Trip from Indy to California and back

niemi24s said:

• Those who pull the bait along from a moving boat practice what's known as...uh...er...dang, I can't remember what this one's called. Oh well.

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I think that's trawling. Or at least that's what's done with a net.

Strike that. Dragging. Sounds a lot like AU.

I picked up a twenty dollar heated throw today,(used a gift card). I am cold natured especially when sitting still.

I tried to find a travel game of backgammon.. Walmart had none. Just thinking of ways to pass the time when not eating,sleeping or looking out the window.. Yeah I know,I could actually converse with my wife of 27 years.. But....

Devil's Advocate said:

valkyrie said:

On a LD train with several meals in the dining car it helps to plan ahead so you don't run out of cash. For me it's just easier to carry $2's. If you have a different solution that's ok but don't ridicule me for choosing to use $2's.

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In my experience $2 bills are not something you just casually bump into. They're not coming out of any ATM I've ever seen. Nor are you likely to receive them as change from any routine purchase. You have to make time during bankers hours to go and request them in person. Are you aware that in 2015 people of working age can go years without personally entering a physical bank?

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With Amtrak's inability to leave a credit card tip without having something purchased during the meal, small bills are required if I want to tip and don't want to purchase alcohol with the meal. $5s and $1s are fine, but a lot of people quote a standard $2 for breakfast, $3 for lunch, and $5 for supper and a $2 bill reduces both breakfast and lunch by one bill. Since I have to go to the bank anyways to get change (I usually don't have enough $5s or $1s for tips, and the only place that reliably will break a $20 without a purchase is a physical bank) there's no difference in requesting a $2 bill versus a $1 bill. If someone's grabbing $40 out of the ATM and exchanging it during purchases, it might be possible to get the exact change that you want, but it's not always available (nor really the job of a store to give specific denominations other than the minimum required to make the change needed.) A bank or credit union is much more reliable to get change made at, and at that point requesting a $2 bill versus a $1 bill isn't really asking a whole lot more.

Live dangerously. Tip the waiter $3—with one $2 bill and one $1 Susan B. Anthony coin.

In a small town in upper Michigan I tried to pay for a cup of coffee with a $1 coin. The waitress refused it. She didn't think it was real. I asked for the management, who was her mother. She didn't think it was real either.

God love small-town folk.

jebr said:

Since I have to go to the bank anyways to get change (I usually don't have enough $5s or $1s for tips, and the only place that reliably will break a $20 without a purchase is a physical bank) there's no difference in requesting a $2 bill versus a $1 bill.

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I find them convenient, but when I ask for them it's often one teller asking around, or where they make a trip to "the vault". The manager will typically say it's no problem as they need to pull bills out of the vault during the day. In any case I've never had a teller act as if I was wasting their time.

I called my bank today,they had one two dollar bill on hand.. I ordered fifty of them. They will be here next week.

jebr said:

$5s and $1s are fine, but a lot of people quote a standard $2 for breakfast, $3 for lunch, and $5 for supper and a $2 bill reduces both breakfast and lunch by one bill. Since I have to go to the bank anyways to get change (I usually don't have enough $5s or $1s for tips, and the only place that reliably will break a $20 without a purchase is a physical bank) there's no difference in requesting a $2 bill versus a $1 bill. If someone's grabbing $40 out of the ATM and exchanging it during purchases, it might be possible to get the exact change that you want, but it's not always available (nor really the job of a store to give specific denominations other than the minimum required to make the change needed.) A bank or credit union is much more reliable to get change made at, and at that point requesting a $2 bill versus a $1 bill isn't really asking a whole lot more.

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This explanation almost sounds like you're working backward from the result rather than forward from the original problem. It's hard to imagine a trip duration that is so long and/or a wallet or billfold that is so small that carrying $10 per day in tips would be difficult to manage. You never explained why you cannot simply collect your money from any nearby ATM and then split your larger bills on board the train itself. You appear to be claiming that ease of use is the primary consideration even though you also seem to be going out of your way to make the task more tedious. For whatever reason, here on AU the act of tipping is seen as some sort of arcane ritual requiring special effort and preparation. Indeed your own constraints as explained in your own words appear arbitrary and self imposed.

Consider this example...

ericjeeper said:

I called my bank today,they had one two dollar bill on hand.. I ordered fifty of them. They will be here next week.

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I think it's quite clear that whatever reason most people have for insisting upon $2 bills it's probably not related to ease of access or use.

As for me, I use ones......

I happen to enjoy going into my bank.. And I figure I do not have to carry all the stripper handled ones..I mean who ever tucked a two dollar bill?

ericjeeper said:

I happen to enjoy going into my bank.. And I figure I do not have to carry all the stripper handled ones..I mean who ever tucked a two dollar bill?

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Funny you should mention that. Apparently some of these adult businesses are giving out $2 bills as change to trying and help get higher pay. My understanding is that in some jurisdictions they're considered independent contractors and that most of their income comes from such bills. It would be interesting if the discontinued one dollar bills in place of coins like countries such as Canada or Australia. Strike that - I read up on that and they actually get creative with coins and how to catch them.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/2006-11-06-two-dollar_x.htm

One group that has embraced the note is the exotic dancing industry. Strip clubs hand out $2 bills when they give customers their change, and the bills end up in dancers' garters and bartenders' tip jars.

"The entertainers love it because it doubles their tip money," says Angelina Spencer, a former stripper who is executive director of the Association of Club Executives, an adult nightclub trade group.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2012/10/29/portland-is-infested-with-a-strip-clubs-red-stained-2-bills/

A strip club owner in Portland is ruffling federal feathers by dispersing $2 bills that appear to be bloodstained around the edges. They’re not — it’s just ink. But it’s still a point of contention with federal authorities who are investigating the proliferation of the stained bills.

The source? Casa Diablo, a Northwest Portland strip joint. Manager Johnny Zukle said it’s part of his plan to get his dancer bigger tips and create some buzz for the club.

I have not been in to such place in years.. I reckon inflation has hit the slobber trough industry too.

ericjeeper said:

I have not been in to such place in years.. I reckon inflation has hit the slobber trough industry too.

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I myself have never been to such a place. However, at a bachelor party the "entertainment" accepted cash directly in her hand. I'd be better off not elaborating other than I think it was legal.