re: Why do poor people pay to have checks cashed?

quote:

---

I never understood this. It's way cheaper just to start a bank account and you wouldn't have to pay to cash them.

---

You remind me of Poppy Bush when he saw a scanner at the grocery checkout counter for the first time, totally out of touch.

You've heard of food deserts? There are also bank deserts with all the banks clustered in the more affluent parts of town. If you live in the poor part of town you need a car to get to them or you spend two hours round-trip on the bus to cash your check.

And poor people don't get the totally free checking accounts because the banks lose money maintaining accounts with a balance that always hovers around zero.

If you're lucky enough to be known at a local bar or grocery store you can often get free check cashing, otherwise you pay for it.