Originally Posted by
fastflyer
Yes they both vividly remember The Great Depression and talk about it every day. St. Louis for one and Kansas City for the other, but the tune is much the same.
So frugality was their driving philosophy in life? Understandable for those who experienced poverty and hunger (not that there was a food shortage let alone a famine).
He once received a $500 bill in such a withdrawal, which I had never seen before (and haven't seen since now that I think about it).
As a matter of historical interest, any U.S. bank notes greater than $100 have long been withdrawn from circulation (a least for 20 years if not longer, probably 30+) in an attempt to curtail money laundering. Any such are collector's items.
When I first started to travel as a teenager, I did not have a credit card; I would take American Express travelers cheques -- this was the early 1980s. You would countersign your own signature at the redeeming bank.
TCs. Haven't seen any for a while (couple of decades of not more) but I do seem to recall observing people still using them in the past decade. Like rotary dial telephones, a lot of younger people probably have never seen one.
I first noticed credit cards in the late 1980s, my own was in 1987.
That was around the era (or maybe later) when credit cards were being heavily promoted on U.S. university campii, certainly it was in 1988. Even Amex (but not DC/Diner's Club IIRC) was in the game (get young people hooked on branded credit, I guess).
In recent years, I've ob served CCs being heavily promoted in places like Thailand and Malaysia which used to be very cash-oriented (perhaps still are). Competing bank issuers provide goodies for using the card at certain merchants and some even have exclusive lounges in department stores.
Back to the subject of server shortages. Was always an issue north of the border and not getting any better.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opin...m-restaurants/