The Coffee House

[limr44]

When cashiers ask for my phone number, I almost always ask them why (depends on the store, why I am there, and whether or not I have already given them my number.) They usually don't know how to answer that, so they just carry on with the checking out process.

In general, I don't worry about someone overhearing. Most people wouldn't notice an elephant in front of them, much less an opportunity to steal someone's identity. Besides, who can remember phone numbers anymore?

With voice recorder apps on most smart phones, remembrance isn't a worry

Again, this relies on a person's capability to both notice and care enough to try to get people's information this way.

People are remarkably unobservant.

Plus, it's a lot easier to get information, especially a phone number, from the Internet rather than hanging out in checkout lines waiting for someone to give their phone number.

 

[davidharmier60]

I have an email address that does not include any portion of my name.
I get anywhere from 4 to 8 political emails every day. Whatever I search for on Google pops up as an advertisement on my comics pages.

As for my day. 5 and a little over 3/4 hours today. 17.09 for the week in which I will be off Saturday. The checks are here and will be available after noon.

I don't know what good it does but I have a Walgreens fob I use. We DO get % off coupons sent to us from Tractor Supply.
And O'Reilly sends stuff too.

My phone did not indicate any rain. But it's sprinkling with rather big drops.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[tirediron]

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Through cash rewards, I save about $6-700 a year using my Amex everywhere.

Agreed! I never pay cash - only use it for tipping. I don't carry a balance on any cards and I find it so much easier to keep records and budget when everything is recorded for me to review and track spending. Plus haven't paid for a flight or hotel since 2013 due to credit card miles/bonuses.

And herein lies the problem. You are NOT saving money; these so-called rewards are COSTING you (and everyone else) money; a lot of money. "Rewards programs", "incentives" or whatever name the company chooses to give them have one purpose: To get you, the consumer to use your plastic for payment instead of using cash. Why? Because the more you do that, the more payment-processing companies can charge their 1.75 - 3.55% processing fee to the retailer. The net result of this is that the retailer, recognizing that a majority of people today are too lazy too bother with cash, immediately increases his prices about 2.5% (national average in Canada, YMMV) to account for the fees that MOST customers will cost him.

Oh, and if you're a "But I use my debit card, not my credit card..." sort of person, well, guess what? The banks still charge for that privilege, but the fees are much more cleverly hidden. It's all well and good to think that you get money back, but if you actually put pencil to paper and calculate what 2.5% of everything you spend in a year would be...

 

[SquarePeg50]

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Through cash rewards, I save about $6-700 a year using my Amex everywhere.

Agreed! I never pay cash - only use it for tipping. I don't carry a balance on any cards and I find it so much easier to keep records and budget when everything is recorded for me to review and track spending. Plus haven't paid for a flight or hotel since 2013 due to credit card miles/bonuses.

And herein lies the problem. You are NOT saving money; these so-called rewards are COSTING you (and everyone else) money; a lot of money. "Rewards programs", "incentives" or whatever name the company chooses to give them have one purpose: To get you, the consumer to use your plastic for payment instead of using cash. Why? Because the more you do that, the more payment-processing companies can charge their 1.75 - 3.55% processing fee to the retailer. The net result of this is that the retailer, recognizing that a majority of people today are too lazy too bother with cash, immediately increases his prices about 2.5% (national average in Canada, YMMV) to account for the fees that MOST customers will cost him.

Oh, and if you're a "But I use my debit card, not my credit card..." sort of person, well, guess what? The banks still charge for that privilege, but the fees are much more cleverly hidden. It's all well and good to think that you get money back, but if you actually put pencil to paper and calculate what 2.5% of everything you spend in a year would be...

Yeah yeah so you've said before - we'll have to agree to disagree on the cash is better for everyone theory. Retailers will charge what the market will bear and not a cent less no matter what the payment process is. I think you're jealous of all my free travel

 

[vintagesnaps]

It may not happen again, but... go the better part of a week without power! All I had was the radio and candles and flashlights. We had hurricane force winds get this far north and so many lines and tree branches were down, everything was down! My work cell phone was going down within a day or two but they since boosted the backup for the towers and I'm farther from the towers. Gas pumps were down too, gas stations were closed, there was no going anywhere! I'm keeping landlines and keep some cash on hand.

Only time I need cash at home is something like realizing the day the grass would be cut I was low on checks so paid in cash. Or some neighborhood kid comes to the door selling coupon books or whatever the elementary school is doing for a fundraiser. This year it was two girls, Brianna and Brianna (Bree-ann-a and Bree-awn-a); the youngest who was about 7 going on 27 gave me restaurant recommendations, Hot Head Burritos and the smoothie place!

I remember many years ago our local camera store owner telling me how much the fees made a difference for small businesses, harder to absorb the cost. I usually pay cash, makes you think twice before you get it out of your wallet to spend it!

 

[limr44]

It's all made-up crap anyway. Spend your money the way you see fit, and others will do the same.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I just spent some of mine on photography. (My refund!)

 

[tirediron]

Yeah yeah so you've said before - we'll have to agree to disagree on the cash is better for everyone theory. Retailers will charge what the market will bear and not a cent less no matter what the payment process is. I think you're jealous of all my free travel

I'm not going to say that cash is better for everyone, rather that it's widespread use would be beneficial to everyone. You're right, retailers will charge what the market will bear, but they have to add that 2.5% (Or whatever amount is appropriate)... I use 2.85% based on an average of the fees I pay to electronic payment processors.

Jealous of free travel? NO! I have done more than enough travelling to last me a half-dozen lifetimes. I could VERY happily spend the rest of my days confined to Vancouver Island! Now... if you'd said free camera gear? We'd have to discuss that!

 

[SquarePeg50]

Jealous of free travel? NO! I have done more than enough travelling to last me a half-dozen lifetimes. I could VERY happily spend the rest of my days confined to Vancouver Island! Now... if you'd said free camera gear? We'd have to discuss that!

You could get camera gear. My points are flexible and could be used on Amazon to buy gear or to pay my card when the bill comes in but... they go much further when used for travel. a $500 flight might be 32,500 points / a $500 purchase on Amazon would be 62,500 points / a $500 gift card can be had for 50,000 points

 

[Fujidave]

Had a mooch with the GRII today after I went to Jessops.

 

[vintagesnaps]

John, you could do your own reality show where nobody gets voted off the island!

Dave, I bet (hope?) you got something photography related at Jessops...

I think I forgot to post about Easter night... about 12:30ish I heard something and thought is it raining? Then I heard banging/noises, a loud pop and a car door and voices and wondered what on earth are they doing next door? Heard the same sound again but louder and thought it almost sounds like hail?!? but by then knew something was wrong. Walking into the kitchen I could see the sky lit up out back and realized I'd heard the fire crackling, thought their fire pit must have caught something on fire, but it was an outbuilding next to their fence along one side of my yard. It was ablaze, when I called they said a deputy was on scene (that was the car door) and the fire dept. had been dispatched.

Talk about heart pounding, felt like it took forever but was only minutes. That little wood outbuilding was going up in flames fast. Stood there thinking it's going to catch their (wood) fence. Once they got the hoses on it the fire was out fast but it kept smoking (smelled like a campfire), they were here about an hour. One of those things that could've been worse, it wasn't close to a house or garage (their house and mine are brick). I don't even know them since they bought the house and moved in, but they now have no little outbuilding and a big ol' hole in the fence.

It was more fun when the Easter bunny rode by with all the fire vehicles.

 

[CherylL1]

John, you could do your own reality show where nobody gets voted off the island!

Dave, I bet (hope?) you got something photography related at Jessops...

I think I forgot to post about Easter night... about 12:30ish I heard something and thought is it raining? Then I heard banging/noises, a loud pop and a car door and voices and wondered what on earth are they doing next door? Heard the same sound again but louder and thought it almost sounds like hail?!? but by then knew something was wrong. Walking into the kitchen I could see the sky lit up out back and realized I'd heard the fire crackling, thought their fire pit must have caught something on fire, but it was an outbuilding next to their fence along one side of my yard. It was ablaze, when I called they said a deputy was on scene (that was the car door) and the fire dept. had been dispatched.

Talk about heart pounding, felt like it took forever but was only minutes. That little wood outbuilding was going up in flames fast. Stood there thinking it's going to catch their (wood) fence. Once they got the hoses on it the fire was out fast but it kept smoking (smelled like a campfire), they were here about an hour. One of those things that could've been worse, it wasn't close to a house or garage (their house and mine are brick). I don't even know them since they bought the house and moved in, but they now have no little outbuilding and a big ol' hole in the fence.

It was more fun when the Easter bunny rode by with all the fire vehicles.

Wow! Scary to have a fire so close by. Our daughter's car burst into flames in our garage. We were out of town and thankfully my daughter was not in the shower above the garage. She was running late between class & her job. It didn't get into the house except smoke damage. We had to paint inside and replace insulation. It could have been much worse. The garage was a big mess. The wall of tools and shelving was melted into the car so when it was towed out they had to pry items off.

 

[davidharmier60]

Closest I can get to weird noises was when gun shots went off next door when we still lived in Houston.
I say it was drug related because I had been keeping a list of how many different vehicles had been visiting for minutes each. We have heavy weather coming in about an hour and a half. If as heavy as they say we may very well lose power and tarps off the roof. Sure glad I did the Marquee today!

 

[smoke665]

I'm not going to say that cash is better for everyone, rather that it's widespread use would be beneficial to everyone.

I only carry two cards, I also carry cash but rarely use it. I Quick Books for business and Quicken for personal. Using the cards lets me download transaction into categorized transactions. I pay the balance in full and take the cash back.

When we travel most of the truck stops give a discount for cash or debit cards, so I buy prepaid debit cards at Kroger with my credit card (cash back), which also earns me fuel discount points at Kroger. Using the prepaid debit cards on the road is safer as well.

 

[RowdyRay]

Anybody that thinks they're saving money with an "incentive program" or "rewards program", is a fool. There, I said it. Somebody is making money from it and it's not you or the retailer you bought from. It's a greedy middle man skimming money from a simple electronic money transfer. They WANT you to believe you're saving money. And if you carry a balance on that card, charge you a crazy interest rate that completely negates any savings that may have occurred. Wake up. Nothing is free!