Just Take My Check and No One Gets Hurt!

For years, I have enjoyed reading Mary Hunt's books ad newsletters. This week, the following story appeared in her e-letter. I'm right there with you, Mary!

Call me old fashioned, but I like my humble checkbook. You know, it's that pad
of paper curiously the same size and shape as currency. On this pad are paper
checks, which allow me to pay for things by filling in the blanks and signing my
name.Recently, I stopped into a store in my neighborhood to pick up treats for
my grand-pets. I'll admit, I'm a sucker for a certain mixed-terrier named Gromit
and a burly bulldog named Newkie.I wrote a check for the purchase, and handed it
to the clerk, who proceeded to do all kinds of things with machines and keypads.
Finally, she handed me a pen and a long piece of receipt paper filled with tiny
print that I recognized as Terms and Conditions. She instructed me to "sign
here."What? I wasn't making a credit or debit purchase. This was a check. I
responded to her request by saying no, I wasn't going to sign this paper because
I signed my check. I offered my photo ID, reiterating that one signature would
be all she needed.She responded by calling her manager from some far flung
corner of the store, which made me feel like a problem customer. The boss
disgustedly informed me that this was the new store policy. All checks are now
handled as "electronic checks" on the spot. They are processed by TeleCheck,
which guarantees the transaction (and charges the store a hefty fee for the
service, no doubt). By signing this second document I would, in fact, give
TeleCheck permission to reach into my account and take the purchase amount as I
stood there. The boss went on to say that my check would be paid on the spot,
and they would actually give it back to me as my receipt.I am not totally
foreign to this new procedure. It happened to me once before and was so shocking
that I went along with it. Later, I regretted not saying anything. I wasn't so
keen on the whole idea this time, either. I felt manipulated. Because I did not
produce a debit card to pay for my purchase, this store policy was about to
force me into a debit transaction anyway.I asked for my check back and added
that I would simply go to the really big pet store just a few blocks away.
Apparently, I said the magic words. All of a sudden, my check was just fine; no
additional signature was required. They bagged my items and thanked me for
shopping there.As I walked to the car, the only thing I regretted was that I
didn't pay cash. Good old U.S. currency, as maligned as it is these days, would
have saved all of us a lot of hassle, to say nothing of all the processing fees,
something I will definitely keep in mind the next time I reach for my checkbook.

If you liked this article by Mary Hunt, you'll find lots more in the "Everyday Cheapskate" archives,* or subscribe to receive Everyday Cheapskate in your email inbox every weekday.

Hum... you never know though. When Eddie attempted to pay for one of my maternity visits at a large practice we were using at the time, they would not even accept our "good old U.S. currency." Is a cashless society just around the corner? I think so....