Have You Ever Seen, Or Been, The Poor Shmo...

haaa Dave, I put the coins into the soft drink machine. I had a couple of searched nickel rolls, so I just started plunking those jeffersons into the slot. Two drinks and two later in a different machine took care of the problem. Now if I could find one that takes halves although COSTCO took a roll of those once.

My brother-in-laws are complete idiots. Wouldn't have lunch with them unless I was forced.

Jim

I don't think there should be any problem if the coins are rolled or if the coins were halves and dollar coins. Paying in loose change is a different story. It can take a long time for both the person paying and the cashier to count up the amount. I've been on the receiving end of a $20 payment mostly in quarters.

I actually tried to pay with a $5 roll of dimes on campus yesterday. She started to unwrap the roll to give me the dimes back. I told her I'd rather have dollars so I didn't have to carry the dimes around. She told me she didn't have enough money. I was only buying a couple of envelopes. The total was only maybe 90 cents. I looked at her and said, "You really don't have four dollars in your till!?" It was first thing in the morning when the till drawer should have been fully stocked. She said something about not wanting to run out. Well what in the heck would she have done if I'd paid in paper money say with a five or a twenty? Would she still tell me too bad?

I'm actually starting to wonder if the campus has some sort of policy on this. Any time I go to pay with rolled coin they always start to open the rolls to give me the change back in coin. Most of the time I ask for dollars and they'll give them to me but enough of them have given me grief with "Well we're not supposed to..." Coins are legal tender the same as paper currency...no reason businesses should refuse to accept it.

Another problem I've had in paying with halves is that no one knows what denomination it is. "These are dollars right?" "No they're half dollars." Then I usually get some comment about how uncommon/rare the coins are or they'll ask where I got them.

In Oz we actually have a law that stipulates how much you may pay in any one denomination.

1c & 2c to a max of 20c (no 1 & 2 cents in circulation any more though)
5c, 10c, 20c, 50c to a max of $5
$1, $2, $5, $10 not to exceed 10x face value
Any other denomination to any amount.

Not that it is usually enforced, but tellers can and often do refuse payment if outside these maximums.

I love spending dollar coins and halves along with two dollars bills.

Its fun circulating them I think. And sometimes its just honestly easier to pay with these denominations and usually clerks like change because it saves them from breaking open rolls. I always try to pay with exact change since I have so much change from my job's tips. Burger at McDonalds. Dollar coin, nickle, four pennies. Mountain dew at gas sation. Dollar coin, quarter, four pennies. A trip to Walmart that adds up to $12.51. A ten, a two, a kenndy and a penny.

Man I like dollars and halves and two dollar bills. Probably because its fun to be different.

Don't be bothered by your brother-in-law at all.......he's just a little ignorant about coins is all !.......maybe you could help "educate" him and then he'd realize his ignorant speech to you and probably apologize to ya !

I can think of nothing better than buying lunch with change. 3 Twoonies can usually do the job. The only time I even have paper dollars is when I've just cashed in rolls that I searched, and I promptly go to another bank and buy more rolls.

Interesting little article about Business's having to accept "Legal Tender" Money..............................


Q. I thought that United States currency was legal tender for all debts. Some businesses or governmental agencies say that they will only accept checks, money orders or credit cards as payment, and others will only accept currency notes in denominations of $20 or smaller. Isn't this illegal?

A. The pertinent portion of law that applies to your question is the Coinage Act of 1965, specifically Section 31 U.S.C. 5103, entitled "Legal tender," which states: "United States coins and currency (including Federal reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal reserve banks and national banks) are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues."

This statute means that all United States money as identified above are a valid and legal offer of payment for debts when tendered to a creditor. There is, however, no Federal statute mandating that a private business, a person or an organization must accept currency or coins as for payment for goods and/or services. Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether or not to accept cash unless there is a State law which says otherwise. For example, a bus line may prohibit payment of fares in pennies or dollar bills. In addition, movie theaters, convenience stores and gas stations may refuse to accept large denomination currency (usually notes above $20) as a matter of policy.

I often save coins and bring them to the bank. I see no problem with paying for stuff with dollars, halves, quarters etc.. as long as the total amount is not to extreme and creating a long backup in a checkout line does not occur. I thought I remembered reading somewhere that a person can refuse to accept coins for debts over a certain dollar amount to prevent "revenge" payments in small coinage. I can't find anything to back that up. Mike

Elimist, I like the way you think!

I never thought about the "card machine is slow
today" angle. That probably has wasted more time
than a penny.

Good stuff.