Forgive me, but I have to share this.  If something strange happens, it
happens to my brother Mike who lives in Minnesota.  Here is the latest
from Tuesday, January 2nd:


STORY:  On my way home from work, I stopped at Taco Bell for a quick
bite to eat.  In my billfold are a $50 bill and a $2 bill.  I figure
that with a $2 bill, I can get something to eat and not have to worry
about anyone getting irritated at me for trying to break a $50 bill.
Me:  "Hi, I'd like one seven-layer burrito please, to go."
Server: "That'll be $1.04.  Eat in?"
Me:  "No, it's to go."  At this point, I open my billfold and hand him
the $2 bill.  He looks at it kind of funny.

Server:  "Uh, hang on a sec, I'll be right back."

He goes to talk to his manager, who is still within my earshot.   The
following conversation occurs between the two of them:
Server:  "Hey, you ever see a $2 bill?"
Manager:  "No.  A what?"
Server:  "A $2 bill. This guy just gave it to me."

 
Server:  "Yeah, thought so."  He comes back to me and says, "We don't
take these.  Do you have anything else?"
Me:  "Just this fifty.  You don't take $2 bills?  Why?"
Server:  "I don't know."
Me:  "See here where it says legal tender?"
Server:  "Yeah."
Me:  "So, why won't you take it?"

Server:  "Well, hang on a sec."  He goes back to his manager, who has
been watching me like I'm a shoplifter, and says to him, "He says I have
to take it."
Manager:  "Doesn't he have anything else?"
Server:  "Yeah, a fifty.  I'll get it and you can open the safe and get
change"
Manager:  "I'm not opening the safe with him in here."
Server:  "What should I do?"
Manager: "Tell him to come back later when he has real money."
Server:  "I can't tell him that!  You tell him."
Manager:  "Just tell him."
Server:  "No way!  This is weird.  I'm going in back."  

The manager approaches me and says, "I'm sorry, but we don't take big
bills this time of night."
Me:  "It's only seven o'clock!  Well then, here's a two dollar bill."
Manager:  "We don't take those, either."
Me:  "Why not?"
Me:  "No really, tell me why."
Manager:  "Please leave before I call mall security."
Me:  "What on earth for?"
Manager:  "Please, sir."
Me:  "Uh, go ahead, call them."
Manager:  "Would you please just leave?"
Me:  "No."
Manager:  "Fine -- have it your way then."
Me:  "Hey, that's Burger King, isn't it?"  At this point, he backs away
from me and calls mall security on the phone around the corner.  I have
two people staring at me from the dining area, and I begin laughing out
loud, just for effect.   

A few minutes later this 45-year-oldish guy comes in.
Guard:  "Yeah, Mike, what's up?"
Manager (whispering):  "This guy is trying to give me some (pause) funny
money."
Guard:  "No kidding!  What?"
Manager:  "Get this .. A two dollar bill."
Manager:  "I don't know.  He's kinda weird.  He says the only other
thing he has is a fifty."
Guard:  "Oh, so the fifty's fake!"
Manager:  "No, the two dollar bill is."
Guard:  "Why would he fake a two dollar bill?"
Guard: "Yeah."  

Security Guard walks over to me and ...
Guard:  "Mike here tells me you have some fake bills you're trying to
use."
Me:  "Uh, no."
Guard:  "Lemme see 'em."
Me:  "Why?"

Guard:  "Do you want me to get the cops in here?"  At this point I am
ready to say, "Sure, please!" but I want to eat, so I say "I'm just
trying to buy a burrito and pay for it with this two dollar bill."  I
put the bill up near his face, and he flinches like I'm taking a swing
at him.  He takes the bill, turns it over a few times in his hands, and
says, "Hey, Mike, what's wrong with this bill?"
Manager:  "It's fake."
Guard:  "It doesn't look fake to me."
Manager:  "But it's a two dollar bill."
Guard:  "Yeah?"
Manager: "Well, there's no such thing, is there?"

The security guard and I both look at him like he's an idiot and it
dawns on the guy that he has no clue.  So, it turns out that my burrito
was free, and he threw in a small drink and some of those cinnamon
thingies, too.     Made me want to get a whole stack of two dollar bills
just to see what happens when I try to buy stuff.  If I got the right
group of people, I could probably end up in jail.  You get free food
there, too.

Just think ... those two probably voted!!!

 

List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance