Comments on: Fast food Bill

Question: Fast food Bill

jplank — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 18:04:16 -0800

Today I went out for some fast food and paid with my credit card (Visa). Later, I realized that the cashier didn't have me sign the reciept or anything. So, I'm wondering what will happen with the bill since it didnt get signed. Will it still be processed as usual?

By: null terminated

null terminated — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 18:06:18 -0800

At local diners I don't need to sign for bills under $10 or $15. I'm not sure if this is a national or local thing.

By: Hlewagast

Hlewagast — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 18:07:03 -0800

Many merchants no longer require a signature for small purchases. This seems to be especially true for restaurants.

Previously.

By: IndigoRain

IndigoRain — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 18:07:36 -0800

At CVS, the new rule is no signatures for under $50.

By: plokent

plokent — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 18:10:10 -0800

I've used my VISA debit card at McDonalds and Wendys and they've never asked for me to enter a PIN number or sign a receipt and they've always been processed.

By: smallerdemon

smallerdemon — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 18:15:38 -0800

Yeah, many places now only require the signature for purchases of X amount or less. Where X amount turns out to be on they decide upon. Starbucks is the main one I can think of now that does this.

By: 4ster

4ster — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 18:19:52 -0800

My wife, who is sitting across from me as I write this, was once a waitress, and she tells me that in these instances, the transaction is run like any other. Apparently they are able to enter "signature on file" into the credit card doohickey.

By: spira

spira — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 19:48:48 -0800

As others have said, a lot of places don't require a signature anymore for small pirchases. Panera Bread and CVS are two that come to mind. Given that most cashiers don't even look at the signature, and that orders over the phone don't require a signature, I'm surprised that this didn't start happening sooner.

By: absalom

absalom — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 19:50:58 -0800

No. Small orders do not require signatures. Starbucks would be fucked otherwise. At least down south, where we are addicted to drive thru. (yes, thru)

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 20:04:32 -0800

Same thing at Whole Foods in NYC. If I just buy lunch, no signature. If it is a weeks worth of groceries for the family ($150), I do have to sign. Until I figured it out, it simply added to the checkout confusion.

By: oaf

oaf — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 20:17:26 -0800

Starbucks would be fucked otherwise.

Canadian Starbucks stores do require you to sign. So does Shoppers Drug Mart (about as close to CVS as you can get in Canada), even for $7 purchases. But since Starbucks Canada is technically different, they get to make their own call.

By: pmurray63

pmurray63 — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 20:18:32 -0800

X can also vary by location. There's a Kroger's in a suburb here where it's like $25 or $50 ... but at ones closer to the city, X = $0.

By: oaf

oaf — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 20:18:32 -0800

technically a different company

By: -harlequin-

-harlequin- — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 20:40:23 -0800

I'm guessing that the signature's purpose is manly to protect them from chargebacks on the transaction, therefore, if the transaction is small, or you're a regular customer, the business may see the risk&cost of chargeback as too small to justify tying up staff to get the signature. (Obviously, online retailers operate quite large transactions without signatures)

Subway restaurants in my area will require a signature, but once you're a regular that the people working there recognise, they'll let it go.

By: -harlequin-

-harlequin- — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 20:41:12 -0800

mainly = mainly

By: DoctorFedora

DoctorFedora — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 20:45:53 -0800

Visa does not require signatures for purchases of $25 or less, as I discovered last summer when I worked at a Quiznos. Imagine my surprise when the receipt printer didn't even leave a signature line on the receipts for Visa purchases of less than that much.

By: polyglot

polyglot — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 02:09:17 -0800

Signatures are inspected only on chargeback so it doesn't matter unless you contest the charge. As others have said, the net cost of getting a signature from everyone is greater than the chargebacks they eat from the 1% or whatever stolen cards are used to buy coffee.

See also the Credit Card Prank.

By: criticman

criticman — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 04:28:52 -0800

Companies have been doing this for at least 2 years that I am aware of. I have experienced this everywhere from pharmacies (drive thru and inside), restaurants (mostly fast food, although sit-down places I frequent only require the signature the first time I use that particular credit card there), and even gas stations. Whenever asked, the employees all state that "for purchases under $xx.xx, we do not require signatures."

I do not know if it varies by type of purchase or if they have had your signature on file from a previous purchase changes the amount, but this is definitely common practice now.

I tried Googling it, but I am not sure what exact phrase would be needed to get a valid result from either a credit card company or valid industry analyst.

By: whitebird

whitebird — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 07:24:00 -0800

I believe that at Pathmark, you don't need to sign for grocery purchases under $50.

By: ofthestrait

ofthestrait — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 13:26:43 -0800

at the Bowling Green Chipotle in Manhattan, I've never had to sign. It's amazing. They swipe your card and the receipt comes out instantaneously. That place is a machine.