Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
> In message <t944ug$rq8$1@dont-email.me>, at 11:50:56 on Fri, 24 Jun
> 2022, Graeme Wall <rail@greywall.demon.co.uk> remarked:
>> On 24/06/2022 11:47, Tweed wrote:
>>> Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>> In message <t92h4k$nad$1@gioia.aioe.org>, at 21:06:43 on Thu, 23 Jun
>>>>> 2022, "hounslow3@yahoo.co.uk" <hounslow3@yahoo.co.uk> remarked:
>>>>>> On 23/06/2022 18:32, Tweed wrote:
>>>>>>> Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>>>>> In message <t900aj$e3u$1@gioia.aioe.org>, at 22:07:31 on Wed, 22 Jun
>>>>>>>> 2022, "hounslow3@yahoo.co.uk" <hounslow3@yahoo.co.uk> remarked:
>>>>>>>>> On 22/06/2022 21:43, Arthur Conan Doyle wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> "hounslow3@yahoo.co.uk" <hounslow3@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> it would not surprise me if the 'Merkins stick with
>>>>>>>>>>> magstrips for a while.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Indeed. Even when US issuers were forced to start using chipped
>>>>>>>>>> cards, they insisted their customers continue to use signature
>>>>>>>>>> instead of PIN as the rest of the world did. Apparently they were
>>>>>>>>>> concerned that as Americans apparently carry more cards than the rest
>>>>>>>>>> of the world, it would be too confusing to have separate PINs for
>>>>>>>>>> each card.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> FWIW, Japan is still very much a cash-based society. Indeed, they still
>>>>>>>>> use faxes.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Germany has a reputation for not liking *credit* cards, and the
>>>>>>>> Netherlands for having proprietary *debit* cards. I never cease to be
>>>>>>>> amazed the way shops in Switzerland will take the equivalent of a £100
>>>>>>>> note for cup of coffee without blinking. And yet so many machines are
>>>>>>>> coin-only.
>>>>>
>>>>>>> Germany has changed. On a business trip to Munich I experimented how
>>>>>>> far I could get without cash. Everywhere, including the taxi driver,
>>>>>>> accepted my credit card, except for a small bakery come coffee shop.
>>>>>>> Netherlands is the only place where the difference between visa and
>>>>>>> MasterCard was important. A supermarket would accept visa but not
>>>>>>> MasterCard.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Most retailers in Sweden really don't want cash, AIUI.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I actually spoke not too long ago with somebody there about that, and
>>>>>> he told me that he has not carried cash in a while.
>>>>>
>>>>> My local garden centre, even through lock-down, wouldn't accept credit
>>>>> cards for less than £10. They also have a stall at the weekly market
>>>>> (mainly selling bedding plants and flowers), and have big signs up
>>>>> saying "Cash Only".
>>>>
>>>> If WH Smith can’t change £10, cash has had its day
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> <https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/c367adcc-f328-11ec-beb3-8cbcdd742a
>>>> 95?shareToken=f10ac23e3bd28522a080591f185eeb93>
>>>>
>>>>
>>> I, quite literally, can’t remember the last time I *had* to pay
>>> with cash.
>>> Which brings me to a related matter. At petrol stations where every pump is
>>> pay at pump significant numbers of folk, around half, still go to pay
>>> inside and most don’t come out with kiosk additional purchases. My, perhaps
>>> uncharitable, thought is this is a way of disposing of cash in hand
>>> earnings that don’t go through the books.
>>
>> I used to do it to get a VAT receipt which the pumps don't provide.
>
> Or even if they purport to provide, don't work half the time.
>
>> Also I suspect they don't deal with loyalty cards, eg Nectar.
>
> My Sainsbury's pumps don't do Nectar, and the Tesco pumps have only
> accepted key-fob (so scanned rather than swiped) loyalty cards since
> they were upgraded about 18 months ago.

My local Sainsbury’s pumps claim to be able to scan loyalty (just Nectar?)
cards, but since I don’t have one I’ve never had to test it. I visited a
different Sainsbury’s recently and it doesn’t have pay at pump, but the
pumps did have a large-ish locked panel where the screen and keypad would
be so I don’t know if they’re new and haven’t been enabled or old and need
to be replaced.

Sam

--
The entity formerly known as Sam.Wilson@ed.ac.uk
Spit the dummy to reply

In message <t97dhv$lp4$1@dont-email.me>, at 16:36:15 on Sat, 25 Jun
2022, Sam Wilson <ukr@dummy.wislons.fastmail.co.uk> remarked:

>>>> I, quite literally, can’t remember the last time I *had* to pay
>>>>with cash. Which brings me to a related matter. At petrol stations
>>>>where every pump is pay at pump significant numbers of folk, around
>>>>half, still go to pay inside and most don’t come out with kiosk
>>>>additional purchases. My, perhaps uncharitable, thought is this is
>>>>a way of disposing of cash in hand earnings that don’t go through the books.
>>>
>>> I used to do it to get a VAT receipt which the pumps don't provide.
>>
>> Or even if they purport to provide, don't work half the time.
>>
>>> Also I suspect they don't deal with loyalty cards, eg Nectar.
>>
>> My Sainsbury's pumps don't do Nectar, and the Tesco pumps have only
>> accepted key-fob (so scanned rather than swiped) loyalty cards since
>> they were upgraded about 18 months ago.
>
>My local Sainsbury’s pumps claim to be able to scan loyalty (just Nectar?)
>cards, but since I don’t have one I’ve never had to test it. I visited a
>different Sainsbury’s recently and it doesn’t have pay at pump, but the
>pumps did have a large-ish locked panel where the screen and keypad would
>be so I don’t know if they’re new and haven’t been enabled or old and need
>to be replaced.

And it's this kind of randomness of behaviour/facilities, which makes a
lot of people just give up on pay-at-pump altogether, and plan to head
for the kiosk instead.

Supermarkets of course have the added randomness of how efficiently they
age-check for alcohol purchases. Sainsbury's are particularly slow, with
the staff usually in small huddles in the middle distance discussing the
weather or something. If only there was a red flashing light over till -
Oh Wait! And they get all huffy if you wave your arms around to attract
their attention.
--
Roland Perry