Counting money

[mimi]

Yesterday I purchased a few items from a clothing shop and I handed the clerk the money, and she counted it out and checked for counterfeit currency right in front of me! I know her for gawd sake, we have been neighbours for years! I was so insulted that she did not trust me!

What happened to trust in this world? I really began to notice how many people do this...I was taught to count the money behind the till where the customer could not be offended! But everywhere, Starbucks, Save-on, etc...people take the bills and count out and even put it under the counterfeit detector right in front of everyone!

And the bank! Over twelve years with the same bank and do they think I cannot count the money myself? I even lay it out so it can be seen visibly..there...5 twenties, but, still they pick it up and count it for everyone to see.....no class!

 

[bcneil]

Yesterday I purchased a few items from a clothing shop and I handed the clerk the money, and she counted it out and checked for counterfeit currency right in front of me! I know her for gawd sake, we have been neighbours for years! I was so insulted that she did not trust me!

What happened to trust in this world? I really began to notice how many people do this...I was taught to count the money behind the till where the customer could not be offended! But everywhere, Starbucks, Save-on, etc...people take the bills and count out and even put it under the counterfeit detector right in front of everyone!

And the bank! Over twelve years with the same bank and do they think I cannot count the money myself? I even lay it out so it can be seen visibly..there...5 twenties, but, still they pick it up and count it for everyone to see.....no class!

Banks are horrible for this. Took out a large sum of money to buy a boat.
Cashier is counting out the hundreds loud as she can.
When she is done I say..

"Thanks for letting everyone in the bank, and sidewalk outside know, that I now have several thousand in cash on me"

She smiles "your welcome"

 

[belmontkingsize]

I dont think you should be offended or anything, its just standard safety procedure.

 

[visiting]

Mimi,

I have friends who own retail shops... and they would say.......

What your "friend" did was keep her job.... there is often a camera on the till, and if they have a problem down the road the owner looks back on the camera, she could be blamed for the problem. It's not always a trust issue...

This of it like at the casino, when you change a bill, or the dealer leaves.... they motion for the cameras...

 

[Thatotherguy]

Yesterday I purchased a few items from a clothing shop and I handed the clerk the money, and she counted it out and checked for counterfeit currency right in front of me! I know her for gawd sake, we have been neighbours for years! I was so insulted that she did not trust me!

What happened to trust in this world? I really began to notice how many people do this...I was taught to count the money behind the till where the customer could not be offended! But everywhere, Starbucks, Save-on, etc...people take the bills and count out and even put it under the counterfeit detector right in front of everyone!

And the bank! Over twelve years with the same bank and do they think I cannot count the money myself? I even lay it out so it can be seen visibly..there...5 twenties, but, still they pick it up and count it for everyone to see.....no class!

No, no, no! It's not about class or trust, it's about liability! Any store/bank/whatever employee should always count the money (and perform any checks for counterfeits - although I always say that anyone who knows what to look for can tell by sight and touch if a bill is real without needing any other check 99.99% of the time) in plain view of the customer. Doing otherwise opens the store/bank/whatever, and/or the employee to possible liability if the cash is found to be short or counterfeit. The customer can always say "well, the money was there when I gave it to the clerk, he/she must have stolen it." At that point, the store/bank/whatever will probably side with the customer to avoid any bad word of mouth. If they take a hard-line approach and the customer fights it, there's a good chance they'll end up reimbursing the customer anyway, after a big headache. Depending on the store/bank/whatever, they'll either end up writing it off, or they'll hold the employee liable for it. If the money never leaves the sight of the customer until after it's already been verified, then the customer can't argue if it's wrong or counterfeit.

 

[Inamorato]

And the bank! Over twelve years with the same bank and do they think I cannot count the money myself? I even lay it out so it can be seen visibly..there...5 twenties, but, still they pick it up and count it for everyone to see.....no class!

Bank tellers generally count the bills and lay them out on the counter so the cameras can see how much is there.

I've had a teller make a mistake entering a deposit in the past, I called the bank, they checked the security tape, and adjusted my account accordingly. It's their policy based on liability, nothing personal against you.

 

[aznboi9]

Doing otherwise opens the store/bank/whatever, and/or the employee to possible liability if the cash is found to be short or counterfeit. The customer can always say "well, the money was there when I gave it to the clerk, he/she must have stolen it." At that point, the store/bank/whatever will probably side with the customer to avoid any bad word of mouth. If they take a hard-line approach and the customer fights it, there's a good chance they'll end up reimbursing the customer anyway, after a big headache.

I had this happen years ago when I made a large purchase and the lady simply took the money to the back counter out of sight to count it. My friend and I gave each other this WTF? look and when she came back she reported that I was short $20. After some discussion I relented; but I was not at all happy, impressed and was extremely suspicious.

 

[C-Money]

yah, I second the idea that the employee was just following risk-reduction protocol.

But, there are doorknobs out there. I once did some banking at the teller window of a busy DT bank, and the teller practically yelled my account balance so loud the woman two wickets over turned her head to look. I said "Why the hell did you just tell the whole bank how much money I have"....*blank stare*.... She just didn't get it.

 

[DQ Guy]

Yesterday I purchased a few items from a clothing shop and I handed the clerk the money, and she counted it out and checked for counterfeit currency right in front of me! I know her for gawd sake, we have been neighbours for years! I was so insulted that she did not trust me!

And the bank! Over twelve years with the same bank and do they think I cannot count the money myself? I even lay it out so it can be seen visibly..there...5 twenties, but, still they pick it up and count it for everyone to see.....no class!

as some one who deals with money all the time I can understand where they are comming from.
As has been stated most places have cameras, and the count is for protection.
also some bills tend to stick togther..
and when someone in a retail job who deals with thousands of people.. it true,
people do make mistakes, and give the wrong amount.
so relax and get over it.

 

[bubbles42]

...are you seriously offended by this?

 

[Thatotherguy]

Banks are horrible for this. Took out a large sum of money to buy a boat.
Cashier is counting out the hundreds loud as she can.
When she is done I say..

"Thanks for letting everyone in the bank, and sidewalk outside know, that I now have several thousand in cash on me"

She smiles "your welcome"

But, there are doorknobs out there. I once did some banking at the teller window of a busy DT bank, and the teller practically yelled my account balance so loud the woman two wickets over turned her head to look. I said "Why the hell did you just tell the whole bank how much money I have"....*blank stare*.... She just didn't get it.

These are a different situation entirely. If you're getting cash from a bank, the teller should count the cash out to you. It should be done discretely, though, so that everyone else in the branch doesn't hear the amount, and ideally doesn't even notice that you've just got cash of any amount. Same thing with your account balance or any other personal info. It should be discretely given to you, not done in such a way that anyone else in the branch can overhear (or see - sometimes I've seen tellers swivel their screens around to show the customer, without even thinking about the fact that now other people can see too). These are both examples of serious privacy concerns. There are really strict federal privacy regulations which can result in big fines for banks (or other companies) that fail to protect their customers' privacy. If something like the above 2 stories happens to you, I would suggest you remind the teller and/or the teller's supervisor of this.

 

[hunsperger]

...

Banks are horrible for this. Took out a large sum of money to buy a boat.
Cashier is counting out the hundreds loud as she can.
When she is done I say..

"Thanks for letting everyone in the bank, and sidewalk outside know, that I now have several thousand in cash on me"

She smiles "your welcome"

for future reference...

next time you require a "large" sum of money to complete a transaction, try something called a check...

it's that little rectangular piece of paper the banks started using earlier this year...

as for Mimi...

quit being a histrionic drama queen...

 

[hunsperger]

...

...are you seriously offended by this?

she's very sensitive...

 

[henryhill]

Doesn't bother me when people count money. I try not to do it in front of others but I don't get offended when somebody does it around me. Money makes people unpredictable.

Hey SNL....don't waste your time on huny, he has a bad case of Negative Ned Syndrome (NNS)

He is also severely afflicted by Know-It-All-itis. Just like a couple of other "handles" around here. Search the word "platitudinous" here on perb and you'll see what I mean. douchebaggery cannot be concealed.

 

[bobby]

people get offened way to easy these days

 

[mimi]

Oh that hunsy! I love it when he does this....

I guess it doesn't put me into histrionics, but, it sure does bother me when it's my time to count the money and people think I'm doing it because I don't trust them...

 

[bcneil]

for future reference...

next time you require a "large" sum of money to complete a transaction, try something called a check...

it's that little rectangular piece of paper the banks started using earlier this year...

...

Well since you are so interested I will tell you more

Relatives from Michigan were in town and brought their boat.
Took them around the city, I really liked their boat.
While they were here they found another boat that they wanted to buy, so they offered me theirs at a great price. They wanted to sell me theirs, and use the money to get the other one they found. Being Americans giving them a check that they wouldn't be able to cash till they got back home would be pointless, especially since they wanted to use that money to get the new one. So cash it was.

I am also sorry for mentioning a mere few thousand in cash as a "large" sum.
Everyone here knows thats chump change to a man of your calibre and great wealth

Try not to be so grumpy, its a long weekend

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Banks are horrible for this. Took out a large sum of money to buy a boat.
Cashier is counting out the hundreds loud as she can.
When she is done I say..

"Thanks for letting everyone in the bank, and sidewalk outside know, that I now have several thousand in cash on me"

She smiles "your welcome"

Reminds me of the time a couple of years ago. I stop in at a branch of my bank to cash a cheque. This branch is in a "not so nice" part of town. Anyway there is a old Baba in front of me at the teller. Not sure why or for what but she is withdrawing a LARGE sum of cash. I'm not sure if the lady was hard of hearing or what but the teller very loudly counts out over $10 K. I'm looking around and (sorry to generalize) there are 2 or 3 "sketchy" looking characters who seem very interested. Anyway, long story short I ended up getting out of line and escorting this lady to her car so she wouldn't end up getting mugged.
I later called the manager and told them that next time they may want to take the client to a private area before counting out that kind of sum infront of everybody in "the hood".

 

[hunsperger]

...

people who walk around with 10K cash in their pockets are village idiots...

 

[mimi]

Jethro you are a true gentleman! Such a rare breed these days to be sure!