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This story is so messed up on a few levels. First, a question, why money order and not cheque? Naively I think the latter would be a better system. Second, wh
by serge2k 11y ago
This story is so messed up on a few levels.
First, a question, why money order and not cheque? Naively I think the latter would be a better system.
Second, why is a place that charges 10+% the best way the (first? best? only?) option for this person? It's not even a case of not having ID here.
> I stood in amazement watching the police tell this young man that they did him a favor by not hauling him off to jail immediately.
Wow, what a god damn favor. The sad thing is, is it even the police' fault in this case.
> He was livid. I was livid. I literally wanted to break down crying on the spot. It took everything in me to stand tall & resolute.
Just depressing.
> Opening more bank accounts. Teaching financial literacy. Teaching wealth building.
So here's something I think is sad. I'm pretty awful with my finances. I made a very good wage and while I'm not over extended I don't tend to save as much as I should. It's something I work on. But! I have a savings account since I was about 10, and a chequing account since I got my first job. The idea of being denied banking access, whether explicitly or by societal issues, is simply not something I have ever even had to worry about.
- panglott 11y agoI was unbanked for a couple months when I first moved to New York years ago, because I couldn't open a bank account without a utility bill. Eventually the way I got a bank account was because my employer brought one in to sign up employees. Huge numbers of people cash their paychecks at check cashing places. This is just what it's like to be poor in America. You take 10% off the top to cash your paycheck, literally everything costs more, and then you get a bunch of lectures from privileged people about how you need to be more responsible.