How times have changed!!

[Dave McClung]

I just read an article that remined me how much things have changed.

In 1974, I was a young lawyer practicing in a large law firm in Dallas. One of the firms clients was a large bank. I still remember when a VP of the bank came into my office and said, "We want to start using automated teller machines." It took me by surprise. All of the laws were written with the assumption that a person would be the teller. I remember asking, "Do you really think your customers will be willing to do their banking with a machine?"

How times have changed!!!

[Mike Wooldridge]

My parents, in their 70s and 80s, still write checks and refuse to get ATM cards. Times have changed for some people! :)

[Craig Laughlin]

My parents, in their 70s and 80s, still write checks and refuse to get ATM cards. Times have changed for some people! :)

It's all a plot by the government to confuse old people! :smilies0417: Had a pastor tell me that one time about the metric system. It was the 70's, what can I say. Glad he has gone on to be with the Lord as my church looks at electronic offerings! I am sure I would be getting a phone call.

[Jim Chabot]

I have never used, nor do I have any idea how to use an ATM! No particular reason, I've just never had a need for it.

Then again I've never used an answering machine or voicemail. Never had cable tv or used a fax machine. Again no reason, just never saw a need.

[Shea Zellweger]

I have never used, nor do I have any idea how to use an ATM! No particular reason, I've just never had a need for it.

Then again I've never used an answering machine or voicemail. Never had cable tv or used a fax machine. Again no reason, just never saw a need.

Don't lie, Jim. You thought about it, but you were worried the government would spy on you, so you chose to stay off the grid. :)

[Susan Unger]

When they first came in, I heard some folks didn't want to use atms because it was the mark of the beast. yup....

[Susan Unger]

I have never used, nor do I have any idea how to use an ATM! No particular reason, I've just never had a need for it.

Then again I've never used an answering machine or voicemail. Never had cable tv or used a fax machine. Again no reason, just never saw a need.

wow..........

[Jim Chabot]

Don't lie, Jim. You thought about it, but you were worried the government would spy on you, so you chose to stay off the grid. :)

Hahaha! You hit close to the truth with that one!

My generation was bombarded with that ridiculous "Left Behind" mark of the beast, get ready to be a martyr soon nonsense. We were scared silly. I had vowed that I would never have a credit card, and never use a check or checking account. That way the beast, which was a giant supercomputer in Belgium by the way, would not be able to find me. A friend of mine, who coincidentally was a classmate of Grant Swank at ENC, actually moved to Maine because the one world government wouldn't look there right away.

But that was all before ATM's fax machines and all of that stuff. So you were close, just too late by 20 years or so.

From what I hear, the most you can get out of an ATM is $200, what can you do with two hundred bucks that you can't do without it?

I do have caller ID, I know who called and when, I have no need for messages and the dreaded game of "phone tag"

It is easy enough to scan a document into a pdf and email it, and back when fax was the only option they printed on thermal paper.

Pay to watch television, now that is funny just to think about!

[Shea Zellweger]

Hahaha! You hit close to the truth with that one!

My generation was bombarded with that ridiculous "Left Behind" mark of the beast, get ready to be a martyr soon nonsense. We were scared silly. I had vowed that I would never have a credit card, and never use a check or checking account. That way the beast, which was a giant supercomputer in Belgium by the way, would not be able to find me. A friend of mine, who coincidentally was a classmate of Grant Swank at ENC, actually moved to Maine because the one world government wouldn't look there right away.

And by "a friend of mine," you mean "I."



From what I hear, the most you can get out of an ATM is $200, what can you do with two hundred bucks that you can't do without it?

limits depend on the ATM, but round these parts, there are several "cash only" venues, and the banks close early.


I do have caller ID, I know who called and when, I have no need for messages and the dreaded game of "phone tag"

It is easy enough to scan a document into a pdf and email it, and back when fax was the only option they printed on thermal paper.

Pay to watch television, now that is funny just to think about!
NFL Network, man.

[Jim Chabot]

And by "a friend of mine," you mean "I."

Are you saying that I have no friends? Or are you saying that I am old enough to have gone to school with Grant? No this friend is about 20 years my senior, and he moved to Maine back in the seventies. I was talking with his daughter a few months ago and the conversation got around to naznet, eschatology and Grant. I had remarked on how Grant and her father had similar dispositions, she replied, "Oh that's too funny, did you know that they were in the same class at ENC?"

Yes I have a place in Maine but I don't live there year round. Funny thing is that I am about 250 miles north of his house. They are going to get him first. Hehehe.



limits depend on the ATM, but round these parts, there are several "cash only" venues, and the banks close early.

Ummm, OK. Oh boy. Well here goes! I usually only go to the bank to make deposits and I generally have enough cash laying about to last a couple of months. Funny how I've always thought this to be normal. It isn't normal is it?


NFL Network, man.

Huh? Would that be sports? I have never had any interest in sports, except for motorsports and I need to be there to enjoy it. I have been tempted by the Discovery Channel and history Channel, but not enough to actually pay money for them. Besides there is plenty of streaming video available on the net and my laptop has an s video output!

OK, I'm weird, I had better just admit it! But I'm not cranky, not in the least!

[Marg Shurtliff]

My parents, in their 70s and 80s, still write checks and refuse to get ATM cards. Times have changed for some people! :)

Afraid I join your parents , Mike .So far I haven't needed use of an ATM . About the only cheques I write now though are to church or to someone who has bought something for me , as the rest is auto deduct or paid on line .

[Karen Troxler]

Back in the early 80's, when I was first married, I worked in the Savings Department of a PA Bank. Our department processed all of the work that was done in the branches. On the back of each deposit ticket was a series of numbers, which indicated the branch and teller numbers. If there was an error, we were able to trace it back to the correct location. At that time, the ATM's in that particular bank were just becoming popular. The ATM's all had the same teller number, and for whatever reason, the number was 666. It did give me a weird feeling to say the least!

[David Parker]

I refuse to own or use an ATM card. When I need cash, I just ask my wife.

[Hans Deventer]

My parents, in their 70s and 80s, still write checks and refuse to get ATM cards. Times have changed for some people! :)

My mother is 79. She knows how to play a DVD, and uses ATM cards, cell phone texting, email & and web browsing on her laptop.

I'll never forget the picture of Nelson Bradford's dad. He was in his 90's when his wife passed away. He bought himself an iMac for the first time in his life and the picture showed him emailing to his family. I've always kept that in mind as my goal: Be above 90 and start something completely new.

[Susan Unger]

My mother is 79. She knows how to play a DVD, and uses ATM cards, cell phone texting, email & and web browsing on her laptop.

I'll never forget the picture of Nelson Bradford's dad. He was in his 90's when his wife passed away. He bought himself an iMac for the first time in his life and the picture showed him emailing to his family. I've always kept that in mind as my goal: Be above 90 and start something completely new.
Always keep your mind exploring new worlds. I am wondering if this is my dad's issue. He is currently retired from his 2nd job. His health isn't the greatest and now I am wondering if he is thinking he should be put out to pasture. So, I am trying to find suggestiongs for this for thim to do and feel purposeful.

[Dennis M. Scott]

My soon to be wed father is 84. He called the other evening to talk with me about the wedding ceremony. He said he went online to find one. Dad has been a Nazarene forever, and he probably has a copy of every Nazarene Manual since he was born. Mom and dad used to do wedding cakes at hundreds of weddings. I asked, "Dad, did you look at the ceremony in the Manual?" He replied that he didn't think of that, but that he just looks on line for everything now. He also went online to book honeymoon accomodations.

I would have thought of that, eventually.

[Dave McClung]

I just read an article that remined me how much things have changed.

In 1974, I was a young lawyer practicing in a large law firm in Dallas. One of the firms clients was a large bank. I still remember when a VP of the bank came into my office and said, "We want to start using automated teller machines." It took me by surprise. All of the laws were written with the assumption that a person would be the teller. I remember asking, "Do you really think your customers will be willing to do their banking with a machine?"

How times have changed!!!

For the last several years, I have been using a bank, USAA Federal Savings Bank, that doesn't even have live tellers. All of its banking is done through the mail or ATM.

[John Reilly]

My parents, in their 70s and 80s, still write checks and refuse to get ATM cards. Times have changed for some people! :)

My parents are 86 years old. They just announced to their four children that they now refuse to write checks, file taxes, take the car for an inspection and shovel snow off the roof. If any of these things happen any more it will depend on one of the four kids. I choose the car detail and not just because its Buick Park Avenue Ultra.

[Marsha Lynn]

I have never used, nor do I have any idea how to use an ATM! No particular reason, I've just never had a need for it.

Then again I've never used an answering machine or voicemail. Never had cable tv or used a fax machine. Again no reason, just never saw a need.

Oh, so you're one of THOSE people.

I remember the first time I gave in and allowed my voice to be recorded by an answering machine. I was so afraid I would stutter around and say something stupid that I hung up, wrote down what I wanted to say, and then called back to leave the message.

That was then. Now when I call people with overdue books at the library I experience just a twinge of annoyance if someone answers their phone. I don't really want to talk to them and hear their excuse for having overdue library material or leave my message with someone at their house who may or may not find it important enough to pass on. Since we already have determined that they don't have email, I want to talk to a machine that will record my words exactly and let them listen at their convenience. The annoyance of getting an answer, however, is nothing compared to what I feel toward those who not only don't answer their phone but have no answering machine. Do they really expect me to keep calling until they decide to stay home and take my call? How rude!

:smile:

Marsha

[Marsha Lynn]

For the last several years, I have been using a bank, USAA Federal Savings Bank, that doesn't even have live tellers. All of its banking is done through the mail or ATM.

Does the grid ever fail?

Twice in the past five years, something has happened to the "trunk" line that connects our town to the rest of the world. It's quite the experience -- no ATMs working, no credit card transactions, no internet at the library or license branch, no phone calls outside our local exchange. The only way to get cash is to write an old-fashioned paper check or fill out a withdrawal slip and give it to a live teller at the bank (who probably can't verify that you have funds to cover the withdrawal). Everything, including gas. must be bought with cash or check. It's like a great fog has arisen and totally isolated us from the rest of the world. By the last time pretty much everyone had cell phones and I think they mostly worked, but the first time, for most of us, there was no way short of driving to the "outside" to let people outside the local exchange know why it was impossible to reach us.

I don't think I ever heard what happened the second time. The first time it was a groundhog 20 miles away chewing through a fiber optic cable. Such a fragile system. It's kind of scary if you think too much about it.

Marsha

[Susan Unger]

Does the grid ever fail?

Twice in the past five years, something has happened to the "trunk" line that connects our town to the rest of the world. It's quite the experience -- no ATMs working, no credit card transactions, no internet at the library or license branch, no phone calls outside our local exchange. The only way to get cash is to write an old-fashioned paper check or fill out a withdrawal slip and give it to a live teller at the bank (who probably can't verify that you have funds to cover the withdrawal). Everything, including gas. must be bought with cash or check. It's like a great fog has arisen and totally isolated us from the rest of the world. By the last time pretty much everyone had cell phones and I think they mostly worked, but the first time, for most of us, there was no way short of driving to the "outside" to let people outside the local exchange know why it was impossible to reach us.

I don't think I ever heard what happened the second time. The first time it was a groundhog 20 miles away chewing through a fiber optic cable. Such a fragile system. It's kind of scary if you think too much about it.

MarshaThat happened to me after 9/11. No money could be accessed from the bank for a few days.

[Gary Creely]

I use 2 banks (both credit unions) and do everything either online or through ATM machines. Both Banks are an hour plus away, but good credit unions are not always close. In addition I use AIG orange for mid term savings, and I handle that entirely online.

Here in and around PA they did not call them ATMs for the longest time- they were MAC machines. The jingle was something about snap your mac.

[John Kennedy]

It's not the technology that's so daunting - it's having to remember the numbers. A few years before I retired, the school put in a new, state-of-the-art copier. In an attempt to keep usage and costs under control we were each given a 'copy budget' and a password. I was standing there one day trying to start a copy job, but couldn't get into the system. I finally realized I had been punching in my ATM PIN rather than my account password and was coming up empty - neither copies or cash.

I have 3 different debit cards and so far I've been able to keep the numbers straight. When that starts to go, however, there'll be an upside - I'll be able to go back and re-read all the really good books I've already read.

I would take comfort in every cloud having a silver lining it that didn't also mean that every silver lining must, of necessity, be attached to a cloud.

[Dave McClung]

Does the grid ever fail? ...


Marsha

There have been a couple of times I couldn't get thru to the bank, but it is rare.

[Susan Unger]

I use 2 banks (both credit unions) and do everything either online or through ATM machines. Both Banks are an hour plus away, but good credit unions are not always close. In addition I use AIG orange for mid term savings, and I handle that entirely online.

Here in and around PA they did not call them ATMs for the longest time- they were MAC machines. The jingle was something about snap your mac.
i always wondered why we called them Mac machines instead of ATM machines.

[Linda Bechtold]

Pay to watch television, now that is funny just to think about!

You have obviously never been on bed rest for the last 3 months of a pregnancy!

[Shea Zellweger]

It's not the technology that's so daunting - it's having to remember the numbers. A few years before I retired, the school put in a new, state-of-the-art copier. In an attempt to keep usage and costs under control we were each given a 'copy budget' and a password. I was standing there one day trying to start a copy job, but couldn't get into the system. I finally realized I had been punching in my ATM PIN rather than my account password and was coming up empty - neither copies or cash.

I have 3 different debit cards and so far I've been able to keep the numbers straight. When that starts to go, however, there'll be an upside - I'll be able to go back and re-read all the really good books I've already read.

I would take comfort in every cloud having a silver lining it that didn't also mean that every silver lining must, of necessity, be attached to a cloud.

I've done a lot of moving over the last 5 years, and it seems like everywhere I go has a completely different set of banks than the place before. I've opened a total of 6 different checking accounts in that time period, but I've only had three different PINs. Four of the banks, upon opening the checking account, pull out a keypad and have you punch in the PIN you would like to have. The other two send you certified mail letting you know what your PIN will be. Guess which two I forget frequently.

[Jim Chabot]

You have obviously never been on bed rest for the last 3 months of a pregnancy!

That would be correct! I did have to lie still for six hours in the hospital after angioplasty, during the day. I watched a few soap operas and the view, I would have been willing to pay not to watch that.

[Ryan Scott]

I've always kept that in mind as my goal: Be above 90 and start something completely new.

May I suggest skydiving?

[Randy Wise]

I just read an article that remined me how much things have changed.

In 1974, I was a young lawyer practicing in a large law firm in Dallas. One of the firms clients was a large bank. I still remember when a VP of the bank came into my office and said, "We want to start using automated teller machines." It took me by surprise. All of the laws were written with the assumption that a person would be the teller. I remember asking, "Do you really think your customers will be willing to do their banking with a machine?"

How times have changed!!!



Your post on change reminded me of this article:The Jobs Of Yesteryear: Obsolete Occupations

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124251060&ps=cprs

Randy

[Ryan Scott]

Your post on change reminded me of this article:The Jobs Of Yesteryear: Obsolete Occupations

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124251060&ps=cprs


Well the Church of the Nazarene is doing its part to keep these professions alive. When I left HQ a few years ago they had a dwindling typing pool still working, although they've expanded duties to a few other tasks as well.

[Jeremy D. Scott]

From what I hear, the most you can get out of an ATM is $200, what can you do with two hundred bucks that you can't do without it?

Do people still use ATMs to pull cash out?

I visit the ATM twice a week on average to deposit checks. I don't use slips or envelopes anymore. It just scans my check and deposits it for me. I can get a receipt with an image of the check and everything.

I saw this movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Er69b4HMl8) once where they had people inside the bank who did that. Seems like a long time ago.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Er69b4HMl8

[Ryan Scott]

That's not a bank; it's your friendly, neighborhood Saving's and Loan.

[David Graham]

We've tried to keep up with the "latest and greatest" gagets, although we're usually a few years behind when they first come out.

When it comes to banking, we get charged each time we use a teller so it forces people to either use the ATM's or using the EFTPOS facilities in the various stores. Personally, I have no problem using the ATM but I still prefer to buy things using cash. As for computer banking and purchasing goods on line using credit cards, I don't get involved in such practices simply because I just don't believe that they are a safe way of doing business. This usually means that I don't buy things on line because they mostly don't allow for cheques to be sent to the vender by mail. (Usually there's no mailing address anyway)

I've seen Fax machines come into use and now I'm seeing them fade out of use, along with the VCR, DVD and conventional cameras. One piece of brand new equipment I would like to get however is the " I Pad" (I think??), the gaget that you hold in your hand which can store four books on it and still have room for you to read the newspaper on line. Now that would be a great thing to have during the boring parts of District Assemblies or Presbytery Meetings, and it's small enough to be hidden discretely among your notes so that no-one would notice what you were reading. Now that would be a real technological advance for the future.

Blessings,
Dave

[Jeff Scott]

i always wondered why we called them Mac machines instead of ATM machines.

MAC is an acronym for Money Access Machine.

[Jeff Scott]

I use 2 banks (both credit unions) and do everything either online or through ATM machines. Both Banks are an hour plus away, but good credit unions are not always close. In addition I use AIG orange for mid term savings, and I handle that entirely online. .

Do you mean ING?

[Hans Deventer]

MAC is an acronym for Money Access Machine.

Officially we call them "pinautomaten". "PIN" stands for Personal Identification Number. "Automaat" is any machine that works without human interference. But in slang it is also known as a 'flappentap". "Flappen" is slang for bank notes, "tap" is where the beer comes from in a bar.

[Ryan Scott]

But in slang it is also known as a 'flappentap". "Flappen" is slang for bank notes, "tap" is where the beer comes from in a bar.

This is awesome.

[Jeff Scott]

Officially we call them "pinautomaten". "PIN" stands for Personal Identification Number. "Automaat" is any machine that works without human interference. But in slang it is also known as a 'flappentap". "Flappen" is slang for bank notes, "tap" is where the beer comes from in a bar.

My kids think it's simply a special computer where you put a card in and free money comes out. I remember thinking the SAME thing when I was their age!

[Marsha Lynn]

I use 2 banks (both credit unions) and do everything either online or through ATM machines. Both Banks are an hour plus away, but good credit unions are not always close. In addition I use AIG orange for mid term savings, and I handle that entirely online.

It was as we readied ourselves in the mid-1990s for funding three bachelor degrees at private colleges in the 2000s that I discovered there were many investment opportunities within the reach of even ordinary people (as in, not rich and not interested in doing tons of research into the stock market) giving substantially better returns than the accounts offered by local banks and credit unions. I bought Investing for Dummies and did six months of research before choosing T. Rowe Price as our mutual fund company. Over the years, I have interacted with a live person from that company twice -- by phone. Everything else has been done online or by mail or automated phone menus. The phone stuff dropped out early. The mail is down to a monthly statement and annual figures for tax purposes plus magazine-type information. Online transactions used to require specialized software but are now done through their website.

Yesterday I wrote an old-fashioned paper check against our money market account to cover a major purchase, a rare happening. The money is completely available yet I have never met an employee of the company in person or seen any of the buildings I presume they have somewhere. I guess you could call it "disembodied investing."

[Houston Thomas]

Do people still use ATMs to pull cash out?


Yeah. But only because our baby sitter doesn't accept our check card or have a merchant account for online banking.

[Marsha Lynn]

When it comes to banking, we get charged each time we use a teller...

Wow, is this what the future looks like? Paying extra to talk to a real person?

In my rural community, the bank has three tellers, two drive-through lanes, and one ATM. Going inside or using the ATM are about equal as far as time invested -- first or second in line. The drive-through is most likely to result in an extended wait.

[Marsha Lynn]

Do people still use ATMs to pull cash out?

I visit the ATM twice a week on average to deposit checks. I don't use slips or envelopes anymore. It just scans my check and deposits it for me. I can get a receipt with an image of the check and everything.

What? People still deposit checks? We had to explain to our children that the bank does not just give money away, that what was invisible to them were the automatic deposits that put our money in the bank for later withdrawal.

A couple of weeks ago I forgot to withdraw cash before taking my daughter to the airport. I had something like $6 on me. She was about to fly to Kansas City and didn't have much more. She had to give me a lesson on getting fast food without cash.

;)

[Jeremy D. Scott]

What? People still deposit checks?

Touche!

In general, I write one check a week and deposit one check a week (it's been more lately with serving as registrar for the NN Retreat).

Both checks have to do with our church, the pastor of which is apparently too behind-the-times to set up automatic deposit for the paycheck and online giving for the offering check.

[Gina Stevenson]

My parents, in their 70s and 80s, still write checks and refuse to get ATM cards. Times have changed for some people! :)

Same here. Ma only writes checks, or carries cash, to pay things.


When they first came in, I heard some folks didn't want to use atms because it was the mark of the beast. yup....

Yeah, I too remember this ... tho' how, when they didn't make people receive any permanent "mark" to use the machines, they were tho't of this way, dunno.


Don't lie, Jim. You thought about it, but you were worried the government would spy on you, so you chose to stay off the grid. :)

Knew someone who would not even get a store's card to be scanned when buying, tho' those cards sometimes result in discounts on certain items; didn't want anyone tracking even their buying habits. Tho't that was interesting ....


I refuse to own or use an ATM card. When I need cash, I just ask my wife.

So, you do have an ATM machine ... by the name of "wife." ;)


I've done a lot of moving over the last 5 years, and it seems like everywhere I go has a completely different set of banks than the place before. I've opened a total of 6 different checking accounts in that time period, but I've only had three different PINs. Four of the banks, upon opening the checking account, pull out a keypad and have you punch in the PIN you would like to have. The other two send you certified mail letting you know what your PIN will be. Guess which two I forget frequently.

Shea, you didn't notice that there's usually an option somewhere letting you change it to something you can remember? Have gotten a couple of those assigned PINs before, and then quickly changed them to something I'd remember, as I'd never have been able to remember their meaningless-to-me numbers! ;)


As for computer banking and purchasing goods on line using credit cards, I don't get involved in such practices simply because I just don't believe that they are a safe way of doing business. This usually means that I don't buy things on line because they mostly don't allow for cheques to be sent to the vender by mail. (Usually there's no mailing address anyway)

Yes, I've noticed that, where one might expect to be able to use PayPal, many places won't apparently deal with PayPal. So, if they want a CC#, I just don't do it, either.

[Mike Schutz]

We are in the "mess-in-the-middle" times. We did a unscientific and unrepresentative survey of folks in our church. About 25% never, ever write checks - except for the offering. They don't understand why the church has not set up electronic giving. Another 25% don't have debit cards and don't have computers, and seem as if they don't trust those who do. Some even gave me a lecture about the "mark of the Beast" when I asked the question. The 50% in the middle - including me - carry less money then we used to, but still need some cash, write less checks than we used to, but still write some, and are doing more online bill paying than we used to, but are not fully committed yet. My church pay is deposited electronically, but without online banking I had to go to the bank to find out that there had been an error and I had not been paid for three weeks.
We are not yet at the "tipping point" of moving our church to 100% electronic movement of funds, but we will be there soon.

[John Kennedy]

About the only time I deal with checks is during tax season when clients pay me. Personal banking is pretty convenient for me - the credit union where I have the tax business account has a branch in the supermarket where we always shop. I no longer write checks to pay any bills - it's either through the business's web site or through the bank's bill pay service.

I can still remember always carrying a checkbook - now I think they're somewhere in the desk drawers.

[Marsha Lynn]

We are in the "mess-in-the-middle" times.

We are not yet at the "tipping point" of moving our church to 100% electronic movement of funds, but we will be there soon.

What about outgoing funds? I'm torn on that one. I am treasurer at my church and the bookkeeper for the public library which I direct (which has about half the operating budget of the church).

1. The general church keeps encouraging us to use EFT for WEF and such.

2. At the library, we're not allowed to pay any bills electronically because we need a "paper trail."

3. The state library quit issuing checks to individual libraries several years ago, moving to EFT for the rare occasions when they distribute money. (And, yes, this inconsistency has been noted and protested.)

Thus far, I have stuck to the guidelines from the state board of accounts for both organizations and made no move away from paper checks for either the library or the church. I print all the checks for both organizations so the extra labor is fairly insignificant, although postage is nothing to sneeze at. I'm finding that the GMC is sending out fewer blank forms and return envelopes. They really would like us to switch to EFT.

What is everyone else doing?

Marsha

[Katelynn Scott]

The times haven't changed THAT much. Today in our staff meeting, the principal at my school actually proposed we form a "Gum Committee" to discuss the problem of gum chewing. SERIOUSLY? At this point, I feel like kids are always going to chew gum and teachers are always going to make them spit it out. We don't need a committee to discuss this phenomenon. ;o )

[David Graham]

Wow, is this what the future looks like? Paying extra to talk to a real person?

In my rural community, the bank has three tellers, two drive-through lanes, and one ATM. Going inside or using the ATM are about equal as far as time invested -- first or second in line. The drive-through is most likely to result in an extended wait.

Yes Marsha, I'm afraid so. We've had these charges on transactions with "real people" for several years now, hence I hav'nt used a bank teller for a long time. Also we get paid electronically (e.g. direct deposit into our accounts) so we don't even have to deposit our pay cheques. In addition, personal cheque accounts are virtually non existent now, again because of bank charges.
Cheers,
Dave

[John Kennedy]

The times haven't changed THAT much. Today in our staff meeting, the principal at my school actually proposed we form a "Gum Committee" to discuss the problem of gum chewing. SERIOUSLY? At this point, I feel like kids are always going to chew gum and teachers are always going to make them spit it out. We don't need a committee to discuss this phenomenon. ;o )

Eternally in search of the 'teachable moment' I approached the gum issue from a health ed perspective. I told my students that since gum chewing was either the result of or cause of brain damage we would take no chances. Sometimes when the problem surfaced I would haul out Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and read the chapter about Violet Beauregard.

It's one of those unwinnable wars, though. If they'd just not 'chomp' so vigorously and keep the blasted stuff in their mouths and off the floor and and furniture it might not be so bad. I will admit, on occasion, to making the most egregious offenders write sentences: "Since I am not a cow I don't need to chew my cud'. After some rumination, the smarter ones would begin to figure out the chew wasn't worth the consequences.

[Susan Unger]

Yes Marsha, I'm afraid so. We've had these charges on transactions with "real people" for several years now, hence I hav'nt used a bank teller for a long time. Also we get paid electronically (e.g. direct deposit into our accounts) so we don't even have to deposit our pay cheques. In addition, personal cheque accounts are virtually non existent now, again because of bank charges.
Cheers,
Dave

Now how can you pay your bills without a personal checking account? Or am I really behind the times and have missed something important?

[Dave McClung]

Do people still use ATMs to pull cash out?

I visit the ATM twice a week on average to deposit checks. I don't use slips or envelopes anymore. It just scans my check and deposits it for me. I can get a receipt with an image of the check and everything. ...

I don't even visit an ATM for deposits. My bank allows me to deposit directly from the scanner on my desk. It still blows my mind that I can simply scan the check on my home scanner and shred it.

[Ryan Scott]

Now how can you pay your bills without a personal checking account? Or am I really behind the times and have missed something important?

You don't need an account with checks to pay bills electronically. You just need an account. I think that's what David was getting at.

[Ryan Scott]

2. At the library, we're not allowed to pay any bills electronically because we need a "paper trail."


If you have to have a paper trail, wouldn't a printout of the deposit receipt from whatever organization you were paying online count?

[Susan Unger]

You don't need an account with checks to pay bills electronically. You just need an account. I think that's what David was getting at.

At first that is what I thought he meant [account with out checks], but upon rereading it, it still seemed he was saying no account at all.

[David Graham]

At first that is what I thought he meant [account with out checks], but upon rereading it, it still seemed he was saying no account at all.

Yep, most people no longer have personal cheque accounts, and most people also pay their bills electronically by transferring funds from their bank accounts (i.e. savings accounts) using either EFTPOS (Electronic Fund Transfer Point of Sale) facilities, internet banking (Not for me!) or phone banking using the digits on the phone to put in account number details etc.

Of course, you can still get cash out of the ATM and go straight to the company where you have a bill and pay it over the counter, although some companies are trying to discourage this practice. (e.g. Utility providers such as for Electricity, gas, phone, internet etc)

Cheers,
Dave

[Susan Unger]

Yep, most people no longer have personal cheque accounts, and most people also pay their bills electronically by transferring funds from their bank accounts (i.e. savings accounts) using either EFTPOS (Electronic Fund Transfer Point of Sale) facilities, internet banking (Not for me!) or phone banking using the digits on the phone to put in account number details etc.

Of course, you can still get cash out of the ATM and go straight to the company where you have a bill and pay it over the counter, although some companies are trying to discourage this practice. (e.g. Utility providers such as for Electricity, gas, phone, internet etc)

Cheers,
DaveI haven't heard of doing it in such a way. Wonder if that can be done in the USA, too. I know when I set up my two accounts within the last four years, it was assumed I would use a checking account.