You know those crisp new bills you wanted to get from the bank to put in a birthday card or use for that finicky vending machine? In a TikTok, a bank teller urges people to stop asking for new bills when they go to the bank because even if they wanted to give it you, it’s usually out of the teller’s control.
In the video, user @financialteller, a bank teller turned social worker, explains that banks have no way to request new bills when ordering money directly from the Federal Reserve.
@financialteller #banktellers #bankersoftiktok #bankers #vaultteller #banktellerstories #foryoupage #fyp ♬ original sound – Financial Teller
The Federal Reserve is the central bank of the U.S. and an important part of the country’s financial system. One of its functions is to act as the “bank for banks,” according to the reserve site. It is made up of 12 regional federal reserve banks that service specific regions of the country.
The TikToker shared that in her banking days, she sometimes had to ship back money that wasn’t up to her bank’s standards. “I shipped money back that was really gross that they probably should destroy, and I am absolutely certain I’ve gotten the same money back,” @financialteller said.
She explained that the only time she was able to request new bills was when her financial institution was ordering money from the Wells Fargo vault in the area.
“When you order directly from the feds they literally do not give a sh*t. They will just send you whatever,” @financialteller said.
She added that the government bank is “super douchey” about how they send the money. When ordering from other places, the bank is able to request specific quantities—like $1,000 in the form of $10 bills. With the Federal Reserve, it was only possible to get $10,000.
As she concluded the video @financialteller shared that she would have liked to be able to give customers the crisp bills they wanted, but it’s usually out of her control. That is especially true when using machines that spit out the requested amount.
The video has more than 20,000 views and 120 comments. In the comments, users wrote in with their own hacks for getting crisp bills.
“When you come in asking for new money… Depending on the bill, go to the ATM. I swear, the ATM gets the crisper bills than we do,” one commenter suggested.
Several bank tellers in the comments shared that they actually preferred to work with old bills.
“No one at a bank wants to count out new bills. I cried inside when our order came in with new bills,” one teller wrote.
“I HATED new bills. pretty I was short $100 once because they stick together,” another user wrote.
Others shared that they new money used to be available for order around the holiday season, but the ability to request this ceased during the COVID-19 pandemic and appears to have not come back.
For those who really want a crisp bill there are a few recommended hacks online, like the wikiHow recommendations to iron the bill, smooth it out across a table edge, press it with heavy objects, and wash it with soap and water.
@financialteller has previously gone viral for her insight into the banking sector. She disclosed bank teller “icks” in December 2022. And, in August, she warned job seekers against taking a position in the field.
The Daily Dot reached out to @financialteller for comment via Instagram DM and to the Federal Reserve Bank via email.
