Card got declined for online shop

[Tetchy321]

So we did a supermarket shop online and our card got declined. We regularly transfer money into an account for household things. It’s a supermarket in a small town and so I feel really anxious about the people working in the supermarket thinking we don’t have money and then gossiping about it. We’ll transfer money into the account in time for when they retake the payment but I feel humiliated! Is this an overreaction? Will the packers and people in the supermarket know that it was declined?

Will the packers and people in the supermarket know that it was declined?

Of course not. They're not the ones who process the payment. It's all automated centrally and no human being is witnessing it, so don't worry.

Even f your card had been declined in the actual store at the checkout, people who work in retail see issues with customer cards every day and are well aware that there a million reasons a card can be declined; they won't automatically assume you don't have the money. Cards are declined for potential security issues, problems connecting with the bank's servers and loads of other things. You are massively, massively overestimating how much people who serve you in shops actually think about you and your life. Like I say, it's non-issue here because they won't know anyway, but even if they did - they don't care. At all.

The staff on the shop floor have no interaction with the online payment system, it’s all centrally processed and completely invisible to them. The order just didn’t place. Even if your card is declined when you shop in store, the staff have enough of their own problems and lives to think about that they don’t give a damn why a random customer’s card has been declined.

My friend once got me to buy her head and shoulders because she was so scared the people in the shop would think she had dandruff.

She was using it to get dye out or something.

Why do you even think the staff would care/ even remember you?
I have worked in retail and most customers just become one blur.

@Tetchy321 I didn't mean for my post to be dismissive of your obvious anxiety. But I just genuinely wanted to share my perspective. I deal with sales that require finance that often get knocked back. It happens all the time for various reasons I don't bat an eyelid. Some customers are aghast and embarrassed but I reassure them that sometimes it's for security reasons. Try not to worry honestly nobody cares about your personal financial situation especially in a supermarket.

Yeah deffo worrying about nothing. Mine declined because I put the numbers in wrong, then another time because I lost my card and tried to put it through on the old card saved on the system. Another time my husband bought a holiday on my card (with my permission obviously) the bank froze my card because it was unusual activity and then it didn’t work when I tried to pay for something else. I’ve also clicked off the page too fast and it’s declined. So there are lots of reasons

I used to work in retail (not a supermarket) and couldn’t have cared less if someone’s card was declined

The people in the shop have no knowledge of what goes on in your finances and it's none of their business. They only find out that you even placed an order once it has been successful.
The steps are:
1 You fill your online shopping basket and go through checkout
2 The supermarket takes your card details and puts a "reserve" on your account for the amount you are spending
3 The supermarket does the shelf-picking and calculates a final total accounting for any Substitutions or OutOfStock items.
4 Your card is charged

If you have £110 in your account on Tuesday, do an online shop for delivery on Thursday for £100, then try spend £50 elsewhere on Wednesday then the "elsewhere" transaction will fail due to the reserve, unless you have an overdraft facility. Otherwise, the supermarket would have wasted a significant amount of their staff time at step 3 picking and packing an order that you cannot pay for.

If you have no money in your account at step 2 because you are intending to put the money in at step 4 then yes the transaction will fail. They are not psychic and cannot predict your actions.

Thanks! I think my anxiety was on overdrive this morning, of course they’re not going to care 🙄

We all do it 😂