12.29.2005

Fashion is Feeding Us Identification


Christmas 2005
Originally uploaded by YourAuntBee.

I wasn't supposed to go into work today until two o'clock.

I was going to sleep until noon, fall out of bed and into the shower. I was going to stop at Starbucks and have a nice four-hour day!

But then everyone, and I mean everyone got sick. Now, I have to go in much earlier and freak out about staying healthy myself.

That means hearing "Why is my account negative???" early. That means hearing "Don't you be puttin' a hold on my check!" sooner. That means hearing "I've never heard of needing two IDs!" about a zillion more times.

Speaking of two IDs . . .

My bank requires that, in order for us to cash a check for a non-account holder, the check must be from our bank and the payee must provide two valid forms of identification. There are several kinds of identification we don't accept (library cards, video rental cards, gambling cards, etc) but I feel we are quite fair in the forms we do accept.

But apparently, half the world makes it through with only one form of ID.

These people throw fits. They curse and tell us "This is why I don't bank here!"

No, my dear. You don't bank here because we require two forms of identification to open an account, also.

They always act like it's unheard of and wrong. "Never in my life have I heard of such a crock of sh*t!"

Come to find out, it's not that new of an idea.

This weekend, I was telling Marcus all about how I'd get him a credit card and my mom started freaking out. "No you will not! He doesn't need to be getting in all that debt!"

"You had a credit card by the time you were that age," my Poppy reminded her.

"I only got that Sears card so I could get my sewing machine!"

At this point, Marcus and I busted out laughing.

"You also needed it to cash your checks," Poppy tried to yell above our laughter.

This, of course, got my attention. "Wait, what do you mean? Did you need it as a second form of ID?"

"Yes. I couldn't cash my checks without two forms of identification, so that was the other reason I got the Sears card."

"So you're telling me that I can start telling all these people who say they've never heard of such a thing 'My mom had to get a Sears card fifty years ago just so she could cash her checks!'?"

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