Spend your Euros...in NYC

So, what with the weakness of the dollar right now, some shops in Manhattan have begun accepting Euros as payment.

This is amazing and awesome - maybe this will encourage the US government to print up some money that's actually visually appealing, instead of plain old greenbacks (yeah yeah, they put a hint of pink in the new $20, but that doesn't hold a candle to the Euros' vibrant blue, pink, green and yellow).

I imagine this must make checking out at the store more of a hassle, unless they post the Euro price as well as the dollar price - they'll have to sit there with a calculator, figuring out how much it'll be (unless they're totally gypping buyers by having them pay 10Euros ($15) instead of the $10 ticketed price).

At the Canadian and Mexican borders, they've been accepting Canadian dollars and pesos in some of the stores for years, but this is the first time New York has gotten in on the action.

I'm all for it!

The Non-Dollar

First, read this article:

This alternate US local currency idea is very intriguing to me. True, it could be a logistical nightmare to businesses, since the infrastructure isn't yet set up to deposit the BerkShares into the bank and not all vendors will accept them as payment.

The great thing about it is the support of the local economy. I feel pretty strongly about supporting independent businesses (especially bookstores), and with the influx of Wal-Mart, B&N, Borders, Home Depot, KMart and whatever else into every little town's market, the incentives given to local stores is refreshing. Big chains get so many incentives from their vendors (since they can buy in bulk), that this may just be a drop in the pond. But it's better than nothing, and certainly helps to acknowledge the value of the small business to the community.

Here's my plug for some of my favorite indies:
Whippoorwill Crafts (Boston, MA)
Porter Sq. Books (Cambridge, MA):
The Harvard Bookstore (Cambridge, MA)
Left Bank Books (St Louis, MO)