Doesn't anybody carry cash anymore?

[Monday Morning Sportswriter]

So the wife and I run this seasonal business up in the middle of nowhere. We're open weekends for June and everyday in July and August. About 75 days, once you factor in rain outs and stuff.

It's a little place that grosses about $25,000 a season. We make a whopping $1.25 off every adult that walks in here, and we break even on the kids. We basically charge only what we need to. Charge more, and people won't come. Charge less, and our $600/month electric bill won't get paid.

Here's the important point: Our average cash register ringup is about $6.

So why is it that people express shock when we tell them we don't accept credit cards? The last four customers, in fact, have pulled out their Amex cards and been completely aghast that I couldn't swipe their plastic. One even tried to bargain with me. "Isn't there something you can do?" he asked. Geez, like what? Open a PalPal account?

Fact is, credit cards are expensive, starting with the equipment, the banking fees, and the credit card companies' take on top of that. And it's another level of hassle to deal with. And between Mother Nature knocking down our trees and washing out our landscaping in a storm on Friday, I've got enough problems. Not to mention half of what we sell here is $1.50.

But I keep getting crap. One customer whined he drove an hour to come here, yet he ultimately fished a fistful of $20s from his pocket. Another said they drove here for vacation from Alabama and didn't have any cash. And I'm thinking, geez, you drive 800 miles without a penny? He's out looking for an ATM right now. Another said he was staying in the campgrounds and bring any with him. Well, idiot, the campground doesn't take credit cards, either. (It doesn't help that the closest ATM is about three miles away.)

I admit, I use my Amex at McD's and Starbucks. I use it when I can and earn the points. But I don't flip out when the driving range tells me that I have to pay cash for my $6 bucket of balls.

Am I way off here?

 

[sportschick]

Probably not, but about the only time I have cash is when I go to the farmer's market. Just saying.

 

[bydesign77]

I very rarely carry cash. Only when I know I'm going somewhere that I'm going to need a couple of dollars in greenbacks to get through. Hell, even MARTA takes cards now.

 

[The Big Ragu]

I really noticed this a few years ago... No, I don't carry cash. I can use a debit card for 90 percent of my life, and I love it. I just swipe and I am good to go. I held back a little, because 5 years ago, I hated the idiot at the grocery store buying a pack of gum and paying with a credit card. But now, the chains don't even need a pin number or signature on purchases less than $20. You just swipe and go and it's actually quicker than cash and making change.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

I always have cash because of the hookers.

I recently dashed into a convenience store to get some Gatorade on a hot day. The guy in front me was settling a $1.29 bottle of soda with his debit card. The magnetic strip was damaged (failed on about four attempts), so the clerk was manually punching in the numbers. I was ready to pay for his soda just to get things moving.

 

[MileHigh]

I carry very little cash. $40 max. Credit card for 90-95 percent of stuff I buy.

 

[zeke12]

If drug dealers took plastic, folding money would have been eliminated by now.

 

[BTExpress]

So why is it that people express shock when we tell them we don't accept credit cards?

Simple. Because 99+ percent of businesses do.

Heck, when I called a tow truck a few months ago I didn't have any cash on me. He pulled out one of those credit card gizmos that looked like it was from 1975. Had to scrub my card over and over with a sharp edge so the carbon paper copy of my number would be legible.

But he accepted credit cards.

 

[JayFarrar]

I was at a joint a couple of days ago and they had a sign that said $10 minimum purchase required for credit card users and I wondered about it then.
Was it a legit deal or was it one of those things that the store didn't want the hassle and to keep people from bitching, they made it where they actually had to spend money, so the store wouldn't go broke over having a credit card machine.
And most days I have some cash on me, but not hundreds of dollars.

 

[ondeadline]

If I can use my credit card, I do because i get airline miles. If I don't check first, in most cases I have no idea how much money I have in my wallet. If, of course, I'm out of town, I try to carry a certain amount of cash for tolls.

 

[ServeItUp]

I carry cash because it's the only way to get through my thick skull that I don't have unlimited money to spend. Only thing wrong is that it took me nearly 34 years to figure that out.

 

[Flash]

Nope. Not ever.

 

[Write-brained]

We're just starting to carry cash again. It's more convenient to use the check card but neither my wife or I were very good at keeping track of our transactions. I often found I had about $20-$50 less than I thought because the wife saw a sale and preferred I see it on the bank account than have to tell me about it.

It's much easier just to take $20 or $40 out than to have eight or nine items on there for $5 apiece.

Incidentally, there's a great steak place around here that will not accept check cards or credit cards but maintains that by not doing so it can afford to charge $6 for a ribeye platter. From what I understand, the banks charge companies a fee for every card purchase - that's why a lot won't accept a card for less than $5.

 

[slappy4428]

I usually have a few bucks on me, but usually use plastic because of points from my check card.
But I don't pitch a fit if I cant use one.
Stick by your guns, if for no other reason it saves on your transaction fees -- and make a big enough sign to say "NO FLIPPIN PLASTIC!"

 

[slappy4428]

ok, how about this. While you don't take plastic, how much more would you make/how much would it cost you for a gas-station type ATM?

 

[zeke12]

What is the going rate for a gas-station ATM?

Who would know?

 

[sportswriter4eva]

Nope. After one mugging, you learn your lesson. Credit and bank cards can be canceled in a flash. Cash on the other hand, is just gone.

 

[pallister]

When I carry cash, I spend every penny of it -- quickly. Using a credit (or debit) card saves me money in the long run.

 

[Perry White]

How many other places are there anymore that don't take credit cards?

 

[Breakyoself]

i once used a credit card for a candy bar. but the line for the atm was long, so that was my excuse.