RI eateries to require form before accepting $100 bills

Providence Journal ^ | 3/20/13

[Kartographer]

Customers who want to pay with a $100 bill at a Rhode Island chain of restaurants will now have to fill out a form.

WPRI reports that Gregg's locations will now require a name, phone number and driver's license number whenever someone pays with a $100 bill.

Owner Bob Bacon says it's because they have received five fake $100s in the last three months. He tells the station the policy is not about getting restitution if they receive a fake bill. He says it's about creating a paper trail so they can track down whoever is making the fake bills.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Doing the job the US Secret Service refuses to do.

[rlmorel]

Hm. That is going to be a real problem when the cost of entrees goes to $10,800 because of inflation.

[trisham]

I would never eat there.

[Rusty0604]

Yea, I was going to say that the $100 is the new $20.

[Maceman]

With a name like Bob Bacon, I guess he was born to run an eating establishment.

[Political Junkie Too]

"This note is legal tender for all debts public and private... when accompanied by a notorized form IRS-123456(b)"

-PJ

[KirbDog]

Geez just invest a few dollars in some of those counterfeit detection pens. Problem solved.

[Responsibility2nd]

Why? Because the owner is wising up and taking steps to reduce his losses?

[trisham]

No, because as an American, I still have the freedom to choose another restaurant to patronize rather than this chain restaurant. Do you see how that works? The owner made his choice, and I have made mine.

Rhode Island has some excellent restaurants. This doesn't appear to be one of them.

[barbarianbabs]

I grew up in RI. That state has the lowest mentality on the continent. I had friends in high school that got pregnant to get on welfare. Once preggers the state would give them money for an apartment etc.etc.etc.

[Daffynition]

Mr. Bacon needs to train his cashiers better. If only there was something to easily detect counterfet bills.

[Revolting cat!]

Nothing there but barbarians, babs!

[wrench]

Banks can count, inspect and certify 50 bennjamins in less than 10 seconds.

It ain’t rocket surgery.

[Tublecane]

He’s taking stupid steps. Do you imagine a counterfeiter is going to write down his real name so this guy can track him down? And what happens if the customer got the bill somewhere else? Is Bob Bacon gonna grill them, then follow the lead wherever it takes him? What is he, a g-man? I can almost guarantee the cops won’t do anything about it, unless it turns into a streak of crimes and can be seen to lead to a counterfeiting circle.

What’s most stupid is he doesn’t take the obvious route, which is to get better at spotting a fake.

[Daffynition]

A couple of weeks ago, I got a *fake* $1 bill from my bank.It was kinda funny. Guess they don’t check the little ones. :)

[Vince Ferrer]

I object to the racist word "counterfeit." These bills are "undocumented stimulus funds".

[ltc8k6]

Those pens only detect starch. Counterfeiters learned to use starch free paper a very long time ago.

The pens essentially only work if an idiot makes a counterfeit bill.

The pens don’t work at all with any serious counterfeiting operation.

[ltc8k6]

Banks have been known to hand out counterfeit bills, so that’s no guarantee.

[autumnraine]

Don’t they have a little marker that tells them if it’s fake?