Dear John and All,
on 2001/12/31 03.11, kilopascal at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
In your post below, I think you have hit on two of the key features involved
in any nation-wide change. I'll disagree with your first and agree with your
second.
1 You regularly introduce your thoughts with some 'USA bashing',
deprecating the ability of USA citizens to cope with change. I strongly
disagree with you (and others) on this point as I don't think believe that
the USA is any worse (or better) than any other nation. We all have trouble
with nation-wide changes. And we all experience the same types of discomfort
when we try to adopt them. I think it would be better to leave aside the USA
bashing and seek ways of overcoming the impediments to change that we all
share.
2 In any major change there will be key individuals or groups that will
resist change for their own internal reasons. With the change to dollar
coins it seems to be the bank tellers; and it may be that the reason for
their resistance is something as simple as not having a compartment in their
cash drawer to hold the coins, or the form they fill in for their daily
tally does not have a box for dollar coins separate to the one for dollar
notes.
As we devise ways to facilitate the change to SI, we have to take these
factors into account.
We have to be tolerant to those who resist change for change's sake. And we
have to identify the individuals and groups who most resist the change to
SI, and provide additional resources to help the change in these areas.
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
CAMS - Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist
- United States Metric Association
ASM - Accredited Speaking Member
- National Speakers Association of Australia
Member, International Federation for Professional Speakers
--
> 2001-12-30
>
> The discussions on the dollar coin and the Euro are very relavent. They
> point out methods that work and methods that don't work in weaning people
> away from old habits and adjusting to the new.
>
> It also shows the difficulty in America going metric. Because when the US
> decides to change something, it never does it fully or correct. And you can
> see the results.
>
> Conversion to the Euro is an example of how it is to be done. Can you
> imagine if Americans were running the Euro conversion program? They would
> let the old and new co-exist side by side forever and let the people choose
> which one they want. And you would experience exactly what you have seen
> below with the dollar coin.
>
> Conversion to metric parallels conversion in other habits. That is the
> relavence
>
> Harry,
>
> I don't know where you live, but there has to be more than one bank in your
> town. And the fact that a few loose coins keep making there way back to the
> bank means someone is circulating them. I suggest you find a bank that has
> them and buy a few roles a week. And spend them as much as possible around
> town.
>
> Or, you can order the 1 k$ minimum and agree to buy so many roles a week
> until they are exhausted and then order more. But, I'll bet all your tellers
> are women and it is them that don't want to order them and put up the
> obstacles. They fear if they keep ordering them, even if it is just for
> you, the amount of coins in the town will increase to a point that their
> might be more then 10 in their tills at a given time. And since they don't
> want to give them out and "nobody ever asks for them", they will pile up on
> them.
>
> As for the BS about no one asking for them, that is a big cop out. I rarely
> hear anyone when I'm in the bank specifying certain combinations of coin and
> currency when they cash checks. Maybe some do, but most don't They just
> take what the teller wants to give them. So, I would not expect anyone to
> specificially ask for the coin. Unless they wanted to have them for a
> specific reason.
>
> So, my friend, you have the challenge of flooding you town with golden
> dollars. This is your golden opportunity. Do it!
>
> John
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Harry Wyeth" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Sunday, 2001-12-30 06:52
> Subject: [USMA:16931] Coins (on topic?)
>
>
>> I don't know how relevent discussions re coins are to SI, but since they
>> have been mentioned here recently, together with comments on the U.S.
>> dollar coin, here is my experience:
>>
>> The so-called "golden dollars" are almost unavailable where we live. My
>> own bank simply refuses to carry them, and won't even place an order for
>> them for a customer unless they order lots (I think they told me $1000!).
>> They only ones they have are those they somehow acquire as loose change,
>> and there are usually less than 10 in the entire bank. The bank tellers
>> say they never give them out, no one asks for them, and they don't have
>> spots in their cash drawers for them. When I point out that if they gave
>> them out, they would be accepted, and that everyone I have ever dealt out
> a
>> dollar coin to liked it, the tellers just shrug.
>>
>> I have never been given a "golden dollar" in change and have never seen
> one
>> in a cash drawer. I have never seen anyone besides myself in possession
> of
>> one!
>>
>> It is very disappointing. Somehow between them, the U.S. Mint and the
>> banking system have royally screwed up plans for introducing this coin in
>> the U.S.
>>
>> I trust the Euro coins will do better, starting Tuesday.
>>
>> HARRY WYETH
