# Why Do People Use Checks To Buy Groceries? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 28, 2002, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-checks-to-buy-groceries/111191 "2002-05-28T15:34:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-checks-to-buy-groceries/111191/61 "2002-05-31T19:26:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lezlers \* > For some of us, it isn’t necessarily a choice. I’d love to have money to spare at the end of the month, but unfortunatly my rent, insurance, car payment, and GROCERIES take up about 99.9% of my meager salary. I don’t know many people who would CHOOSE to live this way, do you? Are you kidding? I do some work for a lawyer - He decided to try doing bankruptcy cases for awhile. You would not believe all the crap these people bought that they couldn’t even BEGIN to afford. There are TONS of people who choose to live beyond their means. Some people seem to think that a wide-screen tv, late-model SUV, and a cappuccino maker are necessities. So if that doesn’t describe you, then I’m not talking about you. I think I was pretty clear about being sympathetic to people who are GENUINLY having trouble making ends meet. Maybe you “blinked” when I talked about that? > [@](#): > > [things are that tight, you shouldn’t be buying any luxury items anyway] > > Everyone here was talking about groceries. Did I blink when the thread was hijacked? Oh, gosh - you’re hilarious.:rolleyes: We covered that point already; try to keep up, o.k.? > [@](#): > > [Personally, if I don’t have enough cash, I put it on my credit card. I pay off the balance every month, so there’s no interest. I’m not saying it’s the way to go for everyone, but it works for me. It’s pretty fast with that credit card gizmo, too.] > > Well, if we’re living paycheck to paycheck, then it seems rather silly to be using credit cards, dontcha think? Seems like a rather easy way to get yourself into debt when you don’t have any money… Yeah, which is why I said (for the third time now) that it’s NOT FOR EVERYONE. Personally, as I said already, I pay off my credit card every month, so there is no interest and no debt. I can use it for just about any purchase. But I generally pay cash if I can - the exception being a gas station, where it actually holds up the line LESS to use a credit card and pay at the pump, because I don’t have to walk over to the cashier to pay. YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-checks-to-buy-groceries/111191/62 "2002-05-31T19:48:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Corrvin \* > If you’re only buying necessities, then you have the choice of buying them or not. Sometimes, if you’re broke enough, you need to choose “not.” That’s why some of us balance our checkbooks down to the last $2.37 left in them…and write checks for $4 worth of groceries, because we don’t have $20 in the account to hit the ATM. Yeah, you people are making a good point. I suppose you could easily be in a position where you have to decide whether to put off buying food until your next paycheck comes. Reminds me how college wasn’t all fun & games. > [@](#): > > Thank goodness those days are over for me…at least for a while. I even buy luxuries now…like pre-made lasagna. 🙂 > Corr Or the Deluxe Mac & Cheese instead of the regular.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-checks-to-buy-groceries/111191/63 "2002-05-31T21:30:40Z")
Are people really out there balancing their checkbooks by hand every time they pay for something? It seems to me that every time you use the ATM, buy something with a check or debit card, or get charged a fee by your bank, you must manually know and jot it down. There is also automatic withdrawals from ones checking account like ebay and paypal fees as well as recurring payments. Am I the only person who thinks it is crazy (and not possible) to do this with any accuracy by hand? What does one do when their manual total doesn’t match that of the banks? To find out the account balance you can visit the bank or ATM, call a phone number, or use the banks web-page. ---
**Author:** ![OldBroad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@OldBroad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldBroad)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-checks-to-buy-groceries/111191/64 "2002-05-31T21:33:25Z")
So there I was in the shortest line at Whole Foods. The guy ahead of me must have been emitting some aura I couldn’t pick up but everyone else could. When the cashier was completely finished with the person ahead of him he BEGAN emptying his cart onto the conveyor. He bought bulk items that he hadn’t identified with the CODE THEY ASK YOU TO WRITE ON THE BAG so, of course the poor cashier had to go thumbing through her reference pages. “What kind of coffee is this, sir?” “Gee, I think it’s Pearl Street, probably.” When all was rung up, he finally took his checkbook out of his pocket and began writing. I was in a good mood so I interpreted this as a test of my endurance. I didn’t make faces, I didn’t glare. I took deep breaths and thought pleasant thoughts until the damned idiot was finally out of my way. Gave myself a mental atta girl, and had a serene drive home. Life’s too short to let the assholes get to you. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-checks-to-buy-groceries/111191/65 "2002-06-01T07:21:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Debaser \* > \*\*Are people really out there balancing their checkbooks by hand every time they pay for something? > > It seems to me that every time you use the ATM, buy something with a check or debit card, or get charged a fee by your bank, you must manually know and jot it down. There is also automatic withdrawals from ones checking account like ebay and paypal fees as well as recurring payments. Sorry Debaser - according to certain other posters, we are not allowed to bring up any subjects other than groceries.😃 ---
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-checks-to-buy-groceries/111191/66 "2002-06-01T10:26:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Debaser \* > \*\*Are people really out there balancing their checkbooks by hand every time they pay for something? > > It seems to me that every time you use the ATM, buy something with a check or debit card, or get charged a fee by your bank, you must manually know and jot it down. There is also automatic withdrawals from ones checking account like ebay and paypal fees as well as recurring payments. > > \*\* There’s no need to balance it every time you pay for something; once a week or even once a month works for most people. It’s really not that difficult a concept: simple addition and subtraction. I don’t have any automatic payments from my checking account whatsoever, so that’s not an issue for me, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2002, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-checks-to-buy-groceries/111191/67 "2002-06-02T06:46:01Z")
Boy, some people in this thread have horrible banks. I have a debit card, doesn’t cost me a thing to have it. I don’t have a credit card so it’s debit card or nothing. I write one check a month, that’s it, for my rent. Everything else is done via debit card or cash. If I could figure out a way to get an electronic transfer from my bank to my landlord/friend I would. Yep, I buy on line, pay my utilities, phone, garbage, groceries with debit card. Beer and other stuff is usually cash. And to whoever said that debit cards are a relatively new thing must live in a strange place because I have been using debit cards full-strength for at least 7-9 years now. In fact, our parents (my brother and I) got us debit cards back in 1985. Yep, the idea isn’t that new, same thing then as now. They work just like credit cards assuming you have the money in your account. ATMS weren’t known then but the debit card was. ---
**Author:** ![jujuju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@jujuju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jujuju)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2002, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-checks-to-buy-groceries/111191/68 "2002-06-02T07:06:49Z")
my somewhat redundant 2 (hey, where is the cents symbol on this keyboard… never looked before) i’ve never been charged a fee for using my debit card, it can be swiped before the checkout person finishes ringing up my groceries, and i don’t have to make an extra trip to the atm to get cash, cause i don’t get a charge for that either. and one point that some people may want to consider about credit cards, one day, you are going to want a loan, for a house, car, or whatnot. if you have absolutely no credit, you aint gonna get much. i have been working on my credit for a while now and am in great shape, but my fiance, who is older than i am, never has had a credit card and couldn’t even get a 2K loan. he doesn’t have bad credit, just no credit at all. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Debaser \* > \*\* > There are many people for instance that continue to insist on seeing a bank teller to cash a paycheck instead of using the ATM. Even now that they are often charged a dollar or two, this continues. They do this because of resistance to any change. \*\* is this misstated? i can’t cash a paycheck at the atm, and depositing it in the atm usually takes an extra day to go through (not that i use either much, with direct deposit…) and i think someone said something about checking their transactions on the bank’s web, this is extremely handy for keeping up with where your money goes if you can, using a debit, cause all your grocery/movie/gas totals are all there labeled for you 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2002, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-checks-to-buy-groceries/111191/69 "2002-06-02T12:07:11Z")
Why do they use checks to buy groceries? Because they can and want to. Waiting half a minute isn’t going to kill anybody… ---
**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2002, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-checks-to-buy-groceries/111191/70 "2002-06-03T05:21:12Z")
\ A few days ago I was around the corner at the ice cream store getting two sundaes to go for my b/f and I. There was one very nice lady working there. When she had finished my b/f’s and was working on mine, some yuppie-chick came in with a man and was fretting and fuming out loud that, “they need more people working here,” etc. More people? For three customers? \< /minor hijack\> My point being, why is everybody in so much of a blasted hurry? FTR: I’m on disability and halfway through the month I have _no_ money left. My bank doesn’t issue their own debit cards; they issue the Visa ones, and my credit is shot due to my illness. I usually pay cash, and buy my month’s groceries all at once, and I don’t get my money out ahead of time because I can’t afford to have it snatched. Chill, people, chill! ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2002, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-checks-to-buy-groceries/111191/71 "2002-06-03T17:07:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jwhee \* > \*\*is this misstated? i can’t cash a paycheck at the atm, and depositing it in the atm usually takes an extra day to go through (not that i use either much, with direct deposit…) > and i think someone said something about checking their transactions on the bank’s web, this is extremely handy for keeping up with where your money goes if you can, using a debit, cause all your grocery/movie/gas totals are all there labeled for you 🙂 \*\* Every ATM I have used allows you to deposit checks. I use direct deposit as well, but situations still come up where one needs to deposit a check occasionally. Many people don’t trust the idea of signing a check and feeding it to the ATM. They would rather go see a teller, because that is what they are used to. \*I am speaking to personal experience, here. I have several friends who feel this way. Your probably right about it taking an extra day to go through. I never really thought about it. I agree with you on web-banking. Its great. Once you are used to it, you can never go back to not having it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-checks-to-buy-groceries/111191.md?page=3)