David Lesher writes:
I usually have a rule that if I can pay by cash for smaller purchases
then I do that.

Why? If you get points for every purchase, why not charge everything
you can? That's what I do.

Because I like my privacy. Marketers LOVE people who leave big wide trails.

Not to mention that using cash makes spending money somewhat more
visceral, which I kinda like... keeps spending down a bit maybe.

I find the U.S. credit/debit-card obsession just sort of weird...

-Miles

--
Innards, n. pl. The stomach, heart, soul, and other bowels.

Not to mention that using cash makes spending money somewhat more
visceral, which I kinda like... keeps spending down a bit maybe.

I find the U.S. credit/debit-card obsession just sort of weird...

Other than a few toonies and loonies (Google if you don't know what they
are) in the glove compartment for parking meters and they are not really
required as most meters take credit cards, I never carry cash.

My newest debit card, arrived yesterday, lets me use it like a credit card
for on-line purchases and like a credit card when travelling outside Canada,
although it still debits my bank account.


--
Cheers.

Roger Traviss


Photos of the late HO scale GER: -

http://www.greateasternrailway.com

For more photos not in the above album and kitbashes etc..:-
http://s94.photobucket.com/albums/l9...Great_Eastern/

"Roger Traviss" writes:
Not to mention that using cash makes spending money somewhat more
visceral, which I kinda like... keeps spending down a bit maybe.

I find the U.S. credit/debit-card obsession just sort of weird...

Other than a few toonies and loonies (Google if you don't know what they
are) in the glove compartment for parking meters and they are not really
required as most meters take credit cards, I never carry cash.

Wacky!

-miles

--
"Suppose He doesn't give a ****? Suppose there is a God but He
just doesn't give a ****?" [George Carlin]

On Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:20:56 +0900
Miles Bader wrote:
"Roger Traviss" writes:
Not to mention that using cash makes spending money somewhat more
visceral, which I kinda like... keeps spending down a bit maybe.

I find the U.S. credit/debit-card obsession just sort of weird...

Other than a few toonies and loonies (Google if you don't know what they
are) in the glove compartment for parking meters and they are not really
required as most meters take credit cards, I never carry cash.

Wacky!

He must be one of those bloody annoying people who insist on paying for
a 2.50 sandwich with a credit card and causing a huge queue of ****ed off
hungry customers behind him.

B2003

d wrote:
On Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:20:56 +0900 Miles Bader wrote:
"Roger Traviss" writes:

Not to mention that using cash makes spending money somewhat more
visceral, which I kinda like... keeps spending down a bit maybe.

I find the U.S. credit/debit-card obsession just sort of weird...

Other than a few toonies and loonies (Google if you don't know what they
are) in the glove compartment for parking meters and they are not really
required as most meters take credit cards, I never carry cash.

Wacky!

He must be one of those bloody annoying people who insist on paying for
a 2.50 sandwich with a credit card and causing a huge queue of ****ed off
hungry customers behind him.

I was behind a guy writing a check the other day. The cashier took the
signed check from him and tried to run it through the check printer to
put the amount on, but it failed, so he had to fill it in himself. So
that convenience feature made things take longer still.

I then paid for a small purchase with a credit card.

d wrote:

He must be one of those bloody annoying people who insist on paying for
a 2.50 sandwich with a credit card and causing a huge queue of ****ed off
hungry customers behind him.

That may have been true 10 years ago. Current terminals handle credit card
transactions far faster than cash and in most cases, don't even require a
signature if the value is under a certain threshold.

In article ,
Robert Neville wrote:
d wrote:

He must be one of those bloody annoying people who insist on paying for
a 2.50 sandwich with a credit card and causing a huge queue of ****ed off
hungry customers behind him.

That may have been true 10 years ago. Current terminals handle credit card
transactions far faster than cash and in most cases, don't even require a
signature if the value is under a certain threshold.

In the UK pretty much all credit cards are authenicated by PIN. Very few
transactions are unauthenticated (except for pay-wave ones, which have a
limit of £10-£15).


--
Mike Bristow

On Fri, 24 Feb 2012 07:13:13 -0700
Robert Neville wrote:
wrote:

He must be one of those bloody annoying people who insist on paying for
a 2.50 sandwich with a credit card and causing a huge queue of ****ed off
hungry customers behind him.

That may have been true 10 years ago. Current terminals handle credit card
transactions far faster than cash and in most cases, don't even require a
signature if the value is under a certain threshold.

Hand cash over - walk out. If you can do that faster with a credit
card then I'd be interesting in hearing your technique.

B2003

On 24-Feb-12 09:01, d wrote:
On Fri, 24 Feb 2012 07:13:13 -0700
Robert Neville wrote:
d wrote:
He must be one of those bloody annoying people who insist on paying
for a 2.50 sandwich with a credit card and causing a huge queue of
****ed off hungry customers behind him.

That may have been true 10 years ago. Current terminals handle credit
card transactions far faster than cash and in most cases, don't even
require a signature if the value is under a certain threshold.

Hand cash over - walk out. If you can do that faster with a credit
card then I'd be interesting in hearing your technique.

In the US (and Canada, IIRC), sales tax is not included in the posted
price, so a customer doesn't know how much cash to hand over until the
total is computed by the cash register. Then, either the customer has
to count out the correct payment or the cashier has to count out the
correct change for a large bill.

Swiping a card is faster--much faster if the transaction total is under
the merchant's "floor", i.e. doesn't require a signature/PIN.

S

--
Stephen Sprunk "God does not play dice." --Albert Einstein
CCIE #3723 "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the
K5SSS dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking

d wrote:

Hand cash over - walk out. If you can do that faster with a credit
card then I'd be interesting in hearing your technique.

Except it doesn't work that way. What usually happens is that customer stands
there with a blank look until all items are rung and total is available.
Customer then proceeds to fumble through wallet/purse, looking for correct
number of notes, and that last coin or two that they know is there somewhere.
Cashier eventually takes cash, recounts it and enters amount tendered in
register. Cashier then spends 30 seconds trying to figure the appropriate number
of each bill and coin to make up the amount shown on the display. Cashier hands
change back to customer who proceeds to count it, eventually giving up on the
higher math involved and drops change on floor. Eventually customer collects
things and self and moves out of the way.

Contrast that with customer paying by card, who within certain parameters,
doesn't care what the total is, pulls card out while cashier is ringing order
and hands card to cashier as soon as order is totaled. Cashier swipes card,
hands card and receipt back to customer who proceeds on his or her way.