I went to the pet food store yesterday and wrote a check. The clerk ran it through a machine and handed it back to me. I started to tell her it really was good (thinking it had failed the test) and she told me not to fret, that the amount would be taken from my checking account automagically and I get to keep the check. Sure enough I checked when I got home and the amount had been debited. So much for writing checks and waiting for them to clear!