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BumRushDaShow

(158,614 posts)
12. There are people in a number of blighted urban locales
Thu Jul 17, 2025, 07:05 PM
Jul 17

that are not only "food deserts" with no supermarket, but "bank deserts", with no banks whatsoever, and what little financial-related businesses that they may have access to are check-cashing places that are almost usurious, but they will take the check and cash it.

Their source of groceries end up being small corner stores that sell limited perishable food (maybe bread, milk, eggs) as well as canned goods, dry foodstuffs like rice, beans, pasta, etc, that are often "cash only" because thieves come in and put "skimmers" on their debit/credit terminals to steal the card info.

In fact, for a number of those little stores that did have full ATM machines, what has unfortunately happens is this -





So you also have owners of those little stores either with a machine out of order or none at all due to idiots trying to blow open the machine to get the money out. I remember one instance where some perps broke into a little store next to one that was secured with one of those metal gates over the windows/door that had an ATM, and they literally blew away the wall in the adjoining store to get into the store with the ATM so they could take the machine out.

Hell - 2 banks near me had exterior ATMs blown up and they had to put the replacement ones inside.

Blowing up ATMs is a "thing". And robbing armored trucks is too, as there is a spate of those here happening in NE Philly in the past couple weeks.

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Yeah, and for the unbanked who used the USPS intrepidity Jul 17 #1
Direct deposit costs nothing synni Jul 17 #11
"Unbanked" nt intrepidity Jul 17 #19
So get banked Polybius Jul 18 #30
Or get the debit card n/t SickOfTheOnePct Jul 18 #31
.... intrepidity Jul 18 #33
The only fee... SickOfTheOnePct Jul 18 #35
... intrepidity Jul 18 #32
That's exactly how I feel about seniors who refuse to abide by modern technology Polybius Jul 18 #34
Wow....I thought those had ended 10-15 years ago Bengus81 Jul 17 #2
They tried but there is the same issue BumRushDaShow Jul 17 #5
I haven't received a paper paycheck since the early 1990's. Dr. T Jul 18 #22
fewer than 1%. and those people are getting the side eye stopdiggin Jul 17 #3
The government could provide help to those who find it difficult to make the change. twodogsbarking Jul 17 #4
With a call wait time of only 2 days!!!11!!!!1!! BumRushDaShow Jul 17 #6
I've been on hold since 1994. They said not to hang up or I would wait even longer. twodogsbarking Jul 17 #7
They did contract out under the table BumRushDaShow Jul 17 #8
"One ringy dingy..." n/t SickOfTheOnePct Jul 17 #13
It was a job. twodogsbarking Jul 17 #15
Yes because so many rural areas are without reliable internet and cellphone service FakeNoose Jul 17 #9
Help me understand why not having a local bank is a problem? I have lived 2000 sinkingfeeling Jul 17 #10
There are people in a number of blighted urban locales BumRushDaShow Jul 17 #12
Some elderly people don't know how to do online banking. NH Ethylene Jul 17 #14
Exactly. Thank you for pointing that out, NH. Not everyone FemDemERA Jul 18 #36
I wonder what financial corporation will benefit from all of those prepaid cards? Buddyzbuddy Jul 17 #16
Direct Express SickOfTheOnePct Jul 18 #26
Thank you for the information. (Comments not directed at you SOTOP) And that charge would "only" occur Buddyzbuddy Jul 18 #37
It isn't Direct Express, it's the owners of the ATMs n/t SickOfTheOnePct Jul 18 #38
Federal civil service paychecks were Deminpenn Jul 17 #17
My lab supervisor had a big safe in his office BumRushDaShow Jul 18 #20
Paper checks intelpug Jul 17 #18
A move away from GPO goverment printing office? LiberalArkie Jul 18 #21
I don't think they print the checks BumRushDaShow Jul 18 #23
I guess it has changed, it used to be way back when I would get actual IRS refund checks that they LiberalArkie Jul 18 #24
My dad used to work at the VA from the mid-'50s to the mid-'70s BumRushDaShow Jul 18 #25
Paper checks came from the Treasury, just like your tax refund checks do Deminpenn Jul 18 #39
Social Security to end Paper Checks after Sep 30 CRB Jul 18 #27
What about people who can't have bank accounts due to old debts where accounts get attached? Liberty Belle Jul 18 #28
Debit card n/t SickOfTheOnePct Jul 18 #29
That only works if you have stores that will take them BumRushDaShow Jul 18 #40
I can't help but wonder... SickOfTheOnePct Jul 18 #41
To respond BumRushDaShow Jul 18 #43
I don't believe SS can be garnished by collection agencies MichMan Jul 19 #44
Thought Rebl2 Jul 18 #42
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