My recent home visit 5/30/14 to 6/1/14

A few places here too don't take checks. One place only takes debit, or cash or check.
One time a few years ago I accidentally came across a gas station that still would take a check. I was surprised.
 
dogmom said:
yeah, Chicago, most towns do...
but happy for you the restaurant did not!
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Yeah, but they haven't changed a lot, though. The last major changes to the town was six years ago, when a new SuperCenter Walmart opened, replacing the regular Walmart store that used to be there, and the addition of a new gas station/rest place. Since then, nothing major has happened.
 
whatdidyousay! said:
We have a few stores that do not take checks anymore , people where using rubber checks. That soiled it people like me , I had never bounce a check.
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In 20 years of business, TCS has gotten only two bad checks from customers, and he doesn't even use a check verification service.
 
oh - but so often the Walmarts - especially a Superwalmart - really badly impacts the smaller and non-chain stores. So I'm really happy then too that the "Grandma's" place is still able to survive.
Was the new gas station part of the SuperWalmart or its own thing?

My husband grew up in a very rural area surrounded by very small towns or villages. The one small town where he went to high school had no traffic lights in it when he was growing up. Now there are two lights.:giggle:
 
:wave:Reba I'm happy for TCS that he's had such good business over the years to mostly avoid the bad check!
 
dogmom said:
oh - but so often the Walmarts - especially a Superwalmart - really badly impacts the smaller and non-chain stores. So I'm really happy then too that the "Grandma's" place is still able to survive.
Was the new gas station part of the SuperWalmart or its own thing?

My husband grew up in a very rural area surrounded by very small towns or villages. The one small town where he went to high school had no traffic lights in it when he was growing up. Now there are two lights.:giggle:
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Completely separate. The Supercenter needed a bigger space, and where they used to be wasn't big enough. The store is 28,000 square feet, I believe. And we used to have three stop lights in town, but now there are 4, and we also have a left turn signal stoplight, something we didn't have previously.
 
Wow, I don't know from 28,0000 square feet <math LD>but it seems like a big number.
Common with the Supercenters.

The turn signal seems like would be indicative of such traffic that the town has grown a lot?
 
dogmom said:
Wow, I don't know from 28,0000 square feet <math LD>but it seems like a big number.
Common with the Supercenters.

The turn signal seems like would be indicative of such traffic that the town has grown a lot?
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Looks that way. They also installed a stoplight with a right turn signal to Walmart, something else we've never had previously. They also built a new road, too. There's also a walk/do not walk signal there, too, another item we've never had previously. Also, CSX installed two upgraded railroad crossing gates with electronic bells on them, and I gotta admit, I wonder how they feel about those.
 
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These poles are for catching catfish, and I don't mean the small ones, either. These are designed to catch large and heavy catfish, and they don't break easily, either. The second one from the left (with the red reel) is mine. The one on the left belongs to my Dad, and is the largest one.
 
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Reba said:
TCS doesn't take cards in his business either; just checks or cash. It's worked well for him, and he doesn't have to pay the card fees.
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Just up price a little to cover the card fees. Some gas station at Iowa and it said $3.29 for cash OR $3.39 for card. (Not exactly price from the sign) but you get the idea.
 
The Highlander said:
Just up price a little to cover the card fees. Some gas station at Iowa and it said $3.29 for cash OR $3.39 for card. (Not exactly price from the sign) but you get the idea.
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It's a little more complicated than that. You see, each time the merchant uses the card, the owner or manager of said business has to pay a percentage of a fee, and that's for each time a debit or credit card is used, and it can get expensive fast for those that don't want or need to pay for those fees. For TCS, not paying card fees keeps his business going, and I can see why several small businesses do not want to take debit or credit cards. Now, for those here in Chicago, many do accept debit and credit cards, but they add either a $5 or $10 fee to cover those processing fees, and I tend to avoid using my cards at places like these, and I feel quite sure TCS doesn't want to be doing that to his customers.
 
ChicagoBlue2 said:
It's a little more complicated than that. You see, each time the merchant uses the card, the owner or manager of said business has to pay a percentage of a fee, and that's for each time a debit or credit card is used, and it can get expensive fast for those that don't want or need to pay for those fees. For TCS, not paying card fees keeps his business going, and I can see why several small businesses do not want to take debit or credit cards. Now, for those here in Chicago, many do accept debit and credit cards, but they add either a $5 or $10 fee to cover those processing fees, and I tend to avoid using my cards at places like these, and I feel quite sure TCS doesn't want to be doing that to his customers.
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that doesn't sound complicated.
 
Reba said:
In 20 years of business, TCS has gotten only two bad checks from customers, and he doesn't even use a check verification service.
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There a lot of people that come to my city every summer and there are some people that paid with rubbers checks and a lot store small stores where getting hit . So a lot the stores stop accepting checks all together .
 
ChicagoBlue2 said:
It's a little more complicated than that. You see, each time the merchant uses the card, the owner or manager of said business has to pay a percentage of a fee, and that's for each time a debit or credit card is used, and it can get expensive fast for those that don't want or need to pay for those fees. For TCS, not paying card fees keeps his business going, and I can see why several small businesses do not want to take debit or credit cards. Now, for those here in Chicago, many do accept debit and credit cards, but they add either a $5 or $10 fee to cover those processing fees, and I tend to avoid using my cards at places like these, and I feel quite sure TCS doesn't want to be doing that to his customers.
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Who is it that is tacking on these $5 to $10 charges that are affecting you? Every place I go to, the price is clearly displayed and same, regardless of method of payment. For most businesses, the processing fees are a COB (cost of business). I don't dispute that some will add an extra charge, but like who are you finding that affects you personally, ChicagoBlue? Maybe this is just something I don't see in Minnesota.
 
AlleyCat said:
Who is it that is tacking on these $5 to $10 charges that are affecting you? Every place I go to, the price is clearly displayed and same, regardless of method of payment. For most businesses, the processing fees are a COB (cost of business). I don't dispute that some will add an extra charge, but like who are you finding that affects you personally, ChicagoBlue? Maybe this is just something I don't see in Minnesota.
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$5-10 is ridiculously high and as usual - I know there's something inaccurate with his post so I did some checking. many businesses put up sign saying something like - "CREDIT CARD - MINIMUM ORDER $10"

Surcharging | Visa USA
What is a Surcharge?
A payment card surcharge is a fee that a retailer adds to the cost of a purchase when a customer uses a payment card.
Changes to Surcharging Fees in the United States & U.S. Territories

Beginning January 27, 2013, merchants in the United States and U.S. Territories will be permitted to impose a surcharge on consumers when they use a credit card.

Historically Visa has not permitted retailer surcharging, but allowing surcharging was a key provision required by merchants to settle long-standing litigation brought by a class of retailers in 2005.

What This Means for Consumers
Consumers will pay an additional fee when they use their credit card at retailers that decide to surcharge.
Consumers should be aware there are limits to the amount merchants can surcharge. *

Retailers are permitted to apply a surcharge to only credit card purchases and cannot impose a surcharge for purchases made using a debit or prepaid card.
If retailers intend to impose a surcharge on credit card purchases, they are required to notify customers before customers make an actual purchase at the store entrance and at the point of sale – or in an online environment, on the first page that references credit card brands.

Retailers must disclose surcharge fees on every receipt – both in store and online. Carefully review receipts where checkout fees should appear.

States Where No Surcharge Laws Protect Consumers
Surcharging isn’t allowed everywhere. Currently, there are laws limiting surcharging in: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. Consumers who are subjected to a surcharge in states where they may be prohibited from surcharging may want to report the retailer to their state attorney general’s office.

Click a state below to learn more about surcharging in these locations.
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Jiro said:
$5-10 is ridiculously high and as usual - I know there's something inaccurate with his post so I did some checking. many businesses put up sign saying something like - "CREDIT CARD - MINIMUM ORDER $10"
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I have seen that.

I agree, it's ridiculously high and I don't know of any place that charges five to ten bucks to use your debit or credit card around here. In fact, businesses are starting to treat that the same as cash because check recovery fees are more. I even got a discount on my latest earmolds purchase last week for using my card rather than a personal check. My local gas station and convenience stores are all the same posted prices. Haven't used my checkbook in about 1.5 years now.
 
AlleyCat said:
I have seen that.

I agree, it's ridiculously high and I don't know of any place that charges five to ten bucks to use your debit or credit card around here. In fact, businesses are starting to treat that the same as cash because check recovery fees are more. I even got a discount on my latest earmolds purchase last week for using my card rather than a personal check. My local gas station and convenience stores are all the same posted prices. Haven't used my checkbook in about 1.5 years now.
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yea. buying $5 worth and then get slapped with another $5 for using credit card? something's not right.

I frequently help my friend's small business. she charges 5% for credit card. maybe he confuses $5-10 with 5-10% :dunno:
 
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