Megan?s & Pret a Manger cashless!

[val]

Has anyone had a meal in Megans yet? Just wondered how it was

[Spartacus]

Maybe we should organise a cash campaign by all going in, ordering things then saying "I've only got cash on me" to see how they react.

I wonder how they would deal with it if you had already eaten their products 🤔

[Sephiroth]

Yeah. Someone on living wage is going to LOVE dealing with customers like that

[Spartacus]

It's more about sending a message to their management. The shop floor workers would have to escalate it to their shift managers to deal with so they won't be directly impacted.

After all you're not refusing to pay, just asking for cash to be used.

[Sephiroth]

Sure. That?s how all this works

Management will care about takings and footfall. If they go down, and they can determine it?s because they don?t accept cash, then they might change

But I suspect their customer base is largely onboard with cashless and everything else is at best pointless annoyance and at worst makes people earning not much money more stressed

I?m not deaf to the problems with an entirely cashless society. But this helps no one

As I?ve said - cash isn?t some immutable element of nature . It came along after years of trading via other means (and was almost certainly opposed by many at the time) And now it?s fading away. Far better to absorb the info and learn how to adapt than pretend otherwise

[Spartacus]

Sep

Looking forward to a cashless society and how YOU will cope if there's a cyber attack on the instututions that handle transactions and your ability to pay is compromised.

Then cash will 100% be king.

Far fetched? Maybe but possibly not impossible.

[Pugwash]

Which magazine has been campaigning for some time to keep cash transactions going. Many people use cash to do daily/weekly shopping and by using cash you can keep an eye on expenditure. The Queen's Speech also alluded to legislation to protect cash. I understand why many traders prefer cards with the shortage of banks now around to take the daily takings. There are still places around which take cash - M & S, St Christopher's Hospice shops, Fair Trade Centre , cafe at Christ Church. I try to pay cash for small purchases i.e under ?5 but card for larger amounts.

I also do not do on line banking - a few people I know have been victims of one line scams. I worry that my grandchildren will not understand the concept of money as their parents pay everything by cards.

[Emma Bailey]

Agree with you Sweetgirl. We are sleepwalking into a dystopian future where banks (and anyone else the information is shared with) will know exactly what, when and how we spend our money. In my opinion it's none of their business.

I now tend to boycott shops that are cashless.

[JohnL]

Spartacus Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Sep

>

> Looking forward to a cashless society and how YOU

> will cope if there's a cyber attack on the

> instututions that handle transactions and your

> ability to pay is compromised.

>

> Then cash will 100% be king.

>

> Far fetched? Maybe but possibly not impossible.

We had an issue with VISA once (a few years back now) but that was a temporary glitch and Mastercard worked.

If the banks are in permanent trouble than bank notes may not be worth much either as they are just a promise on a piece of paper.

[DulwichFox]

Cash is Legal Tender...

Can you refuse legal tender in UK?

If the 'transaction' is instantaneous then anyone selling anything can refuse.

However, if the payment is to settle a debt (e.g.: for a taxi ride, a meal in a restaurant etc) then it is

illegal to refuse legal tender.

DulwichFox

[Bob Buzzard]

I?m a Monzo Plus guy so it?s ok with me.

[Spartacus]

Bob, i had you down as an iClone watch sort of guy🤔

Possibly of the back of a builders lorry 🤣

[hammerman]

Sephiroth Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Sure. That?s how all this works

>

> Management will care about takings and footfall.

> If they go down, and they can determine it?s

> because they don?t accept cash, then they might

> change

>

> But I suspect their customer base is largely

> onboard with cashless and everything else is at

> best pointless annoyance and at worst makes people

> earning not much money more stressed

>

> I?m not deaf to the problems with an entirely

> cashless society. But this helps no one

>

> As I?ve said - cash isn?t some immutable element

> of nature . It came along after years of trading

> via other means (and was almost certainly opposed

> by many at the time) And now it?s fading away.

> Far better to absorb the info and learn how to

> adapt than pretend otherwise

What a selfish attitude to take about cash fading away etc. Of course we're not living in the Dark Ages but once it's gone it's gone!

[teddyboy23]

Looking at reviews and also knowing people who have eaten at these overpriced large cafes Megan's they will soon be going cardless to because they won't have any customers

[exdulwicher]

Agree with you Sweetgirl. We are sleepwalking into a dystopian future where banks (and anyone else the information is shared with) will know exactly what, when and how we spend our money. In my opinion it's none of their business.

I now tend to boycott shops that are cashless.

To counter that, everyone (well, "agencies") already knows where you are, what you're buying, where you live, what you earn, where you work, where your kids go to school, where and when you went on holiday...

Loyalty cards at supermarkets are just a data-mining exercise with the slight benefit that you get extra points or discounts in return for letting them have that info of what you're buying and when/how often.

People willingly share vast amounts of info on Facebook and other social media so that fact that a simple coffee shop wants to do away with the hassle and security threat of cash is really not the Big Bad 1984 that you seem to portray.

Also, it does away with the inevitable old biddy rummaging around in her purse going "do you want the 42p as well, I think I've got exact change, just let me count it....." while the entire queue behind gets annoyed.

Major downside is that donations to charities via tins on the counter are WAY down. Previously you'd get some random, relatively low, amount of change and just drop it in the tin but it'd all add up. Now, that revenue stream for charities has almost completely disappeared.

[Loutwo]

Cash or card you wouldn?t catch me wasting my money in these establishments. Rather buy a loaf and a packet of ham and cheese and make enough sarnies to last a week. More money than sense some people. (I am a Pret fan btw, and it?s nice to see them in ED).

Louisa.

[teddyboy23]

A few weeks back my sister went into Apple green petrol station Walworth rd 7.30in the morning on her way to work put ?16 worth of petrol in her car .also bought a drink.went to pay with card .then discovered she's left it at home.she only lives round the corner never carries cash after speaking to a staff member and leaving her phone as security she was allowed to leave and returned in 10 mins to settle up.now she carries ?20 on her just in case.I did laugh because l think cash is king.also exdulwicher I've stood in queues someone in front bags up their shopping then as their card declined works both ways 😉

[jazzer]

Lot's of people walking past earlier and it looked busy.

[Nigello]

Yes, I keep a couple of tenners in my wallet in case but really don't like the jangliness and heaviness of coins. Bring back pound notes....

[teddyboy23]

And the big white fivers

[Spartacus]

teddyboy23 Wrote:

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> And the big white fivers

Showing your age there grandad

[teddyboy23]

Lol

[ctovey]

Went to the Oval last week for a cricket match. The website states the ground is cashless, so we thought no need to take much money with us. When we got there, we went in the club shop and selected some shirts for the grandchildren. After queuing for an age, we were advised that 'the wi-fi was down' so they couldn't take card payments. We were then told we could pay cash, but only if we had the exact amount as they (obviously) had no change! We only had enough cash to pay for about half of our selection, so had to leave some. Then went to the food concourse only to find most of the outlets had stopped trading as they couldn't take cards and were unwilling /unable to take cash! Also worth mentioning, that while we were in the club shop, there were several youngsters on a school trip who obviously had a few pounds pocket money to spend, but (before the tills stopped working) had to leave the shop empty handed as they couldn't spend their cash! So cashless not always a good thing!

[Bob Buzzard]

Spartacus Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Bob, i had you down as an iClone watch sort of

> guy🤔

>

> Possibly of the back of a builders lorry 🤣

iPhone 6s Plus for me - can?t be bothered with those iWatches.

[malumbu]

I spend my holidays in the Channel Islands or Scotland where they still have one pound notes. I come back with stacks, but even those traditional shops that still take cash refuse to accept my money. Well six years after we voted to leave the tyranny of the Common Market Johnny Foreigner is still running our country. Thank heavens the PM will be bringing back imperial units and ?SD.