How Many People Remember How Cash Was Used Prior to ATM's?

I use cash and pay my bills with a check and couldn't tell you how to operate an atm.

And I still have never used or owned a cell phone.

Hilarious because it's true, at least in my case.

I have known it that way for years.

I would go to the bank employee desk and get whatever cash I needed for the week, once a week.

There was no ATMs, no Internet, and no Euros even less mobile phones.

Payments were made by checks.

You would call a company and talk to real humans, not artificial voices that asked to press numbers on your phone.

Rotary phones were great!!

Life was really good.

NOw everything is being de-materialized. A.I. and machines replacing humans more and more.

I want to turn back the time.

Automatic Teller Machine??

(human replacements) >> less jobs

In 76 my crazy depression-era-baby father (Korean war fighting age) wanted to buy a new car. Wanted to pay cash. He went to the bank and got the cash. 5200. Yes cars were cheap in 76. Brought the cash home. What do you think?
Hundreds? 50s?

No. They gave him THREE 1,000 DOLLAR BILLS and the rest in hundreds and fifties. I was in grade school. That was the only time I have ever touched a 1,000 dollar bill.

And since then I have only seen them on Let's Make A Deal reruns with Monty giving away $500s and $1000s to contestants.

Not sure what year they took them out of circulation but you're supposed to turn those in.

Omg rotary phones! Lol

The house I grew up in was built in the late 60s. Every house back then had rotary phones HARDWIRED into the wall. And you didn't own them. You rented them from Ma Bell. There was a line on your phone bill showing how much you paid each month.

When Touch Tone phones became popular my mother made my dad swap out the rotaries for the touch tones. STILL rented. STILL a monthly fee on the bill.

Kind of like a cable box I guess. They install it. They own it.

My first job in 1966, I got paid with a little
manila envelope with cash inside, and on the
outside was written my hours, deductions, etc.

There were no ATMs, no credit cards, just cash.
Businesses had "charga-plates" but kids my age
(16) weren't eligible to have them. Just adults.

CASH was KING, and there were no scanners at the
checkout, just people who were lightning fast on
CASH REGISTERS, like ME!!!

I could make that thing SMOKE, and I'd go toe to
toe with ANY of today's scanners. I'd get you out
of the store twice as fast and bag you too.

These eons later, I just shake my head at how
SLOW the lines move with all that high technology.

I would have been fired if I was that slow.

I would just go to the TYME machine, lol.

Yes, but we could count change, balance our checkbooks, plan a budget and stick to it, and not go bananas with spending. We saved up for large purchases and only shopped for what was absolutely necessary. At least, I did as that is the way I was raised.

Never owned a credit card.

Now you need a stupid mobile phone to even access your bank account. If you call into the bank to get service, you get asked a zillion questions. They actually trust a stupid phone more than a person and they treat you like a second-class citizen if you don't have a cell phone. It's just so impersonal any more.

You can only buy herb with cash.

I'm a hybrid dinosaur.....even tho I do the online banking and have credits cards, I like to carry a cash roll....the old vendors I do business with still say "cash is king".....if an items is in short supply, they will hold it for me cuz I pay in cash....

During the covid supermarket hysteria, I got thru the check out line fast cuz they set up 1 just for cash....the other lines was 30+ deep but cash line only had a couple people....

"Floating" checks.

Go to the base PX AFTER 10am (that's when they did their bank run.) Cash a check for $100. You have 3 working days until that check hits your bank on the other side of town. Every 2 days cash another check and deposit the cash to cover the previous check that's still floating around. Rinse and repeat until payday.

It was a free loan.

How much have you paid j bankers in your life, sucker?

LOl...yep. I was in a line up and I gave a $50.00 for a small purchase, and had to explain to the girl how to give change (something wonky with the computer). I didn't embarass her anymore then she already was and calmed her down a bit. SHe smiles at me with a slight nod (MUslim girl) everytime I see her at the shop. Unimaginable that simple math is above many of our youths grasp.

I write checks and I still use cash

I don't trust a piece of plastic and those skimmer scammers are everywhere

Are you kidding I still use a rotary phone!

LOl...no doubt. But our landline has upgraded to push buttons. I miss pagers and phone booths.

Im the late 80s, I remember seeing my Mom write a check addressed to "Cash" and handing it to the grocery checkout clerk to get dollars instead of having to go to the bank.

Can you be more vague ? How 'bout some context to your post so the rest of us can have some idea where you're coming from ? What era are the "old" people from ?
Is being in debt with Max'd out credit so great ? Please elaborate.

I remember locals didn't have change for 100's.

Now you borrow from the bank and pay 21% interest.

Payday was always a social event at the bank, followed by socializing at the bar

used to write a check for 40 over at grocery store when they took checks. Thats how I got my cash.