It's legal tender

[iwoulddoanything]

I'm sure by the title, you can guess where I live

Every day, without fail, I get asked for English notes back in change (manage a large store but often have to jump on tills). Or if I'm in England (actually where I'm from btw), they won't accept my money. I just don't get it. It is legal tender but people still refuse it (when I pay) or don't want it in change (when they're visiting Scotland ). It actually has sterling written on it when English notes don't as far as I'm aware. I just don't get it. And people wonder why Scottish people are fed up of being part of a union which seems our money (the exact same as 'english' money) as less than, or a phrase I hear every few weeks, 'monopoly' money. AIBU?

It isn't legal tender, therefore I don't want your currency. its like telling me I have to accept Naira or Ringgits. I don't.

Love the Michael Mcintyre sketch where he says this.

35ThinkerThunkk, it's legal currency.

Keep up.

@ThinkerThunkk but it's legal currency. Isn't it all pounds?

Massive lols at all the pedants in the thread.

Ok so it's not 'legal tender' but it is 'legal currency' same as Bank of England notes. But enjoy your smug moment.

Tbh I've only had Scottish notes refused once in the last ten years and that was at a fun fair.

I go to England a lot. Cities are fine. Maybe it's rural places that get less visitors that are a problem.

It's crap customer service and it's annoying but it's not worth getting angry about. It's just ignorance on the part of the person that's refusing and it's not their fault they don't know any better.

It's harder to tell forgeries as you don't come across it as frequently.

It's not always racism

It's never racism.

It isn't legal tender, therefore I don't want your currency. its like telling me I have to accept Naira or Ringgits. I don't.

Ah bless you. What a lot of silly nonsense.

So if Scottish banknotes are legal currency, why are they often refused in England?

Because the shops do not have to accept them.

But wouldn't a bank forget detector pen detect a fake? I never said it was racism for the record.

@SoupDragon but why shouldn't they if they use a pen or light up detector? It's British pounds

I have walked out of shops in England before because they refused to take my money. It's legal currency. A union of equals, my arse!

We get them all the time on the Isle of Wight and accept them and bank them no trouble? Long way from home though!

Because they don’t have to. They are perfectly at liberty to select whatever means of payment they want to- most choose pounds sterling but it would not be against the law for them to only accept payment in chocolate buttons. They just might not get many customers or be able to pay their supplier with said chocolate buttons. You can’t be sued for failing to settle a debt which you tried to pay for with legal tender (notes and coins in England, just coins elsewhere), but since you don’t actually have a debt with the shop then they can refuse to take whatever payment they like. Just like they can refuse to serve you for any reason (protected characteristics aside obviously)

We had this on holiday in Yorkshire in the Chinese take away. Even the people in the shop next door were angry on our behalf and swapped our notes for English notes for us to pay for our dinner. It is really weird

The only place I've ever had an issue was Barnsley, everywhere else I've been in England has taken Scottish bank notes without question.

I would imagine that Scottish notes look somewhat different to how they did the last time I saw one. So I'm not going to accept one in my change, because I don't know if it's real or not

In Scotland you would surely accept Scottish notes though? I read the OP as currently living and working in Scotland.

FWIW it seems Scottish banknotes aren't even legal tender in Scotland: www.scotbanks.org.uk/banknotes/legal-position.html

Because the shops do not have to accept them.

So why don't they want to accept them?

Try trying NI notes in England, we have four different versions of each note! It’s not legal tender though - I always make sure I go to the cash machine that does English notes before I fly over

We take them at work and always have.

its like telling me I have to accept Naira or Ringgits

I had no idea that Nigeria and Malaysia were parts of the United Kingdom!

Exactly @NoHummus

That's good @QuestionableMouse , just wish everywhere would!

@Puzzledandpissedoff but legal currency

I work in 2 independent shops (Wales) and we accept them, never had any problem with banking..