Two completely unrelated events from yesterday have me thinking a lot about local retail experiences this morning.
- Esbee's had it with OfficeMax. She wrote a post yesterday about how on multiple occassions she's taken clearance items to the register only to be told that she can't buy them because they'd already been sold back to the vendor. She reasonably asks why the items are still on the floor. She also relates an unsatisfying experience with the manager there. Me thinks the folks at OfficeMax have a wee issue with their systems and management that they might want to clean up, and if the comments on Esbee's post are any indication I'd say that lots of folks here in Winston-Salem share the sentiment. I wonder if the manager is getting a call from corporate asking him why his dissed a woman who has about a bazillion readers?
- Celeste was in Costco yesterday and paid cash for our items. The cashier didn't have change in his till so he called the manager to get some. The manager came by the register and said that he was sorry but he didn't have any cash for change because the bank had not made its daily cash delivery for the third day in a row and he also wasn't able to get any from the nearby Home Depot or Lowes. I'm not sure which bank Costco uses, but I find it a little disturbing that the bank is letting down what has to be one of its more prominent customers. It causes me to wonder if there's a problem with deposits at the bank or if it's just poor management. Or is there a problem with Costco's credit? Normally I wouldn't think much of it, but in this day and age every little signal causes me to wonder if there's something more ominous going on behind the scenes. Oh, and in case you're curious Celeste was able to get her change when the customer behind her also paid cash and gave the cashier enough small bills to make change.
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Befuddled 
That’s just weird about Costco. We haven’t carried cash in years. Their was $5 trillion in money market accounts six months which seems to indicate hoarding. The banks aren’t putting as much money on the street in the form of credit, so they’re hoarding too.
how long before we are back to a barter society?
We’ve been paying with cash more often of late and I’m often amazed that it
takes longer to process the transaction than paying by debit does. It used
to be the opposite. I think you’re right about the hoarding and it worries
me.
I fear we’re almost there. Luckily I have a lifetime of junk piled in my
house so I should be good to go when we get that point.