Witnessed woman maxing out her credit card yesterday

[Liberal_in_LA]

Women in front of me in line at a 'Big Lots'...Big Lots is like a messy Target or Kmart. Her total came to over $400. She scanned her card, while holding money in her hands ready for the card to be declined. The card was declined, she gave the cashier about $100. The card was then scanned for $300 and went through. I've seen this kind of behavior before - the person pays enough to max the card

And, no, she wasn't buying essentials. her cart was full of couch throw pillows, kitchen towels, two big dog beds, 5 giant plastic storage tubs, lots of decorative stuff. Stuff that could have waited.

**on edit, I guess I should say why I posted this... the whole thing kinda of depressed me. Buying junk made in China with one's future***

[Xenotime]

1. I guess she doesn't understand that big banks are profiting off of her.

[cutlassmama]

2. She is probably about to file bankruptcy and wanted to get every last dollar

on the card. Also, those items can be sold at a garage sale or on Craig'slist for cash.

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. From her happiness with her newly purchased crap, I stereotyped her as a 'shopper'

[seabeyond]

7. i know people, both gender, the tighter they need to be, the more they spend

on nothing.

[LiberalAndProud]

6. I wondered if she might be a hoarder when I read the piece.

I guess we paint our own scenarios when so much is unknown about the subject.

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. dupe

dupe

[Liberal_in_LA]

11. Yep. I've seen people in Sears make a payment, then a purchase

of something non essential. I know the purchased was only allowable because of the payment because they inquire to the cashier.

[myrna minx]

29. And you know this how exactly? Like a person down thread said, she may have had

a gift card and wasn't sure how much money was left on it.

[AnArmyVeteran]

4. Among every group of happy shoppers are remorseful buyers...

[tabatha]

5. These people are supposed to be more

well adjusted than indigeneous people?

[ClarkUSA]

8. I don't feel sorry for idiots like this when the bill comes due. n/t

[peacefreak]

9. I've been on the other side of the register

with a customer trying card after card til she hit one that had a positive balance. And this was BEFORE the crunch.

[Liberal_in_LA]

13. and was she buying essentials? Food, diapers, medicine?

[peacefreak]

30. nope.

fun stuff.

[TheCowsCameHome]

12. I saw one woman maxing her card out a while ago - just to buy cigarettes.

[tammywammy]

18. Well that's what I call an essential purchase

lol

BTW, this makes me so glad I don't use credit cards only cash (well a debit card). If I don't have the money I don't need it, and really think about purchases before I make them (do I really need this???).

[TheCowsCameHome]

24. I think you and I are in the minority.

Folks have too much debtload these days.

[tammywammy]

25. Yep

I'm currently remodeling parts of my house (starting in my front hall, it's a big hall). A little each week or saving up to purchase the next items.

The most I do on "credit" for instance, I wanted this table to go in the front hall. It was on sale, and my dad said to put it on his credit card (it's in both our names) and then I pay him the next week for it. More so I didn't miss out on the sale price.

[proudohioan]

52. I'm a smoker (unfortunately); that WAS an essential purchase!!

LOL!!

Yeah, I'm the same as you; don't use any credit cards just a debit card. It sure puts those unnecessay purchases into perspective, doesn't it?

[Odin2005]

14. Consumerism is going to be the death of us as a civilization.

Shopping is an addiction. People simply do not know to manage their money anymore, and I'm not talking about people that struggle to make ends meet, I'm talking about people that make $100,000 a year and are up to their eyeballs in debt.

Jesus Christ...

[Liberal_in_LA]

15. I'm reading a book right now, titled "green with envy", written in 2006

boy did the writer call it! She interviewed folks making good salaries that acquired 100k credit card balances trying to keep up with the Joneses.

[tblue37]

38. I read that book a few months ago. It's very good. nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

68. Yeah, picked it up off a bargain table for $2, didn't think it was gonna be as good as it was

[tblue37]

72. Ha! I also got it from a bargain table! nt

[proudohioan]

54. Oh, I read that book a few months ago!

Especially sad was the young couple that had always been uber responsible savers in the past! Man, I can't even imagine going into the kind of debt described in that book!

[Liberal_in_LA]

67. The debt was unimaginable...for clothes and trips!

[Dappleganger]

66. Many of those who acquired that kind of debt took out low-interest HELOCs

and are now underwater or are losing their homes. They're all over our area and neighborhood.

We didn't (although we nearly did but decided against it at the last minute) so we survived dh's unemployment period. If we had we'd be homeless, no doubt.

[Liberal_in_LA]

69. glad you resisted the temptation!

[proudohioan]

74. I'm so glad you didn't fall into that trap!

Sad what folks are going through right now; yeah, I'm sure there are more than a handful who just wanted to aquire "the lifestyle" and tons of stuff, but I've got a girlfriend who has been just hammered; was laid off 3 years ago, and it took her almost 2 years to find another job. After working there for all of 9 months, she got fired, so no UI for her (her employer challenged and won). She has literally been living off of her credit cards and child support. She knows that her own little house of cards will be collapsing soon, but there is honestly no work in her area, and home sales are virtually non-existent, so no hope to get out of her home.

[Dappleganger]

76. Oh my!

My heart goes out to your girlfriend and her family. :(

Trust me, we were so close...we really wanted to do some home improvements to make the house better for a large family (enlarge the kitchen). This was not gonna be for a big screen tv or a new car. We went so far as having the appraisal done, and before we even received the report back we got cold feet and put a stop to the process. It's a good thing! We just can't all eat in the kitchen at once, LOL. ;)

I really hope things turn up soon for your girlfriend and hope she's prepared to make those tough business decisions for her family. It used to be that walking away was a horrible thing to do, but IMO it's what is necessary to survive and move on for your family.

[proudohioan]

92. Thank you for your kind words.....

And I agree about making tough business decisions for family survival. Elizabeth Warren spoke of that type of family business decision in "The Two Income Trap". I had to walk away from my apartment a year ago myself. I ruined my spotless rental history, but my own financial house of cards finally collapsed. It made me feel better that Elizabeth Warren would not have condemned me for that decision.

Best of luck with your kitchen...may an unexpected $urprise come along for you and your family.



:)

[meeshrox]

73. Ever seen WALL-E?

BNL (Buy-N-Large) is the new slogan in my house (jokingly) when we see consumerism running amok. That's how we'll end up as a civilization...
WALL-E is a wonderful film, BTW...first 20 minutes with no dialogue and you don't miss a beat!

The TV show Clean House also shows how people can hoard items out of emotional distress...it's a terrible addiction! I used to watch that show a lot, but it got really depressing. But, I mostly watched it because of Ms. Niecy Nash, love her!

It's hard to stop my techie husband from getting new gadgets, but when he buys something, I give something else to the homeless shelter to sell in their store! He never misses it!

[Dreamer Tatum]

16. So according to this thread, she's an "idiot," is probably about to file bankruptcy

and so forth. Man, the things people here know about other people from hearsay.

Truly amazing.

[myrna minx]

33. Seriously!

I had something like this happen to me with a gift card - I thought I had $10.00 more than I did, and I paid the balance with my debit card. It's creepy to think that my innocent transaction with a merchant would be scrutinized by someone behind me, and then be the subject of a message board thread questioning motive, states of mind, etc. This thread is bizarre.

[Dorian Gray]

46. Me too....

I was given a $500 American Express Gift Card for a big occassion once. Husband and I decided to use it for a "fun" purchase. A Television. Initially, it was declined (because the TV cost more than the amount, and despite being told, the woman behind the counter accidentally ran it for the full amount.) So, she then used the card for the correct amount, then used a second card for the rest.

To a casual observer, we probably looked like idiots who had to spread the balance to two cards. But, in actuality, we had the money to pay off the TV, and were using a gift to offset the cost, anyhow.

Point is... you never actually know what people are doing when paying with various cards/cash combos.

[bobbolink]

35. Exactly. So many people are so quick to judge, and then claim that is what is wrong with the RW.

Something about the log in our own eyes.

:cry:

[xultar]

82. She could be starting over after leaving an abusive relationship! For Fuck sake...DU!!!!!!

[xultar]

81. [phone] million trillion gazillion brazillion billion...ROFL

[Duer 157099]

17. Sometimes it's a debit card with a daily withdrawal limit n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

19. that's a possibility. I have one of those, but the daily limit is pretty high

the limits on debit cards usually start around 1K

[SoCalDem]

27. ost debit cards are limited to the amount you have in your account

I have used our debit card for thousands in a single purchase online, and never had a problem, but as a former cashier, I have seen people's debit cards rejected for a minor grocery store purchase when their account was empty..

[Xithras]

55. Depends on the card, and the type.

If my debit card is run as a Visa, it's limited to $500 a day. If it's run as a debit and I have to input my PIN, there is no daily limit.

I've been into many places that don't have PIN-capable machines, where I had to run the card as a Visa because there was no alternative. In those stores, I'm limited to $500.

As someone who has had more than $12,000 stolen during two different card thefts, I prefer the limit.

[Fool Count]

20. Or she could have just had a prepaid card and wasn't sure

how much money was left on it.

[Liberal_in_LA]

22. true

[myrna minx]

32. I had something similar happen to me with a gift card.

I find it really weird to think that because I thought I had $10.00 more on a gift card than I did, I could have had someone in line behind me, scrutinizing and judging my purchases, then running home to post on a message board about it. Subsequently having people speculate that I was about ready to file for bankruptcy, questioning my state of mind, my zeal for shopping, weather I was a hoarder etc. Wow. This is a very weird thread.

In my case, um, I just thought I had $10.00 more on the card than I did, and then I paid the balance with my debit card. :shrug:

[csziggy]

21. That happened to me while we were building our house

I maxed out the card I was using to buy materials - no problem since I knew I had the funds to pay it off. I had just miscalculated how much I had already put on that card that billing cycle. I used my GM card on the theory that someday I might buy a new car and use the credit I accrue towards the purchase. :rofl:

Maybe the woman just moved and need stuff for a new place. Maybe she was perfectly capable of paying off the entire card at the end of the month and just miscalculated as I did. Around here we see college students with pre-paid cards but not sure of the current total run them to the end and have to divide up a large purchase. it happens. :shrug:

[GoCubsGo]

47. Sounds to me like she was setting up a household

She couldn't be too hard up if she was running around with at least a hundred bucks worth of cash in her pocket.

[ejpoeta]

23. the thing i have learned is don't max your card. try not to go more than half or it

can negatively affect your credit rating.

[TheOther95Percent]

26. I don't want any credit for this one.

I haven't told a soul about this one. I make a fairly decent living. Have benefits. I was in the pharmacy two months ago getting a prescription refilled for my cat. It's a family-owned pharmacy and the other option is owned by fundies. Not hard to figure out which one is getting my business. Anyway, the man in front of me is visibly ill. He's got a $90 co-payment for his drugs. I find out later he has cancer. Anyway, it's the same deal. He pulled out three credit cards and all were declined. He was going through his wallet trying to figure out how much money he has and which drugs he can do without. Damn. Only in America. I put my credit card down and asked the clerk to run that one. The man started to cry and tell me he worked hard all his life and now that he's sick, he's having trouble paying his bills. He's headed for bankruptcy since he can't work while he goes through treatment. He doesn't get much in disability. So both of us get emotional and we're talking about HCR, the economy, the fact that only in America can an illness take everything you've worked a lifetime to accumulate. We hugged. I gave him my e-mail address and said I'd help him out any way I could. I managed to get him to apply for food stamps. He's waiting to hear if he qualifies for some medical assistance through NYS. It is tough out there.

[renate]

28. too bad

You do get credit for it. Oodles of it. :loveya:

How lovely of you. It must have been a heartbreaking thing to see and you turned it into an amazing gift. Good for you for all the help you're giving him. O8)

[Beaverhausen]

41. you rock

I hope I would do the same if I was in that situation. I am lucky enough to be doing OK these days.

:hug:

[TreasonousBastard]

43. It's OK, take the credit.

[Dappleganger]

56. Bless you for this.

If only more people would show such kindness. Of course, this wouldn't even be necessary if we had singly payer!

[TheOther95Percent]

59. If we had single payer, it wouldn't be necessary.

Most people don't realize how easy it is to be bankrupted by a combination of a cut in take home pay and medical expenses. I saw a comment further down the line and am tempted to ask him or her to crunch the numbers. How long could you pay your mortgage and meet your bills with a 30 percent pay cut and a thousand a month in unreimbursed medical bills?

[Dappleganger]

60. Welcome to DU!

I know that tight-rope walk...dh just found permanent employment after more than a year of being laid off/underemployed contract work. We were just one major medical incident away from being wiped out.

I think most people on THIS board understand it, it's those who have always enjoyed decent employment and benefits who don't have a clue.

[TheOther95Percent]

62. Congrats on the new job for your DH

And thanks for the welcome.

My sister just landed a job after being unemployed since December 2008. I think things are starting to pick up.

[Dappleganger]

65. Excellent!

One person at a time...

[ecstatic]

57. +1000. Really nice of you nt

[proudohioan]

58. I'm with reply #28 on that one!!!!!

O8)

[Liberal_in_LA]

70. BLESS YOU for paying for his drugs. n/t

[Love Bug]

31. How do you know it wasn't a Visa gift card?

They look just like a regular Visa card. Perhaps she wasn't sure how much was left on it, thereby bringing the cash.

[proteus_lives]

34. Some folks have no sense.

I'm convinced a lot of people never learn how to use credit cards correctly.

[shedevil69taz]

39. For me the only proper use of a credit card

is to open a door you locked your keys on the other side of. Or an emergency ice scraper.

[CoffeeCat]

64. credit cards barely existed 30 years ago...

...and now everyone thinks they have to have them.

No. You don't need a credit card.

If you have to put it on a card, you can't afford it. Save for what
you want, if you don't have the money. Then purchase.

Credit cards enslave people.

I have a hunch that banks were allowed to hand out credit cards to anyone who had
a pulse---to make money--and more importantly--the banks knew the gravy
train would implode eventually--and I think credit cards were a way to
totally wreck the middle class and enslave them.

Credit cards foster irresponsibility and put chains around people. They
help no one but the big financial corporations.

[yodoobo]

84. "Credit cards enslave people. "

You got that right.

speaking as a former slave here mind you.

[CoffeeCat]

90. I'm a former credit-card slave as well...

Once you're on the other side--free from debt--you have an entirely
different perspective, as I'm sure you understand.

NEVER, EVER again--will I own a credit card.

Every reason for having a credit card is a ploy developed by the banks
who hock the cards in the first place.

Glad you're free too. I'd rather keep my money--than send it off to Capital One or BofA.

[Tailormyst]

49. Thing is the OP has no idea what sort of card it was

or why the person was there. The OP is simply going with whatever scenario pisses him off the most and allows him to feel superior at the same time.

[Beaverhausen]

36. I can't believe all the assumptions you are making about this person

she could be decorating a habitat for humanity house for all you know, and was given a credit card and cash to do it.

[distantearlywarning]

37. Might not be what you think.

My husband and I both have "personal money" built into our monthly budget. I use my budgeted "mad money" via a credit card, which gets paid off every month (and yes, it's improved my credit score over time...). This credit card only has a $300 limit. There have been a few occasions when I went to the Home Depot, or the Bed Bath and Beyond to buy something, realized I was up to my monthly limit at the register and had to chip in a little cash. Frankly, I never thought much about that, but now I'm wondering if every person behind me in line when that happened assumed that I was up to a $10,000 limit or something and made unpleasant assumptions about me, my spending habits, my willpower, my lifestyle, or whatever.

If this woman was up to the limit on a $300 card that she paid off every month, and which was built into her monthly budget, would you be as alarmed, judgmental, or whatever it was that you were being standing in line behind her?

[Love Bug]

40. Yabbut, yabbut... then we couldn't have our daily dose of outrage!

We couldn't feel superior for our own financial perfection! :sarcasm:

[TreasonousBastard]

42. Well, I would have taken that card and...

shredded it with the scissors I carry for just such a purpose before she could swipe it the second time. Then I would sternly lecture her on her imprudent ways and threaten to stalk her forever to make sure she never fell prey to such bad judgment again.

What's the point of depression, outrage, or simply judging a person you don't even know if you don't do something about it? Good liberals don't just complain, they act.

After all if I'm in a store buying cheap Chinese junk not quite covered by my Visa rebate card, I sure don't want to see anyone else doing the same.

[divvy]

44. I have a $500 limit on my most used credit card.

I have paid it off each month for years. I put everything on it. I just cashed in 120,000 points to help pay for trip.

[JNelson6563]

45. Ok, you've got it all wrong.

People only max out their cards for medical bills. They only lose their homes because they were hoodwinked by an evil broker.

I could go on with all the things people are not personally responsible for but I'm sure you get the picture.

Julie

[Tailormyst]

48. You really don't know the reason she was there or what was going on

You are twisting the events to suit the scenario you can find most outrageous. There could be many reasons she was buying those things.

[Liberal_in_LA]

71. True nuff

[MilesColtrane]

50. When I worked retail, I'd occasionally see people whip out wallets with....

ten, or so credit cards in them.

Sometimes they'd go through four different cards before they'd give me one that wouldn't be declined.

[Berry Cool]

51. Passing judgment on strangers based on what they're buying and how they're paying sucks.

It's what mean people do...pay attention to who's in line ahead of them, what they're buying and how. Then passing judgment on someone they don't even know based on the items they're buying (do they look "essential" or not?) and how they're paying for them--food stamps, maxed-out credit card, whatever.

I think most of this bad habit so many people engage in can be explained simply by the fact that they're waiting in line and they're bored and pissed off, so they find excuses to resent the people ahead of them in the line...any excuse will do.

Stop doing it. You don't know that person's life or why they're doing what they're doing. And it's none of your damn business.

Only mean people pass judgment on strangers like that. And mean people suck.

[xultar]

83. +101

[Liberal_in_LA]

86. -102

[Liberal_in_LA]

85. calm the hell down

[ecstatic]

53. I understand your concern, but what if it was a debit card

I can't imagine someone being that irresponsible... but I have a debit card in a second account that I keep a very small amount of cash on (it's the card I give to my SO when I need him to pick up something).

[southernyankeebelle]

61. Don't judge this woman. What is important to her may not be to you or me. But don't judge

her. Who are we to say what is important to one person isn't important to us.

[unblock]

63. what makes you think she doesn't pay it off every month?

true, maybe she has a $10,000 limit and is paying 30% interest and the minimum payment each month.

on the other hand, maybe she has a $500 limit and is paying no interest because she pays it off each month.


:shrug:

[earth mom]

75. I get your point, but think it's awful nosy to be watching people when they pay for their stuff.

I really hate when people do that to me when I'm shopping.

Plus I really don't think anyone should make such a snap judgement like that.

[RagAss]

77. I know people who max out and pay up...just for the travel miles...

[Bluebear]

78. Maybe it was a debit card. nt

[yodoobo]

79. You sure about that?

May have been a debit card and she was simply spending cash in the bank.

Or maybe it was a gift card and she was wasn't sure how much was on it.

Or maybe it was a stored value card and was trying to extract the last dollar she put on it from last week.

Reading this thread is a interesting view on people.


So many assumptions and JUDGMENT on such a tiny spec of information.

[sufrommich]

80. A lot of people on the verge of filing for divorce do the

same thing. Regardless, it's none of my business.

[Bluenorthwest]

87. What are you, Kreskin?

How could you know what sort of card or account she was using, or how essential the purchases might be? I just do not get how you leap to such conclusions. Or why.

[Codeine]

88. Try minding your own damned business. nt

[joe_sixpack]

89. Regardless of what this shopper's motives were...

the truth of the matter is that our economy survives on the purchasing of stuff like this. If everyone only bought what they needed or was practical, we'd be in serious trouble. Shopping has become a recreational activity. When the weather gets nice, people swarm to shops to acquire something. It's almost as if we've modified the gathering instict and substituted shopping in its place. To me, it represents an emptiness or a flaw in our natures. It would be much more heartening to see people out in parks and town centers, sharing an ice cream or coffee while talking to other members of the community or walking with children. Europe is still like that. The shops there tend to close at six or so, and people do other things.

[caty]

91. We pay off

our credit cards every month and only use them in emergencies like car repairs, vet bills, etc. We have one card that we got through our credit union. If we do have to leave a balance on our card, at least most of it goes to the credit union instead of Wall Street. Since we don't use our credit card every month, we can pay cash for what we want. We find a bit of joy in knowing that those greedy jerks on Wall St. won't get any more of our money than need be. I wonder how many others have done what we have as a small protest against "too big to fail" banks.