In our emergency preparedness post and pamphlet, we mention that you should store cash & coins, a minimum of 100 – $1 paper bills & 4 – $10 quarter rolls.
We wanted to elaborate on this a bit more, so as you are preparing, you understand our logic and importance of these amounts and denominations.
Do you recall when the category 5 Hurricane Katrina made landfall on Florida and Louisiana, particularly the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas, in August 2005? It was complete devastation on these areas. Residents were scrambling for the most basic items for survival, especially clean water.
Drinkable water was scarce, due to broken pipes, contamination of natural resources, and many stores were completely decimated or completely sold out of water before & after the hurricane hit. There were few stores that still had water & supplies to sell, however, they were very limited in quantity. In order to help as many residents at possible, stores had to limit the purchase of water to one bottle per person per day.
This is where the denomination of money is critical: After the hurricane, local banks were closed, so businesses had no change to give; when desperate residents went to purchase water bottles that were usually only a little over $1.00 for a 16.9floz bottle, customers only had $20 bills. Guess what, customers ended up paying $20 for each bottle, due to the lack of change available to the merchant and residents quickly ran out of cash.
Because we personally had family & friends that survived Katrina, ever since, we have made it a point to spread the word to everyone, letting them know how helpful it is to have at least 100 – $1 paper bills, so that you aren’t overpaying for items and depleting your limited access to money. Dollar bills are lightweight, easy to stack & store, and if necessary, you can use a few bills to help start a fire. I’d rather sacrifice a $1 bill than a $20, as there’s no telling when you’ll have access to bank accounts again.
Quarters are important because you can use them for coin operated laundry, vending machines, put air in tires, etc..
A little inside secret, if you need quarters to store for emergencies or do weekly laundry, we usually have extra rolls at our store, so feel free to ask to exchange for some the next time you are in getting a fill. If we have any, we’re more than happy help!
If you’re a local business & regular customer and need rolls of pennies, nickles or dimes, we usually have extras as well, so feel free to ask for an exchange. We’re happy to save you the extra trip to the bank! Call a day in advance and we’ll be happy to have some rolls ready for you.
WE ARE LOCATED AT
7011 Warner Ave., Suite G
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(Warner & Goldenwest in Stater Bros Plaza)
Tel: 714-841-6843
Open 7 Days
Mon-Fri: 10am-7pm
Sat & Sun: 10am-5pm
24/7 Alkaline & Purified Water Vending
