Who Pays with a Check These Days?

As our society becomes more and more digital, it's become much more common to pay for things at the store electronically with a credit or debit card; you don't see customers write out a check much anymore -- in fact, some places won't even TAKE a personal check. Well, I actually SAW checks written this weekend!

When my wife and I were out doing some grocery shopping this weekend, we encountered this guy right in front of his whip out his checkbook once his amount was tallied up. Like most folks, we usually see if we can find the checkout with the shortest line. We thought we'd hit pay dirt: the line was very short and we were up next -- until the guy started writing out a check. Progress completely stopped. It seemed to take him forever to write out the check, compared to how quickly things are usually processed when you swipe the plastic.

Then yesterday, when we stopped at a convenience store on our way to a family gathering, the guy in front of me also was in the process of paying with a check. It seemed to take him so long to write out the check, I'm not sure, but I think he might have actually filled out his taxes! It was even a long enough wait that another employee opened a new register to help me and the line of people waiting.

My hometown bank back in Wisconsin made the electronic debit card available when I was in college -- around 24 years ago -- so I've been used to using the card for just about everything. I'm sure it doesn't actually take that much more time, but given the fact that we're so used to instant gratification in today's society, it sure seems like forever when someone writes out a check -- especially if you're in line behind them!