Pizza promotion met with death threats!

[AGDee]

Living near the border of Canada, we see Canadian money all the time. You will frequently get Canadian coins as change and then they don't work in the vending machines and you can't CoinStar them. It would be great if a local store/restaurant, etc took the Canadian money. Addtionally, I found $25 Canadian shoved in a pocket in my purse a few weeks ago and had to call around to find a bank that would exchange it. I'm sure if somewhere around here took it as currency, they'd get business from people who want to get rid of their Canadian dollars. I can't see anybody being insulted by a business who elected to take both forms of currency. I'd also hazard a guess that 5% of the people working in my building are Canadian and have to carry both forms of currency constantly. That's got to be a hassle. I just don't see anybody here interpreting it as catering to illegal immigrants from Canada, but simply as a convenience for those who cross the border frequently. It certainly doesn't seem to be worth death threats.

[AlphaFrog]

In the business world - you cater to your customers. If 60% of your customers are Hispanic, why not advertise to them? I don't think they're trying to say Hispanic = peso. I think they're trying to say that they recognize that the Hispanic population is their main clientele and they're making a direct effort to market to them, and show them that they are welcome and appreciated at that restaurant.

Plus, a business owner can accept what they want for payment. If a restaurant wants to start accepting Monopoly money as payment, it's their prerogative to do so. I think what they're doing is completely American - exercising their right to free enterprise.

[texas*princess]

It makes sense for cities along the border of Canada & Mexico, like the story said, but Dallas is over 400 miles inland.

And no, wasn't exaggerating.

[Drolefille]

My boyfriend got a Panama quarter in change the other day. This might make sense if we weren't in the middle of Illinois! Lucky for him he likes collecting interesting coins.

[LPIDelta]

The thing that is interesting to me is that since Sunday, I have seen AT LEAST 6 news stories about Pizza Patron taking pesos...they couldn't buy that kind of advertising, and apparently, they didn't need too. All the commentary is just getting them more airtime.

Its a good marketing plan, but I am a little discouraged just because the US dollar is already losing value. Still....interesting concept.

[squirrely girl]

i like the whole money exchange set up with canada. i went to montreal over christmas and nobody complained when i used american and nobody complained when i used canadian after crossing over into maine. i can appreciate the concept of a euro.

people who are REALLY upset 'bout this need to worry 'bout something WAY more significant with all of their free time

[RU OX Alum]

death threats? that's insane.

I think there should be a standardized global currency. We have a global economy, people travel a lot more now, especially for business, it would make things a lot smoother, I think, and also cut down on counterfitting (everyone would know what the money should look like)

anyway, that's just my two universally accepted cents

[Tom Earp]

Maybe the European Market has the right Idea?

EURO?

[tunatartare]

Tom, on paper the Euro seems like a good idea, but it has had many shortcomings of its own which have caused both members of the EU as well as outsiders to not be pleased with it.

[jon1856]

Originally Posted by AXiD670

I seem to be the target for Canadian or Bahamian coins. Growing up in FL, I never had a problem w/ a cashier taking the coins from me, b/c a lot of the tourists were Canadian. I never thought anything of it. The only time it was a problem was every once in a while when a vending machine wouldn't take the coins.

Then, about two years ago, while I was still living in Charlotte, I went down to the vending machine at my office building to try to get a soda. I only had the required three quarters, one of which was Canadian. The machine wouldn't take it, so I walked over to the little cafe that was in the bottom of our building and asked the lady if she could exchange it. She looked at it, and said, "This isn't an American coin. I won't take it." I asked her if she was serious. She said she was. I was FURIOUS. I have never in my life been refused to use a Canadian/Bahamian/non-US coin. What pissed me off even more was my other two quarters were still in the machine b/c the machine wouldn't let me hit the coin return button. I was so pissed. I guess if you live in a part of the country where it's common to see other currency, you never think about it, until you go to an area of the country that doesn't see as much tourism and something like this happens.

Yes, I'm still extremely bitter about that lady not exchanging my coin. Her little cafe was a piece of crap, anyways, and they always had roaches in the food.

Having worked in retail, I understand the lady's POV. We would not take anything outside of US currency.
And when up North, IIRC dollars are taken at face value which is great for the store as they are worth more than Canada dollars.

[Stef the Pef]

I can sort of understand the company's point, at least in the Texas locations. A LOT of Mexican immigrants live in Waco, and we have Pizza Patron here. Of course they're gonna have Mexican pesos on them when they go visit family across the border. Why not offer to take it? It's money.