Big bills at the drive-thru

16 years ago

I know that at the Wendy's window where you pay, there's a sign that says "No bills over $20." I don't know, however, that I've seen it at the board where you place your order. (I have seen a sign that says they accept credit cards.)

The problem is, that order board is filled with menu information, so if there's a "no bills over $20" sign, it's probably hard to see. Compounding the issue, the drive-through doesn't have a quick path out of the lane if you have only a $50 or $100; if there are cars ahead of you, you have to wait for 3 or 4 to get through before you can get out.

SO. One afternoon I went to get lunch. Didn't hear what the driver of the car ahead of me ordered--could've been that she placed a big order for her co-workers, who knows. After I placed my order and rounded the bend to the window, I saw the driver have a discussion with the cashier and hand a beverage back and then drive on.

I said to the cashier, "Oh I guess she had more than a $20?" I was just kind of curious as to whether this happens a lot.

Why do you think this is the policy there? Might also occur at other fast-food places, and I think I've seen a similar sign at a gas station.

Is it an anti-counterfeiting measure or do they want to send a signal to would-be robbers that they don't keep a lot of big bills? (Although I would think that at the end of the shift, $10s and $20s can stack up far beyond the value of a few $100 bills.)

--Just wondering!

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Comments (8)

Lindsey_CA
16 years ago
I think it's more of an anti-theft measure than an anti-counterfeit thing.

But I'm sort of surprised that anyone coming to a fast food drive with a large order for coworkers would have larger than a $20. After all, I'd think each employee would be paying for their own food, so I would expect the person picking up the food to have a couple of $20 bills, some $10 bills, some $5 bills and a lot of $1 bills, but not a $50 bill or $100 bill.

At the beginning of each month I go to the ATM and take $300 of out my checking account (my paycheck is on Direct Deposit to my checking account). That $300 comes out as 15 $20 bills. I've been known to do a "you fly, I'll buy" with coworkers, but I'm giving $20 bills to the person who does the "fly," not $50 bills or $100 bills.
lilliepad
16 years ago
I don't believe it's an anti-counterfeiting measure.Most of the fast food places and convienence stores only keep so much money in the register at any time of the day.If they broke fifties and hundreds all day,they would soon run out of change.My DD works at a popular convienence store and they are only allowed to have so much in the register at any time of the day.They count the money several times a shift and everything over the allowed amount is sent down the tube into the safe.Not for Anti-counterfeiting measures but for theft measures,and they can't open the safe because it's on a timer.Hope that answers your question.
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jemdandy
16 years ago
In my town, its to fight counterfeiting. Counterfeiters usually do not bother with the smaller bills - too much effort for the gain. Large bills ($100 and greater) always comes under scruitny, therefore a popular bill to counterfeit starts with the $50. Our local fast food joints do accept $50, but only after they have checked them with a special marker, and only select employees are certified to to the testing.

The other reason to refuse $50 is to help prevent running low on change.

The 3rd reason is to reduce the threat of hold-ups. At our fast food places, the manager periodically drains the cash drawer down to a couple of hunder dollars or less, and puts the surplus cash into a container that can be unlocked only by an off-site manager. When the cash drawer is low, it doesn't take many $50 to drain the change.

However, I think the main reason is to resist counterfeiting with the least amount of effort expended.
cynic
16 years ago
It's simple. These places aren't banks and aren't meant to do peoples' banking. Good grief, even Domino's advertises heavily that drivers carry less than $20 and they *still* get robbed! Get your change at a bank people. You keep large amounts in a till and you *will* get robbed. (And you'll have cash shortages too) You'll get robbed for smaller amounts even but it discourages them if they can't get more than $50 or so. When I ran the gas stations, *every* bill $20 and larger was dropped into the drop safe or the cashier would face reprimand. I had a zero tolerance rule on this since the ones who kept large amounts of cash in the till would make things rough for everyone else and subject everyone else to a robbery, possible injury or worse. Plus the ones with large amounts in the till were almost always the ones who had shortages either by theft or poor cash handling policies. It's easy for bills to stick together and giving an extra $1 or $5 is far better than extra $20s.

Many people think a driveup window is protected from robbery. Hardly. Around here drive up bank tellers have a limit on the amount of cash they'll send through the drive thru. I think about $150 is the max you can withdraw, otherwise you have to go inside.

People who handle cash a lot get a "feel" for the bills and can often tell a fake unless it's a bleached bill or something and they often just look different too.

Carrying large bills is usually an ego thing. 5-$20s take up very little more space in a wallet than does a $100. So that excuse is BS. The biggest I'll ever take is a $50 and that's usually when I go to a grocery store an will spend near that. Occasionally if a place does a lot of business I'll ask them up front if they can break a $50 (or even $100) for a larger purchase. Places will take a $50 or $100 bill though if you have a $45 or $90 (respectively) purchase to go with it.
FlamingO in AR
16 years ago
It could also be the rule to avoid the "I went thru the drive thru and gave her a $50 and only got change back for a $20" kind of scam.

And, a drive-thru is supposed to be fast and they can't be fast if they're having to test all the money to see if it's counterfeit. I just read a book about counterfeiting- seems like most of it is done in other countries and it's such a problem that it jeopardizes our economy.
wildchild
16 years ago
Carrying large bills is usually an ego thing

Nonsense. Those of us who shop with cash can go through five 20s just getting gas, grabbing lunch and going to the drugstore to pick up a prescription. I try to carry smaller denominations but I always have a couple hundred for the grocery store or if I decide to stop at Costco or something. Like someone said at the counterfeiting thread. the bank isn't going to cash your paycheck and give you a couple inches of of twenties. You get a couple hundred in 20s and the rest in 100s or occasionally 50s.

$50.00 will get you maybe 1 1/2 bags of groceries around here and that is sticking to basics. I don't want to flash a wad of money. The hundreds can be tucked safely away out of sight until needed. I never have a problem with breaking a hundred in regular stores or restaurants. Not even for a $10.00 purchase. It's only convenience stores, fast food places and the like that don't keep a larger till.

Around here even the places that used to take nothing over twenty a have upped it to fifty. Higher cost of living.
cynic
16 years ago
Wildchild, as I said, using a $100 for a $90 purchase is no problem, but the ones who flip a hun to buy a candy bar are egomaniacs and I've dealt with enough of them.

And "...the bank isn't going to cash your paycheck and give you a couple inches of of twenties..." LOL now *that* is nonsense! They'll cash your paycheck in pennies if you want! And you obviously are much better-paid than I am (though that wouldn't take that much!) since your 2" stack of 20s for cashing your paycheck is approximately $9320.00, give or take. That means you carry 93 $100 bills. Where do you tuck all of them? Doesn't that make for a fat wallet? :)
jannie
16 years ago
The deli near me has a sign "We need singles and fives." I feel guilty going in there with a twenty.

Big bills at the drive-thru

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