Businesses You're Amazed Are Still Around

[1995hoo]

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Additionally, if one contributes (monetarily) to their place of worship; many places only accept either cash or (paper) check, nothing else.

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Another good reason for using a check in this scenario is that if you are not registered at the church, and so do not receive the envelopes for the offering, or if you choose not to use the envelopes for some other reason, contributing by check provides you with a record (the image of the cancelled check that's included with your bank statement) that you can use if needed for tax-deduction purposes.

[Brian556]

Funny church got mentioned...some people call them a business (that does not have to pay taxes)...and I'm surprised that they are doing as well as they are. I am surprised that so many people still attend church regularly.

I find churches, and their behavior, rather offputting. They seem rather archaic to me. Why go if nobody's forcing you to? Church is like a school where you take the same class over and over, even though you fully grasp the material and don't need to go anymore.

I do, however, make a serious effort to live my life my Christian principles.

[formulanone]

About those checks: I'm still surprised people use them.  It was only the past year or two where there was a noticeable decline in checks at my wife's business, which is a small business.  Most of those people simply use credit/debit cards instead.  Why it took them so long to convert, I have no idea.

Given the recent hackings that have taken place at several store chains (Target, etc.); using a paper check might be a safer way to purchase, outside of cash.

I've had bank fraud and credit card fraud, and the credit card companies seem to be far easier to deal with, and will kindly correct the error when an unauthorized charge/withdrawal appears in your statement. Getting a bank to admit their fault or stopping a check on your account is akin to testifying in front of Congress.

While there's many places that do not accept large credit card transactions, and therefore, a personal check is the only reasonable immediate option, I am loathe to use them at a store where other personal info is tacked onto the physical check itself (address, phone, driver's license number). Never mind the bank account number is plainly visible...no thanks.

[PHLBOS]

Funny church got mentioned...some people call them a business (that does not have to pay taxes)...

Believe me, While churches and other places of worship do not pay taxes; just not the same exact taxes (rates) that other businesses pay. its employees do. I know this because I'm friends with a church treasurer.

The only reason I was mentioning churches/places of worship in this thread was because of it's one well-known example where paper checks are regularly used.  Nothing more, nothing less.

I've had bank fraud and credit card fraud, and the credit card companies seem to be far easier to deal with, and will kindly correct the error when an unauthorized charge/withdrawal appears in your statement. Getting a bank to admit their fault or stopping a check on your account is akin to testifying in front of Congress.

Do keep in mind that the fore-mentioned hackings impacted debit cards (which many use en lieu of checks) as well as credit cards.  One still needs to notify their bank for debit card issues or fraud.

While there's many places that do not accept large credit card transactions, and therefore, a personal check is the only reasonable immediate option, I am loathe to use them at a store where other personal info is tacked onto the physical check itself (address, phone, driver's license number). Never mind the bank account number is plainly visible...no thanks.

The only personal info. printed on my checks are my name and address.

Regarding your account number on your check being visible.  How is that any different than having one's credit card account number visible (& the supplemental 3-digit code on the back)?  Not to mention that some places still require one to show their driver's license (& give their phone number) when making a credit card purchase... especially one of a large dollar amount.

And if one's debit card (like a credit card, these feature a MasterCard or VISA logo and can be used without using a PIN number) winds up in the wrong hands; their checking account can be cleaned out with little or no warning.

[Pete from Boston]

Funny church got mentioned...some people call them a business (that does not have to pay taxes)...and I'm surprised that they are doing as well as they are. I am surprised that so many people still attend church regularly.

I find churches, and their behavior, rather offputting. They seem rather archaic to me. Why go if nobody's forcing you to? Church is like a school where you take the same class over and over, even though you fully grasp the material and don't need to go anymore.

I do, however, make a serious effort to live my life my Christian principles.

I know in another thread that you said you eschew social interaction, so this may not be apparent to you, but houses of worship are centers of communities even to this day.  Especially in more ethnically-aligned houses of worship, they can be the most important central institution in not just religious life, but in social services, culture, education, and the like.  And in other cases, people go because they like to see people they know there.  I don't attend church anymore myself without a special reason to do so, but I do miss this aspect of it.

[DeaconG]

Funny church got mentioned...some people call them a business (that does not have to pay taxes)...

Believe me, churches and other places of worship do pay taxes; just not the same exact taxes (rates) that other businesses pay.  I know this because I'm friends with a church treasurer.

The only reason I was mentioning churches/places of worship in this thread was because of it's one well-known example where paper checks are regularly used.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Not if the church is set up as a 501(c)(3) entity, then it's tax-free as long as they maintain the IRS standards for Tax-Exempt organizations.  My church has a 501(c)(3) established, and you better have your legal paperwork and processes documented or it isn't happening.

Spoken as one of my church's former finance deacons for several years, the writer of both the church's collections database and their operations protocols.  And if you think printing the IRS documentation for my church wasn't a pain in the ass (oh dear God, I've still got them on my PC!)...

AND...as of last month my church started accepting debit cards for collections...

[formulanone]

And if one's debit card (like a credit card, these feature a MasterCard or VISA logo and can be used without using a PIN number) winds up in the wrong hands; their checking account can be cleaned out with little or no warning.

I've shreded the debit cards the moment they're sent to my home (except when I didn't have a credit card). My current bank doesn't send them out, if you request that no debit cards be issued at all.

I avoid ATMs, as well...perhaps three ATM visits in the past ten years. I'd much rather visit a bank if I need actual cash.

[PHLBOS]

Not if the church is set up as a 501(c)(3) entity, then it's tax-free as long as they maintain the IRS standards for Tax-Exempt organizations.  My church has a 501(c)(3) established, and you better have your legal paperwork and processes documented or it isn't happening.

I should have clarified a tad; the paid salaries for the pastor and other paid staff at a church are still subject to income taxes (where applicable).  So while a 501(c)(3) entity may not pay taxes (if all requirements/guidelines are met); the pastor and any paid employees do pay taxes on their salaries.

AND...as of last month my church started accepting debit cards for collections...

Per my earlier post; I mentioned that many places (of worship) only accept cash or check, I purposely and intentionally didn't state that all of them did such.

Many places, particularly smaller venues where the staff outside of a pastor & secretary are most if not all unpaid volunteers; will likely not invest in the infrastructure to support debit cards.

I've shreded the debit cards the moment they're sent to my home (except when I didn't have a credit card). My current bank doesn't send them out, if you request that no debit cards be issued at all.

I avoid ATMs, as well...perhaps three ATM visits in the past ten years. I'd much rather visit a bank if I need actual cash.

To me, it sounds like you'd rather not deal with banks at all, which is fine; but I thought this thread tangent was a paper vs. plastic/electronic matter.

If you're only banking is largely doing such in person; you're either self-employed, retired, unenployed or work either 2nd/3rd-shift (guess on my part) because the original reasoning as towards why the ATM came to be in the first place was so that people (including 1st-shift workers) can get access to their money even when their bank wasn't open.  Many 1st-shift workers don't have the luxury of going to a bank during their work hours.  That's one reason right there why direct-deposit's been such a hit successwise.

[on_wisconsin]

McDonalds & Walmart.  No one ever eats there or shops there.  Really...Ever read comment sections?  Everything written about them is negative.  And gosh-forbid their stock goes down, or their sales are less than forecasted.  If I had a business where I only sold $2 Billion of stuff rather than $2.001 Billion of stuff, I don't think I would worry about going out of business anytime soon.

Go to an average Walmart on a weekend afternoon and you will see that they are still very popular. The company is still actively building and renovating it's stores, with no sign that it's near death at all.

Comment sections are full of people talking out of there ass(s).

[Pete from Boston]

McDonalds & Walmart.  No one ever eats there or shops there.  Really...Ever read comment sections?  Everything written about them is negative.  And gosh-forbid their stock goes down, or their sales are less than forecasted.  If I had a business where I only sold $2 Billion of stuff rather than $2.001 Billion of stuff, I don't think I would worry about going out of business anytime soon.

Go to an average Walmart on a weekend afternoon and you will see that they are still very popular. The company is still actively building and renovating it's stores, with no sign that it's near death at all.

Comment sections are full of people talking out of there ass(s).

"Nobody goes there anymore–it's too crowded."

[texaskdog]

Churches are non-profit, just like the NFL

[vdeane]

Who goes to the store to buy CDs & DVDs anymore?

With respect to DVD/BluRay, collectors often buy disks in store because Amazon/UPS can't be trusted to deliver them without damage to either the disk, case, or slip cover (especially since Amazon uses those el cheapo bubble wrap envelopes).

How about branch offices of banks.  Since we all have direct deposits, ATMs, and even do banking from our smart phones and PCs why do people even need to use a human teller anymore.

Anyone who lives in an apartment that has coin-operated laundry and doesn't use cash enough to have a stash of quarters needs to go to the bank a couple times a month to get some.

[texaskdog]

http://techcrunch.com/2015/02/05/radioshack-files-for-bankruptcy/

[Pete from Boston]

Around here, I find Radio Shack rendered almost completely redundant by MicroCenter.  Granted, MicroCenter doesn't sell all the little doodads Radio Shack does, but Radio Shack for me was always all about cables to create unholy marriages of various devices.

The store was better run in recent years, but for much too long it was staffed by creepy dudes with poor social skills–technically knowledgeable, but off-putting to casual shoppers. 

Ditto all the remarks about inflated prices, and pushy tactics ("Need any batteries today?").  But I'm a little wistful about where I'll get a fader knob or LED without the time delay for me to come to my senses and give up on some silly scheme.

[Scott5114]

How about branch offices of banks.  Since we all have direct deposits, ATMs, and even do banking from our smart phones and PCs why do people even need to use a human teller anymore.

Commercial accounts. Good luck getting $250 in fives, a strap of ones, six rolls of quarters, and nine rolls of pennies out of an ATM. And it's a much more secure feeling when you deposit $1,092 directly to a teller rather than leaving it in the night drop.

(Even when I'm doing personal banking I use a human teller because I prefer using $10s and the ATM dispenses $20s.)

How about branch offices of banks.  Since we all have direct deposits, ATMs, and even do banking from our smart phones and PCs why do people even need to use a human teller anymore.

Why, to replenish our stock of $2 bills, of course!

This too. (Although now that I'm a casino cashier I tend to get my $2s from other cashiers when they have someone cash in an obscene amount of $2s for gambling money.)

[Scott5114]

Post Offices

Internet shopping was going to be the killer of the Post Office.  Internet shopping is what is keeping the post office alive.  All those purchases have to be sent somehow.  While FedEx (which has a partnership with the USPS) and UPS handle a lot of those deliveries, the USPS has its share of shipments as well.

Rarely a day goes by when I don't get mail.  Much of it is ads or junk though.  I only mail one payment a month, for the mortgage payment, so I rarely need stamps.

People still use those PO Boxes too.

USPS is still the gold standard for shipping as far as I'm concerned. Priority Mail is a wonderful thing–two-day shipping with tracking number, pickup at your home, $50 of free insurance, and it's still cheaper than UPS or FedEx. I use a PO box for my business, too, because it's more secure than putting my home address out there for customers to find. I don't want a crazy customer looking me up on Google Maps and coming to my house.

[1995hoo]

Post Offices

Internet shopping was going to be the killer of the Post Office.  Internet shopping is what is keeping the post office alive.  All those purchases have to be sent somehow.  While FedEx (which has a partnership with the USPS) and UPS handle a lot of those deliveries, the USPS has its share of shipments as well.

Rarely a day goes by when I don't get mail.  Much of it is ads or junk though.  I only mail one payment a month, for the mortgage payment, so I rarely need stamps.

People still use those PO Boxes too.

USPS is still the gold standard for shipping as far as I'm concerned. Priority Mail is a wonderful thing–two-day shipping with tracking number, pickup at your home, $50 of free insurance, and it's still cheaper than UPS or FedEx. I use a PO box for my business, too, because it's more secure than putting my home address out there for customers to find. I don't want a crazy customer looking me up on Google Maps and coming to my house.

I use the UPS Store for a business mailbox for the same reason, with the added benefit of it having a regular street address instead of a PO Box address.

[jeffandnicole]

McDonalds & Walmart.  No one ever eats there or shops there.  Really...Ever read comment sections?  Everything written about them is negative.  And gosh-forbid their stock goes down, or their sales are less than forecasted.  If I had a business where I only sold $2 Billion of stuff rather than $2.001 Billion of stuff, I don't think I would worry about going out of business anytime soon.

Go to an average Walmart on a weekend afternoon and you will see that they are still very popular. The company is still actively building and renovating it's stores, with no sign that it's near death at all.

Comment sections are full of people talking out of there ass(s).

Wow...that bit of sarcasm just flew over your head!  Of course, they are extremely popular.

[Pete from Boston]

McDonalds & Walmart.  No one ever eats there or shops there.  Really...Ever read comment sections?  Everything written about them is negative.  And gosh-forbid their stock goes down, or their sales are less than forecasted.  If I had a business where I only sold $2 Billion of stuff rather than $2.001 Billion of stuff, I don't think I would worry about going out of business anytime soon.

Go to an average Walmart on a weekend afternoon and you will see that they are still very popular. The company is still actively building and renovating it's stores, with no sign that it's near death at all.

Comment sections are full of people talking out of there ass(s).

Wow...that bit of sarcasm just flew over your head!  Of course, they are extremely popular.

The big story about McDonald's this week is that they're losing business to "healthy" competitors like Chipotle (when I see a normal portion at Chipotle, I'll remove the quotation marks), which is bringing an end to the tenure of CEO and president Don Thompson. 

[The Nature Boy]

I honestly think that Chipotle is only popular because millennials like ethnic food and are actively trying to avoid "American" food for some stupid reason. It's the same reason that the same people who bash McDonalds will also eat at Taco Bell. I honestly don't see Chipotle as being any different than McDonalds and in fact once met up with a friend at a Chipotle and went to the McDonalds next door because I prefer McDonalds if I'm getting unhealthy fast food. We were getting the food to go to head back to my place anyway.

The only reason that Chipotle is doing well is because their style of food is "hip," it has nothing to do with business practices or whatever else they want to claim.

[corco]

I honestly think that Chipotle is only popular because millennials like ethnic food and are actively trying to avoid "American" food for some stupid reason. It's the same reason that the same people who bash McDonalds will also eat at Taco Bell. I honestly don't see Chipotle as being any different than McDonalds and in fact once met up with a friend at a Chipotle and went to the McDonalds next door because I prefer McDonalds if I'm getting unhealthy fast food. We were getting the food to go to head back to my place anyway.

The only reason that Chipotle is doing well is because their style of food is "hip," it has nothing to do with business practices or whatever else they want to claim.

Part of it is atmosphere, and the dislike my generation has of the low risk/low reward proposition. I don't totally get it, but people my age want everything to be an "experience"- maybe it's due to the recession and wanting to get more bang for our buck, I don't know. Chipotle has done a much better job positioning itself as a place you go to have an experience- the food is well presented, the stores look neat, it's a better atmosphere. From what I've observed, Millenials for whatever reason are not comfortable spending a small amount of money to get something mediocre- they either want a lot for very little money, or they want to spend a lot to get a lot, but they have to get a lot. 

McDonald's...it's McDonald's. The food is what it is, the stores aren't going to be memorable, it's just food. What my generation seems to struggle with is the fact that there's nothing wrong with the fact that it's just food. McDonald's isn't going to blow your mind, you're not going to remember every time you've eaten at a McDonald's, but you will get a decent, filling meal very quickly and at a low price. That has value.

I actually really like McDonald's new ad campaign that says "we are what we are"- after the whole clubhouse sandwich "foodies welcome" thing, it's a nice change. McDonald's isn't going to cater to millenial foodies- it's not going to happen and there's no point in trying to market to that demographic. The way I see it, what it can do to be successful is emphasize that it provides decent, very quickly served food at a low price. It's the fast food restaurant for the practical person and the person that just wants a meal and is sick of the fake fancy "feature loaded" crap that is so popular in marketing these days.

[The Nature Boy]

I find that our generation is oddly picky about things. See, the fact that we seem more into craft beers than our parents generation.

I'd rather grab a Bud Light and eat at McDonalds. Maybe I was born 20 years too late.

[Duke87]

How about branch offices of banks.  Since we all have direct deposits, ATMs, and even do banking from our smart phones and PCs why do people even need to use a human teller anymore.

Commercial accounts. Good luck getting $250 in fives, a strap of ones, six rolls of quarters, and nine rolls of pennies out of an ATM. And it's a much more secure feeling when you deposit $1,092 directly to a teller rather than leaving it in the night drop.

I've interacted with humans at a bank in order to:
- open my account in the first place
- change my type of savings account to get a higher interest rate
- get a certified bank check
- order more checks when I ran out
- obtain foreign currency

The ATM certainly suffices for most ordinary banking (deposits, withdrawals, transfers, and balance checks) but there are special cases where you need to talk to someone in order to get something done.

[The Nature Boy]

When I worked in retail and for a small town government, I had to often go to the bank to get change or to break large bills into smaller ones. That's about all I ever use a bank for. I couldn't tell you the last time I actually interacted with a human at a bank.

And with Online Banking, you can honestly order your checks online now.

[formulanone]

I honestly think that Chipotle is only popular because millennials like ethnic food and are actively trying to avoid "American" food for some stupid reason. It's the same reason that the same people who bash McDonalds will also eat at Taco Bell. I honestly don't see Chipotle as being any different than McDonalds and in fact once met up with a friend at a Chipotle and went to the McDonalds next door because I prefer McDonalds if I'm getting unhealthy fast food. We were getting the food to go to head back to my place anyway.

The only reason that Chipotle is doing well is because their style of food is "hip," it has nothing to do with business practices or whatever else they want to claim.

For the "eat-out-every-day crowd", it's just another option. After all, I'd wager most people get tired of the same thing everyday, and people flock to the New Thing until there's another Thing. As for whether it's about ethnic food, there's been Chinese and Mexican (et al) restaurants around for generations...

There's also been a recent push for $9-12 fast food meals, which seems to cater to a slightly "upscale" market; places like Five Guys and Firehouse Subs cost a bit more, but personally, I think it's worth it. Chipotle is okay, but I dread long lines, so I'll have it maybe twice a year. For nearly the same prices, most sit-down Mexican restaurants offer the same food, larger quantities, more total offerings, with table service.