Split Checks?

[Gumbo4x4]

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.

And yet, here's how she worded it:

People always pay with cash or pull out a credit card for their share.

So, I'd be curious to hear a clarification on that.

Back to the cash thing, even if everyone has plenty of cash, ATM's don't dispense 1's, 5's, or 10's. I know sometimes there are enough small bills floating around that people can make change in the "pot", but that doesn't always work out - at least not in my circle.

 

[mhsjax]

Psst - we are also smarter, taller, and better looking!!!!

That is your opinion. Way over inflated, just like your property taxes. lol

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Thats me too. Perhaps its out of sight, out of mind? If I have cash on me , I am more likely to spend it.

I'm another one. I hate seeing that CC bill at the end of the month & try to regiment how much cash I withdraw. If I open the wallet & there's no green stuff floating around, I think, "well, can't afford that, today". But, if there's cash, it's game on

 

[CdnCarrie]

I hear the same and wonder where they live, heh. It'd just be near impossible here to not use cash. I mean it'd be technically possible, but you couldn't buy a LOT of stuff.

I went out the other day, planning just to go to the market, and grabbed a cc to stick in my pocket and then hesitated and thought well... I might pass the pizza place and think a slice looks good, or get thirsty and want a drink, as it's hot, or stop at the newsstand, or see something random, or maybe I'll pick up some flowers ... and grabbed a bill too.

Only place you would buy a drink or a slice a pizza would take debit here. And no such thing as newstands. We have online access to the local papers and kindles to read the paper. To buy a paper you would go into a convenience store or grocery store and could pay with debit or credit. There may be a few old fashion paper boxes downtown I guess.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

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?

Apparently, also cheap for suggesting separate checks knowing they're planning to be the most expensive person of the night. If I have my eye on filet mignon or a seafood dish, I don't want to feel like I should get a salad just so I don't feel guilty about being the one who drove up everyone else's bill.


BTW, around here with a large party the first thing we're typically asked is, "Can I get you folks something to drink?". And that's usually followed by, "Will this be on one check?".

 

[cornflake]

Only place you would buy a drink or a slice a pizza would take debit here. And no such thing as newstands. We have online access to the local papers and kindles to read the paper. To buy a paper you would go into a convenience store or grocery store and could pay with debit or credit. There may be a few old fashion paper boxes downtown I guess.

Some pizza places take cards, some don't, I don't know any that'd let you for a slice. Most delis the same, some do and some don't but most all that do have a big minimum (big for what you'd buy in a deli) to use a card.

Newsstands are all over the place here, both freestanding and stores. They sell papers, magazines, candy and such (packets of nuts, etc.), drinks, sometimes lottery tickets, cigarettes, sometimes stamps (sometimes you have to go to the deli), and usually the little things like packs of two Advil, Chapstick, etc.

Typical newsstand, the light by the guy's arm is the beverage cooler -

 

[CdnCarrie]

Some pizza places take cards, some don't, I don't know any that'd let you for a slice. Most delis the same, some do and some don't but most all that do have a big minimum (big for what you'd buy in a deli) to use a card.

Newsstands are all over the place here, both freestanding and stores. They sell papers, magazines, candy and such (packets of nuts, etc.), drinks, sometimes lottery tickets, cigarettes, sometimes stamps (sometimes you have to go to the deli), and usually the little things like packs of two Advil, Chapstick, etc.

Typical newsstand, the light by the guy's arm is the beverage cooler -

So when we visit NYC for the first time next year we should make sure we have lots of small bill I guess.

Nope no newsstand here. Maybe in Toronto.

 

[CdnCarrie]

BTW, around here with a large party the first thing we're typically asked is, "Can I get you folks something to drink?". And that's usually followed by, "Will this be on one check?".

Yes this exactly! Only time they don`t ask if it`s just my spouse, my kids and myself.

 

[cornflake]

So when we visit NYC for the first time next year we should make sure we have lots of small bill I guess.

Nope no newsstand here. Maybe in Toronto.

You should carry cash yeah, you'll break 20s soon enough.

There was a thread a while back with someone whose teen was going on a class trip to NYC and had never been and the poster was asking how much to put on a loadable Visa. A few NYC-area posters were all 'well, how much cash are you sending?' and the poster was like 'huh?' Hadn't occurred they should because they rarely ever use it wherever they live but we do so much here we were like 'if you'd like your child to eat (poster had said they were planning on grabbing pizza and trying food trucks and such for lunch iirc), send cash!'

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Some pizza places take cards, some don't, I don't know any that'd let you for a slice. Most delis the same, some do and some don't but most all that do have a big minimum (big for what you'd buy in a deli) to use a card.

See, to me that would seem very weird. There's the odd place here or there that won't let you use a card at all, and the occasional gas station that charges an extra 3 cents per gallon for credit vs. cash. But, I've never seen a place that said a card was okay *IF* you spend "X amount or more".

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Yes this exactly! Only time they don`t ask if it`s just my spouse, my kids and myself.

Same here. If it's my wife, myself, and my kids or just the two of us, you'd never hear that question. But, a large group of friends or extended family always ellicits that response.

 

[vicki_c]

See, to me that would seem very weird. There's the odd place here or there that won't let you use a card at all, and the occasional gas station that charges an extra 3 cents per gallon for credit vs. cash. But, I've never seen a place that said a card was okay *IF* you spend "X amount or more".

No idea if this was already said in the thread, but merchants actually aren't allowed to set a minimum per the terms of their agreements with the card companies, as far as I know. I have seen it many times though.

 

[Skip2MyLou]

I hear the same and wonder where they live, heh. It'd just be near impossible here to not use cash. I mean it'd be technically possible, but you couldn't buy a LOT of stuff.

I went out the other day, planning just to go to the market, and grabbed a cc to stick in my pocket and then hesitated and thought well... I might pass the pizza place and think a slice looks good, or get thirsty and want a drink, as it's hot, or stop at the newsstand, or see something random, or maybe I'll pick up some flowers ... and grabbed a bill too.

Some pizza places take cards, some don't, I don't know any that'd let you for a slice. Most delis the same, some do and some don't but most all that do have a big minimum (big for what you'd buy in a deli) to use a card.

Newsstands are all over the place here, both freestanding and stores. They sell papers, magazines, candy and such (packets of nuts, etc.), drinks, sometimes lottery tickets, cigarettes, sometimes stamps (sometimes you have to go to the deli), and usually the little things like packs of two Advil, Chapstick, etc.

Typical newsstand, the light by the guy's arm is the beverage cooler -

Bolding mine. Almost everything you mentioned we would purchase at a grocery store or gas station. There are very few gas stations that have a minimum purchase and if they do it is about $3. Not hard to do. So we use our credit or debit card for those things. Even the flowers you can get at the grocery store or a florist.

I was racking my brain trying to think of one place that does not take CC here. Even most of the venders at our farmers market take CC. DH has a small side business & we even looked into getting one of these so we could accept CC

https://squareup.com/?gclid=CP7SyfTw_rECFcKc7QodeGcAaQ

We did go to a consignment sale this past weekend that did not accept CC. I stopped at the ATM on the way. The organizer mentioned they will try to accept CC next year to be more convenient to their customers. That is the only place I can think of that I have been in the last few months that does not accept CC.

 

[gina2000]

See, to me that would seem very weird. There's the odd place here or there that won't let you use a card at all, and the occasional gas station that charges an extra 3 cents per gallon for credit vs. cash. But, I've never seen a place that said a card was okay *IF* you spend "X amount or more".

That's really common around here when you shop in small, unincorporated stores - fresh vegetable stores, immigrant run stores, etc. Many of our storefront restaurants don't take debit cards or credit cards. Cash is king in this type of venue.

Our Dunkin Donuts are pretty much cash n carry as are newsstands. I think some of it stems from the fact that these are individually owned and operated mom n pop stores. They primarily deal in small transactions (under $10) and don't want to pay a vendor fee.

I guess it's just where you are from....and what you are used to. My son always deals in cash with his friends - I don't know if they divide evenly or break out the charges per person. We just divide evenly, pay cash, and figure that it all evens out one way or another. We never itemize.

 

[gina2000]

BTW, around here with a large party the first thing we're typically asked is, "Can I get you folks something to drink?". And that's usually followed by, "Will this be on one check?".

In all of my years I have never heard this phrase. Ever. So it must be regional. I've been out with clients, friends, relatives, etc. Big groups, small groups. Never have I heard this phrase.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

In all of my years I have never heard this phrase. Ever. So it must be regional. I've been out with clients, friends, relatives, etc. Big groups, small groups. Never have I heard this phrase.

I've heard that phrase many places. Might be more common around here, but I also remember hearing it in Trenton at a pub with a bunch of coworkers. That particular time it actually struck me as a little weird because the waitress was the daughter of one member of our party & she knew it was a business dinner. Here though, it's quite common & particularly at lunch if you don't speak up it's almost assumed you'll be on separate checks.

 

[cornflake]

No idea if this was already said in the thread, but merchants actually aren't allowed to set a minimum per the terms of their agreements with the card companies, as far as I know. I have seen it many times though.

I don't think it was mentioned but yeah. Mostly it's workers in the stores, who have no power to do anything about it, they're just following the rules the owner laid out so it's no use arguing.

On occasion I've pushed - a bit ago in a larger deli I ended up with like $8 worth of stuff when I'd only stopped in for like one thing (a cookie bar is not fair) and only had $5 or so left in cash. The guy said minimum was $15 and I said yeah but that violates your merchant agreement and I don't have $8 on me, so cc or nothing. He ran the card reluctantly and told me just that once yada yada.

In a smaller deli I wouldn't have even bothered, they won't. They'll just shrug at you if you point out they're violating.

 

[gina2000]

I've heard that phrase many places. Might be more common around here, but I also remember hearing it in Trenton at a pub with a bunch of coworkers. That particular time it actually struck me as a little weird because the waitress was the daughter of one member of our party & she knew it was a business dinner. Here though, it's quite common & particularly at lunch if you don't speak up it's almost assumed you'll be on separate checks.

Maybe also generational? I'm old. Also, I'm in central NJ. Who knows? It doesn't bother me one way or another but it's just one of those curious differences that defines and shapes our beliefs, opinions and actions.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Maybe also generational? I'm old. Also, I'm in central NJ. Who knows? It doesn't bother me one way or another but it's just one of those curious differences that defines and shapes our beliefs, opinions and actions.

I'd guess regional more than generational. Servers tend to stay the same age while I just keep getting older

 

[gina2000]

I'd guess regional more than generational. Servers tend to stay the same age while I just keep getting older

LOL....I'm the same age but the servers just keep getting younger!!!!