the public typically obtains its cash from banks by withdrawing cash from automated teller machines (atms) or by cashing checks. the amount of cash that the public holds varies seasonally, by the day of the month, and even by the day of the week. for example, people demand a large amount of cash for shopping and vacations during the year-end holiday season. also, people typically withdraw cash at atms over the weekend, so there is more cash in circulation on monday than on friday.