Retail check, in my experience and these days, is no more than scanning the check and often the clerk will just hand the check back. It is not a mode of payment for me any more but I see it now and again in my rural area. Sometime it is hard for the clerk to give the check back to the customer. The check image as written appears on the paper bank statement. I do still write checks for credit cards it keeps me in the loop and makes me think about the finance (I do not have a roomful of accountants working for me).