Isis Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 My local Chinese takeaway (London, zone 3) ONLY takes cash. A couple of times we had no cash and did the order through Deliveroo/Just Eat instead (because then you pay by card) and the take away put this sad little hand-written note in with our food saying 'please phone your order to us next time'. I mean, yes, we understand that they are worse off if people don't buy from them direct but we ONLY did that because we had no cash! Otherwise I only get cash out if I know I need it to tip my beauticians/hairdresser. There was a weird lag where you couldn't do tips electronically for that in the UK but it is slowly catching up. And once we move - I guess window cleaners too. Actually I try to make sure I have cash when I go to a restaurant as I usually ask the servers what happens to the service charge and any other extra money I pay by card. If they give me a verbal or non verbal sign that they will not see the e-tip/service charge I pay then I tip cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 48 minutes ago, Isis said: Actually I try to make sure I have cash when I go to a restaurant as I usually ask the servers what happens to the service charge and any other extra money I pay by card. If they give me a verbal or non verbal sign that they will not see the e-tip/service charge I pay then I tip cash. I'm a strong believer that it should be a criminal offence for restaurants to take a penny of a tip. I always do the same. Though I have been places where the server said they dont get the tip even if its cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry of the Lawn Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 The bulk of the laborers and gofers I talk to on job sites are all paid only cash, and half of them don't even have bank accounts. Many won't accept a check. A few years ago I was subcontracted as the lead mason on a house and we had anywhere from 3-4 other masons and 3-6 laborers working for us throughout the job. The company owner would show up on Friday with like $5k cash to pay them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fragile Bird Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 Right, I always stock up on cash when I’m getting work done in my house because so many people demand cash, or they say they’ll have to charge more plus taxes. They want more to cover the income and payroll taxes they’ll have to pay because, you know, the customers don’t pay taxes to the government. Yes, it means I pay less, but in the long run there are so many people in the underground economy not paying taxes, which is unfair. Otherwise I stash $40 emergency money in a side pocket of my purse in case I lose or forget my wallet. I have been known to pull my wallet out of my purse to check something in my wallet and then forget to put it back in. I used to take out $500 at a time walking around money, because I prefer to pay cash. When you have to hand over actual hard earning filthy lucre to buy something, you may think twice. During the pandemic I’ve been using my debit card or a credit card and I have noticed I seem to buy more stuff without thinking about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iskaral Pust Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 I think over the past five years, probably 90% of my cash usage has been to pay & tip the parking valet, make a donation during the church service or else give a few dollars to a homeless person. I cannot think of any transactions beyond that except the odd ones like tipping the guy who delivers the Christmas tree, or big tips for the furniture movers. Chicago’s typical valet parking price is $14-16, so the guy would always just receive a $20. (That pattern made it difficult to have any small bills for the homeless) A trip to the ATM for $200 would probably last me almost a month, and much, much longer now living in the suburbs (even without COVID). I always replenish the cash in my wallet when it runs out, but it’s pretty pointless stuff now. I have wondered about keeping a sum of cash securely at home for emergencies, like a prepper. Maybe it would be worthwhile if there was a mass evacuation while power and/or computer networks were down. But I haven’t bothered yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AverageGuy Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 When I was in high school I always kept a few hundred bucks in my wallet (I had a job, but as a minor my bank account required a parent present to withdraw, so easier when I cashed out half my paychecks). Kept the habit into my early twenties, but nowadays when I actually have real money usually less than $50. If I'm traveling I might keep a little more on hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clueless Northman Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 Always pay in cash except when I buy stuff online. So on average, from 20 (if I just need to buy something for lunch to eat quietly at the office) to 250 if I'm going for serious grocery shopping the next day. If I go below 20, I assume I won't have enough to cover any cost and withdraw 150 or 200$$. All in all, I also try not to have to withdraw more than once a week. It's obviously different on vacation. Now that most hotels are booked online, I usually let them charge me this way as well, so that I don't have to carry thousand bucks with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbigski Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 This thread is great info as far as who to roll at the next Worldcon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 6 hours ago, AverageGuy said: as a minor my bank account required a parent present to withdraw, so easier when I cashed out half my paychecks Interesting. I had a bank account at 15, and while I believe I needed a parent to open the account I definitely did not need a parent to make withdrawals (or deposits). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chatywin et al. Posted January 8, 2021 Author Share Posted January 8, 2021 40 minutes ago, DMC said: Interesting. I had a bank account at 15, and while I believe I needed a parent to open the account I definitely did not need a parent to make withdrawals (or deposits). $500 in the account and my mom signing off as being responsible if I went into debt and I was good to go (I was 13 or 14). 1 hour ago, mcbigski said: This thread is great info as far as who to roll at the next Worldcon. I'll get you six scotches in after the work has been done and roll you motherfucker! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fragile Bird Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 28 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said: I'll get you six scotches in after the work has been done a roll you motherfucker! Gotta warn you, the dude has one damn hard head... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chatywin et al. Posted January 8, 2021 Author Share Posted January 8, 2021 6 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said: Gotta warn you, the dude has one damn hard head... Will just have to adjust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fragile Bird Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 Video not available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord of Oop North Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 On 1/6/2021 at 12:00 PM, larrytheimp said: The bulk of the laborers and gofers I talk to on job sites are all paid only cash, and half of them don't even have bank accounts. Many won't accept a check. A few years ago I was subcontracted as the lead mason on a house and we had anywhere from 3-4 other masons and 3-6 laborers working for us throughout the job. The company owner would show up on Friday with like $5k cash to pay them all. I used to work for a company like that. It was ridiculous. The owner went around to multiple jobs, and literally had a briefcase with like $20-30k in it. Only certain guys got cash, as you said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luzifer's right hand Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 4 hours ago, Lord of Oop North said: I used to work for a company like that. It was ridiculous. The owner went around to multiple jobs, and literally had a briefcase with like $20-30k in it. Only certain guys got cash, as you said. That sounds incredible strange to someone from Austria. Some banks grant accounts that you can't overdrawn to people with bad credit because it is as good as impossible to find a legal job that pays in cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 It's by no means always the case but I've worked in several bars where it was a second job for the staff and they were paid in cash to avoid the heavy tax they would otherwise have been charged. Legal, no, understandable, yes. This was long hour minimum wage work to top up a regular job to make ends meet for many of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorn Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 I always carry a bunch of cash with me, for several reasons: 1. I live in a cash-based economy, and there are a whole bunch of things I simply cannot pay with a card (taxis, food deliveries, a lot of home and car repair/maintenance, majority of fast/casual food places, a lot of cafes and bars), and a bunch of others where paying with a card is a bigger hassle than using cash. Many business owners try to dodge taxes any way they can, and they actively discourage people from paying with cards, either by making it inconvenient, or by tacking on card fees, or simply by not owning a POS terminal. A huge majority of home repairmen (plumbers, electricians, etc.) don't even have registered businesses, or do repairs in their spare time as a side source of income. 2. My bank's incentives to use my credit card are few and limited (for example, there's no cashback). 3. I was never mugged, but I did have my card data stolen, and it happened to me in the US. While I did eventually get the stolen money reimbursed, it was an unpleasant experience which made me wary of using my card in a lot of places, or leaving it out of my sight even for a second. 4. I used to travel a lot in the "before times", and cards sometimes get declined when you're travelling, even if you have sufficient funds on them. 5. As an engineer, I'm always aware of ways how cards can fail. They can get exposed to strong magnets or become physically damaged, and that would seriously inconvenience me for a few days if I had no cash available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorn Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 Also, local weddings couldn't function if people didn't have cash on them. Our local custom is that all the wedding guests gift the newlyweds in cash, and at the end of the night they use that cash to pay the restaurant owners, musicians, photographer, etc. We have a joke that the most enjoyable thing that bride and groom do on their first wedding night is counting their money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 17 minutes ago, Gorn said: Also, local weddings couldn't function if people didn't have cash on them. Our local custom is that all the wedding guests gift the newlyweds in cash, and at the end of the night they use that cash to pay the restaurant owners, musicians, photographer, etc. We have a joke that the most enjoyable thing that bride and groom do on their first wedding night is counting their money. We combined the 2 and rolled around naked in our pile of cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inkdaub Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 I keep some fives in my car center console to tip the people who pump the gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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