When the last time you were asked, "Cash or credit"?

fuzzybuddy

fuzzybuddy

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Location
The Sticks, Northeast PA.
In the 60s, everybody got a credit card. When you bought something, the clerk would ask, "Cash or credit?". Way back then, sometimes they even had two prices, one for cash, one for credit.
Now, nobody asks, "Cash or credit?". Even candy/soda machines now take credit cards.
 

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In Amsterdam, autumn 2015, businesses were refusing cash and only wanted "pin" (credit or debit card). We were puzzled and asked why, and it turned out the reason was that counterfeit money was circulating in that city & causing issues.

But where I live, a lot of tradesmen want cash. Local custom is that you don't ask for an explanation.
 
Since I almost always use self-checkout and thereā€™s no cash option, thereā€™s no question.

Even if thereā€™s a cashier, I have my card out ready to pay. Thereā€™s no question to be asked.
 
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See no Cash at most self checkouts now.
I am a most rude person!
I'm pretty sure cash is done, costs too much to print and stamp it.
Yep we are backed by a prayer. When I was at Ft. Knox in 1970
the vault was mostly mt.
 
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Remember when people paid by check at the grocery store?

I was always behind the old lady who waited until the groceries were totally rung up and bagged, make a remark or two about how expensive the groceries were getting and THEN dig through her bag looking for her checkbook. She'd ask at least twice what the total was, fumble through her bag again for a pen, be unable to find one and ask the cashier for one.

Then she'd sloooowly fill out the check, look at it a couple of times and reluctantly hand it over.

At that point, the cashier would ask for ID and she'd have to fumble around in her purse (A.K.A. the Black Hole of Calcutta) again to find it. Often, the Assistant Manager had to be called to approve the check.

Now it's whip out the plastic, tap it on the thingy and you're out.
 
jujube said:
Remember when people paid by check at the grocery store?

I was always behind the old lady who waited until the groceries were totally rung up and bagged, make a remark or two about how expensive the groceries were getting and THEN dig through her bag looking for her checkbook. She'd ask at least twice what the total was, fumble through her bag again for a pen, be unable to find one and ask the cashier for one.

Then she'd sloooowly fill out the check, look at it a couple of times and reluctantly hand it over.

At that point, the cashier would ask for ID and she'd have to fumble around in her purse (A.K.A. the Black Hole of Calcutta) again to find it. Often, the Assistant Manager had to be called to approve the check.

Now it's whip out the plastic, tap it on the thingy and you're out.
Click to expand...
nothing much has changed... I still regularly get stuck behind the person who has been standing in line, leaning on the trolley staring into space. .. while waiting for their groceries to go through, then wait until every item has been rung up, then act surprised when asked to pay as they start rummaging through the depths of their bag , then decide to pay by Phone..

...then change their mind and start rummaging through their purse deciding which card to pay with... then realise they haven't handed over their loyalty card to get points first, so the search is back on for the phone app to scan it ... and on and on... šŸ˜’
 
I liked paying for stuff with my personal check. But as time passed i was standing alone early morning at the checkout after a hard nights work, graveyard and seeing no one of any brilliance near. So Slowly I went to Credit card purchases. Sure, I cut up the Debit cards. Sure, every other week the state has to borrow money and the CC system goes down with internet provider problems. Hell, wells bells! I didn't really need the crap anyway. So order it online mostly now. I get what I want or send it back.
 
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You are right. The clerk no longer asks: "Cash or Credit." Instead, they ask for a debit card. A debit card does not charge to merchant for its use as a credit card does. And, no one wants cash because they have to 'buy' money from the bank to make change or a clerk has to spend time trying to figure out (correctly) what the change should be. A debit card solves all these problems for the merchant. And, makes money for the banks by ATM fees and after you've over drawn your account the bank can charge overdraft fees. So, now you see why a merchant no longer asks: "Cash or Credit". If you, the customer, feels like everyone is out to get you....you are right.
 
JBR said:
But where I live, a lot of tradesmen want cash. Local custom is that you don't ask for an explanation.
Click to expand...
The explanation is because cash is not traceable from a reportable income standpoint. So the tradesman pays less income tax because his/her reported income is less.
 
I always preferentially seek out merchants who offer a discount for cash. I don't like having to pay for other people's credit card fees. I also never use a credit card in a situation where the card has to physically leave my hand. I've never, ever used a debit card. It's not financially logical.

Otherwise, I use a credit card.
 
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Just this last Friday Feb 9th, 2024, I went up to a food truck to get some London Fish and Chips. The person simply said that his credit card thing was down. I always carry cash around with me.
 

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