lawn and Garden Center cashier. Do you think he also didn’t want to carry around $500 in cash? That makes more sense to me. Whether it’s in $1s or $100s, that’s a lot of cash that can easily be stolen. It’s true a card can also be stolen, but a card might not be as attractive to a thief as cash. That may be even more of a factor if someone near him has a drug problem. Having cash means it will be stolen by the addict to pay a dealer, while a card doesn’t have that same use. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/43 "2018-06-26T15:41:05Z")
Working at a big box store other than Wal-mart, we get those sorts of transactions. We do our best to handle them. Some people who work jobs involving tips often have a lot of low denomination bills. Someone recently unloaded over 15 pre-1950 silver dollars into one of our self-checkouts - which is a shame for him/her because I think those coins would have been worth $4-5 under other circumstances but our machines will only give face value. Now that I’m working in the cash office I get to deal with the $2 bills, the coins, the piles of low denomination bills… certain things repeat, which makes me think there a small number of people who just pay in a weird manner. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/44 "2018-06-26T18:38:42Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > My uncle recently died & I cleaned out his house. He had numerous jars & boxes full of weird bills & coins-- Silver dollars, $2 bills, Sacagawea dollar coins, Quarters for all 50 states, wheat pennies, etc. > > He willed them to my kids, so I’ll tell them to take them to the bank rather than the Lawn & Garden Center for redemption. Just check to make sure that none of the silver dollars are old ones. Old ones could be real silver. It might be pretty easy to tell the difference just at a glance, I have some old Franklin half dollars that are silver, and the color is slightly different than modern coins. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/45 "2018-06-26T20:00:50Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I’m a store cashier, and I do handle payments like that. Sometimes it’s someone getting paid in cash, or who saves bills, or from a collection someone took up for them. We get a lot of those around the December holidays. > > I’m no fan of big bills when we first open. Buy something for $1.99 and give me a hundred dollar bill? There’s a bank across our parking lot, and I’m sure they can give you change. When I worked at the grocery store, we had a “wealthy” customer who had a very low copay, and he would always come in right when we opened, and all he would have was a $100 bill. :smack: He KNEW we wouldn’t have change, either! ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/46 "2018-06-27T01:11:16Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I’m just coming in to say that around these parts we use “dimwit” or “nitwit” or sometimes even “halfwit”. Nimwit is a new one for me. Thanks for adding to my lexicon. It’s a new word to me too. I kind of like the sound of it. ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/47 "2018-06-27T02:12:56Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > So I work at Walmart. (pause for expressions of sympathy and/or derision) Yesterday, a guy came in with his girlfriend, and they bought ~$50 worth of stuff and took it to the Lawn and Garden Center, where I work. So he then proceeds to buy a prepaid card which he wants to load with $500. Okay. Then he pulls out a wad of cash, and proceeds to pay for his ~$550 worth with small bills. He had $50 in tens, a couple hundred in fives, and $200 in two dollar bills! And so I had to sit there and count the bills, and then put in the amount and the cash register prompted that I needed a Customer Service Manager to approve the transaction. > > Wheee! That means notifying the front and then waiting 30 minutes for someone to get around to it. (OK, it wasn’t 30 minutes, but maybe 10.) Meanwhile a line has formed. My coworker came over and we sorted out the line on the second register, and my coworker counted the bills to confirm the correct amount. Finally a CSM showed up and I think she also counted the bills and then approved the transaction. > > The reason he paid ~$550 in small bills - someone paid him that way and he wanted to get rid of the small bills and just put them on a card. Hey doofus, go to a _ **bank** _. That’s what they’re for - exchanging large volumes of cash. Not the Lawn and Garden Center cashier. > > Oh well, at least I had plenty of change later when a guy wanted to know the largest amount of cash he could get, I told him $100, so he proceeded to make a second transaction for a pack of gum and another $80. Some days I don’t have that much cash in the register. Hey doofus, That’s what a Bank is for! Lawn and Garden is not an ATM. Yes, you can get cash back, but really, be sensible. Go to a Bank! Have you ever visited [customerssuck.com](http://customerssuck.com)? After working at Hellmart, you probably want to. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/48 "2018-06-27T02:30:41Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > My first thought with this particular customer (before “under the table cash”) was “Well he just can’t get to his bank.” > > My bank happens to be a credit union (only one branch) and it’s open from 8:30 to 4:45. If I want to go there I need to take time away from work. Obviously I could use the ATM to deposit any time night or day but even still, that’s a half hour trip across town and back when I could just convert it to a prepaid card at Wal Mart. > > There ARE a myriad of reasons why people don’t use banks too like \*\*Icarus \*\*says. But even if you do have a bank and use it (like I do!) it’s just not always the easiest option. Don’t mean to be snarky or hijack the thread, but why don’t you get a more convenient account? ---
**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:** [June 27, 2018, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/49 "2018-06-27T05:10:36Z")
> [@rsat3acr](#): > > Don’t mean to be snarky or hijack the thread, but why don’t you get a more convenient account? We kept our account at the small-town bank in our neighborhood (think Mayberry). But for convenience, longer hours and a free ATM downtown, we also opened up a smaller account at the Chase Bank on the town square. Hmm, still sounds like Mayberry, no? ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/50 "2018-06-27T06:06:53Z")
Service at U.S. banks were in decline even in the late 20th century. Will all banks even make change for free these days, for non-customers? BTW, be sure to bring lots of $2 bills when you come to Cambodia, an excellent tourist destination. The U.S. dollar is the de facto currency there and a tip of an uncommon $2-Jefferson might be appreciated as much as three $1-Washingtons! ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/51 "2018-06-27T06:56:38Z")
That’s your job. Your employer provides those services and because of customers who pay with weird denominations they can pay you. Sorry, no sympathy. Their business model is based on providing services to the unbanked. This is like me complaining about fulfilling ecommerce orders by saying “F you, customers. I don’t want you. Haven’t you heard of Walmart? Go buy your cheap crap there instead.” ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/52 "2018-06-27T07:01:03Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > The guy is working off the books, getting paid in cash, and doesn’t want any banks to get involved. Simple as that. > > Although what he’s doing with $200 in two-dollar bills, I can’t guess. It’s not that easy to maintain a bank account for a lot of people and Walmart specifically targets these consumers with their Money Center/P2P services, Bluebird, other prepaid cards, etc. Plenty of people still use cash, believe it or not, and there is nothing nefarious about “working off the books.” ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/53 "2018-06-27T08:29:37Z")
Yep, at the store I work at about 1/3 of our transactions involve cash. Plenty of people still use paper and coin. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/54 "2018-06-27T11:24:03Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I also have some 10 new pence coins and some 50 new pence coins, since they haven’t changed, I’ll bring those to the UK with me next trip, they’re not really rare. 10p and 50p coins have actually both changed since the '70s; in 1992 the 10p was reduced in size, and in 1997 the 50p coin was reduced in size, though they both kept their old shape and appearance so it’s not obvious if you’re not dealing with them regularly. Old size ones will no longer be accepted by shops, and I don’t think banks have to take them either at this point. I’m not sure what you’re supposed to do with them, to be honest. We used to get quite a few in the charity jar when I worked at an airport. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/55 "2018-06-28T14:03:55Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > That much in $2 bills sounds quite odd. He said he was paid by someone who gets stacks of $2bills from the bank and goes through them to see if there are any worth extra. So why didn’t _he_ go back to the bank before paying his debt? > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I’m no fan of big bills when we first open. Buy something for $1.99 and give me a hundred dollar bill? There’s a bank across our parking lot, and I’m sure they can give you change. I hate that one, too. > [@filmore](#): > > Do you think he also didn’t want to carry around $500 in cash? That makes more sense to me. Whether it’s in $1s or $100s, that’s a lot of cash that can easily be stolen. I know, but he could hit the bank to turn the twos into hundreds, then hit the prepaid card. Or he could go to the service desk, where they are set up to handle it better, like having a customer service manager there handy. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_think\_of\_a\_name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed8c4c/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_think\_of\_a\_name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_think_of_a_name)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/56 "2018-06-28T17:34:16Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > 10p and 50p coins have actually both changed since the '70s; in 1992 the 10p was reduced in size, and in 1997 the 50p coin was reduced in size, though they both kept their old shape and appearance so it’s not obvious if you’re not dealing with them regularly. > > Old size ones will no longer be accepted by shops, and I don’t think banks have to take them either at this point. I’m not sure what you’re supposed to do with them, to be honest. We used to get quite a few in the charity jar when I worked at an airport. The Bank of England will **always** accept legitimate UK currency and give face value for it. Always, without any limit in time. Currency withdrawn from circulation remains currency. The phrasing is a bit archaic, something about coin of the realm in perpetuity, but that’s the gist of it. If it’s money, it’s money forever. I think the other UK banks authorised to make UK currency will do the same, but I’m not sure about that. Bah…I just checked and I’m a bit wrong. The issuing body will accept currency it issued, so for coins it would be the Royal Mint, not the Bank of England. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/57 "2018-06-28T21:29:55Z")
> [@I\_can\_t\_think\_of\_a\_name](#): > > The Bank of England will **always** accept legitimate UK currency and give face value for it. Always, without any limit in time. Currency withdrawn from circulation remains currency. The phrasing is a bit archaic, something about coin of the realm in perpetuity, but that’s the gist of it. If it’s money, it’s money forever. I think the other UK banks authorised to make UK currency will do the same, but I’m not sure about that. > Bah…I just checked and I’m a bit wrong. The issuing body will accept currency it issued, so for coins it would be the Royal Mint, not the Bank of England. Can you just walk into either of those and get them to change it? I live nowhere near London, and it’s not as though the Bank of England has high street branches, so any attempt to change the odd bits I’ve found or been given would cost far more than the value of the coins. Other banks are still taking £1 coins, at least mine did last time I checked, but I doubt they’d change coins officially pulled from circulation 20 years ago. I just keep my archaic currency in a jar and use it to confuse young people. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_think\_of\_a\_name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed8c4c/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_think\_of\_a\_name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_think_of_a_name)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/58 "2018-06-28T23:19:59Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > Can you just walk into either of those and get them to change it? Apparently so, though it’s unlikely to be convenient as each has only one office open to the public. > [@](#): > > I live nowhere near London, and it’s not as though the Bank of England has high street branches, so any attempt to change the odd bits I’ve found or been given would cost far more than the value of the coins. Other banks are still taking £1 coins, at least mine did last time I checked, but I doubt they’d change coins officially pulled from circulation 20 years ago. The B of E accepts returns by post. I don’t know if the Mint does, but it would probably still cost you more than the face value of the coins. It’s nice that they do it, but I doubt if it’s of any practical use. > [@](#): > > I just keep my archaic currency in a jar and use it to confuse young people. I have some 6p coins and some 3p coins somewhere. They’d be even better for that, especially if you call them sixpences and thrupenny bits 🙂 I have them mainly for nostalgia. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709/59 "2018-06-28T23:33:20Z")
> [@rsat3acr](#): > > Don’t mean to be snarky or hijack the thread, but why don’t you get a more convenient account? I kept the credit union account I opened when I was working after I retired. It has certain services I like. But my credit union is part of a network, and there’s another credit union office in that network just a couple of miles from my house (as opposed to the 40 or so miles to my “actual” credit union office). I can make deposits there, so it’s not a hardship. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-what-banks-are-for-nimwit/816709.md?page=2)