The Coronavirus Panic Thread

[Arcus]

I hate using my card too, but just about every store I go to has gone to cards only. What I do is as soon as I get out to my car, I pull out my cell phone and transfer the money from my checking account to my credit card. This way my card keeps a zero balance and it forces me to think about how much money I spent in the same way I did when paying with cash.

[jedimaster91]

Went to the grocery store today and greeted with signs on all registers - cards only.

I've stopped carrying cards, because I spend a lot less with cash, than with cards. Plus I am a debt is dumb kind of guy, and working on getting out of what I have, which is all business debt.

Turned around and walked out. I might have to do some grocery shopping on my beer run this Sunday to Iowa, and get stuff there, and drive it the 3 hours home.

Would you be able to do a preloaded/reloadable debit card? I know in the US at least there's a national coin shortage so a lot of places are going cards only for that. Not to mention how insanely dirty cash is.


I spend more with cards too. I hate carrying cash.

[EricKei]

I use debit cards only, myself, and carry minimal cash normally, aside from places that only take cash/check (e.g. the water company).

In our state, we recently had some uppity legislator getting too big for his britches and trying to tell stores that he would sue them (and have the feds join in) if they refused to take cash; also that if he offered cash and they refused it, he would just consider the bill paid, and walk out with his items. Uh, it doesn't work that way, Pucky (at least, not in the US). *** see update in a later post ***


I actually looked it up on the Treasury Dept's site to make sure I wasn't remembering incorrectly -- Tl;Dr is "Businesses MAY choose to accept bills ("Legal Tender") as payment...but they don't HAVE to." (We are not one of the states that forces vendors to accept payments in bulk coin)

[Android Kaeli]

We've had no problems with TP since that first crazed rush. But yeah, it's odd the things that have been "out" since then. For a while there it was flour and yeast. Now it just seems to be really odd things like some types of pop and whatnot.

For my store if was the TP for about three months, during which potatoes were out for about a week. Then a few random things, like paper plates, plastic cups, and various plastic silverware.

[Ironclad Alibi]

In the US: If you do charge your groceries to credit card, the credit card company has to take the cash as it is payment for a debt. The initial purchase was not a debt.

[Victory Sabre]

I do have a debit card, but keep it in the safe, for safe keeping.

I went to another grocery store this morning - ironically across the street from the other one - and they do take cash, so I was able to get what I was looking for.

Not having my unsweetened baking chocolate bars at work is not a good thing for me.

[Monterey Jack]

Aside from getting tickets on the train, I have yet to come across a business that refuses to take cash.

[notalwaysright]

I almost never use cash, but I haven't seen any stores here that won't take it. One store had a note asking if people could use correct change due to a coin shortage, but that's about it.

A note about random items being sold out at stores... Where I work is a commercial bakery and I was told that our space on trucks has been reduced, to make room for "essentials."

[Dreamstalker]

The local computer store has gone to card-only, most stores here prefer cards/contactless payment but will take cash if absolutely neccesary. IIRC it's illegal to refuse cash outright, the computer store can probably do it temporarily since they don't sell 'essentials' (groceries, medicine). I use cash at the grocery store self-checkout; they've covered the pinpads with something that makes them impossible to use. The fare vending machines on the T also take cash.

I've been trying to stick to using cash when possible...my mom has taken "card payment only" during this pandemic to mean only (my) credit cards

[MadMike]

Everything's been "Green" in PA for weeks now, and our numbers started creeping up recently. Not sure if it's because of more things being open, more people taking vacations, or people starting to not bother with masks. Maybe some of everything, who knows? Now they're starting to push enforcement on masks again. I'm not seeing nearly as many people going without masks, but I'm still seeing quite a few idiots wearing them with their noses sticking out, including employees. Meanwhile, our numbers are all over the place. Around 500 one day, then up around 800, just over a thousand a few days ago (for the first time in almost two months), and then today back down to 300-something. My county is usually in the single digits as far as daily new cases, but some areas that are getting hit hard are imposing their own restrictions.

That being said, we're still doing a lot better than some other states. When this all started, we were the fourth highest states. Now we've slipped to 10th place. Dining out is still hit and miss, as not all places are allowing dine-in just yet, and some individual franchises in the same chain are while some aren't. My favorite burrito place still hasn't reopened, but last I heard they're hoping to reopen by late July.

One of my regular hangouts is planning on restarting karaoke this Friday. They're going to wipe down the microphone between singers and make everyone sanitize their hands before coming up to sing. They're not bringing back the laptops that they previously had out for you to enter your songs, but requiring everyone to do it through their phones, much like every bar I've been to lately has been doing with their juke boxes.

Grocery shopping has been almost normal the last few weeks. No trouble finding most of what I need anymore, except that wipes are still damn near impossible to find. Plenty of paper towels and toilet paper though.

We ended up cancelling our beach trip. We were going back and forth for awhile. My brother had to cancel his, and we've been going together for the last decade, and it wouldn't have been the same. And we didn't know what was going to be open or what activities would be available. On the other hand, a change of scenery still would have been nice, and we still had the beach to go to. Then I found out my grandma, who's been living in a nursing home with dementia for the last six years, didn't have much time left and I didn't want to be away when she passed and have to either cut the trip short or miss the funeral. Right after I cancelled, I found out that New Jersey had cancelled their plans on reopening indoor dining and that they were trying to get people to wear masks on the boardwalk. A few days after that, my grandma did pass away, and we weren't even able to give her a proper sendoff. We had a small graveside service with maybe 30 people, all in masks.

We were supposed to leave for the beach two days ago, but now it's a stay-cation. This year officially blows.

[EricKei]

IIRC it's illegal to refuse cash outright

AFAIK it varies by state I know that some prohibit refusing to accept payment in bulk coin.

I'm not seeing nearly as many people going without masks, but I'm still seeing quite a few idiots wearing them with their noses sticking out, including employees.

MS here. Numbers still really high, and the ONLY reason for half of the folks out there wearing masks is because the Mayor executed an Order mandating it (and the cops really are enforcing it). Still seeing waaay too many employees (especially in food places...) with their noses sticking out x.x

[TheSHAD0W]

IIRC it's illegal to refuse cash outright

It may be illegal in some localities to refuse cash to make purchases, but not in most places.

It is illegal to refuse cash *as repayment for a debt*. If the store insists you pay for something, they are required to take cash. If they won't ring you through and aren't insisting in payment, it doesn't count.

[Mental_Mouse]

Around here (central VA) a lot of stores do prefer cards, including my bookstore. More stuff is reopening, but we have lost a bunch of stores on the mall, the closest being a Candy Store (yes, it deserved the capitals) and a pretty historic smoke shop. But then there's that pop-up across the street: Massage and tattoos. I wish I were kidding....

We've been doing pretty well so far, with not too many deaths, but yeah, stuff is opening up for the summer, and about half the people I see on the street are maskless. The governor wants to reopen all the schools for the new school year, too. So, we'll see how things go....

[Monterey Jack]

My store is allowing customers to bring in re-usable bags again.

[telecom_goddess]

Oregon has mandated masks everywhere inside and out, and no more than 10 people in a gathering inside. Although businesses are exempt so what's the point. I had some hope that Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner with my kids could be salvaged but I'm really starting to doubt that now.