This is the US version of the events. I don't know all EU member states in detail, but I can't think of one where it's possible to receive salary/pension in cash.
Cheques have not been a thing for 20y+, I wonder if they are still issued.
It's always interesting to watch any EU-specific topic come up on HN and see people on one end of the EU assume that their lives, local laws, and customs are exactly the same as the lives, local laws, and customs on the other end of the EU. And then when a deviation comes up, they assume it's an American thing.
It seems like people in the EU should explore their neighboring countries more. Or at least stop assuming that the EU is one homogenous society modeled after their own personal experiences.
>Or at least stop assuming that the EU is one homogenous society modeled after their own personal experiences.
How was the assuming - "I don't know all EU member states in detail". I have lived (as in years) in several EU member states. Visited (travel) across most of them too.
My wife, currently in southern France, was given a check last week, and tells me she's glad that she brought cash with her.
As I stated, your experiences are not the only experiences. And again, you just assumed that any deviation from your expectations makes it an American aberration. This is simply not true, and speaks to your limited experience and biases.
The UK has an "exceptions service" via the post office for taking your pension as cash. https://www.postoffice.co.uk/payment-exception-service
At least here in Poland there were only theoretical option ( I have not seen one in person once for 20+ years), and removed few years back
By far the most common method of receiving income from an employer in the US is direct deposit. For people who refuse, the fallback position is typically a card (essentially a refillable gift card).
Checks still do exist, but primarily for one-off payments where the payer and payee don't have much of a relationship.
The check issue is solved by concluding the transaction at the buyer's bank. A cashier's check can be issued by that bank to the seller. Since that check is backed up by the bank's own accounts, not subject to the buyer's whims (e.g., they can't stop payment, and the bank will have confirmed that buyer has that amount in their account and debit it immediately), it's as good as cash (well, unless the bank itself is unsound) but safer to carry around.
wth?
Cash isn't great, but some people don't use online banking - and in a private sale, only a fool would hand over their car keys to a stranger in exchange for a cheque.
(Of course, this was a much bigger issue 15 years ago - these days we have faster payments, and the vast majority of people can make payments from their phone.)