7921: Haitian $ is mathematical device and current practice (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JHUDICOURTB@aol.com

The Haitian dollar is hard to get rid of because it is hard for people to 
deal with the large numbers that the gourde requires.  It is hard figure how 
much money they have if they earn $5000 gourde and the vendors prefer to deal 
with the seemingly smaller amounts when purchasing a quart of milk for H$6 
and a pineapple for H$10.  The merchants prefer the Haitian dollar for ease 
of calculation.  The gourdes are usually used when dealing with smaller 
amounts:  a cola is 6 gourdes, a piece of candy is one gourde.  The fractions 
of Haitian dollars are only dealt with by the store calculator.  
However checks must be written in gourdes or U$.  Everyday the rate of 
exchange is published in gourdes and US dollars in the Nouvelliste and the 
www.Intervision2000.com website.  The percentage is no longer in use by the 
majority.  People talk about the number of gourdes per dollar.  When 
purchasing an expensive item, the price is usually in U$:  real estate, cars, 
generators, appliances are often stated in U$.  For people whose bank account 
is in gourde one must then figure out which store gives the better rate of 
exchange.  Example:  2 stores might list a generator at U$4000.  You must 
then ask at what rate of exchange because every store has a different policy 
on that.  Some set a monthly exchange rate at the sale price of the dollar 
and some set it at the daily purchase price of the dollar.  Banks will 
exchange dollars to gourdes at 22.50 (that's called purchase price) and 
gourdes to dollars at 24.50 (that's the sale price)