Split Checks?

[gina2000]

Well, I'm just relaying what is done in my area. For whatever reason, people here tend to carry a lot of cash (think sopranos or NJ housewives). Some of my friends do not use credit cards, at all. I never heard of more than one person using their credit card to pay the bill - really, it's just not done here. If someone didn't have cash, everyone else would give their cash to that person, and he or she would cover the bill with the card.

Where do you live that homes cost that much? I don't think it can be around here (just guessing, since no one does separate checks here).

I totally agree with the bolded. I'm from NJ also and we've never handed multiple credit cards to cover a bill. It's either all cash or one person pays and we hand that person the cash. Interestingly enough, I was in Pittsburgh for the first time over the weekend and had dinner with a friend I hadn't seen or kept touch with for 18 years. We split the tab in two (we actually had 3 people in my party and he had 2). We handed my friend cash. He said that when they go out with friends, they hand in two credit cards and the waitstaff splits the bill - half for each credit card. I had never seen or heard of it before!

So he obviously and willingly picked up part of my bill. I guess it's just who you are out with and what people are willing to do.

 

[U2_rocks!]

And the last time it happened to me, it was a large group of people meeting fo the first time. A subset of the group left early to catch a train and threw money down to "split the check." My $30 meal ended up costing me $80. That was $50 I wasn't planning on spending on someone else's food and drink. If that's cool with you, awesome! Congrats on the size of your expendable income!

I would have been livid! It's not that I am cheap or never generous - I'd just like the generosity to be MY choice, not something that was forced on me. Who knows what my financial circumstances happened to be at that moment? That $50 extra could really have hurt, yet on another occasion I might have been more than happy to cover a friend. Just let me please be the one to determine that!

 

[sam_gordon]

Well, I'm just relaying what is done in my area. For whatever reason, people here tend to carry a lot of cash (think sopranos or NJ housewives). Some of my friends do not use credit cards, at all. I never heard of more than one person using their credit card to pay the bill - really, it's just not done here. If someone didn't have cash, everyone else would give their cash to that person, and he or she would cover the bill with the card.

Where do you live that homes cost that much? I don't think it can be around here (just guessing, since no one does separate checks here).

Regarding the bolded... what happens if TWO people (or groups) want to pay with cards?

 

[mhsjax]

So you exaggerated to impress the other poster?

What else did you exaggerate about?

Nope didn't exaggerate at all. YOu all don't know my zip code.

 

[gina2000]

Regarding the bolded... what happens if TWO people (or groups) want to pay with cards?

One person pays and they even up later. I know it sounds strange but that's all I've ever seen in NJ. And truthfully, most people bring cash when it's a group. I know it sounds strange....but I swear it's all I've ever seen.

Also, Chase now offers the option of transferring cash via your cell phone from your account to your friend's account. Although I've never done that, I'm thinking a lot of people may opt for that option .

 

[mhsjax]

Sorry, but no, they aren't like this everywhere (and for fun, I just checked, and median home sales in that area for the past 6 months are half of what they were here). Yes, sales are down here, too. A few years ago, you couldn't find a 3 bedroom fixer-upper for under $500,000, on a postage-stamp lot. There is no such thing as a stand-alone 2 bedroom home for under $300,000.

never mind, I have more class. Won't respond.

 

[cluvsdisney]

One person pays and they even up later. I know it sounds strange but that's all I've ever seen in NJ. And truthfully, most people bring cash when it's a group. I know it sounds strange....but I swear it's all I've ever seen.
Also, Chase now offers the option of transferring cash via your cell phone from your account to your friend's account. Although I've never done that, I'm thinking a lot of people may opt for that option .

This is what we do also. A couple of times someone wrote a check to the person paying with their credit card.

 

[mjkacmom]

never mind, I have more class. Won't respond.

Listen, NYC has the highest COL in the entire nation. The suburbs with the highest COL/housing prices are outside the cities with the highest COL. NONE are anywhere near Florida. Sure, there are multimillion dollar homes everywhere, and many here. I'm talking about your basic 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, less than 2000 square foot starter home.

There aren't that many areas with 5 figure property taxes on little bungalows.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

It's separate checks or people chip in for what they ordered plus their share of the tip in my experience. And I've been all over the place. I've never seen anyone that just ordered a $10 salad for example, be expected to pay the same as those that ordered full meals at $30 each. Oh sometimes people come out a few cents to the good or a few cents to the bad on their share of the tip because they don't carry change or if there's just so little difference in bills it doesn't matter, I've seen everyone throw in the same. But not if there's a significant difference in orders. I've really never given it much thought as to the cheapness, or classiness, or manners or that sort of thing as to which is done.

 

[ilovemk76]

Listen, NYC has the highest COL in the entire nation. The suburbs with the highest COL/housing prices are outside the cities with the highest COL. NONE are anywhere near Florida. Sure, there are multimillion dollar homes everywhere, and many here. I'm talking about your basic 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, less than 2000 square foot starter home.

There aren't that many areas with 5 figure property taxes on little bungalows.

She has more money and class; stop arguing facts!

 

[wvjules]

The big klassy cities split the check evenly. The country bumpkins are all penny-pinching seperatists.

 

[cornflake]

As weird as it may seem to you to see separate checks, I'm curious how that's really any different than handing the server 1 check with 7 credit cards for her to scan or asking her to make change for several different people all on the same check. If you're each going to pay as a separate transaction wouldn't a separate check make much, much more sense? The point of one check is to make one transaction. If one individual is going to pay for the entire bill, or at least take charge & collect the $$ to give to the server as a single transaction, then a single check makes sense. Otherwise, not so much. And I don't think that has anything to do with being an "adult" or not - not if everyone's splitting the bill anyway.

That would never happen - or at least, for those of us who've never done the separate check thing, it doesn't happen.

That's bizarre and I'd be totally embarrassed to even begin to ask for that.

 

[ilovemk76]

Moving from NJ metro NYC area to Metro Jacksonville will result in a 25% reduction in income to live the same life style.

http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/savings/moving-cost-of-living-calculator.aspx


Product New York-White Jacksonville FL Difference
Plains-Wayne Metro
NY-NJ Metro
Div. - Bergen-Passaic NJ
Home Price $443,464.00 $212,531.00 $230,933.00

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

The big klassy cities split the check evenly. The country bumpkins are all penny-pinching seperatists.

Ahem. I believe what you meant to say was, "The snobby areas expect other people to pick up the slack for them not paying for the things that they consume while the gentler, friendlier areas believe in paying their own way."

 

[Buckalew11]

I do not put food on a CC unless I am on vacation and even then I try not to.

I do not use a debit card. I've never withdrawn cash from an ATM. I'm a dinosaur, I think.

I'm going out with girlfriends tonight & will say "separate checks" when asked by the server and I'll sit there and think about this thread!

 

[Casperina]

So, someone is cheap for wanting separate bills when they do not want to pay what could possibly be 2-3 times their meal if it was split evenly?

 

[Casperina]

Ahem. I believe what you meant to say was, "The snobby areas expect other people to pick up the slack for them not paying for the things that they consume while the gentler, friendlier areas believe in paying their own way."

 

[Becky2005]

I'm in a far west suburb of Chicago and it all depends on who is going out, etc... but I learned the hard way a long time ago, since I don't drink alcohol - not a good thing to split the evenly. It was how I got an $18 hamburger & coke for lunch once.

If it is close friends, etc.. we might split but that usually only happens when everyone pretty much orders about the same average amount of stuff.

I know a couple of my co-workers & I will go out occassionally and we all get seperate checks.

 

[CdnCarrie]

I go out with the girls alot & around here the places we go don't even ask anymore the checks are just split. My friend who is a server says she does better(tips) when the checks are split.

Kae

This.

 

[Skip2MyLou]

OK thanks, hey with this menopausal brain I don't trust anything I remember any more! I have more Post it notes around here than 3M. Wasn't accusing just remembering I had to think how to vote.

Sounds like we are in a similar boat. I am 30 weeks pregnant with twins. One baby is pushing up on me & I think he is cutting off oxygen to my brain. I had to go back & read my own OP to make sure I said what I was thinking. Which I kinda did....I guess. OH well!

The big klassy cities split the check evenly. The country bumpkins are all penny-pinching seperatists.

So, someone is cheap for wanting separate bills when they do not want to pay what could possibly be 2-3 times their meal if it was split evenly?

And that is EXACTLY what started this thread, on another thread. I was



And now I'm wondering if we don't need another poll to see who carries Cash, who uses debit/credit, or Both???

Cause I know my daughter is lucky if she finds 7-cents in the bottom of my wallet. I never have cash on me, unless there is a reason for it that I know ahead of time....like going on vacation or the going to the farmers market or something.