To think shops shouldn’t be charging a minimum spend for card payments at the moment?

[AngeloMysterioso]

I’ve been helping out a lady who is self isolating due to her age and because she has COPD- walking her dog, bringing her a few grocery items etc. Last week she needed eggs, I managed to get some from a local convenience shop- they were £1.99 and they have a minimum spend of £3 for card payments so I ended up buying a packet of sweets I didn’t particularly want or need to get me above the minimum.

Today she asked if I could find some fish fingers. Found some in another convenience shop, £1 for 10, but again they had a £3 minimum spend. I didn’t have any cash and I didn’t want to spend money needlessly so I had to just leave it.

Given that we’re supposed to be avoiding supermarkets, supporting local businesses and avoiding germs as much as possible (so not using cash) surely shops like these could relax their minimum spend restrictions?

A lot have the minimum spend because it charges them for transactions under a certain amount. So they are passing the cost onto the customer essentially. Little shops probably can’t afford to swallow the transaction cost on small purchases all the time

You shouldn’t really going shopping for singular items. You are meant to be doing one big shop. Can’t you ask the lady to do you a proper list rather just going to get odd things when she wants them?

But it costs them money to process card payments and there's sometimes a set fee and then a % on top, so they'll make barely anything on tiny transactions due to the fees.

Also popping out for single items is a bit silly at the moment.

I’d be happy to pay the extra however much they’re charged, but I’m fairly certain they’re not charged £2 for processing £1 transactions...

The law has been changed so shops are not allowed to pass the cost on to you.

She doesn’t really have the mental capacity at the moment to write big lists. And I’m not popping out for single items, I go to hers to walk her dog for her and if she needs something I try and get it on the way.

Depending upon their card processor. The fee could be 0.20 to 0.50 per transaction and then % on top. So your £1 purchase means no income yet the shop will have spent money on buying in stock.

Strongly suggest you buy multiple items rather than one at a time and advise your neighbour of this or combine with your shopping, keeping a tally with receipts and settle up every so often.

But very kind of you to collect things for your neighbour