Dollar coins at Cinco de Mayo festival

Yesterday I went to the local Cinco de Mayo festival which in addition to
the requisite brightly colored dancing folks included your standard array of
state fair rides.

At the fair portion of the event, I saw two dollar coin transactions. In
one, a gentleman gave the game attendant a $20 bill and received a number of
mixed dollar coins as change. Contrary to popular perception, the
transaction went off without a hitch. Even the Susan B Anthony dollar in
the mix was not mistaken for a quarter. A few minutes later I observed two
attendants exchanging some amount of cash (about $100) for a bag of dollar
coins. This tells me that either the fair folks were stocking dollar coins
and using them as change, or (more likely) were receiving the coins in
notable numbers from their customers. Euther option is a positive sign for
the maligned little coins.

I neither spent nor received dollar coins myself, though. I bought tickets
rather than paying for my rides & games with cash.and my bank had no dollar
coins the last time I went. I still don't understand how a bank can justify
letting itself run out of dollar coins. If your customers want them in such
quantities that you run out and they still ask for more, why the heck
wouldn't they order enough coin from the fed to meet the demand? It's basic
customer care.


IF

"Iagos Fool" lamented and pondered anew and afresh:
... I still don't understand how a bank can justify letting itself run out
of dollar coins. If your customers want them in such quantities that you
run out and they still ask for more, why the heck wouldn't they order
enough coin from the fed to meet the demand? It's basic customer care.

No offense to any banking personnel who might be lurking here, but it seems
to me that there has been a big shift in that regard. That is, there is no
longer a keen desire to woo the customer with stellar service. In fact,
some banks that I've been in have made me feel like I was somehow intruding
and interrupting just by being there. Of course, it didn't take me long to
decide to take my business elsewhere in those cases...

Amistad
'and you can bank on that'

"Amistad" wrote in message
news:463e7d50$0$4677
No offense to any banking personnel who might be lurking here, but it
seems to me that there has been a big shift in that regard. That is,
there is no longer a keen desire to woo the customer with stellar service.
In fact, some banks that I've been in have made me feel like I was somehow
intruding and interrupting just by being there. Of course, it didn't take
me long to decide to take my business elsewhere in those cases...

Amistad
'and you can bank on that'


Tomorrow morning I have the distinct pleasure of closing two not so
insignificant accounts with a bank with rude personnel, that just sent me a
nasty letter stating that I have had too many transactions on my account.
Then there is the bank up the street that the tellers save $2 bills and Ikes
for me. Ah choices choices.

On Sun, 6 May 2007 14:05:13 -0700, "Iagos Fool"
wrote:

Yesterday I went to the local Cinco de Mayo festival which in addition to
the requisite brightly colored dancing folks included your standard array of
state fair rides.

At the fair portion of the event, I saw two dollar coin transactions. In
one, a gentleman gave the game attendant a $20 bill and received a number of
mixed dollar coins as change. Contrary to popular perception, the
transaction went off without a hitch. Even the Susan B Anthony dollar in
the mix was not mistaken for a quarter. A few minutes later I observed two
attendants exchanging some amount of cash (about $100) for a bag of dollar
coins. This tells me that either the fair folks were stocking dollar coins
and using them as change, or (more likely) were receiving the coins in
notable numbers from their customers. Euther option is a positive sign for
the maligned little coins.

I neither spent nor received dollar coins myself, though. I bought tickets
rather than paying for my rides & games with cash.and my bank had no dollar
coins the last time I went. I still don't understand how a bank can justify
letting itself run out of dollar coins. If your customers want them in such
quantities that you run out and they still ask for more, why the heck
wouldn't they order enough coin from the fed to meet the demand? It's basic
customer care.

Very interesting story! I wonder at this, though: could it be the
recent (Latin American) immigrants who can show the way to sensible
dollar coin use in the US?

Let's keep in mind that many LatAm countries have long had high valued
coins; and Ecuador, where the US$ is the national currency, uses a lot
of dollar coins (that might explain where some of ours have got to!).
When immigrants come _here_, they're already used to the things,
having used them on a daily basis back at home. Immigrants from other
countries will already have similar experience with their own large
value coins.

Banks justify themselves running out of dollar coins by simple
business sense. Apart from immigrants, most Americans don't use the
things; and apparently apart from immigrant businesses, most American
businesses don't use them either. Why stock a coin denomination (that
costs the branch money to get it) when it can't reasonably get rid of
them?

Of course, this doesn't _excuse_ the bank. But, if even two or three
major banks in a region got together and decided to use dollar coins
in stead of dollar bills, they'd soon deplete the incomming supply. As
it stands, the Mint isn't producing enough of the things to actually
ensure the needed amount for daily commerce.

Padraic

IF

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

"Amistad" wrote in message
...
"Iagos Fool" lamented and pondered anew and afresh:
... I still don't understand how a bank can justify letting itself run
out of dollar coins. If your customers want them in such quantities that
you run out and they still ask for more, why the heck wouldn't they order
enough coin from the fed to meet the demand? It's basic customer care.

No offense to any banking personnel who might be lurking here, but it
seems to me that there has been a big shift in that regard. That is,
there is no longer a keen desire to woo the customer with stellar service.
In fact, some banks that I've been in have made me feel like I was somehow
intruding and interrupting just by being there. Of course, it didn't take
me long to decide to take my business elsewhere in those cases...

Amistad
'and you can bank on that'

My local suburban Virginia BoA branch has used a WalMart-type greeter for
the past year. Walk in the door and a smiling young man or woman greets
you, ready to offer help if needed. Tellers are friendly and usually
willing to help with special requests. An elderly lady at the window next
to me the other day asked for $200 in ones, but they had to either be new or
free from pencil/pen marks. She said she was traveling to Russia and that
they would reject any ones that had marks on them. As there were only a
couple customers in the bank, the teller hand selected 200 mark-free ones
for the lady.

Plus they also have Unc rolls of pres dollars. I haven't asked for anything
else coin-wise, but maybe I should.

Bruce

What city? Was the festival at a location that was reached by many via mass
transit? They may have had many dollar coins in their pockets as change for
$20 bills inserted in ticket/fare-card vending machines.

Or they may have just been extremely smart people who KNOW how to have a
good time.



--
-Fred Shecter
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"Iagos Fool" wrote in message
. ..
Yesterday I went to the local Cinco de Mayo festival which in addition to
the requisite brightly colored dancing folks included your standard array
of state fair rides.

At the fair portion of the event, I saw two dollar coin transactions. In
one, a gentleman gave the game attendant a $20 bill and received a number
of mixed dollar coins as change. Contrary to popular perception, the
transaction went off without a hitch. Even the Susan B Anthony dollar in
the mix was not mistaken for a quarter. A few minutes later I observed
two attendants exchanging some amount of cash (about $100) for a bag of
dollar coins. This tells me that either the fair folks were stocking
dollar coins and using them as change, or (more likely) were receiving the
coins in notable numbers from their customers. Euther option is a
positive sign for the maligned little coins.

I neither spent nor received dollar coins myself, though. I bought
tickets rather than paying for my rides & games with cash.and my bank had
no dollar coins the last time I went. I still don't understand how a bank
can justify letting itself run out of dollar coins. If your customers
want them in such quantities that you run out and they still ask for more,
why the heck wouldn't they order enough coin from the fed to meet the
demand? It's basic customer care.


IF

"Fred Shecter" wrote in message
news
What city?

Portland Oregon

Was the festival at a location that was reached by many via mass transit?

Yes. I haven't taken public transportation here, but it is possible they
use dollar coins.

They may have had many dollar coins in their pockets as change for $20
bills inserted in ticket/fare-card vending machines.

Or they may have just been extremely smart people who KNOW how to have a
good time.

Clearly this is the correct answer.



IF

Iagos Fool wrote:
"Fred Shecter" wrote in
message news
What city?

Portland Oregon

Was the festival at a location that was reached by many via mass
transit?

Yes. I haven't taken public transportation here, but it is possible
they use dollar coins.

They do. The "Metropolitan Area Express" (aka "Max") light rail trains
in Portland have machines at each stop that accept dollar coins as well
as dispense dollar coins in change.

--
Jim Seymour

On May 6, 5:05 pm, "Iagos Fool" wrote:
Yesterday I went to the local Cinco de Mayo festival which in addition to
the requisite brightly colored dancing folks included your standard array of
state fair rides.

Understand what Cinco de Mayo is. It is an advertising ploy, lead by
Corona beer, to sell more Mexican beer and tequila. The importers
observed just how successful St. Patrick's Day was at selling Irish
alcoholic beverages and thought they could do the same for Mexican
alcoholic imports.

Yes, it is about coins. About filthy lucre. Even paper money!!!
But, other than that, it is nothing but an advertising ploy.

GFH

wrote in message
ups.com...
On May 6, 5:05 pm, "Iagos Fool" wrote:
Yesterday I went to the local Cinco de Mayo festival which in addition to
the requisite brightly colored dancing folks included your standard array
of
state fair rides.

Understand what Cinco de Mayo is. It is an advertising ploy, lead by
Corona beer, to sell more Mexican beer and tequila. The importers
observed just how successful St. Patrick's Day was at selling Irish
alcoholic beverages and thought they could do the same for Mexican
alcoholic imports.

Yes, it is about coins. About filthy lucre. Even paper money!!!
But, other than that, it is nothing but an advertising ploy.

GFH

It sneaks up on me every year. Always mean to fly a French flag on that day.

TerryS