The demise of the check:: Stores aren’t accepting them; people aren’t writing them

November 25, 2009 – 10:14 am – No Comment

checks

I haven’t used a check at a grocery store in years. I have always used a credit or debit card when I’m out because it’s 1) faster and 2) more convenient. Chris and I have a collection of checks built up just so we can send off our cable, electricity, and gas bill every month but other than that, we never use checks.

There are more frustrating things that go on at the grocery store, but when you’re stuck behind someone who is writing a check it can also be quite irritating, especially if you only have a few items and you have your card ready. Of course, incidents like that have really become less frequent than a few years ago, but every now and then you will get the person who wants to write a check.

Really, when you think about it, writing a check at stores like Wal-Mart have become a moot point. After all, when you write a check, even if you fill the whole thing out and waste everyone’s time, the store runs the check like a debit card. It is electronic now and this way the stores are protecting themselves somewhat from check fraud.

I get annoyed when I see someone pull out a check book at the very end of their grocery store trip. Once everything is rung up and it’s time to pay is NOT the time to look for your checkbook in your gigantic purse; if you’re going to go ahead and pay with a check, perhaps you should have it ready before the entire order is finished. It’s not a surprise that you have to pay at the end. /end rant

I wish stores would ban checks for a number of reasons. I know that there are a few arguments in favor of check writing, like it is easier to keep up with your bank balance when you write a check. However, even that argument is somewhat flawed because you may record a deposit in your check book, but now banks are depositing checks whenever they want to and not necessarily in the order that you actually put them in the bank.