University of Virginia Library

Cashing A Check

Students at the University have been
fortunate for many years in that Charlottesville
merchants, aware of the Honor System
and the vigilance of the Bad Check Committee,
have been willing to cash students'
personal checks.

We were disappointed to learn, however,
that People's Drug Store at the Barracks
Road Shopping Center has changed its
policy on cashing checks in the last few
weeks and has turned down numerous students
who had become accustomed to this
service.

The drug store's new policy, we were
relieved to learn, was not the result of
unpleasant experiences with University students;
indeed, as one store official told us,
they never have had any problems as far
as he knew with students.

The new policy was made by the drug
store chain's head office in Washington.
In the words of the official, "There were
just so damn many bad checks."

The store will still cash checks for the
amount of a purchase and, if the customer
is a familiar one, will handle larger checks.

Meanwhile, the local managers are taking
up the problem with their district supervisor
and hope some compromise can be arranged.

What concerns us is not so much that
People's Drug Store has abandoned its
previous customer service, although many
University students—especially in the Copley
Hill area—are affected. We are anxious
lest, as the University grows larger and relationships
become more impersonal, merchants
in general look with skeptical eyes
upon students' checks.

For the moment, students who shop at
People's should voice their complaints to
the manager, and students in general should
take care that the trust other merchants
display in their financial responsibility is
justified.