By Julian, author of Devil’s Advocate…
“FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS!”
If that was the sound of someone loudly declaring you had won the lottery, you’d probably be excited enough not to mind them sharing it with everyone within earshot. But when it’s the MoneyCenter Express machine stridently announcing to the entire Walmart how much you’re loading onto your Bluebird, it’s not quite as thrilling.
Fortunately there’s a method to quiet down our loquacious companion. You might not have noticed, but the Walmart MoneyCenter Express has a headphone port…
It’s designed for the hearing impaired, but it can also serve as a way to mute those dulcet tones. If you plug in a pair of headphones, all sound will be redirected to the headphones and away from the external speaker.
Now, please remember that these machines are dreadfully fragile. So read these three important notes before you try this…
- Plug in your headphones before starting your MoneyCenter Express transaction. That means before you touch anything on the touchscreen. Once she’s started yapping, there’s no way to shut her up without starting over.
- When you plug in the headphones, the functions on the screen will turn gray and our feminine friend will start chattering away, offering instructions and not letting you get a word in edgewise (meaning you won’t be able to start your transaction). To get around this, press the number “3” and then “Enter” on the keypad. That will bring an end to her speechifying and you’ll be able to proceed as usual.
- Sometimes the headphone port can get stuck and needs to be “exercised” (which is a fancy term for “plug in your headphones and take them out again”). So if your screen still looks gray after you take out your headphones, be good to the next user and exercise the headphone connector until everything returns to normal.
One last note — if you’d rather not be conspicuous by wearing a pair of headphones to the Walmart, you can head over to Radio Shack (yep, they still exist) and find an adapter that looks something like this…
Plug it in, press “3” and “Enter,” and you’ll be off and running without a running commentary on your personal finances.
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