Thursday, June 19, 2008
(10:25 AM) | Adam Kotsko:
The Ultimate ATM
At a bank near my apartment, there is an ATM that formerly asked you to input the desired amount "in multiples of $1.00." I normally inputted an amount such that the withdrawal and the fee would add up to a round number, making myself one of the few people with exact change in a world full of $20s.One weekend, the ATM was shut down for repairs, and when it came back, it asked you to input the desired amount "in multiples of $5." It was disappointing, but better than nothing, and I still strategized my withdrawal amounts to get $5s. Then yesterday I went to the ATM and inputted $57.00, apparently thinking of what the total withdrawal would be with the fee included. Imagine my surprise when it gave me the exact amount -- it had been capable of giving ones the whole time, and the message to input the amount "in multiples of $5" was apparently just a polite request.
