$2 bills

[TXcruzer]

3 hours ago, HeWhoWaits said:

I never said you should give the crew $2 bills.

And those retailers are breaking Federal law in not accepting the $2 bills.

No they aren't breaking federal law, a retailer can refuse to accept any currency they wish

[Mike n Ky]

Wow...I was very surprised to see this discussion had progressed to a second page. 

[Xaa]

11 hours ago, HeWhoWaits said:

You certainly have a right to that opinion and many probably agree with you. However, I submit that if you're not familiar with US currency, you should not work in a job that requires you to handle that currency. Just because it is less familiar doesn't remove the fact that it says right on the bill "This note is legal tender for all debts public and private." Similarly, it you can't make change accurately without the register telling you exactly what to hand back, you shouldn't handle any money.

My not quite seven year old granddaughter knows a $2 bill is spendable and she's o nlyin first grade. She thinks it's funny, but she knows it's real money.

That same statement on the money makes me want to go to a restaurant that posts a sign saying "no bill larger than $20 accepted" and partake of their services before handing them a $50 or $100 bill in payment. "Says right here that the note is legal to use for what I owe you so your choice is to accept it or give me my meal for free because I have no other cash and don't carry a credit card." It's especially galling when the change they would have to make is less than $5.

All of your points are well taken and it's true that it takes the smallest amount of effort to understand that it's real, but the issue here is really a different one.

$2 bills aren't really in circulation and it's fairly well known that businesses generally don't want them.  What is happening is that people are gong out of their way to obtain these bills only to give them out with at least some knowledge that the inconvenience detracts from the generosity of their gesture.

I bet, knowing all the facts, your granddaughter would give two $1 bills.

Bill

[HeWhoWaits]

10 hours ago, WesKinetic said:

The "legal tender" part is only good in the United States. The Royal Caribbean fleet are all foreign-flagged ships. They accept US dollars (as do most cruise ports) as a convenience due to the number of US customers on board. But they are under no legal obligation to do so. 

And my comment about legal tender applied to stores/employees in the US. I agree that giving a less common denomination to crew is a bad idea (unless it's an unusually large bill).

[HeWhoWaits]

7 hours ago, TXcruzer said:

No they aren't breaking federal law, a retailer can refuse to accept any currency they wish

And I can expect to receive goods or services based on whatever legal currency I happen to have on my person.

[HeWhoWaits]

2 hours ago, Xaa said:

I bet, knowing all the facts, your granddaughter would give two $1 bills.

She certainly would unless she pulled out a fiver.

[HeWhoWaits]

10 hours ago, CruiseGus said:

Just like they are breaking the law when they say "no cash" credit cards only.?

I find this phenomenon amusing.

The credit card companies charge retailers a "swipe fee" (in the US it's usually $2 or two percent of the purchase amount, whichever is less) on every transaction. So "credit card only" stores are paying out $2 (or more) for every purchase I make. If I buy a pack of gum for $1.29 plus tax using a credit card, the store loses money on the transaction by refusing to accept cash. Makes that $2 bill look pretty good, doesn't it?

[barjpoe]

Was wondering don't the crew who get all those $1 got to the local 'ship bank' to either change them into biller bills or put them in the 'ship account'.  They certainly send cash back home

[Zacharius]

2 hours ago, HeWhoWaits said:

I find this phenomenon amusing.

The credit card companies charge retailers a "swipe fee" (in the US it's usually $2 or two percent of the purchase amount, whichever is less) on every transaction. So "credit card only" stores are paying out $2 (or more) for every purchase I make. If I buy a pack of gum for $1.29 plus tax using a credit card, the store loses money on the transaction by refusing to accept cash. Makes that $2 bill look pretty good, doesn't it?

I think it depends on the business model and the competition. For example, I know that a lot of breweries are card only...because, uh, I visit a lot of them :). Those that are card only have made the conscious decision to add 2-3% to each beer price, but make it a nice round number like $7 instead of $6.80. Nobody notices, nobody cares, and the majority of their clientele will be using a card anyways in 2022. No need to count money at the end of the night, visit banks to make deposits, etc. etc. Pros and cons. 

 

17 hours ago, Vancity Cruiser said:

Besides if it wasn't for the CFL where would all those Big 10 players not good enough for the NFL end up? 

14 hours ago, CharmMicah68 said:

One of the funniest things I've ever read.....as a BIG 10 Fan (Go Blue!)!  Classic!  I    will be taking this as my own personal slam to other BIG 10 Fans!

You mean B1G 10? Because their grads can't spell either

[HeWhoWaits]

32 minutes ago, Zacharius said:

I think it depends on the business model and the competition. For example, I know that a lot of breweries are card only...because, uh, I visit a lot of them :). Those that are card only have made the conscious decision to add 2-3% to each beer price, but make it a nice round number like $7 instead of $6.80. Nobody notices, nobody cares, and the majority of their clientele will be using a card anyways in 2022. No need to count money at the end of the night, visit banks to make deposits, etc. etc. Pros and cons. 

 

You mean B1G 10? Because their grads can't spell either

And calling it anything "10" proves the University Presidents can't count!

note - this phenomenon is not unique to the former Big2-Little8.

[Zacharius]

17 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said:

And calling it anything "10" proves the University Presidents can't count!

note - this phenomenon is not unique to the former Big2-Little8.

I have degrees from a "Big 12" which has 10 schools, expanding to 14, and a degree from a "Pac 12" school, which is about to go back to having 10. Weird...

[SpeedNoodles]

I work 911 and have taken more than one call over a dispute that has turned ugly at a convenience store when someone chooses to use s a $2.  They're cute, they just aren't worth the hassle. 

[SpeedNoodles]

1 hour ago, Zacharius said:

I think it depends on the business model and the competition. For example, I know that a lot of breweries are card only...because, uh, I visit a lot of them :). Those that are card only have made the conscious decision to add 2-3% to each beer price, but make it a nice round number like $7 instead of $6.80. Nobody notices, nobody cares, and the majority of their clientele will be using a card anyways in 2022. No need to count money at the end of the night, visit banks to make deposits, etc. etc. Pros and cons. 

 

You mean B1G 10? Because their grads can't spell either

I know many food trucks who will only accept cards.  They don't have a lot of room and it's a safety issue. No cash = unlikely to get robbed.  Can't say I blame them.

[FSUFAN]

Nothing to do with cruising but - Clemson University Boosters try to get their fans to use $2 bills during road games to show the opponent that they are in town and that they spend money.  

https://clemsontigers.com/the-2-dollar-bill-tradition/

[HeWhoWaits]

1 hour ago, SpeedNoodles said:

I know many food trucks who will only accept cards.  They don't have a lot of room and it's a safety issue. No cash = unlikely to get robbed.  Can't say I blame them.

For food trucks it makes perfect sense. For a brick and mortar retailer it's just a lazy business model, IMO.

[Xaa]

Brick and mortars get robbed, they have employees who skim, they have trouble balancing a drawer, they need to manage any cash receipts for security at night etc.

As a bearer instrument, cash on hand can open many risks that are avoided by not accepting it.

[Jailman]

30 minutes ago, Xaa said:

Brick and mortars get robbed, they have employees who skim, they have trouble balancing a drawer, they need to manage any cash receipts for security at night etc.

As a bearer instrument, cash on hand can open many risks that are avoided by not accepting it.

There are still a lot of people out there that don't have a credit card, for one reason or another.  Some can't get credit at all.  A lot of the old timers have never had a card and always paid with cash.  I understand your logic and someday we may be a cashless society but we are not there yet.

[Xaa]

I'm not really advocating for cashless and I wouldn't do it as a business owner.  I just understand why businesses make that explicit choice.

[Jolly Ogre]

We just had a direct hit from hurricane Ian and for 10 days it was cash only, gas stations, Walmart and some other stores and food trucks. If all you had was a card you would be walking with no gas for your generator, and hungry and thirsty.

[Allen2]

8 hours ago, HeWhoWaits said:

For food trucks it makes perfect sense. For a brick and mortar retailer it's just a lazy business model, IMO.

Anybody eaten at the famous "Varsity" drive in - Atlanta ?  Credit cards ONLY.  No money accepted.

[TXcruzer]

14 hours ago, HeWhoWaits said:

And I can expect to receive goods or services based on whatever legal currency I happen to have on my person.

You can expect all you want, but there is no legal obligation on the service providers 

[cruisellama]

On 10/11/2022 at 5:42 AM, Jailman said:

On my last sailing on Odyssey while I was sitting around the pool I ordered a drink and when the server brought it, I gave him a $2 bill as a tip.  He looked at it and told me it was "funny money" and gave it back to me.  I tried to tell him it was real but he insisted it was not.  Anyway, it was no tip for him.  Has anyone else ran into this problem?

I'm not sure you would get many US merchants who have seen $2 bills and accept it (there's no extra drawer slot in the registers for a $2, so goes under the drawer)   I have a couple , but keep them as novelties for the grandkids.

[HeWhoWaits]

35 minutes ago, TXcruzer said:

You can expect all you want, but there is no legal obligation on the service providers 

I already finished the meal before you made me aware that you don't accept cash. Would you like me to "return" the food?

[AlohaLivin]

35 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said:

I already finished the meal before you made me aware that you don't accept cash. Would you like me to "return" the food?

This has now disintegrated into the bizarre.

 

 

[HeWhoWaits]

18 hours ago, Jolly Ogre said:

We just had a direct hit from hurricane Ian and for 10 days it was cash only, gas stations, Walmart and some other stores and food trucks. If all you had was a card you would be walking with no gas for your generator, and hungry and thirsty.

Did the "card only" establishments just shut down? Or did they take cash, proving that they are capable of doing so?

[Jolly Ogre]

39 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said:

Did the "card only" establishments just shut down? Or did they take cash, proving that they are capable of doing so?

I don't know where there were "card only" places. during the aftermath it was "cash only" at very limited places that were able to open. And even then at least for gas it was 4-5 hour long waits in line to get some and hope you got in before they cut off the pumps for the day so they could make curfew...which was just lifted this morning. yay!!

[Xaa]

Glad you stayed safe @Jolly Ogre