PIN-credible Security Measures

A woman comes in, the woman whose checks never go through. Ever. I could set my watch by her failed check attempts.

She fills her cart to the brim and rings up $247 worth of groceries.

Customer: “I’ll pay with a check.”

Here we go.

I run it.

Declined.

Try again.

Declined.

One more time.

Still declined. 

She pulls out a scrap of paper and scribbles some numbers.

Customer: “See? This is what I have in my account!”

Me: “Okay, but the check still won’t go through.”

I hand her the number to the verification service. She calls, for twenty minutes, then decides to go to the bank.

On a Sunday night. 

She leaves me with $247 of perishables I really don’t want to restock. Miraculously, she actually comes back… with cash. 

I’m relieved and curious.

Me: “If you went to an ATM, why didn’t you just use your debit card for the groceries?”

Customer: “I can never remember my PIN, so I always use a check.”

Me: “Didn’t you need your PIN for the ATM?”

Customer: “Oh, I’ve scratched my PIN into the wall of all the ATMs in town.”

I… have no words.