I thought debit cards and other plastic cards would speed up lines

[SunnyD]

We used to have one of those bad boys in the store in case the power went out. IIRC, the only time it got used is when some work men cut our phone line. So we had no POS machine and couldn't access reservations, which were stored on a remote server (DSL internet). That was a fun couple of days. They also blew up our toilet. Not sure how they managed to back up the sewer from the unit next door.

Funny thing about those imprinters... I have two CC's that have no raised numbers on them. That would make for an interesting situation.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I shop at cash only places where I save easy 10-20% over anywhere else. And I've never once in my life been mugged. Even if I get mugged today the amount I've saved over not using credit will still be >>>>>>>>. Credit cards are worthless imho. Find cash only places and you'll see the light of carrying cash. I don't understand credit card "cash back" nonsense when it winds up still being more expensive 10/10 times.

You are RETARDED to boot. I signed up for my Discover card ~3 years ago. I just now took a look at my withdraws of cashbacks... $900 in the last 3 years for using the card.... and I alternate using my different cards, so that $900 is just a fraction of the 5 different cards I alternate.

I don't know of any place that only accepts cash except rickety taco stands. The only thing I ever use "cash" for (debit card) is a liquor store chain that gives 5% off.

 

[irishScott]

I just want to buy a 6 pack of beer but nope...got 3 people in front of me paying for whatever bullshit with their debit card.

Does no one carry money anymore?

It usually does. Lot easier to type in a number and answer a couple of questions than counting out bills, having the cashier count out change, pocket the stuff and move on.

It's the mega coupon clippers and check writers that are the bane of civilized existence.

 

[QueBert]

You are RETARDED to boot. I signed up for my Discover card ~3 years ago. I just now took a look at my withdraws of cashbacks... $900 in the last 3 years for using the card.... and I alternate using my different cards, so that $900 is just a fraction of the 5 different cards I alternate.

I don't know of any place that only accepts cash except rickety taco stands. The only thing I ever use "cash" for (debit card) is a liquor store chain that gives 5% off.

In So Cal there are plenty, I shop in LA and routinely get shit cheaper than even Amazon or Newegg. There are A LOT of places in the garment district in LA that are cash only, and they have insane prices.

 

[alzan]

Use cash/debit/credit.

If using cash slows someone down +1

 

[gorcorps]

Getting change from whatever money you have takes longer

 

[nakedfrog]

Getting change from whatever money you have takes longer

Yep.


Which reminds me of a tangentially-related anecdote... a couple weeks ago I was ordering some food from the deli, and asked for three-quarters of a pound of meat. The girl behind the counter looked confused for a second, then said "So, a little less than half a pound?"

 

[alkemyst]

They truly don't speed up anything. they slow everything to a crawl. Money motherfuckers..put some bills in your pocket you fucks.

Until you start checking your purse for that 6 cents you have somewhere in pennies.

 

[KeithTalent]

Yeah, drives me nuts. I always have cash on me but I get stuck behind dopes using their debit cards. Takes forever.

KT

 

[Jaepheth]

I would support disbanding hard currency entirely and be happy to endure an extra minute per customer in queue if it meant no more panhandlers.

 

[Mayne]

Yeah, drives me nuts. I always have cash on me but I get stuck behind dopes using their debit cards. Takes forever.

KT

KeithTalent knows.

 

[Carson Dyle]

If the store doesn't require a customer signature for purchases under $X, using a card is a little faster, or at worst, the same as using cash. Unfortunately, not all stores have this policy and you wait for someone to sign a receipt when buying a quart of milk.

I still carry cash, but using a card is more convenient 99% of the time. No fishing for the right bills, no waiting for someone with an IQ of 40 to hand you the wrong change, and no filling your pockets with coins.

 

[QueBert]

Getting change from whatever money you have takes longer

Unless the store has the automatic coin machine, which most around here do. If I own $9.65, I give the checker a ten and get 35 in change. Me paying cash is always faster. Just about every place around here has the same card machine

step 1. press credit or debit
2. verify the total press yes if it's correct
3. if it's debit it asks if you want cash back
4. wait, and if it's credit you might have to show your ID, even though it's against Visa/MC policy for a store to require this. It doesn't matter as stores never follow procedures here.

It's not a fast process.

 

[lxskllr]

Unless the store has the automatic coin machine, which most around here do. If I own $9.65, I give the checker a ten and get 35 in change. Me paying cash is always faster.

Additionally, I always have the correct bills, and all my coins in hand and sorted. If I haven't correctly figured the total including tax, I can count it fast because I know how much change I'm holding. I can easily deal with cash faster than a card. If my cashier is especially slow, change might hold things up some, but worst case it's even with card speed, but it's usually faster.

 

[Brovane]

I don't know of any place that only accepts cash except rickety taco stands. The only thing I ever use "cash" for (debit card) is a liquor store chain that gives 5% off.

Costco food court only takes cash.

 

[Brovane]

I generally don't mind debit transactions. The worse is being at the Grocery store and some old lady in front of you brings out the checkbook. Getting that thing written in takes forever.

 

[MongGrel]

Yeah, drives me nuts. I always have cash on me but I get stuck behind dopes using their debit cards. Takes forever.

KT

:sneaky:

 

[MongGrel]

I usually walk in, the guy knows me, swipe, 10 seconds later out the door.

 

[MarkXIX]

That whole assumption was predicated on the notion that people assumed with greater access to technology, Americans would become smarter. Instead, the average American is a walking turnip with a "smart phone" and access to money they neither appreciate or use appropriately. That is all.

Oh, also, most people are too stupid to realize that you can swipe and key in PIN, etc., while the cashier continues to check you out. Instead, people sit there with their thumb up their asses and only when the cashier is staring at them wondering how we all became so retarded does the person decide to dig out their card and complete the transaction.

 

[QueBert]

Additionally, I always have the correct bills, and all my coins in hand and sorted. If I haven't correctly figured the total including tax, I can count it fast because I know how much change I'm holding. I can easily deal with cash faster than a card. If my cashier is especially slow, change might hold things up some, but worst case it's even with card speed, but it's usually faster.

And I typically have plenty of timm to count change if I have it, because without fail at least 1 person ahead of me in line has no fucking clue how to use the card slider

*slides card*
*waits*
*slides card again*
*waits*
"try sliding it the other way" <--- Checker
*slides card right way*
*takes 10 seconds looking for the buttons to press
"I put in my pin what do I do now press the red button?" <-- Them to cashier
WHY THE FUCK WOULD RED BE THE BUTTON TO PRESS?!


or worse the person takes 20 fucking seconds to figure out where to actually swipe the card. Nothing like watching an 80 year old trying to swipe the card every which way but the correct one. And if they attempt to help them many will act like you called them retarded and they get offended. But my favorite, and I get 2 or 3 of these a day in my store "Oh, is it too late to get cash back?" when they CLEARLY see the receipt printing.
fucker you put in your pin and pressed the big green OK button.

 

[Wreckem]

Yea, POS software has been able to do that for a good number of years. I remember in 96 when I worked in a pharmacy our ancient IBM '4680' series registers could print checks ...



to the OP, yep, credit is faster, what many businesses did, was cut costs by reducing staff hours rather than maintaining the same level of staff and offering better service.

If you had a business and your options were
1. we can maintain same quality of service as before by firing some cashiers since now transactions are faster ..
2. We can spend the same amount on the same amount of workers, but offer better service/shorter wait times dues to faster transactions ..

Seems like almost everybody went with option 1....

He is talking about checks being scanned and turned into EFTs not printing checks.

 

[Wyndru]

I paid $5 on my discover today without even thinking. I have no idea why I even did it, it's becoming habit. I always have about 100 in cash on me, I never spend it though. I pay it off every month and end up buying things from amazon with the points, so it seems worth it to me.

I was surprised they let me even use a cc, I thought there was a minimum. Don't they get charged .75 for each discover transaction?

Nvm, just looked it up, discover is only .11 per transaction, the same as mc and visa.

I've seen some gas stations charge a few cents a gallon if you pay with cc to make up for that.

 

[alkemyst]

I paid $5 on my discover today without even thinking. I have no idea why I even did it, it's becoming habit. I always have about 100 in cash on me, I never spend it though. I pay it off every month and end up buying things from amazon with the points, so it seems worth it to me.

I was surprised they let me even use a cc, I thought there was a minimum. Don't they get charged .75 for each discover transaction?

Nvm, just looked it up, discover is only .11 per transaction, the same as mc and visa.

I've seen some gas stations charge a few cents a gallon if you pay with cc to make up for that.

Some merchants have higher fees.

 

[Red Squirrel]

They need to make cards be a one touch transaction, where the whole process is simplified. Like with chip cards it's fairly quick as you just need to enter a pin, but often it's the machine itself that is slow, especially the dialup ones. They need to streamline the entire process so it's lightning fast. Perhaps for small transactions the store should be able to choose to cache the transaction or something so it just happens after. If by chance it's a declined card or w/e it's not like they're losing that much and during the time saved they served more customers.

Take Tim Horton's for example if the transaction could take 5 seconds (insert card, hit ok and no waiting) it would speed up the whole line. These transactions could be setup so it does not require a pin.

 

[marvdmartian]

They might speed up the checkout lines, except:
- credit or debit?
- please enter your PIN
- did you want cash back? (if yes, how much? are you sure??)
- is the total amount correct?
- did you want to donate a dollar to some charity?
- waiting on casher

Geez, why not show a frikkin' movie while we're waiting, too??