I have my go-to CVSs that are stocked most of time with beans. Didn't feel like driving out, so I went to the one down the street. As usual, the racks were empty. I looked down in the greeting cards section, Voila! Found 5 beans hiding. Really? I thought it must be my lucky day. Then, I was like ...! Just pathetic. I didn't think people still did this, but I guess i have some stiff competition in my area. I needed 5 more beans to maximize my trip. Asked the cashier and he looked under the counter and had a new stash. So, i guess it didn't matter in the end. Had a nice chat with the cashier and he tells me people were going crazy looking for these recently. I told him where I found them. Don't know if anything will be done about it.

When checking out, he said he'd have to split up the transaction. When I asked him if he can try it all in one, he was nice enough to try. DL scan? no problem. easy-peasy.

Granted, I don't buy a whole lot of beans/month due to limits. But it's nice to buy in bulk and not have to run around looking for them.

Yep I have two stores near me that only carry them behind the counter - one of them used to have plenty on the rack, the other didn't. The one that took them off the rack will now only sell them by calling your CC company to verify the name on the card for the given CC number. They said they've had too much fraud with stolen cards (thieves create a new card in their name with stolen info). This just started recently, I've bought them off the rack before at that store with no additional checks.

The other store just doesn't stock them on the rack, don't know why. And when I buy them at the register I get funny looks and hesitation for a $2k buy, so I'm guessing they've been burned too. They don't call for cards though.

I have a third store that I hit on the way home from work that has so far had them on the rack and doesn't care how much I get. I do $2k on each run, split into two trans of $998 each to avoid DL issues.

One RA insists on actually sliding the card on the customer terminal. They say fraudsters were showing one card and then sliding a stolen one.

Makes sense... What some people do with WM when trying to get a MO! :D

I went to a my local store this morning looking for some beans.

At first I couldn't find them, but I looked behind the other gift cards in the rack and saw a small stack that someone has obviously tried to hide.

I took what I needed and placed the rest in front, in plain view.

Isn't that the point of making us show them the card and entering the last 4 digits of the CC?

That's CVS. He's discussing Rite Aid (RA). But by RA's version of security, sure if you're comparing it to CVS.

No, and it's just company policy if buying GC over 1K that your DL to be scanned.

They say that happiness is a warm puppy.

For me happiness is seeing my closest CVS has restocked their VRs. 5 scoops for me please.

Same situation here: earlier in the week, 3 racks full, now today just a couple hanging forlornly by themselves.

Would be interesting to know the business model by which CVS couldn't just stock thousands of them (as needed) each week.

It is the only store that I've seen the memo. It states that avoiding the DL scan by making multiple purchases is in violation of AML and it mentions money laundering. If you think this matters at all I could give the location or check it out again. Somebody else must have seen this memo.

It's probably just that MSing exploded beyond their ability to keep up. I've seen racks empty of OVs and Vanilla Visas at CVS and other places.

I feel it's more that InComm can't keep up with production. I doubt they foresaw thousands upon thousands buying dozens of VRs each month, meaning it was not accounted for when it came to supply-chain decisions, etc.

Then you have the a-holes who hide the cards. Because the inventory system still thinks they're on the rack, none will be ordered until they do monthly inventory (assuming they don't find the hidden ones.)

I feel bad for the under-banked who actually use these cards to put their money on prepaids.

You know, hadn't really considered that.

And, both of you gentlemen could be right with regard to supply vs. demand. However, MS has been around for some time now, one wonders if there has been an exponential interest in it, thereby explaining the shortage of a common agricultural product. :cool:

Was trying to think of an analogy WRT high volume products... like maybe cigarette sales - for which CVS (in the past) had no trouble meeting. On the other hand, my son thinks it's some kind of corporate conspiracy to deliberately limit the beans and thereby the endless miles they could generate.

Lots of beans in Orlando--front and center--no hiding. 2 x 500 with a dl scan.