I saw the flier when I walked into Smitty’s recently, and I read the message, but it did not hit me until I read it again when paying our bill and leaving. The Idaho Falls Smitty’s restaurant will no longer accept personal or business checks!
I think it did not register in my mind at first because I use debit cards almost exclusively. A business not accepting checks is not much of a problem for me. However, when I paid and read the sign again, I realized this must have been a hand-wringing decision for Smitty’s management. Smitty’s serves a large number of elderly customers every day, folks who probably use paper checks much more than debit cards. Checks are a decades-old habit for elderly folks, and checks are also probably easier for them to understand than debit cards. Smitty’s will likely receive some complaints and outright revolt among their older patrons.
Why would Smitty’s make this decision to stop accepting personal and business checks? I have not asked them, but I think it is fairly obvious that checks are too risky nowadays. There are numerous ways to rip a business off using checks, and businesses waste a lot of time and money trying to collect on bum checks. There are the check-kiters who monkey around with writing checks for money they don’t have, then try to deposit the funds before the money hits. There are divorces where one person withdraws the money without telling the spouse, who unwittingly keeps writing checks. There are folks who are not tracking their deductions well enough so they do not realize they are already in the hole when they write checks. Then there are the people who blatantly practice fraud with stolen or fake checks.
Smitty’s must have watched the numbers for awhile and finally decided they were losing too much money chasing down and writing off bad debts. I give kudos to the Smitty’s management for making this difficult decision, and I hope die-hard check users do not blame Smitty’s. We have to face the fact that paper checks are too risky, and we need to cast them off if costs are to be controlled. I wonder what percentage of the price I paid for those wonderful Smitty’s dinners had to help pay for the check-writing deadbeats? If anything, I will go to Smitty’s more often now that I know they have trimmed this expense.
Maybe this is a blessing in disguise for older folks who are beholden to their paper checks? Unfortunately we know a lot of elderly people are unfamiliar and uncomfortable with newer technologies and practices. If they have to give up their paper checks and completely immerse themselves in the debit card world, perhaps they will become more comfortable learning other new technologies they have thus far resisted?
Do you know any other businesses around Idaho Falls which have forgone checks, or any businesses who are considering it? What do you think about accepting or denying checks?
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Thank you for the Article, Geekery. Great article, and thanks for staying involved!
I’ve seen several places start to refuse checks. I think I even remember some McDonalds posting a “no checks accepted” policy. Many convenience stores have that policy today.
Knowing what I know about the checking process, it can take up to 2 weeks before a store knows whether or not they have really received the funds for the goods that were purchased. I remember when I was younger I would write checks everywhere I went. Today, I carry a few extra checks in my wallet if I need them, but other than that I just use a credit card. When fueling up inside, I see most people using cash and cards. I think checks are becoming less and less common, and most people can use a debit card that does the same thing as a check does.
It’s kind of like the internet – signs of the changing times…
Um, hello?
I must be one of those “elderly” people who gum their bland restaurant food and write checks rather than using debit cards (and I’m all of 36 years old).
Fraud may be a problem with checks — but I can’t see that fraud is any worse with them than with debit or credit cards. If a business wants not to use checks, it’s primarily because they want their money now, rather than waiting for banks to process the checks, then give them their money. That’s why Wal-Mart has the “convenience” of filling your checks out for you at the cash register. It basically treats your check as a debit card, immediately making the transaction.
But maybe that’s just me being grumpy elderly person, what with my flaming pajamas as I fly through the windshield gnawing the bark off of trees. I’m off to the store to buy more denture cream and Depends. With a check.
I don’t like the departure from checks, but I understand the need for it. However, people who commit fraud will find a way to commit it with whatever method is being used. One two occasions, I’ve already experienced being in a busy check-out line and having a check ‘flagged’ -denied-, even though I have an impeccable credit record. (Really!) On both occasions, the check clearinghouse (Certegy) looked it up and said it was because my checks are numbered in the 5-digit range. They assured me it was a security measure for my peace of mind. All it has done so far is inconvenience me and made it look like I had bad credit.
I think it is less likely someone is going to steal my check than my credit/debit card number, and I rarely carry cash.
(Why don’t we quit foolin’ around and just get those microchips from the future ‘one world bank account’ implanted in our hands now?)
I personally don’t understand why people continue to use paper checks. (unless you don’t have the money in your acct and your floating said check for a few days until you can get money into your acct) The reason businesses don’t want to use checks is because too many people are bouncing them all over town and it’s costing these businesses big money to go after these deadbeats. When I lived in a much larger city, I hardly ever saw people writing checks. It just didn’t happen and it was mainly because most places quit taking checks and the ones that still did, had the same set up as WalMart, where your check was run through automatically. So if you don’t have the money in your acct, it’s not going to go through. When that’s the case with everywhere you shop, why even bother with a check, just use your debit card.
But since I moved here, I started seeing more and more people that wrote checks. I was amazed to see people writing a check to pay for gas. But I just figured since it was a small town, people were still a little behind the times. Now it seems things are catching up though, at least with businesses not accepting them, so we’re headed in the right direction.
Visa/Check cards are so much more convienent and quick….it reminds me of the Visa check card commercial where everyone is flying through line swiping their cards and then somebody holds up the line to write a check. I carry my check book ledger with me, but it’s to document the money I spend as soon as I use my debit card.
I think Geekery is right…it’s usually the “older” generation that are still hanging on to the check writing process. What gets me is the people that do write checks will stand in line for 10 minutes while their waiting for the person in front of them, or even their own things to get rung up, THEN they start to fill out their check, or once they get the total from the cashier. C’mon people….you know what store you’re at, what the date is and who you are so you can sign your name….at least get everthing else on the check filled out before you get to the checkout stand, so by the time you get your total that’s the only thing left to fill out.
I can’t say I’m completely “check free”, but the only checks I write are for my rent payment. I use my check card for everything and pay bills almost all of my bills online.
A friend of mind refuses to get a debit card because she admits that she can’t keep track of her spending with a debit card Seems a silly reason not to have one, but oh well, her perogative. But everytime I see a young person writing a check I think their either floating it until payday, or aren’t responsible enough to balance their acct at the end of the day. Really….what other reason is there to not have a check/debit card?
(just my opinion)
The only checks I ever write are bills that I can’t charge or do autopay with. I don’t think I’ve used a check on a purchase in several years.
Going checkless is win win for everyone. You can be a victim with plastic but its not as easy since often the bad guy won’t have your pin number. Whereas with a check all they need to do is go to Walmart or some other big store who never checks ID. Likewise with the stores they don’t have to worry about hunting down people who are bouncing checks. I know the manager of one of the Albertson’s and just a few years ago he once said they lost over $10,000 a month at just his store because of check fraud – either bounced checks or forged ones.
Some people might be grumpy but change happens. And this is a change for the better.
Just because checks aren’t the way one person wants to do business, why should they care what someone else does? If it doesn’t make sense to you, so what? And it’s not right to stereotype check writers as old.
As for waiting for someone in line to write a check, I think it’s even worse with people who use plastic for EVERYTHING! Jeez people, put a little cash in your pocket for spending money! It seems like every time I go to a cashier anywhere there is someone buying a soda or coffee with plastic and everyone has to wait for their card to be approved. It’s no different than waiting for someone to write a check.
I think that as long as you keep your blank checks in a secure place there is just as much risk for fraud with plastic as there is for checks. I say to each their own. Do what works best for you and be thankful that choice hasn’t been taken from us too.
When I moved to Idaho Falls 2 years ago, I was SHOCKED to see people still using checks at the grocery store, gas station, and eating out. It’s odd and also frustrating to be waiting in line while somebody fills out thier archaic piece of paper. I guess we in Los Angeles look very strange to outsiders because we use there plastic cards.
Also, our banks don’t have those drive-thru “tube things” …. that’s SO 1985!! lol
I think you “check writers” out there better get used to it. More and more places aren’t taking checks, so get with the times and get a debit card. But like a previous poster mentioned, this is a small town, so things like this take longer to hit a small town than it does a large city. Go to any major city around the country and you’ll find it’s next to impossible to write a check anywhere. (at least for the things that people in this town write them for…such as gas, restaruants, convienence stores, etc) I carry cash, but for larger purchases such as groceries, gas etc. I’ll use my debit card.
Wake up and smell the change people!
and for the sensitive folks out there that get upset because somebody has a different way of doing things that others….my comment above was in no way meant to demean, upset, put down or otherwise discriminate against anybody else.
(I’ll think I’ll start adding that to the end of each of my posts since so many people around here are easily offended.)
Have a great snowy day!
I want the government to have to use a DEBIT CARD (and not be able to just print more money to cover it). So, instead of writing checks and IOU’s, if the money isn’t in there (the government account) they can’t spend it. Wouldn’t that be refreshing to see.
This is a good trend in use of debit. It will force consumers to stop spending as much beyond their means (at least in so far as debit cards)….credit cards are another story!
Excellent point!
I just love it when people come here from other places and tell us how backward we are here. I don’t get upset when somebody has a different way of doing things. But I don’t like it when someone tells me how I should be doing something differently and it’s really none of their business. I prefer to keep cash for most day-to day spending, a debit card for bigger purchases, and checks just as a backup. That works for me but I don’t care if someone else wants to use checks. I personally don’t like waiting in line for someone to have their credit card approved but that’s their prerogative. Of course this is just my humble opinion.
That makes no sense Guest123. Nobody who posted a comment is “upset” with anyone elses choice regarding how to pay for things. Not to mention we’re not even talking about “credit cards”, we’re talking about DEBIT cards. But since we’re on the topic, on average, how long does it take for a “credit card OR a debit card to be approved”? 1-2 seconds tops? If that? Doesn’t seem like much of a wait to me. Writing a check takes much longer than swiping a card. (whether you want to admit it or not)
I also didn’t read anybody make a remark of how “backwards” you or your town were. There were references to Idaho “needing to catch up to the times”, but nobody called you or your precious city “backwards”.
But I for one appreciate your “opinion” nevertheless.
Read post #9, they are the ones who talked about people being upset, that’s what I was referring to.
Read post #7 to see about how outsiders think we are behind the times. “Backward” was my own word, sorry about that.
I have waited plenty of times for debit/credit cards to be approved. Have you ever been there waiting when the card reader network goes down?
With all due respect, I make a lot more sense than you do “Guest House.” But that’s just my opinion.
I don’t know about all of you, but the few seconds it takes to either swipe your credit/debit card (and in the case of debit, enter your pin number, then decide on cash back or not and approve the transaction) or write out a check, does not really impact my day at all — whether it’s me doing it or the person in front of me. Are we all in such a blooming hurry that we can’t take time to slow down and smell the roses?
Actually, thinking about it, I think it probably takes longer to do a debit transaction than any other.
All valid points. But lets get back to the real reason behind stores no longer accepting checks. It’s all because of the bounced check issue. While I understand not everyone that writes a check does so in bad faith, it’s still a fact that stores are losing thousands of dollars each month because of this issue. We all know it’s not the stores that are concerned about how much time the actual transaction takes, but again what it costs them in both time and money to recover from a bounced check, and thats the bottom line here. Using a debit or credit card assures these companies that they won’t get ripped off and their money will be received instantly.
I hesitate to use cards in restaurants due to one experience we had. We went out, ate, paid via my card and my kids left a cash tip. Dinner came to some $60. The restaurant (according to the bank) adds an additional percentage for people who may stiff the wait staff and won’t clear it until they know the tip is left. Almost two weeks later when I viewed my account on-line (I do this almost daily now), I discovered that they had over billed me. I called to see why my $60 something bill was billed out at almost $90. The bank explained what the restaurant does. I explained that we left a cash tip. They cleared the account at that point, and I am glad I wasn’t running low on funds because other checks might not have cleared due to that. We knew the waitress and my son was dating her, Lord knows we wouldn’t have stiffed her. But it left a bad taste in my mouth (pardon the pun) when it comes to using a card in a restaurant.
I completely agree with you there Abby. However, by law the restaruant must note on the bottom of your bill, that they intend to add 15 or 20% tip to your total. Thats one of the first things I look for when I eat out, as it’s becoming more and more popular. They do that at the sandpiper and the cellar. And I don’t blame them for doing it because I’ve seen some really lousy tippers over the years. These cheap people will come into a nice restaraunt for 2 hours and spend 150 bucks on a nice dinner and then leave their waitress maybe 10 bucks. It’s definately a thankless job.
As long as you let them know when you pay your bill that you’re tipping seperately, they won’t charge you. One other thing I always do is have cash to tip seperately, otherwise the waitress will have to pay taxes on that tip you give her. (or him) This way with a cash tip, they won’t have to. Now granted if I feel the waitress doesn’t deserve 15 or 20 percent she certainly won’t get it from me, but I’ll still give 10% even with lousy service, because everyone has an “off” day. As long as their friendly and we receive good service I’ll tip them 18-20 %. More if they go above and beyond. (which is rare these days)
Very good point though!
I think I should write an article on how business’ rip off their wait staff and pass the costs of their labor off onto the patrons of the establishment. Think about it: They pay them minimum wage with the understanding that staff keep the tips. So, patrons are expected to tip the staff to make up for the paltry pay. What a backward arrangement this is….and as CR67 points out he still would tip 10% even with bad service if it was done with a smile. Seems to me that management should pay their people more and reward them with incentive tips for providing the best customer service, etc….management is in a good position to rate customer service, complaints, and the like….and they can definitely recognize when someone is lazy or just having a bad night….or that person that goes the extra mile. The other arrangement ends up screwing the patrons and the wait staff in the end…..while the business owners get both groups to offer subsidized labor with little cost to them. What a scam!
Good idea Mike….I’ll look forward to your post!
I also think the wait staff would do a better more consistent job if they had better incentives. I think thats one of the reasons we don’t see excellent wait staff all that often, because they know that most people aren’t going to tip very well. Take care of your wait staff folks….they really do work hard for the little money they do get paid.
Am I the only one who uses my credit cards (only 2-3) as often as possible? Sheez, how does everyone else get free hotel stays and free airline tickets?
I’m always frustrated when a business doesn’t take AMEX and I have to keep a Master Card or Visa around for those stores. Nonetheless, my Visa is a double-dipper too. Airplane miles and “points” for hotels, vacations or other goodies,
I put as many business transactions on my business card as possible, then pay it online as a transfer. Airline miles, hotels etc. – what do checks give me?
I leave at least something too CR. You never know when someone is just having a bad day. We all have them. Wait staff is horribly underpaid and they count on tips for survival. I do think this particular gal knew we weren’t going to stiff her though.
OK, Lots of people are going to use checks until the day they die. I don’t have a problem with that. What I DO have a problem with is inconsiderate people who stand around in line doing nothing and wait until their order is rung up and only THEN do they decide to root around in their huge purses for their checkbook. And THEN they have the audacity to make everybody wait while they balance their check ledger. Yeah, that really, really annoys me. When I am going to write out a check in a checkout line, I have it signed, dated and the payee written in. All I have to do is fill in the amount. And then I move FAR out of the way to make my ledger notes. If check writers would be a little more courteous in their obsessive check writing behaviors, it would go a long way to soothing some fuming customers in the same checkout line with them. The only thing worse than being behind such an inconsiderate check writer is being behind someone who pays in pennies, nickels and dimes for their purchase. Yikes–why do I always get behind such people? It must be weird karma of some sort. Or maybe a genetic defect. Maybe it’s the Curse of the Voodoo Checks.
I completey agree with the last poster. I alway get behind those folks as well. But I’m hesitant to comment lest I get chastised from those same check writers for punching my pin number in too slow and not deciding quickly enough as to whether I want cash back or not. Or better yet…not taking that time waiting, “to smell the roses” Oh my!
(disclaimer) my comments were in no way meant to upset, demean or otherwise criticize a fellow poster or check writer in any way shape or form.
I sure hope that I am never ahead of the last two posters in one of those self check out lanes that are becoming so popular in the stores. I can probably count on one hand the number of times that I have seen people go through them without some kind of a problem. Some of the problems are easily fixed, but you usually have to wait for the “over-seer” to punch a button at a minimum.
What bothers me is the 10 item or less checkout lane. (some are 20 items or less) I can’t stand going to the store for just a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread and every single time there’s somebody in the 10 item or less lane with a whole cart full of groceries. You know they can read the sign because it’s plain as day right in front of them. But do they care? NO. Idiots I say!
I’ve even asked the cashier a number of times why they let people through with more than 10 items and everyone of them have told me, “we’re not allowed to turn them away”. Well then why even put up a sign if you’re not going to make people abide by it?
Guest 123, it actually takes a shorter period of time to approve a card (nowadays) then to write a check. I’ve stood behind many people who first have to get their reading glasses out at the grocery store check out (all done after the cashier has rung up a full shopping cart) and then slowly write the check. Drives me nuts when I’m in a hurry.
Ahhhh just noticed Johnny wrote the same thing. lol
However, I like checks for back up, (I try to fill out most of it while the clerk is checking stuff out.) debit for most and credit for as little as possible.
I stood behind people at Fred Meyer and Albertsons today and paid more attention to how everyone was paying because of this thread. All but one were cash (took the longest to count out) or checks (2nd longest). Like post #21 we pay for everything by credit card, rack up frequent flier miles and other great bonuses from our companies, and pay off the balance every month. So, we win and the credit card companies lose. However, checks are better for someone like my dad who needs to keep track of what he does in a register and it’s the simplest way for an “old guy” to understand. He’s attempted the internet and is hopeless, so the simpler for him the better. My grandparents would never trust online banking. I think you’re right, in another decade or less paper checks will be a thing of the past.
I’ve wondered – why does Winco accept checks but not credit or debit cards? Seems like businesses would lose more $$ with bum checks than with credit card fees.
I do everything online, pay all my bills that way and auto debit as much as I can from my direct deposit payroll checking account. I’ve never had a problem with this and I don’t expect to, although if something happens to crash the account I’m sure I’ll be in serious trouble sorting it all out.
I do have checks because it’s the most convenient way to send gift money through the mail. When I bought a visa cash gift card it cost me at least $5.00 just for the privilege…a check was cheaper but probably not as convenient for the person receiving it. Soon I may just send gift cards from stores, they usually don’t have that fee.
I think stores that accept checks do so at their own risk. I understand that for some folks the plastic is just not an option because they can’t figure it out, but I am glad to have it. I’m an old fogie grandma and I can do it, but it may not be until my grandchildren’s time that personal checks are gone for good.
Great discussion! While I defend people’s right to pay however they wish I agree that some check writers are inconsiderate by waiting until their order is finished before they even begin writing the check. But in my opinion that’s not the fault of the paper checks. It’s that the people are either inconsiderate in general or unaware of what’s going on around them. At the least they should have everything filled out except the amount. I don’t think that slow check writers are much worse than those who use plastic for small purchases when cash would be quicker. But really, in the big picture we are talking about a few extra seconds in a person’s day and it really isn’t that big a deal.
I have heard that businesses are charged a few percentage points extra for charge transactions. Who pays for those charges? I’m guessing that everyone who doesn’t use plastic pays them in the long run. That is not fair. If there is a surcharge it should be borne by those who incur the charge. How is it fair for those who pay at the time of purchase to be charged a few percentage points more than those who don’t? It’s backwards. And I don’t think plastic necessarily offers better fraud protection than checks. How many times have you heard of people’s account information being stolen from businesses? It just happened in Idaho Falls the other day. A business was burglarized and all of the credit card (and I assume also debit card) receipts were stolen. Plastic is not immune to fraud any more than checks are.
As far as checks going away, just a few weeks ago I was down to my last few blank checks and was debating whether to order any more. Then I got a letter from my bank stating that they were adding some new services and perks to my checking account. One of the perks was that they would give me a free box of checks. I think that if the banks were trying to phase out checks they would not have made this offer. They offered me checks that I didn’t even request first so they must not be too concerned about it.
I agree that many older people still use checks. And some of them are probably the ones who are slow at filling them out. But they are slow at a lot of things. I hope when I’m old that people will have a little patience with me. Many older people also don’t like to change things too much. I can’t even imagine my grandmother’s reaction if someone told her she would need to stop using checks. That would be stressful for her and many others who are set in their ways and resist learning new things.
Lots of people do things that we might think could be done better or more efficiently. That’s the beauty of freedom of choice. People can decide for themselves what they want to do. Some people spend time doing things that just aren’t productive but they have that right. As far as banning checks completely the free market system should decide that. If a business won’t take checks they might please some customers and upset others. In the long run the market will determine what works for each business.
Someone said earlier that Winco accepts debit cards. That might be true but last I was aware they did not. As far as a business having to wait for the check to clear, many businesses now use check readers that work just like debit cards. The money is debited from the account immediately. In that case there is really no difference between using a check or a debit card.
It’s great that some use the benefits of credit cards such as frequent flier miles, hotel rooms, etc. The beauty of America is that everyone has the right to choose what works for them instead of being told what to do.
I rarely shop at WinCo as it is on the other side of town from me. But they have taken debit cards for at least a year now.
I was there today and used my debit card, and it also has the cash back option the same as the other POS devices at the other stores.
Guest 123: Good post. Glad to see that you also don’t think the few seconds it takes for a slow transaction is that big of a deal. Besides that, it gives me more time to read the tabloids that are usually by every check-out stand.
They will have to take my checks from my cold dead fingers,debit cards seem to mess with my pacemaker I think the strip on back is magnetic.
Hey won’t it be fun in a few years when we are discussing how the old folks (us?) are probably going to revolt over stores like Smitty’s discontinuing use of debit and credit cards in favor of the faster and easier implanted banking microchips?
Gosh, I’m already feeling a bit nostalgic over the future demise of my debit card! :p
Here’s some real cool geeky stuff–the Federal Reserve did some sort of study that’s dated 2006–it says that checks takes 30% longer than debit cards. At least I think that’s wht the geek said.
http://www.federalreserve.gov/Pubs/feds/2006/200602/200602pap.pdf
I would like to know why the Wal Mart in Ammon doesn’t have self serve check out stands? I live closer to that WalMart, but usually end up driving out of my way to the one on the west side of town so I can use the self serve check out lines. Their usually quicker.
Plus that WalMart in Ammon is always so packed…it’s a mad house in there I tell ya!
The Ammon Wal-Mart is often called the Ghetto-Mart.
anyone ever see that Seinfeld bit about check-writers??? he said he loves to get in line behind someone who stands there, silently, as their items are rung up. then the clerk says, “that’ll be 85 dollars” and the person kind of blinks and startles and says, “oh, wait, you mean I have to pay for this?” and only then, hoist out the checkbook and slowly, laboriously, begin writing out the check…
tee hee. I have been guilty of that.
So YOU’RE the one I always get stuck behind!
j/k!
I think all the check writers should be required to go through a single line at the grocery story. Kind of like the “15 items or less” lane, but instead it could be called “the obnoxiously slow customer lane”.
The problem is, the 10, 15 or 20 items or less lines are worthless because for some reason, when people go grocery shopping, their reading ability suddenly vanishes, and/or their frontal and tempural lobes crack under the pressure, and you get stuck behind someone with about 107 items all because they didn’t want to wait in a regular line. So I’m stuck their for 20 minutes with my two items, wishing I have wasted the gas to drive to the other Wal-Mart and use their self check out lines. C’mon people….be courteous to others.
(my work here is done!)
I would like to see a “Cash Only” line. Then the only thing that would hold you up is someone scrambling around to find some extra pennies so they won’t get any more pennies back. “-)
And I think it’s unfortunate that so many people think that the two Walmarts are the only shopping options in town. I do a lot of my shopping at Fred Meyer and I really like the store, I also found that once I gave in and started using the self checkouts there I never wanted to switch back to the other way again.
The only thing I go to Fred Meyers for is their fuel and their produce, otherwise I save more money at WalMart. I can purchase the same items at WalMart for 30-40 dollars less per week than Fred Meyers. And for me, that’s a big enough savings to deal with any minor annoyances I may encounter at WalMart. They also make some great Sushi there, which WalMart doesn’t carry.
I agree with 007. The prices at Fred-Meyer are REALLY high. I do have to admit, I can get things there that I can’t get at any other store, so I do use F-M for my “speciality” items. Also, I use Washington Mutual Bank so when I am in there for the bank, I will pick up things if I don’t need too much.
I agree….that’s why places like Fred Meyers & Smiths are never really very busy. Most people would rather save some money and shop at WalMart than fork out the extra money for certain convienences.
ditto to CR67…..I cringe when I think about paying double the price for, example, a box of Gain laundry soap: same exact soap, made by the same company and yet it is 1/2 the price at WalMart.
Plus, in my experience, the salespeople are always friendlier…
Wow, good feedback! I have found that by shopping the sales and stocking up ahead of time I can get better deals. One reason I shop at Smith’s and Fred Meyer is that they have their sale ads in the newspaper. I buy more items on sale than I ever do at the regular price. I have also found that nobody has lower prices on everything. But I can buy certain things at certain stores and feel pretty good about the deals that I get. I have always found the staff at Fred Meyer to be very friendly but that’s just me.
Hi Guest123,
You are right about stocking up, especially if you have a “rewards” card at Freddies……that, plus the coupons, plus their regular sales (Walmart only has periodic “rollbacks”) really add up.
Plus Fred’s always has the ‘discount meat’ section, which sounds gross, but (usually) isn’t.
I shop higher priced stores as mentioned because I know the employees are better paid>.
Anon….that seems an odd reason to shop at a store, but hey to each his own. Most of us would rather deal with the crowds etc and save a couple hundred bucks a month, than pay outrageous prices for the same products you can get for much less at WalMart. I’d rather shop in a more frugal manner and spend my hard earned money on more important things. Especially in this day and age when the dollar doesn’t go nearly as far as it used to. (let alone the fuel prices these days)
just my opinion….
I have shopped at Walmart and they do have relatively low everyday prices. However I think that the sale prices at other stores (to my knowledge Walmart does not have sale prices on groceries) are lower than Walmart’s everyday prices. I think that “saving a couple hundred bucks a month” for products “you can get for much less at Walmart” is a bit of a stretch. But to each their own. I would be happy to point out specific items and prices but this thread is supposed to be about paper checks.
That does strike me as strange that someone will deliberately spend more because the help there is supposedly paid more. I don’t know if that is true. I do know that I will sometimes pay a little more to buy from a locally owned business.
I rarely eat out and do most of my own cooking at home so I usually go to the grocery store at least twice a week. Once for the majority of my weekly groceries, and then usually again sometime during the week to pick up some fresher items. I’ve done quite a bit of comparisson shopping between Wal-Mart, Smithes, Fred Meyers & Alberstons and I can certainly see how someone could easily save between 1-2 hundred dollars a month shopping at Wal-Mart, depending on what and how much you normally buy. I know I save quite a bit myself by shopping there. While I’d like to shop at a “Mom & Pop” grocery store, at this day and age it’s just not cost effective and I’d rather save hundreds of dollars a year, than try to help keep Mom & Pop in business. I do try to support those types of businesses whenever I can, it’s just a man could go broke if those were the ONLY types of businesses he frequented.
Sorry for getting off the topic….I suppose we should get back to the check debate.
One of the reasons we moved to Idaho Falls (albeit a minor reason) is the range of grocery shopping opportunities. Unfortunately, Savings Center is now gone–they were a pretty key link in the grocery shopping diversity here. I doubt we will see case lot sales at such bargain rates ever again.
I hope somebody starts a discussion topic on grocery stores. That’s a topic that could keep us all pretty busy for weeks, if not months–maybe forever–who knows. I consider myself a “professional grocery shopper.” I am really, really Type “A” about it.
There’s no such thing as the “perfect grocery store.” Each store has pros and cons. You need a pretty hefty “mix” of stores in close proximity to one another to be able to reap the differential cost benefits between stores. Luckily, we have that here in Idaho Falls. In most communities, the “mix” is too spread out to maximize. By that I mean you lose in gas and time whatever you gain by differential shopping. These days it doesn’t take much fuel cost to offset a small savings between items or item classes from store-to-store.
Quality, origin, code rotation, item class diversity, and many other factors affect the “shopping equation.”
Here in Idaho Falls, unwitting shoppers can easily double their grocery bills by failing to understand the retailing dynamics that exist between the grocery vendors here. I know for a fact that the managers of each chain are often spotted in each other’s stores making copiouos notes as to each other’s pricing structures. How do I know this? Because I see them with my own eyes! As a result, there is a small but welcome amount of inter-store price matching, mostly in the form of “Manager’s Specials.”
I really enjoy grocery shopping in Idaho Falls–it’s a lot of fun and really easy to save big bucks. With astute note-taking and an awareness of seasonal sales cycles, an agressive shopper can save upwards of 50% here. Beyond that level it becomes very difficult. Fifty percent is pretty much the maximum overall that one can expect. If you’re not very aggressive or Type “A” about it, you can still easily save 25-30%–that’s almost a no-brainer and takes very little effort.
However, you’re welcome to pay double if you don’t care–stores really love people who don’t mind paying through the nose. A couple of the stores here in town often have the audacity to triple prices on certain items and sometimes entire item classes. I often laugh out loud when I see this blatant piracy. But you know the thing that’s even funnier? People buy that stuff without batting an eye. It’s hilarious and a source of great humor for me. I have to admit I get a perverse kick out of watching really dumb consumers. Trust me–there’s bus loads of them in this city!
Well, enough rambling, I gotta get back to work so I can earn money to go shopping!
Checking Out, The Volunteer
You could ‘Volunteer’ to write an article. Your comment #54 is well-written, but in reference to consumers who pay too much for their items, e.g.:
“But you know the thing that’s even funnier? People buy that stuff without batting an eye. It’s hilarious and a source of great humor for me. I have to admit I get a perverse kick out of watching really dumb consumers.
That’s quite a statement
. You might consider me one of these shoppers. In some cases, I don’t know that I’m paying more, and in some cases I do, and don’t care! Somewhere in the great scheme of life, it probably all evens out. If you write the article, I’ll tell you my habits and maybe you can help me, OK?
I think it’s really sad to read that so many of us are so impatient. What ever happened to showing a little compassion and not being so hard on people who do take a little longer in the checkout than most? Loosen up. Let’s make Idaho Falls a nice community to live in where people are just NICE.
Was someone mean to you i?
It’s amazing how many overly sensitive people are in this town! I can’t believe many of the comments I’ve read on this site over the past couple of weeks. Seriously, some of you would get eaten alive in a larger city. Especially in the North East…New York, Chicago, etc. I don’t know if its a small town mentality thing or just a north west thing, but seeing how easily some of your feelings get hurt is really unbelievable. I’ve been in IF for 10 years now, but I never really noticed all that much until I came upon this site.
As for being “compassionate” and “considerate”….how about asking those check writers that wait until the cashier gives them their total to be a little more considerate by filling out everything but the total while their standing in line waiting. It’s just common courtesy…..nothing to do with being impatient. Even though most of us have busy lives and more important things to be doing than standing in line all day.
One of the main reasons I started grocery shopping late at night.
Well Guest_House, I guess I’m glad I don’t live in those cities if the net result is a loss of civility (so that we end up “getting eaten alive” as you put it).
But yes, we do tend to expect some measure of kindness and compassion on this site, even as we also vent our frustrations by saying things in a ‘blown out of proportion’ alert way.
It keeps the site more healthy to tone down the agression/anger once in awhile, although it’s unreasonable to stifle legitimate expressions of frustrations.
We just try to maintain a reasonable balance in many ways, especially on this site where folks are free to say almost anything. And, where folks are anonymous, too, they tend to be less careful about being as civil as they normally would be.
Besides which, I’ve seen other threads on this site where those advocating less hostility get “eaten alive” for their troubles…we have had our fair share of shoot outs at high noon! So we aren’t as backwater as it would first appear.
Oh, and by the way, I also shop at early or late hours if possible because I have very little natural patience and don’t wish to test my limits on strangers at a grocery store.