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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

That a Vodafone shop wouldn’t accept cash in payment and it pissed me off?

281 replies

Inappropriatefemale · 10/01/2020 01:13

So as the thread suggests then AIBU because a branch of Vodafone wouldn’t accept cash and it pissed me off?

I went into a Vodafone store around 4 weeks ago to buy a £20 memory card and I was aghast when the sales advisor told me that they didn’t accept cash because it was ‘a hassle’ and that paying by card was easier for the shop, it wasn’t the end of the day or anything like this where they had counted all their profits for the day.

I didn’t have my debit card with me that day so I went elsewhere to buy it but I was really pissed off, what if I was purchasing a brand new iPhone 8, or whatever the latest one is, at over £700 then would they have been happy for me to walk out their shop and spend that money elsewhere.

I have always suspected that actual cash will be done away with one day but not for a good few years at least and not in a Vodafone shop.

I didn’t look into this, I was just pissed off and wondered if any of you ladies/gents had experienced this and if so where, when and for how much?

OP posts:
chomalungma · 10/01/2020 08:51

Lots of good reasons for cashless. I recently went to Scandinavia and only had to use actual cash for the campsite shower.

Lots of reasons to keep cash. People don't always have cards or even a bank account. Lose it and you are stuffed till a replacement comes. People don't trust the system.

TheGirlFromStoryville · 10/01/2020 08:51

Much prefer using cash, I like the anonymity.

A neighbour of mine recently had a new bathroom fitted, paid £5.5k cash in hand. Would have been around £7k+ if done 'through the books.' I can't say I blame her tbh.

David Icke has some crazy ideas but is right imo on the potential dangers of a cashless society.

BlaueLagune · 10/01/2020 08:51

I'm happy to use a card for anything over £10, even £5 at times, not sure if Vodafone sell anything for less than £10.

A few weeks ago I was collecting a reservation in the library, which cost £1. I had to go to the desk to pay as the machines only accepted cards. Using a card for £1 just felt too silly for me.

Sweden is more or less cash-free. Denmark too. I was even able to use contactless in Germany in some places last weekend so even it is catching up (though in one cafe I had to go over the road to get cash from the bank). I like contactless now (hated it at first as I disliked the fact you didn't need a PIN) but it shouldn't be a requirement.

BumbleNova · 10/01/2020 08:51

I am all for cashless society. Change is such a PITA and I never carry cash. It works both ways - businesses that insist on cash don't get my custom. I'll just go somewhere that takes card. So much easier and quicker. No wastage in terms of random small coins you never get round to using.

LucaFritz · 10/01/2020 08:52

The privilege points thing in China could well work over here to keep out shoplifters and prolific repeat offenders of anti social behaviour etc but im guessing China has other ideas when it comes to the definition of misbehaving

DappledThings · 10/01/2020 08:53

A neighbour of mine recently had a new bathroom fitted, paid £5.5k cash in hand. Would have been around £7k+ if done 'through the books.' I can't say I blame her tbh

I blame her. And her tax-dodging builders. They are breaking the law and she's supporting them in that.

SaskiaRembrandt · 10/01/2020 08:55

DappledThings I'm the same! I used to commute by tram and always felt a little rush of excitement when it set off - the Sheffield ones have an announcement telling you to 'hold on' which really adds to the thrill Grin

chomalungma · 10/01/2020 08:57

Just wait till you get a chip in your finger linked to your account. No need for even a card. Difficult to lose but not impossible

BarbaraofSeville · 10/01/2020 08:58

Using a card for £1 just felt too silly for me

Same here. I'm of the age where I feel like a bit of a twat paying by card for under about a fiver.

I also wonder if it makes things more expensive. All the parking machines I know that take card, charge 25 pence extra to pay that way. If you do that a lot, it adds up.

If shops price things to account for the fact that someone buying a single small item like a drink or chocolate bar might pay by card, we will all end up paying more.

I'm currently experimenting with paying by card as often as possible, but not for little purchases of a pound or two, to make the cash I do carry last as long as possible. But I still need quite a bit as an exercise class I do each week is paid for by cash, then things like work collections, many parking meters are cash only etc. I probably use maybe £30-50 pm in cash so will keep this sort of amount on me for the foreseeable.

DappledThings · 10/01/2020 09:00

the Sheffield ones have an announcement telling you to 'hold on' which really adds to the thrill

Love it! I might go to the bother of finding cash after all!

Inherdefence · 10/01/2020 09:00

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve handed over cash in a bar when my offered note is met by the bar staff handing me the swipe machine. Cash really is dying out. The only places I see that only accept cash are nail bars and I suspect that’s all part of their general dodginess.

Which makes me think- we went to the Elton John gig at Hove cricket ground last year. We were a group of 7 aged from 23-60. We were amazed to discover (after queuing) that none of the many drinks tents took cards, the whole ground was cash only. Since between us we could only raise about £20 cash and there are no cash machines on site we had a very abstemious gig as did many people around us. Good for our livers but not so good for their profits. I now wonder if this was a tax dodging plan of the caterers that misfired when so many people didn’t have cash with them.

ivykaty44 · 10/01/2020 09:00

It’s how people like to pay for goods, so the shops will turn to that method.
Eventually shops will not be taking cash

Banks charge for taking cash, a staff member needs to bank cash, time out of shop, banks have less staff so longer for shop member in bank

Easier to not take cash and just take card payment

chomalungma · 10/01/2020 09:01

Cashless societies would make work collections more difficult. And the thrill of opening a card to see a bank transfer

bruffin · 10/01/2020 09:01

Lose it and you are stuffed till a replacement comes.
At least a new card will come and you still have access to your money. Lose cash and its gone for good.
Also credit cards give you added protection on amounts over £100,

ivykaty44 · 10/01/2020 09:05

I’ve taken debit card payments for 20p this week... we have no limit & therefore the customer can pay in this way

Khione · 10/01/2020 09:06

@DappledThings you can use your contactless card directly on the tram in Sheffield - and I suspect (but can't confirm) on the bus too.

ivykaty44 · 10/01/2020 09:07

chomalungma

Gift card instead

Someone will device a card that everyone can put money into and then you pop that in the card- they then activate the card to get a PIN number

MopsRUs · 10/01/2020 09:10

YANBU. The shop may not be obliged to take cash, but they could at least have a clear sign to say so. This would avoid the embarrassment of customers being turned away at the till.

SaskiaRembrandt · 10/01/2020 09:12

Khione unless it's changed in the last couple of weeks, you can't use a contactless debit/credit card on a Sheffield tram. The only contactless cards they take are travel cards/season tickets. You can on buses though.

bruffin · 10/01/2020 09:21

London buses are now cashless

Iwantacookie · 10/01/2020 09:22

What a stupid idea.
I hate using my card with cash I know EXACTLY how much I have to last etc.
How would that work with children if we went cashless? Where would they learn about cash without actually seeing it?

Everanewbie · 10/01/2020 09:30

BoomBoomsCousi if they're in the vodafone shop looking to buy a phone or a contract, i doubt they're that vulnerable.

bruffin · 10/01/2020 09:30

How would that work with children if we went cashless? Where would they learn about cash without actually seeing it?
As i said above my dc are early 20s but they know exactly what is happening with their money through phone aps etc.

LakieLady · 10/01/2020 09:33

Towards the end of last year, we had an internet outage that covered quite a wide area and went on for 2.5 days. Our local shops couldn't take card payments.

Something like that can happen any time (in fact, it happened on Wednesday in the area where I work and affected the local shop there). What would these shops do then?

Our shop was brilliant, by the way, and let people have stuff on tick, trusting them to come back and pay when it was sorted.

vickibee · 10/01/2020 09:34

@ Saskia - yes i was caught out by this on supertram, had to 'borrow' cash of my 12 yo to get to the children's hospital. the conductor got the fare but in loads of change. I was surprised that they didn't take contactless.
My Mum is 86 and lives rurally and totally relies on cash, never uses card. the local village shop only takes cash anyway. there are no cash machine nearby so she hoards cash in the house (think several thousand) which we are concerned about.