Consumerist
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ch-ch-check it out
Supermarkets Tell Shoppers To Leave Checkbooks At Home
Back when dinosaurs ruled the Earth and ATMs didn't exist, if your cave-dwelling ancestor wanted to get cash in a hurry and didn't want to deal with bank lines, he'd go to the local supermarket. There, the friendly high-school student at the checkout counter would allow him to write a check for the amount of cash he needed, and give him the cash in return. Today, however, the only people who actually still use those services are characters in a GEICO ad, so it should come as no surprise that some supermarkets are finally giving up on the practice. More » -
plastic only
NYC Restaurant Stops Accepting Cash
If you decide to eat at Commerce, an unpleasantly named upscale restaurant in New York City that charges nearly $25 for spaghetti, your cash is no longer welcome.
More »"If you don't have a credit card, you can use a debit card," said the restaurant's co-owner, Tony Zazula. "If you don't have a debit card, you probably don't have a checking account. And if you don't have a checking account, you probably shouldn't be eating at Commerce to begin with."
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it's raining money, hallelujah
Man 'Makes It Rain' On L.A. Freeway, Causes Traffic Jam
Who says you've got to be an enfant terrible pro athlete to make it rain? A plain old 56-year-old man Los Angeles authorities describe as "disturbed" took it upon himself to send dollar bills a-soaring on L.A.'s westbound 210 Sunday as he drove down the freeway. More » -
cash
Don't Hide Your Cash In Your House
Last week, Carey found a Frugal Dad article offering up 7 places around the house to stash your cash. While you should keep emergency cash around the house, don't put too much! More » -
cash
7 Places Around The House To Stash Your Cash
Banks are great and all, but everyone should keep a little bit of emergency cash stashed somewhere at home. Frugal Dad offers up a list of seven hiding spots that should beat all but the most determined thieves. More » -
bank error in your favor
Did Washington Mutual Just Give Me $500?!
Daniel filled out a Washington Mutual deposit slip listing several checks and $500 in cash, but "forgot" to hand over the cash. He normally isn't a fan of "shady business," but now that he has a bank statement crediting him for the $500 hiding in his wallet, he's suddenly not sure what to do... More » -
travel
15 Ways To Protect Your Money While Traveling
Bankrate shares 15 tips to protect your stash of cash while traveling abroad. Before leaving, strip down your wallet to the bare essentials, including a backup credit card, and make copies of all financial documents. While abroad, stash the copies and the backup card in your hotel safe, and take common-sense precautions like sticking to legitimate bank ATMs, and avoiding crowds. Hit the link for the rundown of all 15 tips.
15 ways to protect your money on vacation [Bankrate]
(Photo: isfullofcrap) -
scams
Hotel Gold-Buying Events Soil The Good Name Of Cash4Gold
Cash4Gold has an important message that they want us in the media to bring to the public. As the most respected name in direct-to-consumer gold ripoffs, Cash4Gold is "greatly concerned" that other entities are fraudulently using their good name for in-person gold-buying events. More » -
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follow ups
REI Says ATM Photographer Is Welcome In Their Store Any Time
REI's Director of Corporate Communications contacted us with an official statement about the recent showdown between two Loomis security guards and a customer with an iPhone at one of their Seattle stores. She says despite the document Shane says he was forced to sign at the police station, he is not banned from their stores. Below is REI's official statement. More » -
credit card reform
Credit Card Reform Act Could Let You Pay Less If You Use Cash Or Debit
A Wall Street Journal story highlights one potential amendment to credit card reform legislation, which could allow vendors to charge different prices depending on how you make your purchase. Under the Durbin-Bond amendment, if you pay with a credit card, you'll also have to fork over the fee the business will have to pay for accepting your transaction that way. Pay by cash or debit card and you'd get a discount. More » -
where's my money
RadioShack Electronics Trade-In Program Not The Fastest Way To Get Cash
A Dallas Morning News blogger decided to test out RadioShack's new trade-in program, where you mail them your unwanted cellphone, for example, and they mail you a gift card, which you can then turn around and use to buy 7,000 house brand AAA batteries. As you might expect, RadioShack didn't offer him as much money for his Blackberry Storm as he saw them going for on eBay, but the real problem came from the missed deadlines and delays in getting his gift card: what they said would take one week ended up taking 5 1/2 weeks, and might have taken longer had he not emailed them.
"DMN reporter tests RadioShack's gadget trade-in program; RadioShack tests reporter's patience" [Dallas Morning News] (Thanks to Trevor!)
(Photo: Robbert van der Steeg) -
your rights
Loomis Rent-A-Cops Have Shopper Cuffed, Hauled Away Over ATM Photo
While Shane was standing in the customer service line at a Seattle REI, he watched two Loomis employees open and change out the cash in an ATM machine. Shane took a photo of them with his iPhone. This apparently freaked out the Loomis guards, the REI security staff, and then the Seattle police, who put handcuffs on Shane, drove him to the police station, and then made him sign a statement that he wouldn't return to a REI store for a year. You might have noticed in that summary that they didn't actually bring any charges against him, which should make it clear to anyone who wants to side with the faux Po-Po that what Shane did wasn't illegal, that the rent-a-cops should be fired, and that REI and Loomis owe Shane a big apology. More » -
money
What Should You Do With Counterfeit Money?
Melissa realized that one of the $5 bills in her wallet is fake:
From what I've seen online, if I take it to a bank, they might take it, but of course I won't be compensated. Should I turn it into the police? What should I do with it? I don't really want to just pass it along.
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skimmers
Reader Finds Card Skimmer On Bank ATM
Dan says over the weekend he discovered a card skimmer attached to the ATM at his local WaMu branch. He pulled it off and took photos of it. More » -
lawsuits
Did Your Paxil Pills Break In The Bottle? Get Up To $150 Cash Back
If you took Paxil between April 1, 2002 and March 4, 2005, and your pills broke in the bottle, you can take part in a new class action settlement to receive some compensation. Tier One covers 1-5 pills and will get you $50. Tier Two covers up to 15 pills and will get you between $50 and $150 depending on the details of your claim.
Simonet Paxil CR Settlement Page [simonetpaxilcrsettlement.com via TopClassActions.com]
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hertz
Hertz Holds Your Rental Hostage For Cash Deposit, To Be Returned In 2 Weeks
Ryan's wife is currently traveling alone with their 3-month-old son on the way to an unexpected funeral near Salt Lake, Utah. Despite the fact that she paid for the rental up front as part of an Orbitz package, the local Hertz jerks are refusing to give her the car unless she goes to an ATM and brings back $200 cash, which they say they will mail back in check form a few weeks after she returns the car. Even Hertz says this isn't their policy, but they can't seem to stay on the phone long enough to help Ryan and his wife. More » -
frugality
How Much Change Can You Find On The Ground? Over $1,000
Do you stop and pick up change that you find on the ground? No? Well, if you did — how much money do you think you could collect? Marketplace Money talked to some people who make change hunting a hobby — and they say every penny is worth stopping for. More » -
Man will be reimbursed after rats and birds ate his bag of $20 bills. Apparently, they were kind enough to leave the serial numbers intact. The man's bank manager says that the U.S. Mint "officials instructed her to send the reassembled bills and the [rodent] feces and feathers to them in Washington, D.C." [AP via Fark]
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cash
New York, 5:26 PM
Mon Nov 9
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