Today I made a planned run on the banks. I took $5K with the intention of hitting a whole bunch of different banks (seems like we have one on every corner around here) in order to break $100 bills into 5, 10s and 20 dollar bills. Well, I didn't even get $1000 changed. It seems that the banks won't make change for you unless you have an account with them. Now I can understand if I were trying to cash a check at another bank, but to get bills changed???? I am in a state of shock and I think the banks are a lot father ahead on their contingency plans than we think they are. I was only trying to change $200 at a bank, not $1000 or more.

got small bills?

-- Taz (tassie@aol.com), March 26, 1999

Answers

Taz, I think this might be to discourage "undesirables" sullying their premises. Some years ago I had a little contre temps with the three-letter agency whose major deadline is April 15 every year. I went to a strictly cash basis and cashed my paychecks at the issuing bank. Within a month the bank's policy changed and a fee of $2 was instituted. That would be the equivalent of about $6 today. The firm paying me by check happened to be headed by a lawyer (who knew about my little difficulty) and he was furious when he heard about it. He immediately got on the phone and talked to the pres of the bank, telling him if that new policy weren't withdrawn immediately, he would transfer all his accounts to a rival plus sue him for discriminating against poor folks. The fee was withdrawn.

See, the banks can't make any money on you if you just change one big bill or check for lots of little bills. They want your check or money overnight or longer so they can collect interest. They want you to use their services so they can charge you service fees. (Rememebr when ATMs were free?)

Generally speaking, those who want to change large bills are poor folks or maybe small-time drug dealers. Now you know why there are so many of those check-cashing facilities around poor neighborhoods. You could try changing your money at one of those, but they'd probably charge you a fee. It's another version of exchanging foreign money at a bank--in the UK the fee is often 7%, probably the same in the US, none if it's a credit card transaction.

Have you thought about buying travelers checks then cashing them in? Of course there's a fee involved if they're not bought at your own bank. . . Maybe you have a friend who works at or owns a store?

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), March 26, 1999.

Ol' Git, I think your idea of knowing someone who has a store is the best idea. Would seem to me that a super market, at the end of the day, would be quite happy to exchange all those little bills for $100 bills. I know the mgr at WinnDixie and think I will go in early in the morning and have a little talk with her. She is a GI and is VERY pissed off with the gov't spin and feels that when the SHTF, the shelves will be empy in an hour and the people will blame her!!

Got a printing press??

-- Taz (tassie@aol.com), March 26, 1999.

Depends on their opening hours. You might want to call her and ask her first if she'd do it for you and, if so, when would be the best time? She won't want you to take their whole day's change in one swell foop!

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), March 26, 1999.

I will go in early morning just to talk to her when there are few customers in the store. Still in shock!!

Got epinephrine??

-- Taz (tassie@aol.com), March 26, 1999.

I swear if there was any more Paranoia in this forum they'd have to rename it the Y2K Macarthy Hearings.

Get a fucking grip on reality people! There is no Y2K conspiracy and life will go on after the new years. You people obviously have no technical knowledge and you'll believe everything you hear on FOX News. You should all be more worried about how America is morphing into a communist state right before your eyes.

-- (Go to Hell Ed @ Yourdon . Com), March 26, 1999.

Well go, only 31 years of programming myself. That's nothing though, we've got at least 850 MAN-YEARS here last count. Open your eyes dude, or you may not be able to next year. <:)=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), March 26, 1999.

Taz,

"Y2K", "money" and "printing presses" might be certain trigger words to avoid using together on Y2K and survivalist forums. I imagine that certain govt types might be interested to see if there are plans by some unscrupulous types to take advantage of the Y2K situation to pass around a little "home-brewed cash". After all, the Montana Freemen were accused of making "Xerox money" along with all their other offenses. And I'll bet if they were still around the Freemen would be getting ready for Y2K, too.

In fact, if there are bank runs and buying panics this fall, look for lots of funny money to surface. With lots of cash changing hands at very busy stores, there won't be much attention paid to less than perfect looking bills, if they even notice them.

WW, who's wife got a funny $20 at a local department store sale last week. And she's a bank exec.

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), March 26, 1999.

Go To.... You seem to be a very angry individual and that's OK. But this is a public forum and your language is not appreciated. If you have something constructive to say then by all means, say it. But if you're hear just to vent and be crude, go play somewhere else.

-- (rick@ina.com), March 26, 1999.

Banks are real uppity. This has been for many years. I imagine you could get your $100 bills changed if you brought along a witness and made a scene and threatened to sue.

They won't even sell you a cashier's check for CASH unless you have an account with them. (Thanks to your government's "war on drugs" and "money laundering."

I would not be upset if the system collapsed. But, do you know what an "honest" banking system would be? Certainly not a central banking ("Federal Reserve" fractional reserve, fiat money) system.

Go to

http://www.e-gold.com

and look for the articles on banking on that site.

-- A (A@AisA.com), March 27, 1999.