Payroll clerks work overtime on Christmas to hand write checks and calculate tax withholdings. Public outrage becomes apparent. December 1999 - Impact is being felt at the local level. The local grocer is left with 200 frozen turkeys and other items on the shelves. Other retailers have seasonal items left unsold.
Banks have problems with direct deposit and ATMs.
Some cash-strapped families suffer through holidays waiting for paychecks. The economy begins to drag. Some systems produce corrupt data, others treat records as inactive. More business problems develop. Many problems with infrastructure occur as computer chips embedded in control systems fail to work properly.