No more new pennies

[hotdogPi]

That said, I could have sworn I've heard something about a "half cent sales tax" with respect to Arkansas highway projects, so I can't help but wonder if fixed-rate sales taxes are a thing in some places.  Might explain why we keep seeing posts along these lines.

It's 0.5%.

[NWI_Irish96]

That said, I could have sworn I've heard something about a "half cent sales tax" with respect to Arkansas highway projects, so I can't help but wonder if fixed-rate sales taxes are a thing in some places.  Might explain why we keep seeing posts along these lines.

It's 0.5%.

Every time I've seen something listed as a half cent, or one cent tax, it's just a lazy way of saying 0.5% or 1.0%. I don't think fixed amount taxes are a thing.

[kphoger]

I could have sworn I've heard something about a "half cent sales tax" with respect to Arkansas highway projects, so I can't help but wonder if fixed-rate sales taxes are a thing in some places.  Might explain why we keep seeing posts along these lines.

It's 0.5%.

Every time I've seen something listed as a half cent, or one cent tax, it's just a lazy way of saying 0.5% or 1.0%. I don't think fixed amount taxes are a thing.

Correct.

I searched Arkansas specifically, because that's the state |vdeane| mentioned.

An amendment was on the ballot in 2020 that was widely reported to have been about making a "half-cent" transportation sales tax permanent.  For example, in a 2023 article looking back due to a court ruling, ABC News opened with the phrase, "A half-cent sales tax for highways that voters approved in 2020".

But if you actually look at the ballot from 2020, the text said, "a one-half percent sales and use tax".

And the actual amendment that followed the court ruling resulted the following language (note what was not changed from the original):

Pursuant to the authority granted by Arkansas Constitution, Article 5, § 1, Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 101, § 1(a), concerning the intent of Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 101, is amended to read as follows:

(a) Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 91, levies a one-half percent sales and use tax to provide additional funding for the state's four-lane multilane highway system, county roads, and city streets.

https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB445.pdf

[kalvado]

(1)  Tax rates are not defined as "penny level" to begin with.
(2)  Gas station 9/10 cent pricing has nothing to do with the existence or removal of the penny.

NY's sales taxes can be even worse than gas station pricing.  Where I live, the (state + county) sales tax rate is 8.25%, so an item that costs $1 would be $1.0825 after tax is applied.  Maybe we can make a half-mill coin.

That said, I could have sworn I've heard something about a "half cent sales tax" with respect to Arkansas highway projects, so I can't help but wonder if fixed-rate sales taxes are a thing in some places.  Might explain why we keep seeing posts along these lines.

Half a penny off a dollar spent.

In 2012, Arkansans voted in favor of establishing a one-half percent. (.5%) sales and use tax dedicated to fund county roads

[jeffandnicole]

(1)  Tax rates are not defined as "penny level" to begin with.
(2)  Gas station 9/10 cent pricing has nothing to do with the existence or removal of the penny.

NY's sales taxes can be even worse than gas station pricing.  Where I live, the (state + county) sales tax rate is 8.25%, so an item that costs $1 would be $1.0825 after tax is applied.  Maybe we can make a half-mill coin.

That said, I could have sworn I've heard something about a "half cent sales tax" with respect to Arkansas highway projects, so I can't help but wonder if fixed-rate sales taxes are a thing in some places.  Might explain why we keep seeing posts along these lines.

Jersey is even worse in that regard.  Our Sales Tax is 6.625%.  Urban Economic Zones are 3.3125%.  No one is making fractional cent pieces for that.

[kphoger]

Urban Economic Zones are 3.3125%.  No one is making fractional cent pieces for that.

[vtk]

When sales taxes were new, states and sometimes merchants started making "sales tax tokens" of fractional cents. After a few years the feds put an end to that, and people began to accept that rounding the total-with-tax to the nearest penny was close enough. Today's dimes will buy less than pennies did then, so we can certainly live with rounding the total amount in a purchase to 5¢, 10¢, or even 25¢ if necessary. Neither the prices of individual items, nor the sales tax percentages, need to be changed in accordance with the currency in circulation.


As neat as the 1-2-5-10 sequence (or 10-25-50-100) is, we don't actually need currency at every step in the sequence. If we did, we'd have 2¢ (or 2½¢) pieces, and 50¢ coins and $2 bills wouldn't be so uncommon. Going with every other step is clearly sufficient, and has the beneficial side effect of each step being a factor of 4 or 5. No more issues with one step not being a whole multiple of the step below it.

So we could ideally have currency in these denominations:

• 1¢
• 5¢
• 25¢
• $1
• $5
• $20
• $100

Or theoretically this would also work, but it's rather inconsistent with what's actually common:

• 2¢? 2½¢?
• 10¢
• 50¢
• $2
• $10
• $50
• $200? $250?

[1995hoo]

....

Or theoretically this would also work, but it's rather inconsistent with what's actually common:

• 2¢? 2½¢?
• 10¢
• 50¢
• $2
• $10
• $50
• $200? $250?

Europe has a €200 bill. I used one in Berlin and the shopkeeper seemed quite taken aback, although she gave me the appropriate change. I got the impression that they must not have been very common (and I know they've eliminated the €500).

Given that the Federal Reserve eliminated all bills larger than the $100 in 1969 due in part to money-laundering concerns (the same sort of concern that led to the €500 being called the "gangster's note"), and given that the use of cash for large purchases has almost certainly declined significantly since then, I find it hard to imagine the US ever introducing, or re-introducing, a higher denomination. There have been times over the years when I've wished there were a $200, but the last time I can remember using more than $100 cash at one time was in 2017 to pay for parking at a concert, and the only reason for using more than $100 was that parking was $60 cash and by giving the guy $110 he was able just to peel off a $50 as change.

I suppose, though, that travel to third-world countries could be an occasional reason for wanting a larger denomination, but that's hardly a valid reason for the US government to bring such denominations back. My father had to pay cash for a safari on a trip to Uganda and he was annoyed about having to bring a stack of $100s, but the bank teller told him (correctly) that if they get a larger bill, they must return it to the Fed for destruction. I told him he should have asked whether they'd take euro instead of dollars because then he could have gotten €500s and €200s.

[kalvado]

....

Or theoretically this would also work, but it's rather inconsistent with what's actually common:

• 2¢? 2½¢?
• 10¢
• 50¢
• $2
• $10
• $50
• $200? $250?

Europe has a €200 bill. I used one in Berlin and the shopkeeper seemed quite taken aback, although she gave me the appropriate change. I got the impression that they must not have been very common (and I know they've eliminated the €500).

Given that the Federal Reserve eliminated all bills larger than the $100 in 1969 due in part to money-laundering concerns (the same sort of concern that led to the €500 being called the "gangster's note"), and given that the use of cash for large purchases has almost certainly declined significantly since then, I find it hard to imagine the US ever introducing, or re-introducing, a higher denomination. There have been times over the years when I've wished there were a $200, but the last time I can remember using more than $100 cash at one time was in 2017 to pay for parking at a concert, and the only reason for using more than $100 was that parking was $60 cash and by giving the guy $110 he was able just to peel off a $50 as change.

I suppose, though, that travel to third-world countries could be an occasional reason for wanting a larger denomination, but that's hardly a valid reason for the US government to bring such denominations back. My father had to pay cash for a safari on a trip to Uganda and he was annoyed about having to bring a stack of $100s, but the bank teller told him (correctly) that if they get a larger bill, they must return it to the Fed for destruction. I told him he should have asked whether they'd take euro instead of dollars because then he could have gotten €500s and €200s.

Even now, 1 year paycheck in $100 bills would fit in a pocket or a purse for most people. (Elon's not so much, but he's an outlier).  $100k would be a bit over 2 lb.
And I think I had less than 5 transactions over $10k in my life, and even largest one - a downpayment for the house -  was below 100k.  (settled with a single cashiers check, though)

[mgk920]

(1)  Tax rates are not defined as "penny level" to begin with.
(2)  Gas station 9/10 cent pricing has nothing to do with the existence or removal of the penny.

NY's sales taxes can be even worse than gas station pricing.  Where I live, the (state + county) sales tax rate is 8.25%, so an item that costs $1 would be $1.0825 after tax is applied.  Maybe we can make a half-mill coin.

That said, I could have sworn I've heard something about a "half cent sales tax" with respect to Arkansas highway projects, so I can't help but wonder if fixed-rate sales taxes are a thing in some places.  Might explain why we keep seeing posts along these lines.

Just do as my regular grocer does and round the bottom line on cash bills down to the next even nickel.  Problem solved.

Mike

[Rothman]

....

Or theoretically this would also work, but it's rather inconsistent with what's actually common:

• 2¢? 2½¢?
• 10¢
• 50¢
• $2
• $10
• $50
• $200? $250?

Europe has a €200 bill. I used one in Berlin and the shopkeeper seemed quite taken aback, although she gave me the appropriate change. I got the impression that they must not have been very common (and I know they've eliminated the €500).

Given that the Federal Reserve eliminated all bills larger than the $100 in 1969 due in part to money-laundering concerns (the same sort of concern that led to the €500 being called the "gangster's note"), and given that the use of cash for large purchases has almost certainly declined significantly since then, I find it hard to imagine the US ever introducing, or re-introducing, a higher denomination. There have been times over the years when I've wished there were a $200, but the last time I can remember using more than $100 cash at one time was in 2017 to pay for parking at a concert, and the only reason for using more than $100 was that parking was $60 cash and by giving the guy $110 he was able just to peel off a $50 as change.

I suppose, though, that travel to third-world countries could be an occasional reason for wanting a larger denomination, but that's hardly a valid reason for the US government to bring such denominations back. My father had to pay cash for a safari on a trip to Uganda and he was annoyed about having to bring a stack of $100s, but the bank teller told him (correctly) that if they get a larger bill, they must return it to the Fed for destruction. I told him he should have asked whether they'd take euro instead of dollars because then he could have gotten €500s and €200s.

Even now, 1 year paycheck in $100 bills would fit in a pocket or a purse for most people. (Elon's not so much, but he's an outlier).  $100k would be a bit over 2 lb.
And I think I had less than 5 transactions over $10k in my life, and even largest one - a downpayment for the house -  was below 100k.  (settled with a single cashiers check, though)

Median household income per year in the United States is near $84,000.  Fitting 840 $100 bills in one's pocket?

[kphoger]

Or theoretically this would also work, but it's rather inconsistent with what's actually common:

• 2¢? 2½¢?
• 10¢
• 50¢
• $2
• $10
• $50
• $200? $250?

Europe has a €200 bill. I used one in Berlin and the shopkeeper seemed quite taken aback, although she gave me the appropriate change. I got the impression that they must not have been very common (and I know they've eliminated the €500).

In Mexico, the $200 bill is one of the most common ones out there.

[kalvado]

....

Or theoretically this would also work, but it's rather inconsistent with what's actually common:

• 2¢? 2½¢?
• 10¢
• 50¢
• $2
• $10
• $50
• $200? $250?

Europe has a €200 bill. I used one in Berlin and the shopkeeper seemed quite taken aback, although she gave me the appropriate change. I got the impression that they must not have been very common (and I know they've eliminated the €500).

Given that the Federal Reserve eliminated all bills larger than the $100 in 1969 due in part to money-laundering concerns (the same sort of concern that led to the €500 being called the "gangster's note"), and given that the use of cash for large purchases has almost certainly declined significantly since then, I find it hard to imagine the US ever introducing, or re-introducing, a higher denomination. There have been times over the years when I've wished there were a $200, but the last time I can remember using more than $100 cash at one time was in 2017 to pay for parking at a concert, and the only reason for using more than $100 was that parking was $60 cash and by giving the guy $110 he was able just to peel off a $50 as change.

I suppose, though, that travel to third-world countries could be an occasional reason for wanting a larger denomination, but that's hardly a valid reason for the US government to bring such denominations back. My father had to pay cash for a safari on a trip to Uganda and he was annoyed about having to bring a stack of $100s, but the bank teller told him (correctly) that if they get a larger bill, they must return it to the Fed for destruction. I told him he should have asked whether they'd take euro instead of dollars because then he could have gotten €500s and €200s.

Even now, 1 year paycheck in $100 bills would fit in a pocket or a purse for most people. (Elon's not so much, but he's an outlier).  $100k would be a bit over 2 lb.
And I think I had less than 5 transactions over $10k in my life, and even largest one - a downpayment for the house -  was below 100k.  (settled with a single cashiers check, though)

Median household income per year in the United States is near $84,000.  Fitting 840 $100 bills in one's pocket?

Jeans or shirt pocket - probably not, jacket pocket - feasible. Grab a paperback book or two and try it out. It would be comparable

[Rothman]

....

Or theoretically this would also work, but it's rather inconsistent with what's actually common:

• 2¢? 2½¢?
• 10¢
• 50¢
• $2
• $10
• $50
• $200? $250?

Europe has a €200 bill. I used one in Berlin and the shopkeeper seemed quite taken aback, although she gave me the appropriate change. I got the impression that they must not have been very common (and I know they've eliminated the €500).

Given that the Federal Reserve eliminated all bills larger than the $100 in 1969 due in part to money-laundering concerns (the same sort of concern that led to the €500 being called the "gangster's note"), and given that the use of cash for large purchases has almost certainly declined significantly since then, I find it hard to imagine the US ever introducing, or re-introducing, a higher denomination. There have been times over the years when I've wished there were a $200, but the last time I can remember using more than $100 cash at one time was in 2017 to pay for parking at a concert, and the only reason for using more than $100 was that parking was $60 cash and by giving the guy $110 he was able just to peel off a $50 as change.

I suppose, though, that travel to third-world countries could be an occasional reason for wanting a larger denomination, but that's hardly a valid reason for the US government to bring such denominations back. My father had to pay cash for a safari on a trip to Uganda and he was annoyed about having to bring a stack of $100s, but the bank teller told him (correctly) that if they get a larger bill, they must return it to the Fed for destruction. I told him he should have asked whether they'd take euro instead of dollars because then he could have gotten €500s and €200s.

Even now, 1 year paycheck in $100 bills would fit in a pocket or a purse for most people. (Elon's not so much, but he's an outlier).  $100k would be a bit over 2 lb.
And I think I had less than 5 transactions over $10k in my life, and even largest one - a downpayment for the house -  was below 100k.  (settled with a single cashiers check, though)

Median household income per year in the United States is near $84,000.  Fitting 840 $100 bills in one's pocket?

Jeans or shirt pocket - probably not, jacket pocket - feasible. Grab a paperback book or two and try it out. It would be comparable

Meh.  Blech.

[vtk]

In Mexico, the $200 bill is one of the most common ones out there.

In 2001 I paid MX$180 for cab fare once, if I remember right. Today MX$200 is apparently worth about US$11.

[kalvado]

....

Or theoretically this would also work, but it's rather inconsistent with what's actually common:

• 2¢? 2½¢?
• 10¢
• 50¢
• $2
• $10
• $50
• $200? $250?

Europe has a €200 bill. I used one in Berlin and the shopkeeper seemed quite taken aback, although she gave me the appropriate change. I got the impression that they must not have been very common (and I know they've eliminated the €500).

Given that the Federal Reserve eliminated all bills larger than the $100 in 1969 due in part to money-laundering concerns (the same sort of concern that led to the €500 being called the "gangster's note"), and given that the use of cash for large purchases has almost certainly declined significantly since then, I find it hard to imagine the US ever introducing, or re-introducing, a higher denomination. There have been times over the years when I've wished there were a $200, but the last time I can remember using more than $100 cash at one time was in 2017 to pay for parking at a concert, and the only reason for using more than $100 was that parking was $60 cash and by giving the guy $110 he was able just to peel off a $50 as change.

I suppose, though, that travel to third-world countries could be an occasional reason for wanting a larger denomination, but that's hardly a valid reason for the US government to bring such denominations back. My father had to pay cash for a safari on a trip to Uganda and he was annoyed about having to bring a stack of $100s, but the bank teller told him (correctly) that if they get a larger bill, they must return it to the Fed for destruction. I told him he should have asked whether they'd take euro instead of dollars because then he could have gotten €500s and €200s.

Even now, 1 year paycheck in $100 bills would fit in a pocket or a purse for most people. (Elon's not so much, but he's an outlier).  $100k would be a bit over 2 lb.
And I think I had less than 5 transactions over $10k in my life, and even largest one - a downpayment for the house -  was below 100k.  (settled with a single cashiers check, though)

Median household income per year in the United States is near $84,000.  Fitting 840 $100 bills in one's pocket?

Jeans or shirt pocket - probably not, jacket pocket - feasible. Grab a paperback book or two and try it out. It would be comparable

Meh.  Blech.

Wut?
I grabbed this book from the shelf (courtesy of my better half):
https://a.co/d/9KduHp1
It's approximately 21 mm (210 bills) thick and I almost fit 4 bills on the face of it.
So it would be the size of $84k in 100s.
Now let's talk about small pockets which cannot fit a book.

[Rothman]

....

Or theoretically this would also work, but it's rather inconsistent with what's actually common:

• 2¢? 2½¢?
• 10¢
• 50¢
• $2
• $10
• $50
• $200? $250?

Europe has a €200 bill. I used one in Berlin and the shopkeeper seemed quite taken aback, although she gave me the appropriate change. I got the impression that they must not have been very common (and I know they've eliminated the €500).

Given that the Federal Reserve eliminated all bills larger than the $100 in 1969 due in part to money-laundering concerns (the same sort of concern that led to the €500 being called the "gangster's note"), and given that the use of cash for large purchases has almost certainly declined significantly since then, I find it hard to imagine the US ever introducing, or re-introducing, a higher denomination. There have been times over the years when I've wished there were a $200, but the last time I can remember using more than $100 cash at one time was in 2017 to pay for parking at a concert, and the only reason for using more than $100 was that parking was $60 cash and by giving the guy $110 he was able just to peel off a $50 as change.

I suppose, though, that travel to third-world countries could be an occasional reason for wanting a larger denomination, but that's hardly a valid reason for the US government to bring such denominations back. My father had to pay cash for a safari on a trip to Uganda and he was annoyed about having to bring a stack of $100s, but the bank teller told him (correctly) that if they get a larger bill, they must return it to the Fed for destruction. I told him he should have asked whether they'd take euro instead of dollars because then he could have gotten €500s and €200s.

Even now, 1 year paycheck in $100 bills would fit in a pocket or a purse for most people. (Elon's not so much, but he's an outlier).  $100k would be a bit over 2 lb.
And I think I had less than 5 transactions over $10k in my life, and even largest one - a downpayment for the house -  was below 100k.  (settled with a single cashiers check, though)

Median household income per year in the United States is near $84,000.  Fitting 840 $100 bills in one's pocket?

Jeans or shirt pocket - probably not, jacket pocket - feasible. Grab a paperback book or two and try it out. It would be comparable

Meh.  Blech.

Wut?
I grabbed this book from the shelf (courtesy of my better half):
https://a.co/d/9KduHp1
It's approximately 21 mm (210 bills) thick and I almost fit 4 bills on the face of it.
So it would be the size of $84k in 100s.
Now let's talk about small pockets which cannot fit a book.

Meh.

[kphoger]

In 2001 I paid MX$180 for cab fare once, if I remember right. Today MX$200 is apparently worth about US$11.

Roughly, yes.  In 2001, the exchange rate was still approximately 10:1.  In the late 90s, I remember stores in Mexico accepting US dollars by simply moving the decimal point in the price, no calculator required.  Over the last couple of decades, the rate has gradually doubled to about 20:1 or so—currently a little better as you said.

Functionally, the 200 MXN bill still corresponds to a 20 USD bill, with the 500 MXN bill being more rarely encountered and the 1000 MXN bill even more rare than that.  Just as with the 20 USD bill, a lot of daily transactions are too small to use anything larger than the 200 MXN bill, and merchants probably don't really appreciate it if you do.  Furthermore, the lower denominations correspond to ours:  100/10 MXN/USD, 50/5 MXN/USD.  Mexico still has a 20 MXN bill, but 10 MXN is all coins now.

[Scott5114]

The problem with large amounts of bills is not necessarily the thickness or weight of them, it's that it's much harder to tell at a glance that the amount is correct (much easier to tell if a quantity of cash alleged to be $8000 is short if it's in the form of eight $1000 bills as opposed to 80 $100 bills). So you have to count—which of course takes more time the more bills you have.

[1995hoo]

The problem with large amounts of bills is not necessarily the thickness or weight of them, it's that it's much harder to tell at a glance that the amount is correct (much easier to tell if a quantity of cash alleged to be $8000 is short if it's in the form of eight $1000 bills as opposed to 80 $100 bills). So you have to count—which of course takes more time the more bills you have.

In the early 1990s I worked at Micro Center one summer and a guy came in and paid cash for two laptops. It was about $4600 and he paid with $100s. Counting all those out twice on the checkout counter was a serious nuisance and required a second employee be present to help make sure no other customer could snatch any of the money and run.

[Scott5114]

The problem with large amounts of bills is not necessarily the thickness or weight of them, it's that it's much harder to tell at a glance that the amount is correct (much easier to tell if a quantity of cash alleged to be $8000 is short if it's in the form of eight $1000 bills as opposed to 80 $100 bills). So you have to count—which of course takes more time the more bills you have.

In the early 1990s I worked at Micro Center one summer and a guy came in and paid cash for two laptops. It was about $4600 and he paid with $100s. Counting all those out twice on the checkout counter was a serious nuisance and required a second employee be present to help make sure no other customer could snatch any of the money and run.

$4600 wasn't that bad for me, but I also had years of experience dealing with that amount of cash ($4875 is one of the standard jackpot amounts), and the architecture and machinery where I was working was specifically designed to enable doing so (or, well, it should have been, at least; one of the cages I worked in they seriously cheaped out on the size of the counter). Being made to deal with that much cash in a standard retail environment as someone with a standard amount of retail experience was cruel and unusual.

[kalvado]

The problem with large amounts of bills is not necessarily the thickness or weight of them, it's that it's much harder to tell at a glance that the amount is correct (much easier to tell if a quantity of cash alleged to be $8000 is short if it's in the form of eight $1000 bills as opposed to 80 $100 bills). So you have to count—which of course takes more time the more bills you have.

In the early 1990s I worked at Micro Center one summer and a guy came in and paid cash for two laptops. It was about $4600 and he paid with $100s. Counting all those out twice on the checkout counter was a serious nuisance and required a second employee be present to help make sure no other customer could snatch any of the money and run.

$4600 wasn't that bad for me, but I also had years of experience dealing with that amount of cash ($4875 is one of the standard jackpot amounts), and the architecture and machinery where I was working was specifically designed to enable doing so (or, well, it should have been, at least; one of the cages I worked in they seriously cheaped out on the size of the counter). Being made to deal with that much cash in a standard retail environment as someone with a standard amount of retail experience was cruel and unusual.

Then there are machines these days to deal with different nominations and currencies, along with fake detection.
That's too much for retail, probably, but reasonable for the bank.

[1995hoo]

The problem with large amounts of bills is not necessarily the thickness or weight of them, it's that it's much harder to tell at a glance that the amount is correct (much easier to tell if a quantity of cash alleged to be $8000 is short if it's in the form of eight $1000 bills as opposed to 80 $100 bills). So you have to count—which of course takes more time the more bills you have.

In the early 1990s I worked at Micro Center one summer and a guy came in and paid cash for two laptops. It was about $4600 and he paid with $100s. Counting all those out twice on the checkout counter was a serious nuisance and required a second employee be present to help make sure no other customer could snatch any of the money and run.

$4600 wasn't that bad for me, but I also had years of experience dealing with that amount of cash ($4875 is one of the standard jackpot amounts), and the architecture and machinery where I was working was specifically designed to enable doing so (or, well, it should have been, at least; one of the cages I worked in they seriously cheaped out on the size of the counter). Being made to deal with that much cash in a standard retail environment as someone with a standard amount of retail experience was cruel and unusual.

It really would have made more sense if they'd handled a large cash transaction like that over at the customer service desk, both in terms of keeping the lines moving faster and in terms of a (slightly) more secure location to count the cash. It also would have eliminated the need for me to pause my checkout line after that transaction to request an immediate "cash pull." While normally we could wait until things slowed down, the problem that day was that other customers had seen why the line was moving slowly (the large amount of cash) and it was considered a security issue.

[Scott5114]

The problem with large amounts of bills is not necessarily the thickness or weight of them, it's that it's much harder to tell at a glance that the amount is correct (much easier to tell if a quantity of cash alleged to be $8000 is short if it's in the form of eight $1000 bills as opposed to 80 $100 bills). So you have to count—which of course takes more time the more bills you have.

In the early 1990s I worked at Micro Center one summer and a guy came in and paid cash for two laptops. It was about $4600 and he paid with $100s. Counting all those out twice on the checkout counter was a serious nuisance and required a second employee be present to help make sure no other customer could snatch any of the money and run.

$4600 wasn't that bad for me, but I also had years of experience dealing with that amount of cash ($4875 is one of the standard jackpot amounts), and the architecture and machinery where I was working was specifically designed to enable doing so (or, well, it should have been, at least; one of the cages I worked in they seriously cheaped out on the size of the counter). Being made to deal with that much cash in a standard retail environment as someone with a standard amount of retail experience was cruel and unusual.

Then there are machines these days to deal with different nominations and currencies, along with fake detection.
That's too much for retail, probably, but reasonable for the bank.

They're not quite as expensive as you might think (I priced them once and they're in the low four-digits range, exact price varies depending on how fancy you want to get with them). I would expect a high-volume business that deals with a lot of cash (like a Walmart, Target, or a grocery store) would have positive ROI having one back in the cash office. We had one in each cage and they made dealing with that level of cash extremely easy (you can run around $10,000/minute through one, assuming that both the machine and the money is in good shape). You definitely couldn't justify one at each cashier station like we had, though.

I wouldn't expect some place like a fast food restaurant or office supply store to need one. (Well, maybe a McDonald's or Taco Bell, since they're much higher volume than other fast food restaurants, but I also don't think the proportion of cash vs. cards they deal with these days would justify it. Maybe in the late 2000s when I was in that industry.)

[SP Cook]

And, I wonder what will happen if the next occupant of the White House is of the opposite political party and decides to undo most of the current occupant's policies, which includes eliminating the production of the penny, just because the current occupant is who he is?

I think that will happen, about other things.  But I see this as taking on a life of its own.  Mindless news stories all over the country.  Big companies, which should know better, declaring a non-existent shortage, "grass roots" self-appointeds with ideas, old men shouting at clouds, people upset that the foot 'tamp addicted might have to "pay" two whole cents more half of the time, long discussions of taxes. 

Hopefully, this can go as smooth as it did in Canada.  But I can see the government reversing course within weeks, given the loudness of the mob.