Dumb teller at Chase Bank...

[pangaia]

I went to the local Chase Bank today to get some Japanese yen for an upcoming trip.
I do not bank there, but they are the only bank in town that does currency exchanges.

In passing I happened to mention that the Yen today is at 113Y/$1. The last time I was in Japan, in April, it was at about 104 and before that in 2015 at 123. The first time I was there, in 1982, it was around 250, as I remember.

The teller said, "ONE American dollar is worth so much more than ONE Japanese Yen !"

???????????????? HUH! well, that certainly is true.

Then I asked her for whom she was voting on Tuesday, Trump or Obama.

You will NOT believe the reply..


OOHH, yes you will

[meadowlark5]

1. Please don't tell me someone responsible for people's accounts and money handling said "trump"

[rsdsharp]

2. Well in this case it really doesn't matter,

since she'll have a hard time finding either one on the ballot.

[cwydro]

10. Thank you.

I find this OP a bit bewildering.

[pangaia]

3. Well, to be honest, I said trump also...

And in the same sentence as Obama.

[jberryhill]

4. I never buy foreign currency ahead of time

I've left the US for trips of as long as a month abroad with $20 US in my pocket.

I'm curious, though. What is the advantage, for whatever cash you might want, of buying foreign currency here versus just withdrawing local currency from an ATM on arrival over there? (and that, even for the ever diminishing number of things that one might want currency for)

The rate I get from my bank on foreign currency transactions and ATM withdrawals is consistently better than any rate at which it can be purchased directly. (with the exception of places like Argentina if you are buying at the "blue" rate)

[pangaia]

5. I just get $100-200 or so...

I may not have time at Narita or ITM.. gotta try to catch the last bus to Kyoto Station.- AFTER I rush getting a pocket WI-FI.. eekk,, may not make it... :&gt ))


Want a little cash just in case.. plus some places I will visit may not take cards and I don't have a debit card.

I can get more if needed in Kyoto..

[jberryhill]

6. Sounds like fun

I had a transfer in Narita one time, which is still my sole experience in Japan.

The thing that usually hangs me up is not having any coins for the odd things like a drink from a vending machine after a long flight, the odd pay toilet you find in some places, street musicians or tips in places where its customary to leave a few small coins.

[displacedtexan]

7. I do that too. I call it airport money.

I get $$ in each currency I'm going to need. You never know what you might want or need to buy when you arrive, and the bank kiosks and ATMs have outrageous fees at airports and train stations. I also pay cash for ride share or taxi.

[Le Gaucher]

8. They will remain a teller. A personal friend of mine rose from a Teller to the CEO of a bank.

She still is the CEO of the bank

And she is a diehard Democrat and doesnt suffer Trump Republicans or Fools .

[cwydro]

9. Hopefully she told you that Obama isn't running, and rump isn't on the ballot.

I mean, wtf?

[pangaia]

11. Nope.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

12. This sounds productive.

[cwydro]

13. Yeah, I'm with you.

It’s a cool story though.

[pangaia]

18. Believe me, nothing I said would have mattered.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

19. Yeah, you've made that clear.

[pangaia]

20. I don't get it. What's your beef?

[Captain Stern]

14. In all fairness, couldn't that bank teller be telling somebody how stupid you are?

"I had a dumb bastard walk into the bank and ask me whether I was voting for Trump, or Obama on Tuesday......I had no idea what to say...so I just said the name that I thought would make him happy....it was damned creepy"

[pangaia]

16. LOLOL.. You may be right....

But trust me,, she had no clue...

[miyazaki]

15. Ya I might pull 30,000 or so.

The guy next to me overheard when the teller was counting it out and kept saying wow, thinking
I was a high roller or something rolf.

Fun thing is here you can get those extremely seldom 2000 yen notes that are hardly used in Japan, and of course,
still legal tender.
My gf hates them, so I get as many as I can to embarrass her.

[pangaia]

17. Aaw, that's not nice. :))))