Self service in supermarkets

[melthebell]

Just now, Slighty batty said:

Say for instance you’ve got an ex-soldier, fought in Afghanistan. Got PTSD, mental issues, now living on the street with his dog. He might still have a valid debit card and an account that’s in the black, then again he might not. People have given him a few coins, he wants to use that to buy food for the dog but the shop will only accept cards. Isn’t that policy going to make him even more marginalized? 
 

Or say someone is in financial difficulties. Their bank account is overdrawn up to the limit, so they can’t use their debit card, but they’ve still got a little bit of cash left in their purse. Why should the supermarket dictate that they aren’t allowed to use it? 

people will always fall through the cracks, should the millions be held back to suit 1 or 2 that may have fallen through? theres still plenty of shops that take cash, you just have to know where, somebody whos homeless doesnt take very long to suss things out.

[MJ01]

What if people abstain from using their cards for Lent

[ECCOnoob]

1 hour ago, melthebell said:

your phone needs setting up to be able to do that though, most older ones wont be able to, wont have online banking and/or wont actually have a "smart" phone

 

I am not buying that. The same old tired arguement keeps coming out. 

 

It's 2024. I know plenty of "older ones" who have had online banking for many years. This is not new fangled technology anymore. Smartphones are not a great mystery. 

 

For the next generation of retirees, the use of online ..... and smart enabled ...... will be absolute second nature. 

[ECCOnoob]

43 minutes ago, Slighty batty said:

Say for instance you’ve got an ex-soldier, fought in Afghanistan. Got PTSD, mental issues, now living on the street with his dog. He might still have a valid debit card and an account that’s in the black, then again he might not. People have given him a few coins, he wants to use that to buy food for the dog but the shop will only accept cards. Isn’t that policy going to make him even more marginalized? 
 

Or say someone is in financial difficulties. Their bank account is overdrawn up to the limit, so they can’t use their debit card, but they’ve still got a little bit of cash left in their purse. Why should the supermarket dictate that they aren’t allowed to use it? 

 

Because it's their private business.  They have a right to decide what methods of payment they will accept. 

 

Quite frankly, if your ex-soldier that you example is in such dire straits, they should have bigger fish to fry than worry about a supermarket not accepting cash.   They need to be getting proper help from a proper government social service, homeless refuge, soup, kitchen, community food Bank. 

 

Not the job of private business.

[melthebell]

2 minutes ago, ECCOnoob said:

 

I am not buying that. The same old tired arguement keeps coming out. 

 

It's 2024. I know plenty of "older ones" who have had online banking for many years. This is not new fangled technology anymore. Smartphones are not a great mystery. 

 

For the next generation of retirees, the use of online ..... and smart enabled ...... will be absolute second nature. 

theres also plenty that dont, my mum doesnt text, shes only just got facebook as mi sister set it up for her, who gets annoyed when she "breaks it", she prefers to talk on the house phone rather than her mobile. also the old bloke Rob i worked with, he's a volunteer on the ship i worked on, he doesnt own a smartphone, its an older phone with bigger buttons. he has to go into a bank to sort things out, they do exist.

[HeHasRisen]

They will get left behind then, that's their decision though. The world can't hang back for the likes of them.

[melthebell]

Just now, HeHasRisen said:

They will get left behind then, that's their decision though. The world can't hang back for the likes of them.

indeed, society, technology moves on.

 

this whole cash / card, self service / cashier arguement is nothing more than classic schoolboy socialist luddite political arguements.

 

in Whitby, some choose card (like my old place of employment), some can only accept cash (due to location and phone signals etc), depends on the business what they want/can accept.

 

same with the self service thing, they are living in a dreamworld if they think supermarkets will put on more cashiers, use less self service, AND take a hit on profits, not put up prices.

[ECCOnoob]

1 minute ago, melthebell said:

theres also plenty that dont, my mum doesnt text, shes only just got facebook as mi sister set it up for her, who gets annoyed when she "breaks it", she prefers to talk on the house phone rather than her mobile. also the old bloke Rob i worked with, he's a volunteer on the ship i worked on, he doesnt own a smartphone, its an older phone with bigger buttons. he has to go into a bank to sort things out, they do exist.

 

They might do but the question will be whether THEY are in the minority.  

 

If they are, then the world doesn't stop progressing. Technology doesn't stop evolving just because some people choose not to keep up. We all used to go to the shops every Saturday, writing out our cheques to pay for our baskets full of groceries. Prior to that we all used to go to little grocery store, standing in the queue waiting for the man behind the counter to individually pick up each item we wanted before we got our cash purses counting out our coins. 

 

Things move on.

 

Payment cards are not a new item. They've been in existence for over 40 years. Electronic payments and online banking for nearly 30 years.  Even contactless is over 10 years old now.

 

Most elderly people have had several decades to adjust to these things. If they choose not to -  they need to accept the inconvenience they create to themselves.  

[melthebell]

Just now, ECCOnoob said:

 

They might do but the question will be whether THEY are in the minority.  

 

they are in the minority, i never said they wern't, just they  exist. this whole arguement is whether society should be held back in technological change just for the minority, the answer is no.

[ECCOnoob]

1 minute ago, melthebell said:

they are in the minority, i never said they wern't, just they  exist. this whole arguement is whether society should be held back in technological change just for the minority, the answer is no.

 

But then why are you saying in your earlier post that MOST older people will not be able to learn how to use the apps or have online banking or have smartphones....

 

If they are in the minority then clearly that's not the case then. Plenty of older people have all those facilities and are perfectly capable of using them. Have done for years.