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AIBU?

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Original poster

to feel uncomfortable using a £50 note

171 replies

Charliegirl1974 · 16/08/2017 09:51

DH was given a £50 note by BIL and passed it on to me to top up the electricity and do some shopping and my first reaction was that the local shop might be a bit funny about accepting it. He thinks money is money and I'm being a bit strange.

I've decided to go a bit out of my way to use it at the Post Office so there shouldn't be a problem but am I being weird? All I can think of is that I'm turning into those little old ladies who were afraid of £20 notes when I was a kid Grin

OP posts:
malmi · 16/08/2017 22:12

WhatToDoAboutThis2017

I didn't say that they were still legal tender. I said that them not being legal tender does not mean that "nobody can accept them".

MardAsSnails · 16/08/2017 22:15

I hate it.

Whenever I travel back to the uk and get cash from the exchange, I end up with it in £50s. Every fucking time I try to spend one I get questioned. Even asda if I go and get a 'big shop' in for the in laws and spend £250 - they look at me weird and have previously asked the manager to come and check.

I gave two as a wedding present last time i was back, to DHs mate. I laughed. He could deal with getting them accepted somewhere instead of me. Mwahahaha.

notevernotnevernotnohow · 16/08/2017 22:15

Oh bless, things are so cheap in the UK! 50€ notes are not in anyway remarkable, not that they get you very much.

zukiecat · 16/08/2017 22:20

notever

That's pretty insulting to those of us on minimum wage, things are not cheap in the U.K.!

Whinesalot · 16/08/2017 22:23

That's pretty crap zukie Are you expected to make up the shortfall for any other reasons?

notevernotnevernotnohow · 16/08/2017 22:34

Well they are, relatively speaking. If your minimum wage is still too low that is a different matter. But compared to almost everywhere else, a lot of things are super cheap.
There are people on this thread who have never used a 50 pound note?

Whinesalot · 16/08/2017 22:39

BECAUSE they are not common - as is illustrated by this thread.

zukiecat · 16/08/2017 22:40

Yes Whinesalot

If our tills are short for any reason then we are expected to make up the shortfall or face a disciplinary, it's rubbish

We never hear anything about it if our tills are over though

notever

I've never used a £50 note in my life, had barely seen one before I started working in that shop

malmi · 16/08/2017 22:43

If you've accepted a paper fiver into your till and hence it is 'short' are you at least allowed to keep the paper fiver so you can swap it for a new one when you get a chance?

zukiecat · 16/08/2017 22:51

malmi

Not a chance we'd be allowed to do that!

I think we'd get the sack if we tried that

notevernotnevernotnohow · 16/08/2017 22:54

pretty sure thats illegal?

malmi · 16/08/2017 23:04

Yeah, they can't claim that an old fiver makes the till short by £5, charge this to the employee, but simultaneously keep the £5 in question. They're just stealing £5 from the employee.

steff13 · 16/08/2017 23:39

A £50 note is legal tender, which means that you can use it as payment for court fine. No shop has to accept it if they don't want to.

If it's legal tender it means it has to be accepted for a debt. It doesn't have to be a court fine. It could be a restaurant check, etc.

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 16/08/2017 23:42

If it's legal tender it means it has to be accepted for a debt.

Any business (shop, restaurant etc.) can legally refuse any money for any reason whatsoever.

steff13 · 16/08/2017 23:46

I didn't say shop, I said debt. If you receive a service in advance of payment, like a meal at a restaurant, you're in debt to the restaurant and they have to accept it.

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 16/08/2017 23:48

I didn't say shop, I said debt. If you receive a service in advance of payment, like a meal at a restaurant, you're in debt to the restaurant and they have to accept it.

I said any business. They don't have to take it. If it is your only means of payment they probably will take it because otherwise they'd be out of pocket, but they don't have to.

malmi · 17/08/2017 00:02

If it is your only means of payment they probably will take it because otherwise they'd be out of pocket, but they don't have to.

But if they don't, then you can leave, and they can't sue you for non-payment of the debt, because you offered legal tender and they refused it.

malmi · 17/08/2017 00:03

(which I think you recognise when you say they'd be 'out of pocket')

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 17/08/2017 00:04

pretty sure thats illegal?

Docking wages ? It is. The old £5 can easily be changed by sending it to the Bank of England. The business' own bank will probably change it as well.

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 17/08/2017 00:07

zukiecat

malmi

Not a chance we'd be allowed to do that!

I think we'd get the sack if we tried that

They can't have it both ways. If they are docking you £5 then you should have the opportunity of taking the old one to a bank to exchange it. I bet they pay the old ones in.

dustarr73 · 17/08/2017 00:22

I cant believe there are people on this thread that have never seen a£50 note.

£50 is nothing.You would spend that at the shops.

I just cant get my head around that.
I know in Tesco in I reland the 500 euro note needs a superviser to ok it.Cant imagine doing that with a 50,we would never get anything done.

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 17/08/2017 00:41

I cant believe there are people on this thread that have never seen a£50 note

£50 is nothing.You would spend that at the shops

I've never seen a £50 note. I rarely have more £20 -£30 in cash on me. I earn considerably more than UK national average wage.

dustarr73 · 17/08/2017 00:46

So if you go to the cash machine, and you take money out.Its only ever in 10 or 20s

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 17/08/2017 00:46

But if they don't, then you can leave, and they can't sue you for non-payment of the debt, because you offered legal tender and they refused it.

I know; I'm not disputing that. I'm disputing the fact that they have to accept it, because they don't.

I cant believe there are people on this thread that have never seen a£50 note

I've only ever seen one at work. When would I ever have seen one otherwise? I don't know anyone who carries more than £20 cash on them anymore. There's just no need with card.

I very rarely pay cash for anything. Even when I nip in Greggs and spend 70p, it goes on my card.

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 17/08/2017 00:47

So if you go to the cash machine, and you take money out.Its only ever in 10 or 20s

But why would anyone want so much money in cash in the first place?!