Currency exchange centers in Chicago


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Currency exchange centers in Chicago
Posted by: SWEDE ()
Date: August 04, 2015 12:18AM

Anyone remember the Currency Exchange centers. They charge you a fee to cash your payroll checks or your electric bill etc. You could get free light bulbs back in the 50's.

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Re: Currency exchange centers in Chicago
Posted by: rjmachon ()
Date: August 04, 2015 02:43AM

There is still one at Chicago and Rush on the northwest corner! I don't think light bulbs though! LOL I know they use to exchange different foreign currency as well. Not sure now.

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Re: Currency exchange centers in Chicago
Posted by: Mornac ()
Date: August 04, 2015 10:32AM

You can by Chicago vehicle stickers at those places two. I still use them to get something notarised when I need to.

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Re: Currency exchange centers in Chicago
Posted by: gman ()
Date: August 04, 2015 10:42AM

SWEDE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Anyone remember the Currency Exchange centers.
> They charge you a fee to cash your payroll checks
> or your electric bill etc. You could get free
> light bulbs back in the 50's.


The light bulbs were from ComEd and you could get them at all bill payment locations. Currency exchanges can still be found around the city, they're just not as numerous as they once were.

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Re: Currency exchange centers in Chicago
Posted by: the_mogra ()
Date: August 04, 2015 12:41PM

the best Currency Exchange 'center' now I think's @ northwest corner of Laramie & Diversey, big variety of services at lowest costs I've seen and I've used 'em

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Re: Currency exchange centers in Chicago
Posted by: PKDickman ()
Date: August 04, 2015 02:00PM

gman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SWEDE Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Anyone remember the Currency Exchange centers.
> > They charge you a fee to cash your payroll
> checks
> > or your electric bill etc. You could get free
> > light bulbs back in the 50's.
>
>
> The light bulbs were from ComEd and you could get
> them at all bill payment locations. Currency
> exchanges can still be found around the city,
> they're just not as numerous as they once were.

Currency exchanges have been on the decline since we legalized branch banking.

You still find them in the poorer neighborhoods where minimum deposits and immigration status keep the number of bank acounts low.

A lot of them only stay where they are at, because they have a lot of security build out costs invested.

The one I used to use, at North and Damen, just moved farther west to follow the accountless population.

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Re: Currency exchange centers in Chicago
Posted by: Dunning1 ()
Date: August 04, 2015 04:38PM

Also, computerization has eliminated quite a few things that you used to have to go to a currency exchange to do. Registration renewals, city stickers, are all now on line.

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Re: Currency exchange centers in Chicago
Posted by: the_mogra ()
Date: August 05, 2015 11:24AM

I'm certainly glad currency exchanges still are around town, another good one I recall is at (SW) corner of north & homan aves

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Re: Currency exchange centers in Chicago
Posted by: zorchvalve ()
Date: August 06, 2015 08:55PM

You could take your old light bulbs back to the commonwealth edison store near you and exchange for new ones. I'm not sure if there was a charge for them or not,

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Re: Currency exchange centers in Chicago
Posted by: the_mogra ()
Date: August 07, 2015 03:29PM

I never heard of having to take ones old (spent) light bulbs back (i.e. to a currency exchange). If you paid your electric bill at a currency exchange so authorized by commonwealth Edison you were allowed a couple free regular wattage bulbs each month, all you had to do was ask for them on payment. But bigger wattage bulbs, if stocked, would required a small extra charge to get from an exchange. In the 1980's I'd do this from time to time at a couple Chicago currency exchanges (they'd also not charge you any bill payment fee and you were in the clear up through the due date, which practice unfortunately's discontinued). For reasons never explained one exchange got me in a little trouble back then, in that I paid an electric bill there on time but the Edison people said they never got it and marked me overdue with the next billing. Luckily for me I kept the stamped stub and was able to read all the pertinent paid information over the phone to them for account rectification (it maybe my perception but the Edison operator seemed a little skeptical, and it is unusual).



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/07/2015 03:38PM by the_mogra.

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