ATTENTION: What are they thinking??

Our grocery store chain does not restrict payment methods for the
express line.

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› See More: ATTENTION: What are they thinking??

But they keep some of the money too.

Bill Viverette wrote:
>
> Can we say "anal"....?

Just out of curiosity, how is that "anal?"

Notan

Jerome Zelinske wrote:
> Our grocery store chain does not restrict payment methods for the
> express line.

Well aren't they special. My primary grocery store doesn't have that
problem anymore though: all of the express lanes are self-serve. The
machines have no means to accept checks. The I-live-out-of-my-checkbook
crowd can either join the 21st century or get on a non-express line.

'Course I don't even want to get into what it's like watching people
fail at operating the brain-dead-simple self-serve equipment (the thing
*talks* to you for crying out loud--all ya' have to do is pay
attention).


--
Mike

John Richards wrote:
> "Michael Lynch" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> But ATM users aren't all brain surgeons either. My peeve on that one
>> are against the inconsiderate slobs who pull up to the ATM--without
>> pulling all the way up. They sit there, oblivious to the cars piling
>> up behind
>> them, and proceed to treat their car like a mobile office--they do
>> everything
>> *except* prepare the actual deposit (which they don't begin to do
>> until they
>> actually fully pull up to the ATM). God forbid they get their act
>> together
>> *before* going to the ATM in the first place. My guess is that they
>> were
>> expecting to wait in line, and would use that delay to do their
>> paperwork. Since
>> there was no line the most logical choice (to them) is to begin one
>> by
>> taking 15 minutes to complete a 30-second transaction.
>
> I avoid having to use an ATM by:
> a) having my paycheck direct deposited

I don't have to deposit paychecks, but do get the occasional rebate
check, gift check, etc. and if it's after-hours I'll use the ATM lane to
make the deposit. Even so, I always grab a spare deposit envelope so
that I can have it prepared before driving up to the ATM, on the next
trip.


> b) not needing much cash since I pay for everything by CC
> c) once a week I get cash by using a debit card at the grocery store
> for $50 over the amount of purchase.

I prefer to not mix a purchase and a withdrawal into one transaction,
regardless of how many places offer that option. When I see "Safeway
$142.18" I know for sure it was groceries.


> Grocery stores don't charge debit
> card fees, unlike the local Arco gas stations which I won't patronize
> for that reason.

Well, at least you can pay at the pump with cash. And their gas prices
are pretty cheap. Although I don't usually fill up there due to the
debit-card-only (with a fee) policy, I would use cash more often if the
machines were able to give change (I see no point in paying with cash at
the pump--at least for a fill-up--if you must then go inside to get
change).


--
Mike

Endlessly analytical, perhaps?

Okay....maybe they are just chatty. And these are, after all, the
alt.ATMchat and ATM.forsale newsgroups, no?


Bill

Bill Viverette wrote:
>
> Endlessly analytical, perhaps?
>
> Okay....maybe they are just chatty. And these are, after all, the
> alt.ATMchat and ATM.forsale newsgroups, no?

It's not at all uncommon to go off on tangents in this,
and many other, newsgroups.

I suspect that this thread will die off, very soon....
Some go on for months!

Notan

Tinman wrote:
> Well, at least you can pay at the pump with cash. And their gas prices
> are pretty cheap. Although I don't usually fill up there due to the
> debit-card-only (with a fee) policy, I would use cash more often if the
> machines were able to give change (I see no point in paying with cash at
> the pump--at least for a fill-up--if you must then go inside to get
> change).

The whole reason (or at least the major reason) Arco gas is as cheap as it is
is because they don't have the expense of accepting credit cards. Debit cards
are cheaper to accept in the first place, and they're offsetting the cost
further by charging the fee. None of the company-owned stores accept credit,
and only a couple of the dealers in this area do.

Personally, I don't mind paying the fee. Valero/Beacon/Ultramar is usually
within a couple cents and they do accept credit, but there are a lot more Arco
stations in this area. But I don't mind paying the fee because the alternative
is patronizing a certain company that can be 15-20 cents per gallon more
expensive... and this is the oil company that reportedly tripled their profits
last year...

--
JustThe.net - Apple Valley, CA - http://JustThe.net/ - 888.480.4NET (4638)
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / [email protected] / PGP: 0xE3AE35ED

"In case anyone was wondering, that big glowing globe above the Victor
Valley is the sun." -Victorville _Daily Press_ on the unusually large
amount of rain the Southland has gotten this winter (January 12th, 2005)

"Tinman" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Jerome Zelinske wrote:
>> Our grocery store chain does not restrict payment methods for the
>> express line.
>
> Well aren't they special. My primary grocery store doesn't have that
> problem anymore though: all of the express lanes are self-serve. The
> machines have no means to accept checks. The I-live-out-of-my-checkbook
> crowd can either join the 21st century or get on a non-express line.
>
> 'Course I don't even want to get into what it's like watching people
> fail at operating the brain-dead-simple self-serve equipment (the thing
> *talks* to you for crying out loud--all ya' have to do is pay
> attention).

Yes, I really like the self-serve checkouts. Not only is there no
waiting for check writers, there also are no chatty cashiers who
want to talk about the weather, their latest medical problems, etc.

--
John Richards

"Tinman" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Well, at least you can pay at the pump with cash. And their gas prices
> are pretty cheap. Although I don't usually fill up there due to the
> debit-card-only (with a fee) policy, I would use cash more often if the
> machines were able to give change (I see no point in paying with cash at
> the pump--at least for a fill-up--if you must then go inside to get
> change).

Exactly. Who wants to wait twice in a cashier's line just to get a
gas fill-up. I don't think the Arco savings justify my waiting even
once in a cashier line. Even at three cents a gallon difference I'd rather
gas up at a station with a CC reader.

--
John Richards

John Richards wrote:
> Most of the larger grocery stores have machines that will change
> coins into larger denominations. Many banks will do this also.
> Just because one is poor doesn't give one the right to inconvenience
> everyone else waiting in line.

Most of those machines charge about 7 cents out of each dollar to do
that.

I agree, it wasn't the most considerate thing for that woman to do
and I'd be annoyed, too. HOWEVER, (a) it doesn't happen every day,
and (b) We don't know anything else about her life or why she's
paying with small change.


--
Steven M - [email protected]lid
remove wax and invalid to reply)

"The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of
Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage."
-- Mark Russell

"Steven M (remove wax and invalid to reply)" wrote:
>
> John Richards wrote:
> > Most of the larger grocery stores have machines that will change
> > coins into larger denominations. Many banks will do this also.
> > Just because one is poor doesn't give one the right to inconvenience
> > everyone else waiting in line.
>
> Most of those machines charge about 7 cents out of each dollar to do
> that.
>
> I agree, it wasn't the most considerate thing for that woman to do
> and I'd be annoyed, too. HOWEVER, (a) it doesn't happen every day,
> and (b) We don't know anything else about her life or why she's
> paying with small change.

Point taken.

But there's also the possibility that she wasn't even aware that
anyone else was in the store.

Aaahh, ignorance is bliss! <g>

Notan