pay cash and be looked down upon?

Originally Posted by Avalokiteshvara

It's classy to use a credit card in a restaurant. Extra points if you don't look at the bill!

Wow. I've heard exactly the opposite from a server friend of mine that works in Santa Barbara CA. The richer celebrities he has waited on check the bill, and leave $500, $800, or even a solid K in $100 bills. The extra points come in when they say "Keep the change." The not so rich celebs pay in credit to hide their true financial power. Some of these people can't even afford to pay their bill at the end of the month.

I'll admit though, I just have to take his word on it. The highest tab I remember paying was about $200, and I put it on my credit card.

The big thing to remember with restaurants is, servers and waiters usually get chump change to take care of your fat ass, so tipping with cash doesn't always get reported to the IRS. Heeellooo tax free work money.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I guess credit vs. cash might just be a regional thing.

Also, not just to Alice, but to everybody, what qualifies as a good tip? I usually tip 25% for standard service, 35% or more for a little extra hookup (complementary salad, or a free beer), and 10% or less if they take a bad attitude to me. I usually try to leave a minimal $5 tip (sometimes I go to a coffee house and order a glass of water) when I don't spend that much.

As far as carrying a wad of cash, it doesn't phase me. The Chinese customers I have worked with always pay in cash. They tell me that they don't believe in credit cards. I remember at the UPS Store, when the bird flu outbreak struck, the Asian and Pacific Islander community were shipping internationally like crazy, and it wasn't uncommon for us to have $3,000 in the register in cash at the end of the day. The only drawback was the walk to the bank to make a deposit. Credit cards are nice because the money goes straight in to your account, while with cash you have to walk around with it in your pocket, and it raises paranoia when the amount is high enough. You know? When you have illegal drugs in your pocket, you can't help but notice every single cop in the local vicinity, but with cash, you start sweating when people walk within 10 feet of you, and even more when people stare at you.

Life is complicated sometimes.

EDIT: I also wanted to add that you are a jerk if you pay for a pack of gum with a $100 bill. You can say that they HAVE to break your bill, but you have to realize that most registers don't have that much smaller change at all times (especially in the morning), and a $100 bill is in such a high denomination that it can't be used as change.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Scarletdeath

You know, I did that at my college cafeteria once. I needed some small change, and I asked the cashier for a $50 change. She said I'll have to buy something despite the LONG line and despite me asking thrice, telling her I need the change for a book (I was also late for class by the way). So, for the 15 minutes I wasted there, I bought a pack of candy, for 50 cents, with a $100 bill. Oh yeah, they have PLENTY of small change.

About twice a month at The UPS Store, we would have someone paying for a pen, or a single copy, or a postage stamp with a $50 or $100. Only having $200 in the register to start the day, this would eliminate a good chunk of our change. It got even worse when they would complain about getting the change in $10s, $5s, singles, and quarters. This is what I'm talking about.

The evil two dollar bill is also fusturating, having no place in the register. I always shoved them in the black box with the checks.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Lee-chan

On credit cards: Last semester I had an assignment which called for recenting a video, so I went to Blockbuster. I didn't have a membership card, and I couldn't apply for one without a credit card. Mind you, I had a debit card, and more than enough cash and even offered to BUY the video (they had that used video buy program thing), but the cashier refused. It really annoyed me, since I like renting videos (I used to use a relative's card), but I was planning on getting through school withot getting a credit card.

I really hate that, but I blame Blockbuster before the employee. When Mailboxes Etc. turned in to the UPS Store, we had a heavy new franchise rulebook to follow, and it was now easier than ever to be fined or fired for not following the rules exactly. It sounds extreme, and it was, but UPS ordered it, and my boss had no backbone to stand up for negotiations. I could definitely imagine Blockbuster has some same rules about how procedures have to follow. I can't stand franchise rules sometimes.

Originally Posted by AliceNWondrland

for one reason or another I had to return something after Christmas and when I went back to the store over a month later to exchange this item, the same guy was working and he goes, "I remember you. You came in here a while back and paid in cash."

I'm telling you, paying with cash is gauche.

I dunno. I still find nothing wrong with cash. As I stated before, these celebrities in SoCal paid cash for dinners, even at $1000. It's all about how you feel most comfortable with your money.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?