Personal checks, a thing of the past.

[moneysense]

Your first checkbook used to be a rite of passage. Today it's a relic -- so much so that some retailers and restaurants now decline to accept personal checks.

Whole Foods Market are testing their no checks policy in their Arizona and California stores. They are also testing this policy in some of their Northeastern stores.

Fresh and Easy skipped the test period and they just quit taking checks from the start of the store in 2007.

It is said that in 5 to 10 years, that checks will be a thing of the past. And quite possibly sooner than that.

It is very irritating to stand behind someone in line waiting for them to write out a check. They knew they were going to shop at that store, so they could have had the check prewritten and just have to fill in the amount. Or, hand the check to the cashier to run through the register, then sign it and present their drivers license as ID.

Doing away with checks will make the wait at the cashier shorter. Personally, I dont use checks either. Ive paid bills with money orders for years now. Or with a debit card, at the stores that I shop at. Its quicker and easier by far.