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Original poster

People who don’t carry their bank cards with them

868 replies

Auburngal · 16/03/2024 14:19

I was in Sainsbury’s this morning and systems are down. No contactless, chip n pin taking ages to go through. Unable to buy gift cards, mobile top up vouchers.

Systems going down like this happen not very often but when they do it’s awful.

On the self scan next to me a woman screamed at the manager on why she can’t pay on her mobile.

Why do many people don’t carry their bank cards anymore? The cards don’t weigh much. Plus if the contactless payment system goes down, hopefully their card will go through via chip n pin. Also they won’t look like idiots either. No sympathy for these.

Regarding contactless payments- sometimes your bank, NOT the retailer etc asks you to do a CnP payment as part of security. “I dunno my PIN”. You can change your PIN to any number you want (not 1234, 1111) at any ATM under PIN services.

OP posts:
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7
ThePunchBowl · 17/03/2024 08:02

I don’t carry cash or cards. I only ever use Apple Pay and have never had a problem.

diddl · 17/03/2024 08:01

RogueFemale · 17/03/2024 00:10

I always carry cards. I don't have the phone-pay thing, can't see the point of it.

I don't have it either nor am I bothered about having it.

But if I did have it I wouldn't expect to be also carrying a card & cash about as well I shouldn't think.

shoppingshamed · 17/03/2024 08:00

mamabeeboo · 17/03/2024 07:57

OP were you in Chesham? Happened Saturday morning there. Curious to know if it happened in more than one Sainsbury's branch.

Show quote history

It was the whole of Sainsbury's, every single branch, were they not informing customers who hadn't heard about it?

mamabeeboo · 17/03/2024 07:57

Auburngal · 16/03/2024 14:19

I was in Sainsbury’s this morning and systems are down. No contactless, chip n pin taking ages to go through. Unable to buy gift cards, mobile top up vouchers.

Systems going down like this happen not very often but when they do it’s awful.

On the self scan next to me a woman screamed at the manager on why she can’t pay on her mobile.

Why do many people don’t carry their bank cards anymore? The cards don’t weigh much. Plus if the contactless payment system goes down, hopefully their card will go through via chip n pin. Also they won’t look like idiots either. No sympathy for these.

Regarding contactless payments- sometimes your bank, NOT the retailer etc asks you to do a CnP payment as part of security. “I dunno my PIN”. You can change your PIN to any number you want (not 1234, 1111) at any ATM under PIN services.

OP were you in Chesham? Happened Saturday morning there. Curious to know if it happened in more than one Sainsbury's branch.

IloveAslan · 17/03/2024 06:34

I'm far more likely to have my cards with me than my phone 😄

Original poster
Auburngal · 17/03/2024 06:10

My friend who is a code checker (puts reduced stickers) at Sainsburys had to hand write stickers and explain to customers that colleagues on self scan needs to reduce the items as it would either scan at full price or first reduction price. As the system for various things including reduction labels was still down. Contactless was back up by late lunch.

She and three code checkers have been asked to come in earlier today. As normally they reduce stuff with the next day’s date. That wasn’t done yesterday. Been told in hq communication to reduce more than normal. Also the Fri/Sat discount uplift has been extended to Monday. Costing Sainsburys a lot of money. Think they are scraping the waste budget for yesterday too!

OP posts:
Original poster
Auburngal · 17/03/2024 06:01

katseyes7 · 16/03/2024 18:59

Auburngal I've had people standing at my checkout with bits of paper with their PIN written on it. Which is bad enough, but when they're a couple, and one of them is reading it out, and the other one's repeating it while they put the number in....

I had elderly customers shout their PIN as they are punching numbers “5…3….1….0”

OP posts:
Original poster
Auburngal · 17/03/2024 05:55

katseyes7 · 16/03/2024 21:05

Where even accepts cash? Although it's a good idea to have £20 in your phone case JUST in case your battery runs out and you need a taxi home
I've found that a lot more people are using cash to pay in supermarkets recently, certainly where l work.
I can cash my till up after 3-4 hours and have almost £1000 in there.

Major of customers at my store who pay by cash are elderly. Most collect pension from post office as don’t have a bank account.

Read somewhere that these pensioners who don’t have a bank account (bankless) are wasting £500-£550 a year. As energy bills - probably on the standard tariff, cheap insurance companies don’t want to know about those cant pay by DD and some companies charge a fee for not paying by DD.

OP posts:
dothehokeycokey · 17/03/2024 00:52

Happened to me in tescos once a couple of years ago

All their systems went down and could only pay with cash.
I had to queue for half an hour for cash machine while dh stayed in the queue with a massive trolley of shopping

Ever since then I always carry around £100 in cash and cards in my purse with me just in case and it saved me today when nothing was working in our tescos

PrimitivePerson · 17/03/2024 00:16

Rainrainrainrainrainrainrain · 17/03/2024 00:14

Is carrying a paper map "old-fashioned"? Maybe, but it's 100% dependable
Quite.
Paper maps, books, cash never run out of battery or signal!

Edited

Haha, exactly!

PrimitivePerson · 17/03/2024 00:16

NoWordForFluffy · 17/03/2024 00:06

@PrimitivePerson. You're very het up and weirdly judgmental. Your way isn't the only way. MYOB, as per PP.

I work with the public and have had a LOT of abuse over this very issue. It just seems extraordinary to me that people put themselves in the position of not being able to pay for anything, when it so easily avoidable, and then make it MY problem!

If you can't pay for something because you only have a phone, it isn't my problem, it's YOUR problem. I've made sure that my kids are properly prepared whenever they go anywhere. It's not hard!

Rainrainrainrainrainrainrain · 17/03/2024 00:14

Is carrying a paper map "old-fashioned"? Maybe, but it's 100% dependable
Quite.
Paper maps, books, cash never run out of battery or signal!

PrimitivePerson · 17/03/2024 00:10

RogueFemale · 17/03/2024 00:10

I always carry cards. I don't have the phone-pay thing, can't see the point of it.

Sensible.

RogueFemale · 17/03/2024 00:10

I always carry cards. I don't have the phone-pay thing, can't see the point of it.

PrimitivePerson · 17/03/2024 00:09

@ZetuianRose I'm just amazed by how unprepared some people are for everyday situations, and how it's somehow someone else's fault when something unplanned happens. Technology genuinely seems to be making people incapable of everyday problem-solving, and leaves them completely up the creek when it fails.

A big interest of mine is hiking in remote areas, and one of the skills you need for that is being able to read a map. Calls to Mountain Rescue have gone through the roof in recent years, because people think you can navigate properly in the middle of nowhere using Google Maps, and promptly get hopelessly lost. That never used to happen

Is carrying a paper map "old-fashioned"? Maybe, but it's 100% dependable.

Octomingo · 17/03/2024 00:08

I only carry a bank card if I take a handbag. I often have a tenner in cash stashed in a bag, but that will get me nowhere these days. I can't remember the last time I actually used cash.
I never shout at shop people cos I still remember what it was like. I do live somewhere where a large number of locals are convinced that a cashless society means we're all under Their control, but happily post all over sm about it.

Wexone · 17/03/2024 00:07

PrimitivePerson · 16/03/2024 23:08

Well, in 35 years of being a functional adult, I've never lost a bank card or had it stolen. In 15 years of using a smartphone of some kind or another, I've lost count of the number of times it's crapped out on me, crashed, run out of juice, lost signal etc. I know what I'm going to trust.

Show quote history

3 times in last 2 years had my purse stolen on me. faff to replace cards drivers licence etc. plus money and irreplaceable items. never once in that time issues with using my phone to pay. now no longer bring purse out unless necessary

NoWordForFluffy · 17/03/2024 00:06

@PrimitivePerson. You're very het up and weirdly judgmental. Your way isn't the only way. MYOB, as per PP.

Calm Down Golden Girls GIF by TV Land
ZetuianRose · 17/03/2024 00:03

PrimitivePerson · 16/03/2024 23:53

@ZetuianRose Unfortunately the idiots who don't have bank cards on them and can't pay to use public transport, and then decide to give me abuse for it, have made it my concern.

The odd abusive weirdo on a bus does NOT make my life or choices your business 🫤 and you’re not being much better than they are by insulting a load of people you don’t know, so…. my point stands

OutOfTheHouse · 17/03/2024 00:02

PrimitivePerson · 16/03/2024 23:58

Unfortunately, in my experience the overlap between "people who don't carry bank cards" and "twats who shout at people in shops" is absolutely huge.

Show quote history

Hmm. I don’t carry bank cards all the time and don’t shout at people in shops. There are a lot of posters on this thread who don’t carry bank cards and I suspect don’t shout at people in shops.

Mel2023 · 17/03/2024 00:00

You’ve just explained why, when I popped into Sainsburys with DS for a pizza earlier this evening, the poor woman on the customer service desk was fending off questions about “are your systems back online now?!”

I have Apple Pay but 90% of the time take my purse/cards with me. I panic that my Apple Pay will be refused and I won’t have another means to pay (that has never happened yet in all the years I’ve used it). There has been times when I’ve realised half way through the drive to the shop that I’ve forgotten my purse but I don’t then turn round to get it as I know I have Apple Pay. I keep my purse in DS changing bag (it’s with me more often than not) but there is occasions where I go out without him and jump in the car without it. I’ve had Apple Pay for years and have yet to meet a situation where it’s been refused/not worked. So I guess I’ve become comfortable enough to not see the need to turn around for my debit card when I forget it on occasion. That being said, if there was a systems failure and my Apple Pay didn’t work and I didn’t have the means of payment, I’d obviously feel peeved but wouldn’t take it out on staff (as I saw today). It’s totally down to me.

PrimitivePerson · 16/03/2024 23:58

OutOfTheHouse · 16/03/2024 23:56

As I’ve said before don’t confuse people who choose to live their lives in a way different to yours and twats who shout abuse and people in shops.

Unfortunately, in my experience the overlap between "people who don't carry bank cards" and "twats who shout at people in shops" is absolutely huge.

OutOfTheHouse · 16/03/2024 23:56

As I’ve said before don’t confuse people who choose to live their lives in a way different to yours and twats who shout abuse and people in shops.

PrimitivePerson · 16/03/2024 23:53

@ZetuianRose Unfortunately the idiots who don't have bank cards on them and can't pay to use public transport, and then decide to give me abuse for it, have made it my concern.

ZetuianRose · 16/03/2024 23:51

PrimitivePerson · 16/03/2024 23:24

@ZetuianRose Yes, but contactless can fail and chip and pin can still work. The company I work for is public transport. I've met loads of people who only have a phone and then can't buy tickets, and give me loads of abuse for it, because they haven't got any other methods of payment.

I'm sorry, if that happens, it's not my fault, it's yours. And having no idea where your bank cards are is honestly ridiculous.

“Can” happen, but won’t always. And as I said, on the one single instance where tech went down, it was cash only, so irrelevant.

Wtf are you on about? Where have I said anything is your, or anyone else’s fault? 😂 I literally said that IF somehow it happened that I couldn’t pay with my phone then I wouldn’t be able to pay. So what? Not the end of the world is it? Not sure why you’re making up your own angry narrative 🤣 crackers!

I couldn’t care less if you think it’s “ridiculous” to be perfectly honest, they’re in the house and that’s all that matters. As I said, MYOB 😝

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