Because the term “Dime Store” has been outdated for forty years.
Before long, these will be the “Ten Dollar” store.
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I had almost forgotten about the old five and dime stores until you reminded me. 
I think I’ll address one more issue that seems to have reared its ugly head, Why do we pay in cash and not with a credit card or debit card. My wife and I are both seniors, really senior… I served in the Air Force for over 30 years. When my wife and I first started to work, minimum wage was $1.15 and we were paid in cash and our pay came in a “pay envelope” that listed the Social Security and Income Tax withholdings, etc…
After joining the Air Force, we started using Checks, but they could only be used if it was on a local bank and we had to show ID and not all businesses took checks. And being transferred to a new base meant months of not being able to get access to any cash left in the checking account at your last duty station. You would think that you could simply write a check to the new bank to make a deposit, but they required 2-weeks for your check to clear.
And opening a new checking account at your new duty station, also meant weeks before your new checks arrived with your name and address. No One took those Temp Checks the banks gave to new accounts.
Charge Cards were mostly store specific then and the Major Card Companies like Dinners, American Express, Visa, and Master Card seldom issued cards to the lower Enlisted ranks and when they did, the limit was astonishingly low…
Back then the Credit Cards had raised letters and numbers and the card was run through an embossing machine that pressed the impression onto a carbon copy receipt. The clerk took the card and the receipt to a manager to be approved (talk about making the folks in the line wait…).
Even then, some managers would demand to see ID to prove we did not steal the card…
So, for many of us, Cash was King, and I dare say it still is… Some have written in bragging about how much “Cash-Back” they get when using their Credit Card, well good for you and thank you for keeping the economy going as you must spend an astronomical amount to account for such high rewards.
We like cash because everyone loves a cash tip, it’s not reportable, it’s friendly, and it’s fast… And I’ve written about how we keep our mechanics and mechanical repair personnel happy even without Cash Tips. We often stop by the dealership and drop off donuts, McMuffins, Candy (Easter, Valentine’s day, Halloween, etc…), our A/C Furnace Technician and our Termite Inspector (both on contract) always leave with a bag of treats (Cakes, Jerky, Candy, etc… and a beverage) as well as a cash tip… They show up on time, and they never rush through an appointment.
Now, we do have Credit Cards, Debit Cards and Spend Cards (Pre-loaded charge cards…) and we use them. But they all have their place. The Credit card has a magnetic strip as well as a chip and we use it most of the time… The card company has looked out for us on several times when we contested payment and they held payment until the item arrived or service was rendered. And it doubles a warranty and offers some insurance. We have used the Extended warranty only once and never used the insurance.
The Debit card is to get cash out of the ATM, and the Spend card is a Swipe/Chip card, but we usually only use it with companies like our cable/internet company. They offer a discount for auto-payment, But we have been burned in the past by this, especially when we were paying with credit card and transferred to another duty station. We cancelled the service, but they never cancelled the withdrawal or charge to the credit card…
We pay these bills with the Spend card that we preload each month. This way, if we cancel the service, we do not preload the next month’s payment…
Our Credit Union issues these like candy. They push them for students so they have an allowance or ready cash, but cannot overspend… We have several, just for this purpose…
Now, the final reason we also use cash. Business, especially small business, pay a percentage to the credit card companies and the small business pay the most, an average of 3.5%, but some even pay 5% and that can really cut into the bottom line…
When I was stationed at NATO Headquarters in Italy, we had to negotiate with the trash collector each week just to have our trash picked up… Some might think that’s disgusting, but it really was fun, we laughed, we joked, we had a cigarette, and sometime a cup of coffee. And our trash was picked up each week… Some of our neighbors had their trash sit in front of their homes for weeks…
The Trash Problem in Italy… Pay the Collector…
So, with that in mind, when we do business with our local businesses; we will ask if there is a discount for cash verses paying with a credit card. Depending on how it goes over, even if they say no, but were not offended by our request, we will pay with cash or check. If the owners act all indignant and insulted, we pay with a charge card…
We did this when we bought our 2019 Toyota Corolla and our 2020 Honda Fit. The offer was they throw in the winter weather mats, the side molding, and the mud flaps and we pay by check, if not, we pay with a credit card… the Toyota dealer went for it as the items cost him less than the Credit Card charge. The Honda Dealership did not go for it and we paid with the credit card.
PS: We still got the items as we bought the car sight unseen with a delivery promise. But like the nasty dealing cheap-skates we are, we put a “Time is of the Essence” clause, they said 3-days, 5-days later, it still was not here, we gave them 2-more days and it still was not here, so we offered them the same deal again: Mats, Mud flaps, and door guards and they got another week or we cancel the sale. We knew they had already taken the cash and we did not believe they could have easily returned it…
Well, the Honda Fit finally came in and the wife loves her little toy. Her first love is her '85 Toyota Corolla that she bought new… But I’ve written about all of this before…
One final thought, some folks wrote in complaining about how much time is wasted and how the line is held up by us cash-paying, check-writing Neanderthals but that’s is not and was not us. When this all began we were at a Sherwin Williams Paint Store in the afternoon and if you are not there when they open when the contractors are shopping for the day’s supplies, it is relative quiet. When we were there, only one other customer was there, going through the paint color swatches…
So, to those who hate wasting time waiting on us old fogies counting out exact change to pay a bill, how much time have you wasted reading this diatribe?
I too was AF. A checking account was nearly mandatory in SE Asia, then had to be closed on PCS (permanent change of station).
As anE4 managed to open a checking account in Utah. That account I kept until I retired. The BX would always cash a check, no matter what base you were stationed at or in which state the bank was located.
Direct deposit was nearly mandatory in the Philippines, paychecks were not mailed, they would be stolen. Local Philippine Banks would happily cash stolen paychecks and the US treasure department would honor those stolen checks.
As far as generating a large cash back award, it does accumulate on just routine purchases and utility payments. I pay my vehicle and home owner’s insurance online with CC. Gas purchases are at the pump using a CC. I prefer stores that have self service check out, no waiting for someone to write a check or fumble in the bottom of their purse for exact change.
BTW, I guess I did consume a bit of time reading your post and responding…lol
Lord Thunder have you never heard the term ’ Be Brief ’ ? If I wanted to read War and Peace I would go to the Library .
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Yes we learned that in journalism class, but it is more work. I have four checking accounts used for various purposes. One is just for housing like property taxes, etc. I had to order a box of check and the last box lasted two years. I guess in the last few months I have just written a check to my tree guy, for a subscription, some contributions, etc. I don’t like providing my debit card numbers instead of just sending a check.
Some years ago I remember writing a check at Walmart and she took my check, ran it through her machine for a direct deposit, and handed me my canceled check back. I said well that was a waste. Then came debit cards.
This is worth mentioning. All the customers who use some sort of cash back or rewards cards are simply gaming the system on everyone else’s back. The credit card fees a business pays are often substantially higher for Discover cards (or other rewards cards) than a regular Visa or MasterCard. At the end of the year a business will look at how much they paid in CC fees over the year (and how much lost buying power they had because of the float) and simply raise the rates across the board to recover that loss.
Think about this…you are a repair shop and you fixed my car today, the bill is $100. Would you rather be paid $100 today or $97 Thursday?
It is always good to have some cash on hand. like when the power went out because of a hurricane. before I had the generator I had to run out and get bags of ice for the freezer. no power, no credit card machines. but they would take cash.
I pay the same amount at the gas station and grocery store we use. Does not matter if we pay cash, check or Discover card . Using the card is a simple choice .
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I agree. I have always thought that it is a good idea to have a few hundred $$ of cash on hand. I used to have to replenish it occasionally, but the same $700-something bucks have been sitting in my file cabinet for about 4 years–untouched. Eventually, those bills will be of drinking age.
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Ever since the office building’s deli bumped up lunch prices I switched to a credit card, so I’m almost never going to the ATM any more.
I used to work with a woman who refused to have her paycheck direct-deposited to her bank account, and so she was one of the people who used to race to the bank on payday, only to stand in line long enough to use-up most of her lunch hour. But, she would only take about $50 in cash at that time, with the result that she had to return to an ATM a couple of times before her next paycheck.
She said that she paid by check or cash for everything “in order to save money”, despite the fact that she bought her gas and groceries at places where the price for credit purchases and cash purchases was identical. I pointed out to her that the amount of gas (and the amount of time) that she wasted every month with multiple trips to the bank/ATM actually meant that she was paying more than if she simply accepted direct deposit, put her purchases on a credit card, and avoided all of that needless racing to the bank, but–to the best of my knowledge–she never changed her habits.
I went to pick up a couple suits I had cleaned and on the counter was a sign “3.5% added to credit card payments”. I wrote a check.
We had a local teacher that would never cash hi checks. About every six months he’d be called into the office to cash his checks to straighten the books out. No car, lived downtown in a cheap apartment alone, so what does he need money for?
Things are a little different here in San Jose. Garbage cans are like red meat if you want one of your neighbors to complain. Very strict on the garbage can rules here. Cans are supposed to be removed from the street by 8 am the day after pickup day. One time last winter I inadvertently left them until 10 am. Got a nasty legal notice in the mail 3 days laterr saying I better not do THAT again !!! I’m serious, some folks here must have a lot of time on their hands & use it to monitor the neighborhood garbage can placement … lol .
First off, I want to thank you for taking (wasting?) your time to read all I wrote. Since you were also AF then you knew that when you arrived at a new base, with your “useless old checking account” and a pocket full of cash, you could get the BX to cash your check, but when I first came in (1970), the limit was $100 a day, the same with the local Credit Union, but it took time for Finance to forward your check to the new bank or CU and until that happened, those both required two weeks for your checks from your old Bank /CU to clear.
Also, back then, not only did we have to give security and cleaning deposits for an apartment, we often had to give a deposit to have the electricity turned on, a deposit to have a phone installed, a deposit for natural gas. Car insurance was often issued as a new policy, you had to wait for the pro-rated rebate to arrive in the mail but you had to come up with at least 6-months payment for the new policy. It did not matter that we had letters of reference showing we paid our rent on time, we paid our electric, phone, gas, etc on time, it did not matter.
Back then, wives had a horrible time trying to find a job. Once they found out that you were a military spouse they did not want a “temporary”, like we only wanted a one month job. You could ask why the position was open even though the last person to hold the job was a local, they left because they got pregnant, they found a better job, they went back to school, they had kids at home, ad nausium… It was much like the Sign, “Dogs and Sailors Stay Off the Grass…”
As I mentioned, I was enlisted and until I made E-4, the quarters allowance was mailed at the end of month to the wife. Back then they had an even lower opinion of enlisted and they believed we would either drink or gamble away the rent money…
Some say you cannot teach an old dog new tricks and some say old habits are hard to break and in my case, both are a bit true… So Cash is my Friend, it has never let me down…
Thanks for following…
I expect you’ve heard some of the podcasts where Tom relates some of his humorous experiences on active military duty. Like when everybody else got to go on weekend leave, Tom ordered to stay at barracks. A little dust-up with the Sargent apparently. Then the story where Tom gets a promotion, albeit briefly. Seems both the military and Tom eventually came to the same conclusion, Tom and military just not a good fit.
I think some military service would be a good prerequisite for immigrants applying for green card. Wouldn’t have to be years, just 6 months say. Not sure why that isn’t done.
Welcome to America, before we can give you a green card and let you live here, we’re going to send you to Ukraine for 6 months.
According to the Israeli Defense Service Law, which regulates duties and exceptions, all Israeli citizens who meet the conscription criteria (both sexes, male and female, including those “other sexes…” are required to serve two-years… They are not barbarians, just like here, in the USA, there are various exceptions (religious, physical, etc…).
As someone who served the Air Force for over 30-years, I fully concur! It gets those "Mama’s boys out of their bedrooms and off their PlayStations and it gets all those Daddy’s girls out doing something other than their eyebrows and fingernails…
Agree 100 %