Geographical Awareness

[WestCoast]

Anyway, our teacher asked if everyone knew where Spain was. Over the next five minutes, the following was established:

• Four people didn't know where Spain was;
• Three people didn't know where Germany was;
• One person didn't know where America was, and also though Brazil is where Italy is;
• One person thought we were connected by land to France;
• One person thought you needed to get on a boat to go to Scotland.

All of the above is true, sadly. What's worse is the fact that they have all spent 11 years + in education!

That's hilarious, but quite worrying at the same time. These people are doing a History A-Level as well??

People get very confused about the United Kingdom quite often; passports being needed to cross into Wales and Scotland being a surprisingly common misconception!

In other countries, Geography is a compulsory subject up to 16/17.

 

[Butts]

That's hilarious, but quite worrying at the same time. These people are doing a History A-Level as well??

People get very confused about the United Kingdom quite often; passports being needed to cross into Wales and Scotland being a surprisingly common misconception!

Show them one of the three different Scottish Tenners and they really will be confused

Facebook or whatever they spend thier time on needs a Geography app.

 

[Nym]

Show them one of the three different Scottish Tenners and they really will be confused

Facebook or whatever they spend thier time on needs a Geography app.

Manx money or Clydesdale is more fun... Especially when someone comes in with a £100 note

Although not as fun as Virgin Atlantic Refreshment Vouchers... Cue the Que of 50 - 80pax with £20 worth each then being told they can't spend them in this shop, I had so much to re-shelf... (And many anoyed customers) One was questioned with, "How is Razzle, Club DVD and 40 Marlbros a purchase that would qualify as 'Refreshment'?"

 

[WestCoast]

Show them one of the three different Scottish Tenners and they really will be confused

I see Scottish notes in my summer job all the time. You can probably guess which tacky iconic seaside resort I work in......

Northern Irish and Manx notes are more unusual for me.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

For more genius discussion from my college, see this:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=941487&postcount=872

 

[Butts]

I see Scottish notes in my summer job all the time. You can probably guess which tacky iconic seaside resort I work in......

Northern Irish and Manx notes are more unusual for me.

Do NI and Manx have "pounds sterling" on them ...hence ok to use on mainland.

Are the NI ones Northern Bank and Ulster Bank ?

 

[Nym]

Do NI and Manx have "pounds sterling" on them ...hence ok to use on mainland.

Are the NI ones Northern Bank and Ulster Bank ?

Butts, BoE Notes don't have "Pounds Sterling" on them any more, havn't been based on the price of silver for a very long time...

Yes, Northern Bank and Ulster Bank, some strange notes they have, nice security features though, although >=50€ notes have some nice ones. As does the new £50 or even the old Seires E £50, or Series F. Seires E Revision is a nice set, although when you see a Series E <£20 or Series E Revision <£50 it is fun telling pax "No, it's not valid!"...

Even more fun saying, "No, it's not legal tender" regarding non BoE notes... That causes many an argument.

 

[Butts]

Butts, BoE Notes don't have "Pounds Sterling" on them any more, havn't been based on the price of silver for a very long time...

Yes, Northern Bank and Ulster Bank, some strange notes they have, nice security features though, although >=50€ notes have some nice ones. As does the new £50 or even the old Seires E £50, or Series F. Seires E Revision is a nice set, although when you see a Series E <£20 or Series E Revision <£50 it is fun telling pax "No, it's not valid!"...

Even more fun saying, "No, it's not legal tender" regarding non BoE notes... That causes many an argument.

All three Scottish Banks notes still have "Sterling" on them

 

[WestCoast]

Do NI and Manx have "pounds sterling" on them ...hence ok to use on mainland.

My employer has said we must accept all Northern Irish and Scottish notes, regardless of issuing bank. Many people in England won't see these regularly though, but in areas frequented by tourists we are used to them.

The Isle of Man is technically not a part of the UK (or the EU!), and their notes are not acceptable. They have coins as well, also not acceptable. I quite often see them in circulation around NW England though. There is a £1 coin with a mobile phone on it, representing Manx Telecom.

 

[Butts]

My employer has said we must accept all Northern Irish and Scottish notes, regardless of issuing bank. Many people in England won't see these regularly though, but in areas frequented by tourists we are used to them.

The Isle of Man is not part of the UK, and their notes are not acceptable. They have coins as well, also not acceptable. I quite often see them in circulation around NW England though. There is a £1 coin with a mobile phone on it, representing Manx Telecom.

A bit like Jersey and Guernsey where they stll have Pound Notes....RBS still issue them up here but there rare as hens teeth

 

[Nym]

My employer has said we must accept all Northern Irish and Scottish notes, regardless of issuing bank.

What's your company's policy on checking for counterfit?

The cash handling policy at WHS was "If it looks real and is £20 or under for scottish notes, accept it."

My cash handling policy at WHS was, "If it's real, accept it." And for my staff, "If you're unsure for non-BoE notes, forgin notes, especially euros, or £50 notes. Phone me, if I can get there I'll check it for you, if I can't (that they'd know), tell them politely to go that you can't check this and to buy it from your supervisor in the main store (where I was always based)."
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A bit like Jersey and Guernsey where they stll have Pound Notes....RBS still issue them up here but there rare as hens teeth

I have a pound note, isn't an RBS one though...

 

[Butts]

What's your company's policy on checking for counterfit?

The cash handling policy at WHS was "If it looks real and is £20 or under for scottish notes, accept it."

My cash handling policy at WHS was, "If it's real, accept it." And for my staff, "If you're unsure for non-BoE notes, forgin notes, especially euros, or £50 notes. Phone me, if I can get there I'll check it for you, if I can't (that they'd know), tell them politely to go that you can't check this and to buy it from your supervisor in the main store (where I was always based)."
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I have a pound note, isn't an RBS one though...

The Clydesdale and Bank of Scotland don't issue them any more so it must be a old one

 

[Nym]

The Clydesdale and Bank of Scotland don't issue them any more so it must be a old one

It's a Jersey one sweetie

 

[WestCoast]

What's your company's policy on checking for counterfit?

The cash handling policy at WHS was "If it looks real and is £20 or under for scottish notes, accept it."

Pretty much the same. Accept any note up to £20 if it looks real. No Manx notes. It's not a shop though, it's an info office where tickets e.t.c can be booked so the cash is limited (and so is the change!!).

 

[Nym]

You work on paper tickets there? Would I be right in thinking that this is a LeisureLink administrated site? Or is it a smaller operation held by Mr. (John) Noble or someone similar?

 

[WestCoast]

You work on paper tickets there? Would I be right in thinking that this is a LeisureLink administrated site? Or is it a smaller operation held by Mr. (John) Noble or someone similar?

It's a council Tourist information office. I don't deal with the ticketing side, I work on hiring duties unfortunately as summer staff. I just clock in/cash in at the office. Nothing technical about that! Pay is good enough for summer work, I am not complaining.

 

[Nym]

Ahhh, nothing fun like handing vast amounts of cash (like I did) then...

 

[IanXC]

Do NI and Manx have "pounds sterling" on them ...hence ok to use on mainland.

Are the NI ones Northern Bank and Ulster Bank ?

There are of course First Trust Bank and Bank of Ireland notes in issue from Northern Ireland too.

The most fun is to be had with Gibraltar, St Helna and Falkland Island notes. Residents who have them will be insistent we should swap them, they are technically all at parity however the small volume in the UK plus the cost of returning them to their issuer means usual UK practice is to give 92p for each £1.

Makes for an interesting conversation...

 

[WestCoast]

Ahhh, nothing fun like handing vast amounts of cash (like I did) then...

Walking to the office with up to £800 in your bag is something you keep VERY quiet.

 

[Butts]

Ahhh, nothing fun like handing vast amounts of cash (like I did) then...

With all the mention of Leisure Link and Nobles I thought we were going to get onto Bingo Halls and Amusement Arcades for a minute.

When I worked in Bingo Halls we used to handle huge amounts of cash (mainly in used notes) but fortunately not many hold ups.

 

[Nym]

Makes for an interesting conversation...

[youtube]sEdhJN04tC4[/youtube]

Sorry, had to be done, even in a railway transport forum, some things are boring...

I was talking about chain links the other night and falling asleep...

With all the mention of Leisure Link and Nobles I thought we were going to get onto Bingo Halls and Amusement Arcades for a minute.

When I worked in Bingo Halls we used to handle huge amounts of cash (mainly in used notes) but fortunately not many hold ups.

Yeah, I worked it in Euros though, or back before we had till drops I'd frequently have £10k in a till...

 

[WestCoast]

There are of course First Trust Bank and Bank of Ireland notes in issue from Northern Ireland too.

The most fun is to be had with Gibraltar, St Helna and Falkland Island notes. Residents who have them will be insistent we should swap them, they are technically all at parity however the small volume in the UK plus the cost of returning them to their issuer means usual UK practice is to give 92p for each £1.

Makes for an interesting conversation...

They were accepting all Sterling notes at Morrisons in Gibraltar when I went last year.

Seeing a Morrisons with palm trees in the car park is very, very strange.

 

[Butts]

There are of course First Trust Bank and Bank of Ireland notes in issue from Northern Ireland too.

The most fun is to be had with Gibraltar, St Helna and Falkland Island notes. Residents who have them will be insistent we should swap them, they are technically all at parity however the small volume in the UK plus the cost of returning them to their issuer means usual UK practice is to give 92p for each £1.

Makes for an interesting conversation...

Good thing about two of them (have not been to St Helena) is you can use our notes without having to change any cash over. Even better thing about Gibraltar at £2 you don't need many to buy a packet of smokes.

 

[142094]

Seen quite a few fake £1 coins in amusements - particular favourite was two 1ps welded together and shaped to make the same size and weight of a £1 coin.

 

[Nym]

Would be pretty dumb coin mechs to accept them though, mine never did.... (Even though mine where programmed for Euros, and Pound Coins only)

 

[Butts]

They were accepting all Sterling notes at Morrisons in Gibraltar when I went last year.

Seeing a Morrisons with palm trees in the car park is very, very strange.

Do a great British Breakfast in the Cafe as well - I had not been for seven years and the changes by the waterfront where Morrisons is were amazing-all the new flats etc.
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Seen quite a few fake £1 coins in amusements - particular favourite was two 1ps welded together and shaped to make the same size and weight of a £1 coin.

When I was closing Bingo Halls we used to use all the foreign coins held in the safes to "empty the fag machine"

The guy from Mayfair Vending on emptying the machine was heard to utter "a lot of dodgy coins circulating in this area" - we tried to keep a straight face

 

[Nym]

Hey, thats our trick, especially when the washers you ordered and 'accidentaly on purpouse' welded together for some of your kit is recognised as a £1 coin

 

[Butts]

Hey, thats our trick, especially when the washers you ordered and 'accidentaly on purpouse' welded together for some of your kit is recognised as a £1 coin

You should have been about before the days of Mars Mechs and orbit et al monitoring systems.

Punters used to claim the machines were fixed - but the biggest crooks were the employees ...... Manager to me young rookie...

"Take the keys and do an interim collection on number 9 for some "beer and fag money"

 

[WestCoast]

Do a great British Breakfast in the Cafe as well - I had not been for seven years and the changes by the waterfront where Morrisons is were amazing-all the new flats etc.

Yes, Gibraltar isn't exactly suffering from much austerity. The Government recently made the buses there FREE for anyone.

 

[Schnellzug]

That's hilarious, but quite worrying at the same time. These people are doing a History A-Level as well??

People get very confused about the United Kingdom quite often; passports being needed to cross into Wales and Scotland being a surprisingly common misconception!

Give Alex Salmon time, that might be his next idea after the Scottish high speed rail network ...