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July 28, 2008

Closing Bell: Better Bring Small Bills to Louie's

Louies-0708.jpg
Uncle Louie's, which opened its eighth Brooklyn location on Smith Street back in May, seems to be having trouble making change, according to the sign in the window that a tipster sent in. A sign of the times that no one's carrying small bills on Smith Street anymore?
Smith Street Gets Iced Out [Brownstoner] GMAP
Storefront photo from McBrooklyn




Posted by Brownstoner at 4:00 PM | Comments (30)
Categories: Boerum Hill, Closing Bell

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Comments

Maybe they are getting hit with homemade twenties.

Posted by: exlege at July 28, 2008 4:04 PM

Talk about ghetto!!!

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 28, 2008 4:04 PM

Could be a sign the counterfeiters are back too.

Posted by: Karka at July 28, 2008 4:04 PM

Could be a sign they're just too lazy assed to go to the bank

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 28, 2008 4:06 PM

that would send me elsewhere for ice cream. $50s/$100s I can understand, but seriously, $20s are what the atm spits out, and what I usually have most of the time.

Posted by: new2hood at July 28, 2008 4:22 PM

I was thinking of trying it out this past weekend but between that ridiculous sign and the anecdotes about the owner and his big fat Hummer, I'm pretty sure I can live without it. Take this gelato and shove it!

Posted by: Biff Champion at July 28, 2008 4:24 PM

Bad grammar ($9 dollars?) and laziness. Keep your ices, Unc.

Posted by: DOW8000SP800 at July 28, 2008 4:24 PM

Seems to me like its a sign they're a bunch of freaking idiots. If my local bodega can consistently make change for $100, these guys should be able to make change for a $20. Remind me not to go there (plus they are way overpriced to begin with.....)

Posted by: slopenick at July 28, 2008 4:25 PM

This place and the owner have always rubbed me the wrong way.

I don't support their business.

Posted by: 11217 at July 28, 2008 4:25 PM

And it it was a counterfeiting issue, why would they accept the bills for orders over $9 (just so if the $20s are fake, they'll lose a bit less money?) and why does no other store in this area seem to have this concern?

Posted by: Biff Champion at July 28, 2008 4:26 PM

Someone should post this thread at the end of the day up on the store window.

There are too many other options for a treat around these parts and this ahole owner should realize that you don't piss off your customer base when we are about to or are entering a major economic slump.

Idiot.

Posted by: 11217 at July 28, 2008 4:30 PM

File this under "How not to run a business".

Posted by: jwald at July 28, 2008 4:34 PM

A perfect entry for: http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/

Posted by: FatLenny at July 28, 2008 4:39 PM

That's a "later for you, Louie."

Posted by: jawbreaker at July 28, 2008 5:11 PM

they are the ones who installed an ATM outside their own place, and now they wont change a 20?

Posted by: lifer at July 28, 2008 5:23 PM

order a cone, receive it, take a lick, then present a 20. they'll take that 20.

Posted by: BrooklynLove at July 28, 2008 8:27 PM

Biff Champion, other stores have this concern as well. I've seen a few notices not barring people from using $20 bills, but warning that counterfeits are in circulation and if you're caught, they will call the cops.

Also, there have been a lot more cops walking a beat out here on Atlantic Avenue than I have ever seen before. Coincidence? Or is the summer just hot and the city likes sending cops out in full gear to hang out on street corners nowadays?

Posted by: Jack at July 28, 2008 8:38 PM

I just want to throw out there the possibility that whoever the young employees of Louie G.'s are could have made that sign themselves and posted it without the owner and/or manager's knowledge? It's not like it is a profesional sign. It looks like someone scribbled it because they got sick of having to go hunt for change. Ever try to get small bills if you don't have an account at the nearest bank? Not to mention a bulk of their business is in the evening after banks have closed.

Posted by: WTerraceGirl at July 28, 2008 9:40 PM

retail is a pain in the ass....

Posted by: slick at July 29, 2008 12:24 AM

Jack, fair enough, other stores may have the same concern, but I've never seen them post abrasive, unapologetic signs like this in their windows. And the notices you cited are fair warnings and a lot different in tone and intent than the one shown above. As for the increase in cops on Atlantic, I haven't noticed that yet.

WTerraceGirl, it's possible. If that was the case and I was the owner, I wouldn't be very pleased with whoever posted it.

Posted by: Biff Champion at July 29, 2008 8:45 AM

Seems ironic as a couple years ago there as an item in the crime blotter about a robbery at one of the Uncle Louie G's where the thief supposedly got off with about $35,000 in cash if I recall correctly. Just tried to find the news item online and can't but I read it in one of those free papers in the last 4 years or so...

Posted by: phripley at July 29, 2008 9:26 AM

I never get a good vibe at this place. This past weekend I got a very mediocre lemon ice and besides the fact that they were not taking $20's, the workers were blatently complaining about the tips that people were leaving them--more specifcally that the women who only left 50 cents in front of me was a "b*tch". Needless to say, I left a little more than that but don't plan on going back anytime soon.

Posted by: nycsmartdog at July 29, 2008 12:03 PM

oops...

tips are NOT required for counter service. it's a weird thing to begin with. i don't like seeing those tip jars everywhere. call me a scrooge, but when I was a kid working retail food, we didn't have tip jars.

Posted by: cobblehiller at July 29, 2008 12:25 PM

cobblehiller, I agree with you. I think tipping in New York has gotten out of hand and given certain owners an excuse to underpay their employees. If I was in nycsmartdog's situation, I would have dropped a penny on the counter and never returned. F*ck them for trying to extort tips by shaming customers into tipping more.

Posted by: Biff Champion at July 29, 2008 12:42 PM

as of...now, the signs are down..

Posted by: lifer at July 29, 2008 1:03 PM

And since when is 50 cents on a 3 or 4 dollar item considered cheap for a tip???

Posted by: 11217 at July 29, 2008 1:20 PM

NYICY on Church took my C note without a problem when I purchased just one Black Raspberry Ice. I apologized for not having a smaller bill but the girl that served me said that it was no problem and the ices are so much better than Uncle Louie's.

Posted by: Chaka at July 29, 2008 1:54 PM

Funny! Dude must need at least 10 of those 20s to fill up that hummer! Maybe they're ONLY taking 100s now.

Posted by: bammed at July 29, 2008 3:24 PM

this is a franchise, the yellow hummer guy does not own the smith street location..

Posted by: lifer at July 29, 2008 3:28 PM

I was there that night i asked why they had that sign out there and it was very simple they had run out I of change no big deal every body calm down don't all have heart attacks at one time. P.S this a franchise there's no yellow hummer there I asked them maybe you people should ask a ? If you have 1 instead of waisting your time complaning about every little thing.

Posted by: Ant at August 2, 2008 3:56 PM

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