Random Thoughts: Paying with a Check Isn’t That Inconvenient
As the title says, random thoughts today. Or at least one thought: isn’t it kind of weird that the little old lady paying by check is basically a punchline? A punchline for whitebread “family” comic strips, admittedly, but still one we’ve all seen at some point. Oh no, you’re stuck in the line behind the lady paying by check. INTERMINABLE!
Only, thing is, pretty much everyone who isn’t paying by check is swiping a card these days. Once in a while someone might whip a fin out for a soda on the go, but grocery bills usually tend to get charged.
And I’ve yet to see the card swipe/authorize/sign process go faster than I can fill out a check. Most of the time the check goes faster, particularly in a grocery or department store lane, where you can fill everything but the amount out ahead of time while the cashier is still scanning items. I assure you I can write four or five digits faster than a credit card machine can process my swipe. Heck, if I’m using debit I’ve got to enter four digits anyway.
So maybe the paying-with-a-check-is-silly-and-boring thing comes from a time when everyone paid cash, I dunno. Makes me wish I were a petty thief of the Eisenhower era. And that’s our random thought for the day…
Nowadays, the register printer can “fill out” everything on your check; all that’s required is your signature.
And I agree, it’s as painless as any payment option…. unless you aren’t in their system as a card-carrying member, and are required to show a Driver’s ID. :OP