Something like one of these? I’ve seen a few around. Were I to go into business, I’d investigate further. suranyi, Australia, at least, is not completely cashless. There’s just a lot of people who don’t bother with it. I imagine here, the parents hit the ATM, or get some cash back when they purchase something. I don’t know how someone in a truly cashless society will handle it.
Me, I’d tell the little leeches to go out and hunt snakes or something, make money that way. :D*
Look, it’s not some big moral decision or anything - cash or card doesn’t make much difference, but there’s so many ways to pay by card, it’s just more convenient for me, and a lot of other people. I imagine the younger folks, more used to the technology, have even less use for cash than people in my age bracket (50+)
*Why no, I don’t have any kids. Why do I hear all those sighs of relief?
Tipping isn’t the norm, or expected here. Some delivery services are starting to build it into their online payment mechanism - for example Amazon Prime Now suggests a tip for the driver (which can be opted out)
In Canada the drivers all carry wireless payment machines. You insert your debit or credit card and immediately you’re prompted with a tip method, by amount or by percentage.
You enter the tip, your PIN, and voilà!
I rarely if ever carry cash anymore. There literally is no need for it.
Then there are people who still prefer cash and find it absolutely ridiculous the notion that they should have to carry a piece of plastic around when they have a pocket full of money.
I guess I come down firmly in the middle that options are a good thing.
Speaking as someone who spent several years working mostly for cash not all of us are tax cheats - I reported ALL of my income, including things like what I got for turning in aluminum cans which is definitely unusual. Why? Because it got me a bigger Earned Income Tax Credit at the end of the year and thus was in my financial interests to do so. So thanks for implying those of us who are paid in cash are criminals, that plays right into the meme that the poor are inherently criminal. :rolleyes:
But you’re right - whether the manager or the employees cheat (and yes, there are many who don’t properly report their income) it’s not the customers’ responsibility.
Sounds heavenly - I’m all for giving up the tipping custom but the rest of my country is not as enthusiastic so I have to live in the society I’m in.
I keep cash on hand in part because sometimes the ATM networks fail. This is getting to be both less of an issue these days (more robust/widespread systems) and more (because in the event of a power failure many places can not process ANY transaction). When I travel I like to pay for vehicle fuel by cash because no one has figured out how to hack a paper bill and if you pay in cash you don’t have to worry about “bank holds” on your card (maybe you don’t have bank holds where you are).
That said - if the country went cashless I’d adapt. I’d grumble because I’m old enough to be shouting “get off my lawn!” but it wouldn’t be the worst thing ever to happen.
American here. I can think of only one occasion in recent memory where I couldn’t use a credit card: the purchase of my Thanksgiving turkey (cash or check only). I wasn’t even forced into that one; it was a farm-raised turkey, and I could have used a card anyplace else to purchase a turkey if I’d needed it.
Are there any cash-only places in the USA? Yeah, there probably are some, but I’m not personally aware of any, so their little quirks have no bearing on my life.
I would think that the only possible need for cash would be for person-to-person transactions, such as garage sales, Craiglist transactions, and the like. And to visit the stupid Ernest Hemmingway museum in Key West.
When I visited Australia, I’m not even sure I used any currency. My archaic, non-tap credit card worked everywhere, although the clerks tended to laugh when the POS informed them that I needed to sign the receipt. Yeah, no PIN for American chip cards. And chip transactions in the USA are unbearably slow compared to the old magstripe transactions. Luckily NFC is getting to be more and more popular, so I can use my phone, which is instant.
At my business I’ve had people ask if we accept cash. That’s a weird question. I’ve also had older farmer-types take me aside, waggle their eyebrows and ask “how much if I pay cash?”
I quests they think I’ll not report the income, but I’m too afraid of the IRS to do that. I drop the price a bit (my original estimate usually is padded to allow some wiggling) and let them think what they will.
I frequent this Mom & Pop fried chicken joint. In the Google reviews, one of the reviewers wrote: “That’s how you tell it’s a REAL ghetto joint. They only accept cash”
They DO make the best chicken in town. But it’s cash only, and the only thing they offer to drink is sweet tea, and red kool aid.
Oh, and a “whole bird” consists of: 3 legs, 3 thighs, 3 wings, and 1 breast. Lol, where do they find these birds?
This last time I used cash was during one of the summer festivals, and I noticed almost booth was set up for cards this year. I was on holiday in the UK and there were 2 pubs in Liverpool city centre that didn’t take cards, so I’m glad I had £50 with me.
If he’s old enough to receive allowance, he’s old enough to have an account. Lots of banks have kids accounts that allow for no fees or penalties as long as they are under 18. When my son was 9, we opened an account for him and my husband direct deposited his allowance into his account. He loved having a “pay day” and was a good saver because he had to think about going to the bank to get money for stuff instead of just spending what was in his pocket. By the time he was in junior high he was going to the bank and making deposits (like birthday money or money from cutting lawns) and withdrawals on his own. I think it’s good for kids to have bank accounts.
That being said, I think it’s smart to always have a bit of cash on hand.
