Oh no, not the $1 coins and $2 bills!!!!

[Bank Lady]

There's one store in our general area that, as a matter of policy, always gives out $2 bills in their change whenever possible. I don't think they do $1 coins, though.

One of my business customers gives out change of $2 bills and half dollar coins. He made the decision to do this because he was trying to track money from one area of his business to another. He figured people would be glad to get rid of the "weird" change. Turns out, not so much. His customers LOVE it. We have to keep a steady supply because he's in every couple weeks to pick up a block of 2's ($2,000) and a box of halves ($500).

As a result of him flooding the market over the last two years, I rarely get through a day without getting at least one $2 bill. I think they're fun.

[MadMike]

I don't mind dollar coins so much, but I'd rather not have a whole lot of them in my pocket, like what happened at the post office a few years back.

I went in for a book of stamps, and saw that there was a machine that sold them. It took all bills up to $20. I put a $20 in it, expecting it to give out bills as change, like the self-scanners at the supermarkets do. Instead, it started spewing out all these coins, 10 or 12 of which (I can't remember what a book of stamps cost back then) were those dollar coins. I didn't like the feeling of having that much junk in my pocket.

My next stop was to pick up some lunch, so I got rid of some of them when I got there.

[cattaur]

Just let me say that I adore my $2 bills.

I wish I had more of them.

You can get them at your bank...
If they don't have them in stock, they can order them.

[cattaur]

The only reason I hate getting $2 bills and $1 coins is there is NO WHERE TO PUT THEM!!!

I don't know how cash registers are designed in other countries...but in the US we have a spot for every bill...except 50's and 100s (which go under the drawer, so customers cannot see them).

Maybe if they took away the dollar altogether and replaced it with a coin...we'd be forced to accept it.

Been awhile since I've cashiered, but don't tills have 5 slots?
which would be for $1, $2, $5, $10, $20 (with checks under the $20s). Then for coins, 1¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢ and 50¢/$1 (easy to tell difference because of size...)
Credit/debit slips, $50, and $100 go under the till.
(of course, I think most use the 5th slot for change rolls...)

And yes, I am one of those customers who will pay with $2s. (usually no more than $10 worth at once.)
I will buy about $100 from my credit union every week or so.
When someone (cashier, usually) says, "Are you sure you want to spend these? They are rare, you know!" I tell them I get them from the bank. Only costs me $100 for 50 bills. (Used to have a stamp I would use. "$2 bills are not rare. Spend me anywhere!" but the $2 part wore/tore. Need to order a new one sometime soon.
(and yes, I am also one of the eeeevil customers who stamp www.wheresgeorge.com on my bills. )

[Shengirl]

Been awhile since I've cashiered, but don't tills have 5 slots?

Our tills are set up like this:

_________________________
|rolls| Big | tens | fives | ones |
|of | bills | | | |
|cha |
|nge|
|___ |____|____|_____|_____|
|pen |$.25 |$.10 |$.05 | $.01 |
|ny r | | | | |
olls |

So one of those five slots on the top and bottom are used to keep $53 in change.

[Rahmota]

xcashier:

Actually, every coin the US ever made, with the exception of trade dollars, is still considered legal tender. You'd be crazy to spend a Morgan or Seated Liberty Dollar, though, since they're worth much more than face value!

Ahh my bad. For some reason I got the info that older coins/bills are sometimes removed from legal tenderness or whatever otherwise banks would have to pay out in silver or gold if someone tried to use an old gold or silver certificate.

But definately right about the morgan and liberties. Those in mint are worth quite a bit. Even a circulated one is worth a bit more than face value.

Sylvia: I dunno. I'm poor I notice little thigns like pennies adding up...I suppose if it worked out in the long run maybe. I just like the penny existing for the nice numerical/mathmatical exactness available.

Madmike:

Instead, it started spewing out all these coins,

Did it start dinging and have flashing lights....

Spoek: Yeah I had that happen a few times when the sacys first came out. I had to point out to the person that it was legal coins from the governemtn adn we still wound up having the manager come over and confirm it. I didnt have anythign else on me though so it was a bit of a different deal.

[Gurndigarn]

xcashier:

Ahh my bad. For some reason I got the info that older coins/bills are sometimes removed from legal tenderness or whatever otherwise banks would have to pay out in silver or gold if someone tried to use an old gold or silver certificate.

They're still legal tender. But most banks no longer have silver to pay out in exchange for them. You can use them at face value, though they're usually worth more to collectors.

[XCashier]

They're still legal tender. But most banks no longer have silver to pay out in exchange for them. You can use them at face value, though they're usually worth more to collectors.

Yeah, if you ever find any, your best bet is to take it to your local coin shop (in the Yellow Pages under "Coins"). Unless it is totally beat to crud, you'll probably get far more than face value for it.

[GolfCart34]

We have lots of $2 bills and $1 coins at our bank. I have one guy who will buy out my entire supply every once in a while. He collects them and saves them for his grandkids. Lots of people also collect the $1 coins so we have lots of those as well.

I much prefer the $1 coins to the bills because they cause less hassle if I'm buying a soda from a vending machine or something. I actually thought it was the coolest thing when I visited Canada and found out I could use a loonie to buy a soda from a machine. I also remember wishing we had similar machines readily available in the States (I know some have dollar coin capability now, but not all do).

[matty]

I don't know if anyone else noticed this in the news. A professional hunter was arrested under suspicion that he stamped Zimbabwean 10 cent banknotes with his business details to use as business cards at a tourism fair. (Keeping in mind that inflation in Zimbabwe is still out of control).

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071206/...abwe_banknotes

[Javarod]

xcashier:

Ahh my bad. For some reason I got the info that older coins/bills are sometimes removed from legal tenderness or whatever otherwise banks would have to pay out in silver or gold if someone tried to use an old gold or silver certificate.

You're prolly confusing them with out of circulation, which means that when the store sends them into the bank, the bank is required to trade them with the Federal Reserve for face value so they can be destroyed. Did you know that if you have at least 70% of a bill its worth full value (banks are supposed to give you a replacement, they get full credit from the Federal Reserve)?

Our tills are set up like this:

_________________________
|rolls| Big | tens | fives | ones |
|of | bills | | | |
|cha |
|nge|
|___ |____|____|_____|_____|
|pen |$.25 |$.10 |$.05 | $.01 |
|ny r | | | | |
olls |

So one of those five slots on the top and bottom are used to keep $53 in change.

When I worked retail we had a similar solution, $2 bills I'd either tuck under the till, or if their weren't many, I'd tuck them under the change, sometimes under the singles, but that was obviously risky. Dollar coins went in that last pocket under the rolls ifn I wasn't given too many of them, if I was, then I had a problem.

Speaking of $2 and such, they're why I don't shop at Target. Basically went to buy something, got told to use regular bills or leave as the store doesn't take twos (talk about snarky cashier). No biggy, we had alternates, though we weren't amused, so when we got home we complained to Target online. You'd expect at least some kind of boiler plate response, right? Nope, guess Target doesn't see customer complaints as worth their time.

[Silas G. T. Brontë]

Personally I never cared if I got $1 or 50-cent coins or $2 bills because as long as they are legal currency, I'll take them. Money is money.

Where I work I have customers who don't want $100s (too hard to break) or $50s (look to much like $5s, hard to break, or they're "unlucky"), although I've never heard about the latter being unlucky.

[Rahmota]

javarod: That is entirely possible that I am confused about that. I collect coins the way a kender does. Ohhh shiny and neat looking....ehehehe

I did know that as long as you've got part of a bill you can get the value back. A friend of mine had dropped his wallet while we where out doing hay and it went through the baler and got a bit shredded in the machinery. He wound up getting his money back by goign to the bank.

Did not know that about Target. I was under the impression that as long as it was legal tender and all that a business had to accept it.

[Gurndigarn]

Did not know that about Target. I was under the impression that as long as it was legal tender and all that a business had to accept it.

You're not required to accept anything, unless it's to discharge a debt. Most businesses, though, want to turn a profit, so they will take anything the government will, and occasionally stuff the government won't.

[Estil]

I have never understood the hatred of dollar coins... I actually prefer them... where i work we have a change machine that gives out dollar coins, it's great I can just stop at the atm on the way to work on monday take out a $20, get $20 worth of coins, and have my vending machine supply for a week... I'll also use them at 7-11 near my work in place of bills, and they've even taken to using them as change because so many of us do the same thing... and scarily since there are so many of us that live in the same area of the valley, the 7-11 by my condo is starting to do the same thing.

oh and my I actually kinda prefer dollar coins to dollar bills... for that matter, I'd much rather we used the euro system in the US, with 5cent, 10cent, 20cent, 50cent, one dollar, and 2 dollar coins, then go into bills.

You mean your stores actually USE dollar coins?? I hardly ever see them actually given out in stores and such by default. Also, when will the US gov't learn (from Canada, Austraila, Europe, United Kingdom, and so on) that a dollar coin will NEVER work (as far as catching on in general circulation) without getting rid of the dollar bill?