As a consumer and a cashier, I am interested in your opinion of the following.

I think money needs to change a little and this is what I propose.

1. Stop minting and distributing pennies. Tell the merchants quietly to round up or down to the nearest nickel.

2. Stop printing and distributing paper dollars. Mint lots of those Indian lady coins and distribute them.

3. Have ATMs give out more than $20 bills. Can we get some $50s or $10s with that? The ATMs in Vegas only give out $100s.

I am tired of pennies and I think $1 in paper wear out too fast. This is just my opinion. I am not advocating making the penny or paper dollar obsolete, just to have the treasury stop supporting them. What do you think?

I'm sure that the US Mint would be very happy if people accepted the use of a dollar coin instead of paper dollars, since it would have a much longer circulation life and reduce costs to the government. Recall that at ShoWest, the Mint gave a presentation (and free souveniers) to theatre owners outlining all the advantages, and outlined their extensive PR campaign. I personally was impressed with the program, and really like the look and feel of the new dollar coin. Here is their "Golden Dollar" site:
http://www.usmint.gov/GoldenDollar/default.htm

As you know, other areas of the world (e.g., Canada and the UK) are way ahead of the USA on using coins for the basic currency.

Pennies have always been a pain, since inflation has made them virtually worthless. But the general public fears that merchants will always round prices UP, if the penny were eliminated. Being an "old timer", I'll still stoop to pick up a lost penny on the street --- many of the "younger generation" won't bother. Like most people, pennies just seem to accumulate around the house, and I have to make an effort to cash them in.

As far as ATMs, that's a bank decision. I've seen some ATMs that can give a mix of bills, but to cut manufacturing costs, some only can handle only one denomination, usually $20 bills. When I use an ATM that can handle a mix of bills, I withdraw an amount that requires the ATM to give me a mix.

The latest trend seems to be purchasing movie tickets via the Internet or from a walk-up ticket dispenser that takes credit cards. Prepaid "Movie-Goers" cards (like prepaid phone cards) may also catch on, especially as gift items. Check out the June 2000 edition of Film Journal International --- they have quite a few articles about on-line ticketing.

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You runneth off at the mouth for someone who has been registered for 3 days. This forum is mostly Film-Tech but has included a few related theatre subjects. Cash and Cash handling are definatly theatre related. Each night after running 20 shows, I get to count out the nightly take in cash, so as you can see, it is a subject of interest. If you sir are lucky enough to be employed where you only deal with film, then count yourself lucky indeed.

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Those pennies people toss on the ground are paying for my computer! A good proportion of the money I've saved comes from pocket change!

After pulling over 10 years in management, I feel for you having to count pennies! There is no need for them anymore. In fact, I say we get rid of nickels and dimes too. Let's make it quarters or dollars. Everything is expensive enough today, does it really matter?

You might want to take a tip from UA and price your concessions so they end up AT quarter dollars after tax is included. That was GREAT!

I like counting pennies about as much as I like licking the toilets of a public restroom... the latter would probably be cleaner, they are cleaned at least once a week...

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