Hot checks were a big deal when I was young

Maybe this was just a poor people thing and not exclusive to gen x. AKA rubber checks, because they would bounce if you tried to cash them. You had to sign up at your local grocer to be able to pay via check. No card in the file box, no check. Parents were always paying bills and buying groceries on the weekend, as checks wouldn’t be cashed until Monday and banks just didn’t operate like they do now. Writing your phone number on checks was also a big thing.