Bob Young
Turning to the Fediverse with a question.
Today I was in a bank branch that I don't typically visit. While I was at one teller window waiting for my banker to do stuff, a person at the teller next to me did a withdrawal. I heard the flap-flap of the bill counter, and then the teller gave the person a STACK of $100 bills. They left, next person came up... same thing. It was probably fifty to a hundred $100 bills.
What's going on? What do people do with all those large bills?
Mar 23 at 11:09pmWeb
Show threadB05H2d ago
@fifonetworks survive a run on the bank?
Show threadBob Young2d ago
@bosh
If I was going to use the bills, I'd get $20 bills and smaller. I don't know. It's a mystery.
Show threadGeek Isch2d ago

@fifonetworks if you don't want to pay someone with Zelle, like a construction contractor who won't take personal checks*, it's pretty easy to get above 5K for a week's worth of work.

* not something we've had to worry about since we were younger, but yeah, it's taking 10+ days for other people's personal checks to clear. for people who are living closer to hand-to-mouth, cash is king.

Show threadBob Young2d ago
@geekisch
Yes – much of American society is living on the edge, with no safety net, and cash is king. I was struck by that hard reality a couple of years ago on a trip to work in Georgia. I ate breakfast at a Waffle House, because it was the only thing open at 4:30am when I had to leave the hotel each day to get to the (very) rural job site. There on the counter were employment applications. They were 3x5 cards. I picked one up and looked at it while I was waiting for my omelet. It said, “We pay weekly in cash.”
Holy cow. That was an employment incentive. That’s “why you want to come to work for us.”
I realized again how blessed I am.
But, part of my question isn’t about getting $5k in cash. Part of what I don’t understand is preferring $100 bills. Most places don’t want bills that large. But I don’t know. If you walk in and pay your rent and your car payment with cash, and do a big grocery order right after payday, maybe the big bills work out okay.
Show threadTom 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️2d ago
@fifonetworks
Pure guess: Maybe it was two members of the same household or family, working around a maximum daily withdrawal limit? (I know such limits apply to ATM withdrawals, not sure about in-branch in-person.)
Show threadBob Young2d ago
@tom
I don't think so, but I can't rule it out.