jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

We see lots of posts about ancient terms that young people don't understand. I am nominating another one - "Paper or plastic?" Now that many states have outlawed plastic bags in stores, I predict that this will become a mystery to younger people.

FreddB Loc: PA - Delaware County

It can still apply to your payment 🤷🏼‍♂️

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

"Cash or credit?" It's always credit for me.

BebuLamar

I remember the time when it's all paper which was before the phrase "Paper or Plastic?" But when I was asked that question the answer was always "Paper".

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Paper or plastic applied to payment is going to go the same way as the bags.

During the pandemic there was a coin shortage and people were reluctant to handle money that hadn't been sanitized. Prior to that, businesses wanted to put a lower limit on the amount you could charge on your credit card. Paying with a credit card requires paperwork and overhead charges so they didn't want to deal with small transactions.

Now you can pay for your parking meter with a credit card (although the parking charges have significantly increased -- no more nickels in the meter). Some people don't carry cash at all. My wife is one. It's the card or even more likely Apple Pay with the iPhone.

And the cost of producing physical money is increasing. It's been a long time since the cost to strike a penny was less than a penny. The life expectancy of a $1 bill is probably on the order of 1 year. The credit card ignores all that. The payments are all virtual so the existence of physical money is irrelevant. I'm still a cash guy but I'm finding that I have to adapt frequently.

On the farm stand I resisted credit cards. If someone didn't have enough cash with them we just let them run a tab. I don't believe we ever lost money doing that. People were honest. One time our cashier allowed someone credit. She wrote a note to tell us who it was. The note identified the creditor as 'man in suit'.

When I retired, the new farmers accept credit cards a lot. But they're 50 years younger than I am so it's probably what they know.

JimmyTB

And some states have banned stores from giving any bags. Except small bags like a for an Rx bottle. Consumers have to bring their own reusable bags. I for one keep separate bags designated for raw fish, chicken etc. And bags for produce. And they all get washed regularly

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

A lot of northeast states have banned some plastic bags (at the checkout) but not the plastic bags in the vegetable department. You can still load your tomatoes into a plastic bag. You can still buy plastic trash bags. At the checkout you have to buy a reusable plastic bag or a paper bag. The reusable bags are $1 or more, depending on the store. The states mandate a price of $0.10 for a paper bag. (I have never tried buying a box of plastic trash bags and trying to open them at the checkout and get the packers to pack the groceries in one. HOWEVER, those plastic trash bags are frequently more expensive than buying the $0.10 paper bags at the checkout).

You can buy a case of 1000 T-shirt bags at Costco (and probably elsewhere). They cost on the order of $0.02-0.04 apiece. The plastic bags hold together when you leave the store in the rain. Some supermarkets still give out plastic bags at checkout. My plastic bags get multiple uses, and the last use is as a trash bag. I don't buy plastic trash bags. I use checkout bags. I can fit a half dozen or more of the plastic checkout bags in my pocket. (My wife, being fashionable, does not wear clothes that have pockets so it's up to me).

tomc601 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

Smoking or non?

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

The other day a reference to the Sony Walkman came on the tele, and I got all excited with nostalgia. Our kid was puzzled about what that was.

Shellback Loc: North of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands - Kansas

I went to my soft water shop to get some filters - he has a sign on the counter - the use of a credit card will cost you 3.8% more - cash or check preferred…

BebuLamar

That's perfectly fine to me. The credit card companies charge him about that much and he doesn't want to lose that money. I hate it when a business refuses to accept cash.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

That was one reason the farm stand didn't take credit cards when I ran it. Another reason was increased paperwork to collect that money and the time delay between sale and collection.

Some businesses depend on credit card sales. Occasionally you can negotiate a cash discount. Probably only with small companies where the owner acts as the cashier. Hired cashiers rarely have authority to grant discounts.

We did take checks at the farm stand.

Sendai5355 Loc: On the banks of the Pedernales River, Texas

Here we can still get both. When cashiers ask I tell them that it doesn't matter as I am bi-sackual.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Funny, but around here, it was "Cash or credit?"

RiJoRi Loc: Sandy Ridge, NC

I find the plastic bags good for putting in my waste paper baskets, holding used cat litter and holding other plastic bags.
I'm waiting for the day when someone pulls out a duffel bag for their purchases. Just think of the fun when Security wants to check your bag, and the cans are all randomly mixed!

BTW, is the message on Treasury bills no longer valid? "THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS, PRIVATE AND PUBLIC"