MM wrote
Rod Speed wrote
MM wrote
Rod Speed wrote

Yes, some fools still use cash.

That's because it's quicker than cards.

Like hell it is than the most recent tap&pay cards
where you don't even need to enter a PIN, just
tap the card on the terminal. And with the best
of the checkouts, you can do that while the stuff
is still being scanned, don't need to wait until
the total value is known.

Not much point to your argument when nobody uses such cards.

Everyone does here.

They may do in very big conurbations like London, but not in most of
Britain.

I don't believe that.

It'll probably happen eventually,

It has now.

but right now, cash is quicker.

Nope, particularly when the system is well designed so that
you can do what needs to be done with the chip and PIN
cards while the goods are being scanned so that there is
nothing for the customer to do when the scanning is finished.

With cash, that is the first time the total is known, so cash
inevitably is slower even when the customer does have a
note in their hand that is guaranteed to be enough to
cover the total because the droid still has to make change.

Just the wait while the card issuer verifies the card,
then the customer inputting his PIN takes longer than
simply handing over a tenner and getting the change.

Not when the system has been designed properly
so you can do what you need to do with the card
while the stuff is still being scanned.

No farting around with the change or counting
what the droid gets handed either.

Sure, there are a few people, usually women, who count out
the exact amount, but most people paying in cash will hand
over a tenner or a twenty. Or maybe a couple of pound coins.

Still takes longer to make the change than to do nothing
with a well designed system that allows what needs to be
done with the card to be done while the droid is still scanning
the items.