Vocal Voices

Having spent the day recovering from a mammoth shop on Friday night (long queue to get into Waitrose at 6:00 p.m., and so congested around the butter, cheese and tins aisles that I abandoned trying to buy anything there), I was reflecting on how this virus has affected some of our "routines". I used to pop into Waitrose 4 or 5 times a week to spend just over £10 and claim a free daily newspaper. I'd invariable pay in cash. In fact, I used to go up the bank in Shaftesbury to get cash out two or three times a month, and we'd pay for virtually all our shopping, cafes, window cleaner, petrol, hairdressing, so on in cash rather than card.

But it's very different now. Although I took the precaution of getting a little bit of cash into the house just before the lockdown started, simply because we had no idea how this thing was going to pan out over isolation, we haven't really used any cash since mid-March. Household shopping is now a very rare event, and when I do foray out it's a £100+ super-shop designed to last at least a fortnight. Neither Mrs O nor myself have seen a hairdresser and I'm beginning to resemble the Dulux dog - same colour too! The petrol gauge is only just below the full mark - and I last filled it up the week before lockdown. No Tuesday carvery, no café breakfasts at the garden centre; in fact nothing bought at all for the garden, we're having a fallow year. No football for Ossie, which cost an average of £30 weekly, I reckon - all paid for by cash. Any shopping now is paid by card, and I've even renewed the road tax on line rather than down at the Post Office in cash.

I'm sure your routines have probably altered quite a lot too …..

But whilst we get used to a new way of living, I do remain a bit concerned that this virus will have propelled us all into a brave new world of a cashless society. We have been "encouraged" to pay by card, but I am also seeing signs that some organisations are actually starting to refuse cash altogether, on the grounds that it puts the safety of employees at risk. Two examples - South Western Railway have stopped accepting cash for tickets in their ticket offices and their ticket machines; Dorset County Council have gone further and, in re-instating car parking charges (away from beauty spots where car parks remain closed) have said their machines will no longer take cash OR card payments, you must use a Smartphone App or telephone them with your card details. I do, in passing, wonder if it is legal for them to do this, but that's what is happening.

It concerns me this is the thin end of (for me as an oldie) a rather nasty wedge.

What do you think? How have your routines changed, and will we go back to conducting our lives as before the lockdown?

I don't blame businesses one bit for refusing cash at the moment - it's an extra layer of risk that staff can well do without! Surely that has to come first

I'm sure we'll use cash again, once this is over. Not as often as before, perhaps, but there will always be a place for it, for small purchases, and things like paying the window cleaner.....

[quote="Kaz"]I'm sure we'll use cash again, once this is over. Not as often as before, perhaps, but there will always be a place for it, for small purchases, and things like paying the window cleaner.....

The shops love cash over here and I really can't see Jose accepting a card for a few beers. he'd have to get a machine and he hates, with a passion, spending money on anything other than a "new" tractor.

We already pay our window cleaner via online banking, even the monthly bin clean is paid through PayPal so nothing has changed there. Both just put a card through the door when they’ve done.
We’ve been doing a home delivery for our big weekly shop for the last year or so and obviously I don’t need cash for that but I’d usually take some out for shopping around town, I’d have felt daft paying a small amount by card.

I was very surprised by a Facebook post on one of the local pages last week and I wasn’t the only one judging by the comments. It was about a fish and chip shop in Stafford which was advertising the fact that they were reopening, just allowing one person in the shop at a time and were taking cash only, they even posted a photo of the shop with a great big sign stating that in the window.

Was only talking about this yesterday to friends-what's will happen to all the "cash".

Don't think I will return to cash after this.

Our f& chip shop is open -you go in one at a time -say what you would like -pay -and wait outside ,they do about 10 customers like this and then make up the orders --definitely card only

JoM wrote: It was about a fish and chip shop in Stafford which was advertising the fact that they were reopening, just allowing one person in the shop at a time and were taking cash only, they even posted a photo of the shop with a great big sign stating that in the window.

Jo, our most popular chippie in town is exactly the same, even down to the big sign in the window!

Kaz wrote:I don't blame businesses one bit for refusing cash at the moment - it's an extra layer of risk that staff can well do without! Surely that has to come first

I'm sure we'll use cash again, once this is over. Not as often as before, perhaps, but there will always be a place for it, for small purchases, and things like paying the window cleaner.....

And paying my lady wot does who is starting back next week.

When David and I were in Norway for 5 days from the minute we left Spain till the minute we got back we didn't see or touch any cash.

Even the measliest thing like buying a can of coke was paid by card.

It was nice to go straight to Jose's and pay for beer with cash.

I use my card all the time. Harry works in a supermarket, I wonder if handling cash is how he caught the virus, as he got it just before all the restrictions came into place. Tapping with a card is easy, and much safer for all concerned.

Same as me Kaz. We use our card for almost everything.

But I pay cash for my cleaner, hairdresser and in bars if we just have a couple of beers. If it's more than 5 or 6 euros then the card comes out.

The people who clean our bins left a note saying that they were not taking cash and could we pay by direct debit? So we sent them a cheque and told them not to bother in future. I know others who have done the same. Not taking cash would have been entirely to their benefit, and have been of no benefit to us, the customer. They could do their bin cleaning round much quicker without having to knock on doors for the money and there would be no going back for payments missed when the householders were out.
The virus has made you think. I have paid our water bill in one go, previously I paid by cash monthly at a paypoint in Sainsbury's.
Some traders (small independent ones) don't like card, as some of them have been done by people using cards.
I do share some of your worries about this Os. But as long as places like Aldi keep taking cash, as they have throughout, I think cash will stay.
But undoubtedly the people pushing for a cashless society will keep on pushing.
The more you use your card the more chance of your details being stolen; I still prefer cash and will continue to use it.