Frustrated visitors sue National Park Service over cashless policies

[Scott5114]

Regarding currency reform more generally, I like the idea of getting rid of the $1 bill, though I can't help but wonder how much of an obstacle the vending machine industry presents, given how much they invested in installing those dollar-bill acceptors. I'm not sure I've ever encountered a vending machine that accepts $2s, though certainly I've encountered some that accept $5s.

I'm kinda surprised at the life span of a $1 bill per https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/how-long-is-the-life-span-of-us-paper-money.htm . I thought it would be measured in months rather than 6.6 years. Having said that, while coins are more expensive than bills to produce, they also last much longer (30 years and longer).

The lifespan of a $1 bill was months back in the 90s, but two things happened:
1) people use less cash now, so it wears out less quickly, and
2) Someone at the Fed realized that the scanners that they use to detect when bills are damaged were sending all bills that were fed into the machine upside down to the shred pile, since they only had the good bill image to compare to in one orientation. Oops!

And even when cash is used, $1 ain't gonna be used for much more than just making-up the amount the larger bills don't already cover and/or vending machines.

$1s are still going to be the most-used, though, because they're the only bill that has a quasi-legitimate reason to have 4 in the same transaction. (This assumes you're like 99% of the population that pretends $2 bills don't exist, of course.)

[kalvado]

$1s are still going to be the most-used, though, because they're the only bill that has a quasi-legitimate reason to have 4 in the same transaction. (This assumes you're like 99% of the population that pretends $2 bills don't exist, of course.)

You never bought a car for cash, do you?

[ZLoth]

$1s are still going to be the most-used, though, because they're the only bill that has a quasi-legitimate reason to have 4 in the same transaction. (This assumes you're like 99% of the population that pretends $2 bills don't exist, of course.)

You never bought a car for cash, do you?

I really hope you aren't one of those people who pays unwanted large bills (like property taxes or parking/traffic tickets) in just dollar bills or pennies. Those type of people are the worse because all it's harming is the clerks/cashiers who actually handle the money and pay absolutely no role in the decision of either setting your tax rate or receiving the ticket in the first place.

[SP Cook]

Cashless - I don't care.  I carry more cash than I should, because I don't want to be caught short, but I only pay cash to this one diner that is really old fashioned, and which (illegally) charges a swipe fee.  I rack up the American Airlines points and travel for free.

Currency reform - The reason the US still produces the one dollar bill is political.  The paper comes from a very powerful senator's state, and the company that makes it is in a triple featherbed union.  Obviously, we should mimic Canada with a one dollar coin and a two dollar coin, with the lowest bill being a five.  I don't care about the penny, yes I get that it isn't worth much anymore, but so what?  They are just chits being traded back and forth, no real costs as long as they are used and reused properly.

Lawsuit - Like most such suits, these people are looking to get paid.  It is predatory litigation.  The SCOTUS has a shot at slapping down predatory litigators last year, but took a called strike.   

[hotdogPi]

Currency reform - The reason the US still produces the one dollar bill is political.  The paper comes from a very powerful senator's state, and the company that makes it is in a triple featherbed union.  Obviously, we should mimic Canada with a one dollar coin and a two dollar coin, with the lowest bill being a five.

I don't think they would complain if the $1 became a coin and they ramped up production of $2 bills to compensate. (I would still prefer a $2 coin.)

I don't care about the penny, yes I get that it isn't worth much anymore, but so what?  They are just chits being traded back and forth, no real costs as long as they are used and reused properly.

I've calculated that for retail, e.g. grocery stores, once prices are double what they are now (which will happen in most of our lifetimes), it will save companies money to round up change back to the nearest 5¢, losing the company 1-4¢ per transaction but saving a few seconds per customer.

Eliminating the penny also gives the drawers another coin slot to be used for the $1 coin. Similarly, pennies take up wallet space that could be used for a commonly used $1 coin.

And no longer producing pennies saves the government money.

[Rothman]

Currency reform - The reason the US still produces the one dollar bill is political.  The paper comes from a very powerful senator's state, and the company that makes it is in a triple featherbed union.

*citation needed*

[Big John]

US "paper" currency is 75% cotton and 25% linen.
https://www.uscurrency.gov/about-us/currency-facts

[SP Cook]

*citation needed*

I've gotten into enough trouble with the mods, so I attempted to couch my statement in a non-judgmental way, and invite you to do your own research.  I understand there is a standard, perhaps a double standard, here for politics and thus try to go along to get along.

[hotdogPi]

Currency reform - The reason the US still produces the one dollar bill is political.  The paper comes from a very powerful senator's state, and the company that makes it is in a triple featherbed union.

*citation needed*

Somehow I can't find a single citation that says both things even after a Google search, but I can find things that say one or the other:

1. The Crane Paper company from western Massachusetts supplies the paper used for paper currency.
2. There is a law in place preventing modifying the design of the $1 bill.

Here is a page from the Crane Paper company saying they fought against replacement of the bill with a coin:
https://kglobal.com/work/crane-paper-company

[1995hoo]

Some people oppose eliminating the $1 bill out of concern that a $1 coin is hard to use for tips at a strip club. (Which invariably leads to jokes about using the "coin slot.")

[JayhawkCO]

Regarding currency reform more generally, I like the idea of getting rid of the $1 bill, though I can't help but wonder how much of an obstacle the vending machine industry presents, given how much they invested in installing those dollar-bill acceptors. I'm not sure I've ever encountered a vending machine that accepts $2s, though certainly I've encountered some that accept $5s.

I'm kinda surprised at the life span of a $1 bill per https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/how-long-is-the-life-span-of-us-paper-money.htm . I thought it would be measured in months rather than 6.6 years. Having said that, while coins are more expensive than bills to produce, they also last much longer (30 years and longer).

The lifespan of a $1 bill was months back in the 90s, but two things happened:
1) people use less cash now, so it wears out less quickly, and
2) Someone at the Fed realized that the scanners that they use to detect when bills are damaged were sending all bills that were fed into the machine upside down to the shred pile, since they only had the good bill image to compare to in one orientation. Oops!

And even when cash is used, $1 ain't gonna be used for much more than just making-up the amount the larger bills don't already cover and/or vending machines.

$1s are still going to be the most-used, though, because they're the only bill that has a quasi-legitimate reason to have 4 in the same transaction. (This assumes you're like 99% of the population that pretends $2 bills don't exist, of course.)

Or we could ditch $10s and $50s and then all of the bills have legitimate reasons for four (or in the case of $5, three) in the same transaction.

[Big John]

Some people oppose eliminating the $1 bill out of concern that a $1 coin is hard to use for tips at a strip club. (Which invariably leads to jokes about using the "coin slot.")

How do they do it in Canada?

[CtrlAltDel]

triple featherbed union

I attempted to couch my statement in a non-judgmental way

I see.

[CtrlAltDel]

Or we could ditch $10s and $50s and then all of the bills have legitimate reasons for four (or in the case of $5, three) in the same transaction.

What bothers me is that the system is crazy adhoc inconsistent. We have a 25¢ coin, but a 20$ bill, and so on. The euro people, who have everything 1, 2, and 5, I think are on the right track there.

[oscar]

I really hope you aren't one of those people who pays unwanted large bills (like property taxes or parking/traffic tickets) in just dollar bills or pennies. Those type of people are the worse because all it's harming is the clerks/cashiers who actually handle the money and pay absolutely no role in the decision of either setting your tax rate or receiving the ticket in the first place.

One of my college classmates once paid her tuition in quarters. It was an expensive private university (for her -- I received a lot of financial aid), so there were lots of quarters.

It was all a stunt, to get her face in the student newspaper. The bursar did not voice any objections. I hope most of the quarters (other than a few needed for the photo shoot) never left their paper rolls, so it'd be easier to send them back to the bank.

But trying to pay a big bill with pennies will backfire. IIRC, there's a law providing that nobody has to accept more than 50 pennies in a single transaction. If you're going to be a jerk about it, pay in nickels (five nickels are much heavier than one quarter).

[1995hoo]

Some people oppose eliminating the $1 bill out of concern that a $1 coin is hard to use for tips at a strip club. (Which invariably leads to jokes about using the "coin slot.")

How do they do it in Canada?

I have no idea. Never patronized such an establishment.

[kkt]

$1s are still going to be the most-used, though, because they're the only bill that has a quasi-legitimate reason to have 4 in the same transaction. (This assumes you're like 99% of the population that pretends $2 bills don't exist, of course.)

You never bought a car for cash, do you?

I really hope you aren't one of those people who pays unwanted large bills (like property taxes or parking/traffic tickets) in just dollar bills or pennies. Those type of people are the worse because all it's harming is the clerks/cashiers who actually handle the money and pay absolutely no role in the decision of either setting your tax rate or receiving the ticket in the first place.

If you tried that at a car dealer, they'd probably tell you to deposit it in a bank and then get a cashier's check for the amount or turn down the sale.  Risk of miscounting large amounts of cash, risk that's ill-gotten gains, the dealer would want a bank to take those risks not them.

[kkt]

Some people oppose eliminating the $1 bill out of concern that a $1 coin is hard to use for tips at a strip club. (Which invariably leads to jokes about using the "coin slot.")

$1 isn't much of a tip!

[Max Rockatansky]

Some people oppose eliminating the $1 bill out of concern that a $1 coin is hard to use for tips at a strip club. (Which invariably leads to jokes about using the "coin slot.")

$1 isn't much of a tip!

I've wondered about that.  The last time I was in a strip club was circa 2002.  What is the proper tipping amount nowadays at a modern strip club?  Are dudes handing out $5 bills or something?

[Rothman]

$1s are still going to be the most-used, though, because they're the only bill that has a quasi-legitimate reason to have 4 in the same transaction. (This assumes you're like 99% of the population that pretends $2 bills don't exist, of course.)

You never bought a car for cash, do you?

I really hope you aren't one of those people who pays unwanted large bills (like property taxes or parking/traffic tickets) in just dollar bills or pennies. Those type of people are the worse because all it's harming is the clerks/cashiers who actually handle the money and pay absolutely no role in the decision of either setting your tax rate or receiving the ticket in the first place.

If you tried that at a car dealer, they'd probably tell you to deposit it in a bank and then get a cashier's check for the amount or turn down the sale.  Risk of miscounting large amounts of cash, risk that's ill-gotten gains, the dealer would want a bank to take those risks not them.

True.  I've bought cars with "cash" and they've always required a check.

[kphoger]

I do agree that the $50 is kind of a useless denomination.

They're useful for gas station fill-ups and fast food lunches with the family while we're on a road trip.

[kalvado]

$1s are still going to be the most-used, though, because they're the only bill that has a quasi-legitimate reason to have 4 in the same transaction. (This assumes you're like 99% of the population that pretends $2 bills don't exist, of course.)

You never bought a car for cash, do you?

I really hope you aren't one of those people who pays unwanted large bills (like property taxes or parking/traffic tickets) in just dollar bills or pennies. Those type of people are the worse because all it's harming is the clerks/cashiers who actually handle the money and pay absolutely no role in the decision of either setting your tax rate or receiving the ticket in the first place.

If you tried that at a car dealer, they'd probably tell you to deposit it in a bank and then get a cashier's check for the amount or turn down the sale.  Risk of miscounting large amounts of cash, risk that's ill-gotten gains, the dealer would want a bank to take those risks not them.

True.  I've bought cars with "cash" and they've always required a check.

If you're buying from a dealer - probably. From a semi-random person who is moving out of town, if not out of country, and is selling off everything that doesn't fit in a checked bag? 

[Rothman]

$1s are still going to be the most-used, though, because they're the only bill that has a quasi-legitimate reason to have 4 in the same transaction. (This assumes you're like 99% of the population that pretends $2 bills don't exist, of course.)

You never bought a car for cash, do you?

I really hope you aren't one of those people who pays unwanted large bills (like property taxes or parking/traffic tickets) in just dollar bills or pennies. Those type of people are the worse because all it's harming is the clerks/cashiers who actually handle the money and pay absolutely no role in the decision of either setting your tax rate or receiving the ticket in the first place.

If you tried that at a car dealer, they'd probably tell you to deposit it in a bank and then get a cashier's check for the amount or turn down the sale.  Risk of miscounting large amounts of cash, risk that's ill-gotten gains, the dealer would want a bank to take those risks not them.

True.  I've bought cars with "cash" and they've always required a check.

If you're buying from a dealer - probably. From a semi-random person who is moving out of town, if not out of country, and is selling off everything that doesn't fit in a checked bag? 

Well, buying from a dealer was the context of the question I was responding to...rather than selling to P. Diddy.

[kphoger]

I've paid "cash" for my last four vehicle purchases, and all were at dealerships.  But I wrote a personal check each time, so I don't actually know how they'd have handled dollar currency.  (Note that I've only ever bought used, so the amounts were significantly lower than for a new car.)

My understanding is that most dealerships will accept dollar currency, not just checks.  But, either way, if you're paying in full, then the salesman doesn't get any kickback commission for bank financing, so they have less incentive to lower the sticker price for any reason.

[Max Rockatansky]

I've purchased two cars at dealerships for cash.  I used a cashier check both times.  I'm unclear if they would have accepted a bag of paper money.