Years back, almost any business was happy to take your pocketful of accumulated change. Today though, a hand is outstretched to collect a fee for almost every movement of the consumer. Even the Cashier's Cages at these casinos will not take coins at their windows. They, as well as most big retail stores, such as Wal-Mart, Kroger, and so on, have machines set up into which one dumps his coins, and gets back sot money, after imposition of a fee, which I think is near 10%! The last straw? The BANKS will take coin only if it is "rolled"! I walked before finding out how they determine whether the rolls contain real coins or the correct number of them. What has happened to our good old currency system? Is it me? Frank
Not just you Frank, feel the same way I do put the coins away, 'cos they weigh me down, when there's plenty, I put them in a bag and take to the supermarket machine to cash up and use towards me shopping.- yes there's a fee
Many banks have coin counting machines and will take loose coins and give you bills for free.I took a large coffee can full of mixed coins to a bank last year, I think it was nearly $70 worth.
A matter of convenience those machines are and to some well appreciated. I took coins that I had rolled and identified with my name and account number into where I bank and was told that I didn't have to identify them anymore. The teller explained to me that it's deposited into the account and held for 24-48 hours before I could have access to it. That was a surprise. Luckily I had money in my account to cover the deposit so I wouldn't walk out empty handed. That was my thrift shopping money and I was ready to go thrifting.
Back in the 80's, our unit did projects in different countries in Europe and Africa. As I packed, I would put empty 35mm film canisters filled with different coins of the countries I might pass through. Marks, Pounds and pence, Drachma's, Krones, etc. You never knew what country we might fly into for a connection, and I NEVER wanted to be without a way to buy a cup of coffee or what they thought was coffee...
We probably have hundreds of dollars worth of coins in various containers around the house because we never spend our change, and haven't in years. I don't know of any banks here that will take large volumes of coins at one time unless you have an account there. Even then, they're not happy to. Years ago, I cashed in several rolls of pennies. I initialed the pre-rolled pennies and, if they were short, I suppose they knew where to go for it. Many years ago, most of the banks had automated counting machines, and they encouraged kids to save their pennies and nickels, and to bring them in to the bank. Today, they seem not to have them anymore, and they'd rather people bring them to the automated machines at the grocery stores that take 10% of the value.
When my husband gets home from work and drops his change into the glass bowl by his recliner, I always check to see if there are any quarters in the bowl...and while he's outside on the porch I sneak those quarters out of the bowl and into our vacation fund jar. He's never said a word to me about some of his change being missing and meanwhile those quarters keep on adding up. I'll gladly wrap those quarters up and bring them to the bank when the time comes. In the meantime I don't have a problem with finding someone who will accept my spare change....it usually goes in my grandkids' piggy bank.
@Ken Anderson The banks seem to prefer deposits larger than usually made in coinage, eh? The bank we opened a new account at when we moved here is only 2 miles away, convenient, offered 100% free checking if S/S deposited automatically. But they won't take unrolled coin. Branch of a system of banks here headquartered in Salt Lake City.......