It ain't easy being marked green

You have entered 65,851 Bills worth $187,948
Bills with hits: 5,262 Total hits: 5,988
Hit rate: 7.99% Slugging Percentage: 9.09% (total hits/total bills)
George Score: 1,202.86
Your rank (based on George Score) is #351
(out of 50,410 current users with a George Score. [99.3 Percentile])
Your State Rank in Florida is: 21 out of 7,325 [99.7]
Your initial entries with hits have traveled a total of 2,641,027 miles.
They have averaged 447.8 miles per hit and 166.04 days between each hit.

It’s hard spending marked money, especially two-dollar bills, because you get people looking at you funny. Being that yesterday was Friday, I decided to go to the Chinese buffet. The buffet cheaper on weekdays, so I’d rather go on a Friday than a Saturday or Sunday. (For those noticing the post time, I’m in the Eastern Time Zone.)

Normally, when I go to the Chinese buffet by my house, I get a pause, but the money is usually accepted. Yesterday, when I went to pay for lunch, the bills were immediately refused. In her limited English, the waitress pointed to the markings and told me that she wasn’t allowed to take them. The best I could offer her was marked fives. The only other thing I could do was to pay debit.

I don’t think I’ll be going back there if I’m paying. If I do, it will probably be with large bills. They’ll be given the option of accepting a large unmarked bill or small marked bills. It was a good thing I had a debit card and that I had money on it. Had I not had that option, I may have had to walk out without paying and not be welcomed back at all.

To make matters more interesting, I went to Target later in the day to buy some stuff. The bill came to $17.05. I happened to have a bunch of two-dollar bills. Nine seemed like a good number to cover it. I’d even get back change. The cashier actually looked for a watermark. When he didn’t see one, he had to call over someone to verify the bills’ authenticity. We waited a few minutes for someone came over and take them to be tested with a pen, presumably. When she came back, she gave the OK and I got my change. As I was getting my stuff and leaving, I could see the cashier put the twos under the fifties and hundreds.

Well, there’s always tomorrow.

It's not easy spending green

You have entered 57,347 Bills worth $164,885
Bills with hits: 4,627 Total hits: 5,246
Hit rate: 8.07% Slugging Percentage: 9.15% (total hits/total bills)
George Score: 1,187.55
Your rank (based on George Score) is #402
(out of 53,202 current users with a George Score. [99.2 Percentile])
Your State Rank in Florida is: 25 out of 7,137 [99.6]

It’s not easy using $2 bills. I went to Panera today and ordered lunch. The total was a little over $10. I handed the cashier 6 bills, but she said that she was told not to take them. When I asked why, she said that the bank shredded them, referencing the markings. This bothers me for several reasons.

First, there aren’t many banks in the area and I know that the Wachovia nearby does, in fact, hold on to them. I’ve actually gotten some of my marked bills back from them. It’s possible that they recently switched to the Commerce Bank, but I doubt it.

I also doubt that they shred the bills. I’m thinking that her manager may have meant that the were sent back to the FRB to be shredded, but either way, why would Panera care? If they’re being credited with money, it shouldn’t matter. I guess that the manager (or whoever made the decision) knows that I don’t want them shredded. I guess it’s better to hold on to them and at least spend them somewhere that will hand them back out as change.

Most importantly, it means that they’re not getting them back into circulation. Instead, they’re depositing the bills. For this reason, it’s probably just as well that I not spend them there. If a store is actually refusing them for this reason, there’s very little chance that they’d ever change.

After Lunch, I went to Party City. I wanted to get some glow sticks, but didn’t want to pay $15-$20 in shipping. I was able to get an assortment for very little money and paid for it in… you guessed it… $2 bills. The cashier had to ask someone if it was ok to take them. I guess it was because she eventually took them. This is pretty common, but is still annoying.

I’ve also decided that it’s too much of a pain to spend cash in the Apple Store at the mall. They are able to go through the line and process credit and debit purchases right away, but you have to wait for cash. I was first in line and had to wait at least five minutes to be helped, despite the fact that several cashiers were just standing there. All I wanted was an iTunes card. I even had the money counted out. Could they suspend a transaction and help me? Obviously not. I’m thinking that I should get my iTunes cards elsewhere.

Top Toms update

You have entered 47,120 Bills worth $133,907
Bills with hits: 3,649 Total hits: 4,123
Hit rate: 7.74% Slugging Percentage: 8.75% (total hits/total bills)
George Score: 1,160.49
Your rank (based on George Score) is #470
(out of 53,605 current users with a George Score. [99.1 Percentile])
Your State Rank in Florida is: 29 out of 6,867 [99.6]

I just happened to notice that Top Toms link that I posted was way out of date. No one had been added at all so far this calendar year. So, I asked and it turns out that someone else is keeping the list. (You can find the list here.) I’ve submitted the information out again and hopefully, it will be added soon. (The person got back to me pretty quickly, si it may even be up there already.) I’m now stamping the bills and hope to have them in circulation later this week or next.

Top Toms

You have entered 47,117 Bills worth $133,904
Bills with hits: 3,639 Total hits: 4,113
Hit rate: 7.72% Slugging Percentage: 8.73% (total hits/total bills)
George Score: 1,160.25
Your rank (based on George Score) is #476
(out of 53,611 current users with a George Score. [99.1 Percentile])
Your State Rank in Florida is: 28 out of 6,865 [99.6]

Just after I posted about not being able to get $2 bills, I got a hundred of them. That put me over the 2,000 needed to get on the Top Toms list. I sent in the information and hopefully, I’ll be added soon.

I’m not sure if I want to mark them. It’s not because they put me over, but because they’re new. I hate having to mark new, sequential bills. It’s bad enough that I get looks for the marked currency, but people seem to hate new, crisp bills. The manager at the store where I work often alternates between new and old if he can.

I don’t really have much else to report. I just wanted to share.

You have entered 42,083 Bills worth $117,352
Bills with hits: 3,117 Total hits: 3,526
Hit rate: 7.41% Slugging Percentage: 8.38% (total hits/total bills)
George Score: 1,143.12
Your rank (based on George Score) is #557
(out of 52,002 current users with a George Score. [98.9 Percentile])
Your State Rank in Florida is: 33 out of 6,716 [99.5]

I got some new fives today. I honestly can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t like them. Sure, there’s that big purple 5 on the back. It’s actually a lot bigger than I expected. And a lot more purple. The demo on the Web site doesn’t do it justice.

I’m going to see if I can get a few in the register at work tomorrow to see how customers react. Most people don’t think that the new bills look like real currency because they’re used to the old design that we’ve had for way too long. I thin we’ve been way overdue for currency redesign.

I did also get some interesting bills recently, including one with a hemp leaf. It had the corresponding "I grew hemp" stamp, but I couldn’t get that one without getting the serial number. This is the first I’ve seen of that bill up close and personal, although I’ve heard of people stamping bills that way.

I found a $2 bill, seen here, that said "Good Luck in 2006" on it. It would appear to be a bit past it’s prime, but it’s a nice sentiment. This one, I’m having trouble figuring out and only part of it has to do with the handwriting. (You have to view the full image to see the handwriting.)

From what I can make out, it says "Who ever receive this bill will be bless /// The Jesus-Christ". I’m thinking it was done by someone who doesn’t speak English as their first language. (I will admit that my fellow native English speakers never cease to amaze me with their poor literacy skills.) I still don’t get why people do this. I appreciate the fact that someone is wishing me well, but I’m an atheist. I don’t believe in God or that Jesus Christ is the savior.

Anyway, I’m not trying to start a religious debate. I started out just wanting to share that I had gotten a few of the new fives and I decided to throw in the pictures. Until next time…

Uphill battle

You have entered 32,837 Bills worth $90,186
Bills with hits: 2,405 Total hits: 2,711
Hit rate: 7.32% Slugging Percentage: 8.26% (total hits/total bills)
George Score: 1,113.02
Your rank (based on George Score) is #670
(out of 51,288 current users with a George Score. [98.7 Percentile])

Your State Rank in Florida is: 35 out of 6,486 [99.5]

Getting hits on a $2 bill is definitely going to be an uphill battle. I’m still seeing them put under the cash tray. I’m still getting surprised looks from cashiers. I’m still a little surprised, although I know I shouldn’t be.

I realized that it’s not unlike the $1 coins, which I don’t want to use at all. (It’s mainly because they can’t be tracked, but also because I don’t have room for them in my wallet.) If you think about it, how often do you get a $1 coin in change? How often have you asked for one at the bank. I don’t even know if most people my age would even know what an SBA coin is. (SBA stands for Susan B. Anthony, for those that are wondering.)

I have to believe that the more I spend $2 bills, the more people will get used to them. Still, I have yet to see a register with a slot for $2 bills. I have yet to receive one as change, although I have seen a few of mine given out. (Most places don’t, though.)

Is there a city out there that uses them on a regular basis? I know that there are others out there that think like I do and spend the bills. Where are these people, though? Do they get jobs in retail? I’d have to think that at least someone has the opportunity to put a few in the register like I occasionally do.

One of these days, when I get the chance, I should put a few in. Not a lot of people pay in cash and I know that most of them would likely end up in the deposit, especially if I’m not closing. My coworkers don’t particularly like $2 bills.

It’s definitely an uphill battle.

You have entered 26,091 Bills worth $70,835
Bills with hits: 1,932 Total hits: 2,164
Hit rate: 7.40% Slugging Percentage: 8.29% (total hits/total bills)
George Score: 1,086.91
Your rank (based on George Score) is #815
(out of 52,371 current users with a George Score. [98.4 Percentile])
Your State Rank in Florida is: 39 out of 6,289 [99.4]

When I went to the bank today, I asked for twos. They only had three, but I did get a series 1953A. (You can see pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/seacow_99/1420830176/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/seacow_99/1419942863/ if you like.) It’s so old I can’t even enter it into Where’s George. It’s strange to think that in all the years that I’ve been asking for bills that I’ve never seen a $2 that old. I did get an old single and an old ten, series 1969, but I let the one back into circulation before I realized what I had done.

In better news, I’m now above #40 in the state. I had that before, but only momentarily between posts. A few people refreshed and pushed me back down to the 40s. I’m inching towards #1 in the state, but I think the top ten is going to be tough. (Assuming I even get there.)

I’m going to keep asking for more twos in the hopes of getting more bills. Maybe I can even get a silver certificate.

writing on two-dollar bill

You have entered 24,989 Bills worth $68,131
Bills with hits: 1,889 Total hits: 2,116
Hit rate: 7.56% Slugging Percentage: 8.47% (total hits/total bills)
George Score: 1,083.99
Your rank (based on George Score) is #834
(out of 52,218 current users with a George Score. [98.4 Percentile])
Your State Rank in Florida is: 41 out of 6,267 [99.3]

This is a test post. I’m not sure that the formatting or anything will work, but I want to see if I can use Flickr to post pictures. If I like what I see, I may continue. The image that I’m trying to post is of a $2 bill. It has some sort of writing that I can’t identify. I’m hoping that between Flickr and the blog, I get some sort of comment about it.

Small bills

You have entered 24,882 Bills worth $67,738
Bills with hits: 1,873 Total hits: 2,099
Hit rate: 7.53% Slugging Percentage: 8.44% (total hits/total bills)
George Score: 1,083.12
Your rank (based on George Score) is #838
(out of 52,295 current users with a George Score. [98.4 Percentile])
Your State Rank in Florida is: 44 out of 6,262 [99.3]

I actually got a lot of $2 bills from Washington Mutual today. I was able to get 70, which brings me to just over 600 entered. Washington Mutual seems like they’re a pretty good bank to get twos from, even though it‘s usually hit and miss. In fact, one of the bills was already entered into the system. The user that initially entered the bill seems rather fond of $2 bills. It’s nice to see that someone else is entering them.

On another note, I went to a mall in Broward the other night and had the chance to purchase an iTunes card. I paid for it in marked singles, which I think the cashier put underneath the other bills. I have no way of knowing since the tray wasn’t visible. Since it was towards the end of the day, it’s possible that they were saving them for the next day, but I doubt it. Putting the bills at the bottom of the stack usually means that they’re going to deposit them.

I got that today with some $2 bills that I spent at Aventura Mall. The cashier put them at the bottom of the singles stack, which I took to mean that they’ll be deposited. Even when a cashier puts them next to the twenties, I worry that they’ll be deposited. At work, we’ve never given a $2 bill as change. (I usually swap them out to enter and mark; if I’m not there, my coworkers will deposit them.)

I think that this is why my hit rate on $2 bills is at 0.7% and my hit rate on singles is at 8.5%. No one reissues them like singles. $2 bills have the lowest hit rate of any denomination that’s gotten a hit. (I have no hits on twenties, fifties or hundreds.) Twos almost have it as bad as hundreds in the sense that they’re usually deposited. At least $2 bills are sought out by a small fraction of the population and you can get 50 times as many bills for the same price.

I’d like to see the day when $2 bills are given as change at places other than Monticello.

$2 bills and then some

You have entered 24,219 Bills worth $66,091
Bills with hits: 1,822 Total hits: 2,038
Hit rate: 7.52% Slugging Percentage: 8.41% (total hits/total bills)
George Score: 1,079.75
Your rank (based on George Score) is #851
(out of 52,256 current users with a George Score. [98.4 Percentile])
Your State Rank in Florida is: 43 out of 6,245 [99.3]

I got another new county in Georgia, bringing up the total to 22 counties out of 159.

I was in Starbucks today and I saw a $2 bill in the tip jar. I don’t know where that person got it, but they apparently thought it a good idea to give it as a tip. It’s possible that they got it as change at the Starbucks or somewhere else in the mall, which would be a good sign. It’s also possible that they’re like me in that they want to get them into circulation. I checked the bill and it wasn’t marked, so I can be relatively certain that it wasn’t mine.

It’s funny that since I wanted to ask why people why they put toms under the register, I haven’t had it happen as much. It usually happens at McDonalds and there’s enough of a line that I don’t want to hold things up. However, some of the people there have started putting them in the register. I still have no idea if they’re giving them out as change or not, but it’s progress and I’ll take it.

The one chance I did get to ask was at the Apple Store. The woman at the register said simply that they didn’t have the space in the tray for them. I told her that if she put them under the register, the bill would never see circulation again, hinting that I wanted the bills to get back out.

I did pick up a lot more at the bank today. Washington Mutual had fifty of them and a Bank United had another two. I wanted to get fives, but didn’t think of it until most of the banks were closed. It doesn’t really matter. I have some and should have a chance to get more tomorrow.

The big thing for me is entering all of the bills tonight. I wish that I had gotten sequential twos, which would have made things much easier. Then again, there’s always stamping…

Two $2 hits

You have entered 23,835 Bills worth $64,400

Bills with hits: 1,752 Total hits: 1,961

Hit rate: 7.35% Slugging Percentage: 8.23% (total hits/total bills)

George Score: 1,075.64

Your rank (based on George Score) is #893

(out of 52,066 current users with a George Score. [98.3 Percentile])

Your State Rank in Florida is: 43 out of 6,210 [99.3]

I got two hits on two-dollar bills today, both by the same person and both from bills that I had entered within the past week. (You can view the hits here and here.) I find this interesting because of my recent post where I said that places were putting Toms under the register.

I think that both of these were bills that were put under the register, made it to the bank and back into circulation. I’m not clear, though, as to what the guy plans to do with the remaining three bills. (Since he’s a member, it’s reasonable to assume that they’re going into circulation, but anything’s possible.)

When I went to lunch today, someone behind me noticed that I paid with $2 bills and asked the cashier if he could swap them out. He asked if I had any more; I told him that I had two I could trade with him, but he was only able to take one. That’s probably the only thing worse than going under the register because I can be relatively certain that they’re not going to get a hit. (In fact, when I saw the hits on the $2 bills, I was hoping it was this guy, although I knew it wasn’t.)

One of these days, I’m going to go to the bank and get a whole bunch of Toms just to put them into circulation. I’ll have to ask for new bills to get the best circulation out of them and to make them easier to enter.

Speaking of getting better hits, I did get a new stamp. It shows the state of Florida with “Biscayne Park” above it and “Florida” below. There’s even a dot where Biscayne Park is supposed to be, but it blends in to the coastline. Some of the people in the chat room seemed to think that it would reduce the number of hits I get because it would be too obvious where it came from. My theory is that it’s a bit more noticeable and may garner hits from people that live in Biscayne Park.

A coworker of mine thought that it would advertise where I live, so that people might rob me. This assumes two things. One, someone would have to see the bill and assume that because I’m on Where’s George that I have a lot of cash. Two, they wouldn’t have to be clued in by my ZIP code, which is only a little less specific. (33161 also includes part of North Miami and I think extends over to Barry University.)

Either way, I’m not going to worry about it. My biggest concern is customers giving me grief about it. My aforementioned coworker was happy about my using a new stamp because it was less noticeable. Less noticeable is not what I want. Less noticeable means fewer hits. I want more hits.

Well, until that happens, I can just hope.

More Toms

You have entered 23,434 Bills worth $63,145

Bills with hits: 1,729 Total hits: 1,933

Hit rate: 7.38% Slugging Percentage: 8.25% (total hits/total bills)

George Score: 1,073.94Your rank (based on George Score) is #887

(out of 51,957 current users with a George Score. [98.3 Percentile])

Your State Rank in Florida is: 42 out of 6,206 [99.3]

I’m beginning to rethink posting the stats. My mother saw the amount of money I had and freaked. I have to admit that I’m a bit freaked, myself. Granted, swapping out bills at work and going to the casino helps, but how did I get $63,145 bills? That’s a lot of swapping.

I’ve been doing fives mostly, only because we have a lot of singles, mostly mine. Also, fives are easier to carry inconspicuously. A hundred dollars in singles is a little obvious. A hundred dollars in fives can fit in my wallet.

I will admit that I may need a new wallet. I’d like something like the TARDIS from Doctor Who that has more space in the inside than would appear from the outside. That way, I can carry a lot of cash without being noticed. It would also be funny to whip out a bunch of twenties once in a while. (Maybe not, considering how quickly I’d get mugged in Miami.)

I just got a bunch of two-dollar bills the other day. I would have gotten more, but I wanted to get mostly singles. I think I still ended up with forty or fifty. I’ve been spending a few at the McDonalds near work, but I really shouldn’t. They seem to put them under the register. One of these days, I’m going to ask the people at McDonalds why they do it and encourage them not to. I’ve got to find more places that don’t.

Even my manager has said that he doesn’t want them in the register. Any that we get go back out or into the deposit that night. I don’t know what the big deal is. I think that part of it is the perceived rarity. Why bother dedicating a slot if you get one or two a year? A coworker told me that while I was in New York, we got a Tom. Alas, it was sent into the deposit.

A lot of people ask me where I get the bills. I simply tell them that you can get them at the bank. Any bank that doesn’t have any should be able to order them for you. I have yet to order any, mostly because I don’t want to feel obligated to pick them up. If I do, I may do it through the bank at work. I don’t want to get off the bus with a bunch of twos and have to walk home. Either way, it’s all pretty random.