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Canada got rid of it a few years ago despite all the wild-eyed hysteria surrounding the phase-out. Senior citizens did not go bankrupt, stores selling inexpensi

Canada got rid of it a few years ago despite all the wild-eyed hysteria surrounding the phase-out. Senior citizens did not go bankrupt, stores selling inexpensive items did not go under, and a myriad of other nonsense proved to be utterly unfounded. A penny is so worthless these days even homeless people throw them out. Visiting the US is like visiting a time machine where pennies and dollar bills still exist, where chip and pin is only just coming into fashion, and where "checks" are still used for ordinary transactions like buying groceries.

BinaryIdiot 10y ago
> where "checks" are still used for ordinary transactions like buying groceries. I've been wondering if there are statistics regarding the usage of checks. When I was younger almost every week I'd get stuck in line by someone very, very slowly writing a check. But I haven't seen someone write one in...well it must be at least 3 or 4 years ago and that was at some tiny store that didn't accept credit cards. Do people really still write checks in a number that's in any way significant?
- maxerickson 10y ago
  I saw a middle aged person buy groceries with a check a week ago.
  - khedoros1 10y ago
    I don't think I've seen anyone buy groceries with a check in about 20 years, although it doesn't surprise me that it still happens.
    - ghaff 10y ago
      I've seen it way more recently than that but it's not all that common.
- ghaff 10y ago
  I don't in stores but it's still pretty much the standard way to pay a lot of service people. (Physical checks are also used in a number of payments I make through my online bank bill pay although I never see the actual check.)
  - BinaryIdiot 10y ago
    > it's still pretty much the standard way to pay a lot of service people Fair enough I was mostly referring to using them at retail locations like I thought parent was alluding to. I forgot I also pay more service folks with a check (though with things like stripe I see more and more service folks using those to prevent bounced checks).
- rileyteige 10y ago
  I write 5 or 6 checks per month for various things like paying the vet (horses), paying the farrier (horses), paying an instructor of mine, paying board (horses again), etc. Also rent - my apartment complex supports ePay, but adds a surcharge. No surcharge with checks.
- LyndsySimon 10y ago
  My wife still prefers to use them for groceries - I'm not really sure why, but she does. They aren't any slower than a card nowadays, with check printers. You don't even have to sign them.
  - astrodust 10y ago
    Card = tap and done here. For larger purchases chip and a 4-digit PIN. Never bounces. Never gets stolen and used to make fraudulent withdrawals, at least so long as skimmers are mostly mag-stripe readers.
    - LyndsySimon 10y ago
      > Card = tap and done here Almost nowhere we shop has NFC readers yet. They're gaining adoption, but they're far from ubiquitous. Those that do often require that you sign a receipt in addition to presenting your device or card. I've had one place go as far as to require a PIN and a signature... on a purchase where I had to unlock my phone with a fingerprint. Compare that to "hand the clerk a paper check, clerk inserts it into the register, then hands it back to you". > Never bounces Sure they can. They can also be reversed, in some cases weeks after the purchase. Large retailers who print/scan checks (e.g., WalMart) present it to the bank electronically, instantly. There's actually a significantly stronger guarantee that the money is actually there in that case. > Never gets stolen and used to make fraudulent withdrawals, at least so long as skimmers are mostly mag-stripe readers. This is a risk, sure - but it's on the retailers, not the consumer. It's a hassle for a consumer but most banks will happily reverse the charges for you if you report a checkbook stolen.
Coincoin 10y ago
The canadian penny phase out went so smooth I didn't even notice it... Until I went to the U.S. and the cashier gave me pennies. I felt somewhere between being pissed off and amused.
- LammyL 10y ago
  Same. Whenever I go to the US and they give me pennies, I just give them right back. I have zero use for pennies. I also really wish they switched from dollar bills to coins.
bryanlarsen 10y ago
And the Tories got a substantial boost in popularity at a time when they were mired in scandal. Cynics speculated that they saved the phase out to have an easy policy they could roll out when they needed it. But I think it was the media's policy of always showing both sides of an issue that made it seem much more contentious than it really was.
emilyfm 10y ago
Canada still has pricing to the penny, and if you pay with something electronic (like a card, or online transfer) you still pay the exact amount, to the penny. It's just cash that gets rounded. This means there is no reason for shops to adjust their pricing for rounding (basically impossible anyway as GST/HST/PST tax is added later) since only a minority pay with cash. It's a good way to avoid any side effects of getting rid of the small coins.

BinaryIdiot 10y ago

> where "checks" are still used for ordinary transactions like buying groceries. I've been wondering if there are statistics regarding the usage of checks. When I was younger almost every week I'd get stuck in line by someone very, very slowly writing a check. But I haven't seen someone write one in...well it must be at least 3 or 4 years ago and that was at some tiny store that didn't accept credit cards. Do people really still write checks in a number that's in any way significant?

maxerickson 10y ago
I saw a middle aged person buy groceries with a check a week ago.
- khedoros1 10y ago
  I don't think I've seen anyone buy groceries with a check in about 20 years, although it doesn't surprise me that it still happens.
  - ghaff 10y ago
    I've seen it way more recently than that but it's not all that common.
ghaff 10y ago
I don't in stores but it's still pretty much the standard way to pay a lot of service people. (Physical checks are also used in a number of payments I make through my online bank bill pay although I never see the actual check.)
- BinaryIdiot 10y ago
  > it's still pretty much the standard way to pay a lot of service people Fair enough I was mostly referring to using them at retail locations like I thought parent was alluding to. I forgot I also pay more service folks with a check (though with things like stripe I see more and more service folks using those to prevent bounced checks).
rileyteige 10y ago
I write 5 or 6 checks per month for various things like paying the vet (horses), paying the farrier (horses), paying an instructor of mine, paying board (horses again), etc. Also rent - my apartment complex supports ePay, but adds a surcharge. No surcharge with checks.
LyndsySimon 10y ago
My wife still prefers to use them for groceries - I'm not really sure why, but she does. They aren't any slower than a card nowadays, with check printers. You don't even have to sign them.
- astrodust 10y ago
  Card = tap and done here. For larger purchases chip and a 4-digit PIN. Never bounces. Never gets stolen and used to make fraudulent withdrawals, at least so long as skimmers are mostly mag-stripe readers.
  - LyndsySimon 10y ago
    > Card = tap and done here Almost nowhere we shop has NFC readers yet. They're gaining adoption, but they're far from ubiquitous. Those that do often require that you sign a receipt in addition to presenting your device or card. I've had one place go as far as to require a PIN and a signature... on a purchase where I had to unlock my phone with a fingerprint. Compare that to "hand the clerk a paper check, clerk inserts it into the register, then hands it back to you". > Never bounces Sure they can. They can also be reversed, in some cases weeks after the purchase. Large retailers who print/scan checks (e.g., WalMart) present it to the bank electronically, instantly. There's actually a significantly stronger guarantee that the money is actually there in that case. > Never gets stolen and used to make fraudulent withdrawals, at least so long as skimmers are mostly mag-stripe readers. This is a risk, sure - but it's on the retailers, not the consumer. It's a hassle for a consumer but most banks will happily reverse the charges for you if you report a checkbook stolen.

Coincoin 10y ago

The canadian penny phase out went so smooth I didn't even notice it... Until I went to the U.S. and the cashier gave me pennies. I felt somewhere between being pissed off and amused.

LammyL 10y ago
Same. Whenever I go to the US and they give me pennies, I just give them right back. I have zero use for pennies. I also really wish they switched from dollar bills to coins.

bryanlarsen 10y ago

And the Tories got a substantial boost in popularity at a time when they were mired in scandal. Cynics speculated that they saved the phase out to have an easy policy they could roll out when they needed it. But I think it was the media's policy of always showing both sides of an issue that made it seem much more contentious than it really was.

emilyfm 10y ago

Canada still has pricing to the penny, and if you pay with something electronic (like a card, or online transfer) you still pay the exact amount, to the penny. It's just cash that gets rounded. This means there is no reason for shops to adjust their pricing for rounding (basically impossible anyway as GST/HST/PST tax is added later) since only a minority pay with cash. It's a good way to avoid any side effects of getting rid of the small coins.