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Earlier
March 30, 2004
Automatic Trying Machines
This post was going to be a whinge about ATMs in Japan.
First I was going to delve into the usability problems of touch screens, mainly because I was stuck behind this old man last week for twenty-five minutes while he umm'd and ahh'd as he tried to transfer money. I do feel for the guy - during the day when sun comes into the ATM booth that screen is quite difficult to read. But honestly, ask for some help fella, don't just plug away at it when you are clearly getting nowhere! (someone did help him in the end).
Next I was going to deride the Japanese banking system for living in the dark ages and shutting their machines down overnight. That's right, folks. You can't use most ATMs after about 7pm on weeknights, or 5pm on weekends. Isn't that ridiculous?? Oh sure, there is the occasional machine open near major stations. And some 24 hour convenience stores have ATMs in them. But even they are only usable until midnight!
Who knows. Maybe they worry about the machines getting tired. Perhaps they want to save on electricity (although the vending machines keep on whirring).
But anyway, I can't really bag ATMs like I was going to. Because they saved my arse today.
I had ordered my sandwich from Subway, and when I went to pay realized I had a measly 312 yen on me. Nope, not enough for the sandwich and drink that the girl at the counter was in the middle of handing over the counter to me.
I did the very Japanese gesture for "how embarrassing" of rubbing my head, mumbled that I would get some money out at the ATM around the corner and would she please wait a minute. Then I ran to the bank...
...only to remember that pay day was tomorrow, and that I had pretty much sucked my account dry paying for an air ticket to China (we leave on Friday).
Doh.
The thing is, I never realized that ATMs in this country dispensed coins. And wasn't it lucky that my account balance rang in at 517 yen, which was just enough for me to make a pathetic withdrawal (hope that nobody saw me withdraw a 500 yen coin from an ATM) hurry back to the shop, and pay for my sandwich.
Hell, I even had enough for a drink.
Posted by mattymcg at March 30, 2004 11:40 PMalthough NYC ATMs do not dispense coins, they are open all night. sometimes it's a blessing, sometimes a curse :) after all, withdrawing $200 to keep partying at 2am is not always a great idea.
Posted by: gleek at March 31, 2004 04:59 AMIn Switzerland, the home of banking, I find out nigh on impossible to find an ATM that was actually a hole in the wall. I believe that most of them reside within the walls of the bank and so you have to wait for opening hours. That's what I call frustrating.
Posted by: Hammy at March 31, 2004 07:00 AMthat's funny. I didn't know about withdrawing the coin thing. Umm..she says a little embarassed....I have a number of times been a few yen short of a thousand yen, so I deposit some coins after scraping around the bottom of my bag and then withdraw the 1000 yen - isn't that the best feeling ever!!
Posted by: kat at March 31, 2004 10:48 AM