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

[Inappropriatefemale]

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?

So what happens when the cash machines go down? It's not like that never happens is it?

I like using cash so would not use a shop that refuses to take it.

Surely @vickibee it’s the opposite. If your rural all banking online. Never having to find a cash machine. Never running out of money

Having cash makes it easier to control spending. You need good discipline if you just use a card all the time. Too easy to overspend

Cashless is fine...Until there is a power outage or the banking system goes down then your stuffed.

It also makes life extremely hard for people on the fringes of society.
If you don’t have a permanent address you can’t get a bank account and you can’t get a permanent address without a bank account...

Where my mum lives the WiFi is almost non existant so online is difficult. Local family shops only take cash

@aroundtheworldyet but many of the mobile payments -milkman, window cleaner etc rely on an mobile internet connection - and some rural areas dont get a signal.....

At work we only take cash, cheques or bank transfer. (plumbing firm). We are not tax dodgers. Every penny is accounted for.

We will become a cashless society at some point I believe. I work in retail and we take less and less cash as cards have evolved. Cheques were a faff so that wasnt as popular but since contactless and paying with phones and watches, cash is much less common. We very rarely take large amounts in cash anymore. We don't pay cash into the bank it is collected from us, but another reason for shops goong cashless is the alarming rate of closure of high st bank branches. Some local businesses in our area would have at least a 20 min trip to the get to a bank. That pits their staff in a very vulnerable position.

Quite a lot of independent coffee shops and cafes don't take cards.

Also Sweden certainly is not a cashless country. I went there last year and used cash everywhere - in Stockholm and other parts of Sweden. No problems whatsoever

Cashless might be a thing with large brands but all the small non brand phone & tech shops I frequent in London prefer cash & sigh when I get my card out. Surely you carry your debit card for emergencies tho? I don't like to carry cash around as muggings are common, upstairs neighbours son got knifed across the arm even tho he handed over his wallet.

Anyone who only takes cash is a tax dodger

No they're not.

Mugging is common, blimey. One of the advantages of living in the middle of nowhere then.

@DGRossetti
Yes they are! If you ONLY take cash, that’s dodgy
I cant think of one job where you only need to take cash

The people on this thread who talk about people paying by cash are dodging tax, what bullshit?

A small no of businesses dodge tax but the majority of people who pay with cash do so as it helps them budget better. And getting those big businesses who dodge tax in big ways to pay, is far better than penalising those who pay by cash.

When people are getting rid of debt, the envelope and jar system tend to work better for them. You can do this electronically but for people who are visual using cash works better.

Also its no ones business what I spend money on, I don't want to be tracked at all.

Lots of apps to be cashless add a charge, which some don't mind for convenience, but if you are poor or frugal why would you want to pay these charges?

Not to mention vulnerable people, areas where wifi and signals are poor and non existent. The largest thing for me, is why penalise the poor, the homeless and those fleeing domestic violence any more.

The people wanting a cashless society are very selfish, I'm alright jack but fuck you!

Yes they are! If you ONLY take cash, that’s dodgy

No it's not.

I cant think of one job where you only need to take cash

You lack of imagination is not my problem.

Even a prostitute can use PayPal or bank transfer.

Or carry a card device.
So it’s not the lack of imagination

I wouldn’t trust any tradesperson who insisted on cash.

We don't take cards because of the cost of the card machines.

Card machines are ridiculously cheap these days. There are so many options out there.

I would worry about the state of my business if I couldn’t afford to use one of the many cheap/free ways processing payments cashless!

I wouldn't assume only taking payment in cash is tax doding but I would be wondering if larger cash payments were money laundering.

I wouldn’t trust any tradesperson who insisted on cash.

That's your prerogative, of course.

Card machines are ridiculously cheap these days. There are so many options out there.

It's not the cost of the machine - it's the merchant charges the banks make. Which tends towards the less business you do, the more they charge. Hence why some places that do take cards still have a lower limit on how much they will accept a card payment for.

I just find it very odd, it’s usually cards that shops find a hassle.

It’s 2020 dear. Times have moved on.

I used to work in retail then head office for a fashion retailer whilst at university - the majority of customers paid with card even back in 2015.

I live in a large city and never need cash. Genuinely the only reason I can think of to withdraw cash is for drugs or other illicit activities as literally everywhere accepts card or has an app alternative- think Uber vs standard taxis or even with parking.

I wouldn't assume only taking payment in cash is tax doding but I would be wondering if larger cash payments were money laundering.

But there you are talking about somebody paying a large amount in cash. The tax-dodging allegations are about people receiving large amounts in cash.

I think part of the reason for shops going cashless as well is the availability of banking hours. A local branch of my bank only operates mon-fri 10-3, so no good for stores who can't use the cash drop box - I don't think all business accounts have this availability as I know the bank my parents used wouldn't let them use the cash drop box for their business account.

A store I came across on holiday was card only and at the time I only had availability to cash. They did put my goods aside though for me to return and pay by card.

I"m sure it is inevitable as contactless becomes increasingly popular, but there are times when I can only pay cash so to see it wiped out entirely would put a lot of people in a very precarious position. Budgeting and so forth as already mentioned. Plus I have a friend who regularly draws all her benefit out when a bill she cannot pay is due to go out so she has availability to something while the unpaid bill sits on her account.

Card processing companies are so competitive these days. Because you know it’s 2020- izettle!? My Pilates teacher uses it!

There is no excuse other than old fashioned stuck in the mud attitudes and probably not wanting to declare “some” income to the taxman.

Anyone who only takes cash is a tax dodger

Utter rubbish. They might be a money launderer.