Can I walk into a Federal Reserve branch and buy straps/bricks of new notes? There are no banks near me that will provide new notes and I really hate to buy from third parties that have already cherry picked the notes. Thanks.
You need to find a friend in one of your bank's branches - many will say they cannot order stuff for you but the truth is they can and will if they like you. I have watched tellers in my bank evolve from "that's impossible" to "Sure, how many would you like next week?" Of course I am not above leaving little treats, Monday I am buying up a bunch of gift cards to hand out at my various branches. Tellers work hard, for not very much money. They like to be appreciated, and believe me they will order bricks of dollar bills, boxes of coins etc for you if you are friendly, give gift cards, and are pleasantly persistent.
I give my various bank people See's candy. I think it means more to them when I give them a pound or two, instead of a certificate.
Not any more. In the "old days" there was a customer window. I live in a city with a FRB and I used to get new coins/bills all the time. They would also exchange damaged or mutilated coins and currency for you. Make friends with a commercial bank teller. That is what I do.
