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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To refuse to shop in places with a minimum card spend?

181 replies

kenchurch · 28/03/2018 18:16

Not sure if I am being unreasonable or not.

It's 2018 and almost everyone used a debit (or credit) card to buy things.
I very rarely carry cash on me.

I point blank refuse to shop anywhere with a minimum total spend to be able to use my card.

Example; I'd fancied a specific type of chocolate all day and had a fairly rubbishy day. Went to shop with £1.05 in change (!). This chocolate is usually £1. It was £1.20, so I went to use my card, but no, minimum £5 spend. So I put the chocolate back, and the guy said he had other types for £1, but instead of giving in and getting one, I just said no thanks and left.

I'm sorry that it costs you to have a card reader etc, but other business also have extra costs associated with the modern age, such as WIFI or other softwares.

It's part of the cost of running a shop so face it and swallow it.

AIBU?

OP posts:
Toooldtobearsed · 28/03/2018 18:17

Yes

Pengggwn · 28/03/2018 18:18

You're not unreasonable to not spend your money wherever you don't want to spend it. You're unreasonable to expect them to change their policies and go out of pocket because you want to buy chocolate but can't be arsed carrying cash.

Lacucuracha · 28/03/2018 18:19

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Jinglebells99 · 28/03/2018 18:19

Which chocolate was it and why was the price 20 % higher than it should have been?! Sorry you didn’t get the chocolate you wanted :(

BaldricksTrousers · 28/03/2018 18:19

I think with contactless becoming the norm, minimum charges will soon be a thing of the past.

AlonsosLeftPinky · 28/03/2018 18:19

Shop wherever you like.

You're unreasonable to make a drama out of it though.

ilovesooty · 28/03/2018 18:19

You can of course make a choice to shop where you like.

Personally I'd be very unlikely to pay by card for something costing as little as that but people are all different.

MargaretCavendish · 28/03/2018 18:19

Of course you're not being unreasonable to shop wherever you want for whatever you want - but it'll sometimes inconvenience you, as it did here. There's a nice cafe near me that I very rarely go to because they have a £10 card minimum. Up to them to have that, up to me to not want to bother getting cash out and so go to another cafe. No one being unreasonable.

Wolfiefan · 28/03/2018 18:20

Other businesses may be larger and more able to cover the costs involved. Stick a note in your purse for emergencies?

ruleshelpcontrolthefun · 28/03/2018 18:20

Yes, let's trample over small businesses and just give all our cash to Tesco ffs.

MagicMojito · 28/03/2018 18:21

Yanbu, however neither are the shops. They have every right to run their business however works best for them. It's also upto you to spend your money wherever you want based on your own reasons.

Lacucuracha · 28/03/2018 18:22

So I put the chocolate back, and the guy said he had other types for £1, but instead of giving in and getting one, I just said no thanks and left.

Wow, what a moral victory. You are truly like Joan of Arc.

Toooldtobearsed · 28/03/2018 18:22

Small shops CANNOT compete with supermarkets. It costs them for you to use your card, so they have the choice of putting up the cost of items in their shops - people complain- or having a minimum spend - people complain.

Solution - sell the local shops, replace them all with Poundland, Charity Shops or betting shops, then you really could complain.

Pisses me off this. I live rurally and really appreciate the village shop that opens no matter what the weather. They make bugger all profit, aghhh😬

EasterRobin · 28/03/2018 18:22

Not unreasonable at all. Shop where you like. The corner shop probably wouldn't have made a profit on your purchase, so best for you to shop elsewhere if you don't have cash.

TroubledTribble28 · 28/03/2018 18:23

Grin at 'making a drama' ... she left the shop without buying chocolate, it was hardly an episode of Eastenders was it?
YADNBU op, I'm boycotting Just Eat because of their service charge on all transactions Hmm fuck sakes.

bridgetreilly · 28/03/2018 18:23

I think it's fine not to buy something you don't have enough cash for, rather than add other things to get to the minimum card spend amount. But to boycott the shop altogether? Even if you did have the cash or were buying more than the card limit? Can't see how that's hurting anyone but you, tbh. Massively unreasonable.

farmaparma · 28/03/2018 18:25

I live in Ireland and in our local town the majority of places (mainly takeaways etc.) still all accept cash only! Angry

FleeBee · 28/03/2018 18:25

It was costing me 2.75% per transaction when someone used their card so I did cringe a bit when it was for £1.
I can sympathise with the shop. If you let them know why you didn't buy the chocolate they can decide if they want to change card supplier or stop accepting cards.

PrettyLittIeThing · 28/03/2018 18:26

I'm sure I read on here that the law changed recently and they are no longer allowed to charge. Is that not true then?

ShatnersBassoon · 28/03/2018 18:27

Not really. The shop won't be bothered to lose a small purchase, and you don't have the inconvenience of finding an ATM.

I understand why shall shops don't allow very small purchases by card though.

bookmum08 · 28/03/2018 18:27

In order to cover the costs of accepting debit cards a retailer has two choices. 1 - have a minimum payment amount to make sure it's worth it or 2 - charge more money on everything to cover the costs. So you could use a card to pay for a bar of chocolate - but it would cost £1.50 instead. Non debit or credit card users have been paying 'more' on their goods for years at bigger retailers like supermarkets in order to cover the costs of the technology.

PavlovaPrincess · 28/03/2018 18:29

@TroubledTribble28 there was a law brought in recently that said they can't charge you to use your credit card, so it looks like Just Eat changed the name of the fee instead. Same old, same old.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/cards/2018/01/cards-fees-to-be-banned-from-saturday/amp

MargaretCavendish · 28/03/2018 18:29

But to boycott the shop altogether? Even if you did have the cash or were buying more than the card limit? Can't see how that's hurting anyone but you, tbh. Massively unreasonable.

'Boycott' seems a bit strong. OP isn't organising a protest outside, she'll just think 'oh no, they don't take cards so I'll go elsewhere' next time she's considering going in that shop.

To the people saying this attitude is wrong because 'you have to support local shops', do you think it's also wrong to choose to shop elsewhere because it's cheaper and has more convenient opening hours? The most profitable thing for the shop would be to open for two hours a day and sell chocolate bars for £10 - but then they wouldn't get any customers. Similarly, if a significant proportion of customers expect card payments and will go elsewhere instead and you can't afford to accept card payments then you don't have a viable business.

PavlovaPrincess · 28/03/2018 18:29

@PrettyLittIeThing yes, that's correct but they'll always find a way round it.

Lacucuracha · 28/03/2018 18:30

PrettyLIttleThing - shops can no longer charge customers a fee for using a card, but they can still set a minimum spend for card usage.

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