Because leaving a check with your bank account number on our counter is a good idea..

[Food Lady]

I was at the service desk helping a nice lady with a slightly complicated problem, but was 3 minutes from being done. I was about to call for help because I then had a line of people when the next person walked up, interrupting us, and put her sealed credit card bill and check on top of some merchandise. I caught that in time to tell her that I needed to process it in front of her to make sure it went through. She threw a fit and argued and said she always drops it off.

OK, we haven't had drop-off since my second year with the company, 8 years ago. And it was a locked box; people didn't just throw it on the counter.

I told her we didn't have drop-off and said "Let me see if I can get someone up here." I maybe shouldn't have said it (though at her age she oughta know this), but I said that it wasn't the best idea to leave a check there and she said "It's not like anyone else can cash it!" Um, ever hear of check fraud? Ink can be washed. Plus your bank acct # and probably address are on there. And you don't KNOW that I can be trusted, not for sure. The supervisor came up and asked what I needed and I asked him to help her, which he got on immediately. She tossed the envelope at him and started to walk away when he told her he needed her to stay a minute and she pissed and moaned at him, too. He asked, "Oh, what's wrong?" and she snapped, "Just put it in!" I didn't see but I bet everyone else rolled their eyes.

I get that one might have forgotten to mail the payment, but if you're really in a hurry you can call or do it online. You don't have to throw a tantrum; you're in your 60s, lady.

[AnaKhouri]

I've told this before but we once had a woman who wanted to check out a ton of stuff more than 30 minutes after we'd closed, and the registers were already off. The manager offered to hold it for her, and the woman argues that she should take the stuff, give us the bar codes, and leave a blank check we could fill out in the morning.

A. How do we know the check won't bounce and

B. How do you know we're not going to write our names in the line and steal your money?

Seriously. Geniuses!

[MoonCat]

With someone in that much of a hurry to leave, my first suspicion is that the check won't clear and she knows it.

It's like people I get on the phone who are in a hurry to hang up before I finish putting their payment through. It takes less than a minute to find out if the card went through. I am NOT hanging up if it declines, and if they hang up on me and the does decline, I will put the ad on hold, call back & get a different card number. Or the ad doesn't run. So trying to rush me won't get you squat.

[Chazzie]

People are entirely crazy trusting with their money. Reminds me of when I worked for a big name wireless company. I had a man call complaining about his overages, and when I said I could see that there was a plan that would suit him better, he immediately goes "ok, put me on that then!" and hangs up on me. Doesn't even wait to hear what it'd cost. Yeaaaah, no way buddy! Strict policy against doing any changes to an account without explaining what we're doing and getting verbal permission to do each change, for obvious reasons.

[Gilhelmi]

Around my area, I am considered "Paranoid" for locking my car and house doors.

Yep, people are way too trusting with sensitive information.

[Crossbow]

Ink can be washed.

Back when I was working as a cashier, I had someone write a check (a rather large one) using an erasable pen (do those even still exist?). Even as a young adult, I knew better than to do that.

As for ink being washed, I'd be surprised if she was using any sort of pen that resisted laundering like that. Most people don't even think about it. Me, I'm going to be getting some Noodler's Bad Belted Kingfisher ink for my fountain pens for signing anything that needs to be secure. Resistant to pretty much everything, including laser erasure.

[nutraxfornerves]

The check washers are good. I had a piece of outgoing mail stolen--a greeting card with a $5 check. I put it out for collection at 7 AM. By noon it had been washed, made out to some guy for $250 and cashed--at a branch of my bank in a city 100 miles (150 KM) away.

They picked a big branch that would be very busy during lunchtime, and knew that $250 was the limit for having few questions asked. Sure enough, the teller did not notice that not only was the signature in a different handwriting from the rest of the check, but the person signing it had misspelled my name.

[Food Lady]

Around my area, I am considered "Paranoid" for locking my car and house doors.

My dad doesn't lock his. *sigh*

[pudddykat]

@Gilhelmi my dad an his bro grew up and live in small town like that one. They own a construction company and constantly had the habit of parking their trucks and leaving them running and/or leaving the keys in ignition. They'd dart into the office for 15 to 30 minutes or something and not even think about it. One day my dad wonders in and notices his bro is in the office. "Oh hey bro, where's your truck?" Bro "At the side of the building." Dad "No it isn't" Bro: It was eventually found.

[minkysmom]

People always did that at my old job. What if i got busy or forgot or there was an error? Wouldn't you want a receipt

[Jay 2K Winger]

Around my area, I am considered "Paranoid" for locking my car and house doors.

Yep, people are way too trusting with sensitive information.

After she came home from college, my sister didn't always lock up when she was leaving the house.

In her defense, however, it wasn't down to thinking the house/neighborhood/town was safe. It was because the last couple of years at school, she'd been staying in a sorority house whose front door automatically locked behind you, and hadn't yet broken out of that "it'll lock itself" mindset.

[Crossbow]

The check washers are good. I had a piece of outgoing mail stolen--a greeting card with a $5 check. I put it out for collection at 7 AM. By noon it had been washed, made out to some guy for $250 and cashed--at a branch of my bank in a city 100 miles (150 KM) away.

Damn. That fast? Ok, the Bad Belted Kingfisher purchase is getting moved up in priority...

[sstabeler]

Damn. That fast? Ok, the Bad Belted Kingfisher purchase is getting moved up in priority...

that's why I don't use cheques if at all possible. (and on the three occasions I have needed to use a cheque- in nearly 10 years- I have personally handed it to the person who I was paying. a cheque washer probably wont' be getting hold of it then. (that, and my bank is usually pretty on-the-ball at spotting suspicious transactions)

[Teefies2]

I lock my car IN MY GARAGE .... call me crazy.

[dalesys]

.... call me crazy.

We'll just stick two maraschino cherries and half an pineapple ring on your face for a smiley ... and call you Fruitcake!