Back in the late '70s I was stationed at a major Army installation in central Kentucky. The Commanding General went to a local Chamber of Commerce meeting where the locals heartily bitched about the GIs who used local services.
The CG came back to the post and had a staff meeting to go over the complaints. But, he wanted to demonstrate the economic power of the GIs in the local economy, so he directed that the paymaster put a single $2 bill in each pay envelope. Direct deposit was an emerging technology, and a sizable number of soldiers were still getting paid by cash.
By early the next month, the local economy was awash in $2 currency.
That shut them up.
One of my Uncles used to frequent a restaurant whose owner was a good friend. My Uncle often requested $20 in $2 denominations from his bank to give as tips. The owner confirmed that very few tips made it to the till. The bus boys exchanged them with $1s.
ReplyDeleteYep, we got paid in $2 bills back in the 70s a few times. I still carry a couple of them in my wallet... :-)
ReplyDeleteI used to buy sheets of them, cut them into strips, and for the fun of it got out pocket scissors and cut off the appropriate tip where the server could see it. Most had a hard time believing they were negotiable, which they were. They make neat gifts, too. Still available: https://catalog.usmint.gov/paper-currency/uncut-currency/
ReplyDeleteThat General was a wise man.
ReplyDelete