Interesting how many small businesses like what seems to be all the local barbers and kebab shops/takeaways have suddenly stopped taking card payments and want cash.
I’m assuming that the cost of card payments is suddenly too high for them.

I’m assuming that the cost of card payments is suddenly too high for them.

Do I detect a heavy degree of sarcasm there?

Only one place I’ve been to recently asked for cash all others are still cashless, same for the last 3 months.

I’m not quite sure of what you’re being sarcastic about but I can’t remember ever seeing a Turkish-style barber that takes cards.

Our ones in town usually do. I’ve always given a tip in cash if I do use my card rather than rely on the management to pass it on to their staff.

You tip your barber?

FWIW if imagine any switch to cash is, at the generous end, down to cash flow rather than cost. Some card payments can take quite a while to process. At the more cynical end I’d guess it’s more to do with management not passing it on to the exchequer, continuing furlough for people actually working etc. But that’s me being cynical.

Just bought a big issue using Garmin pay.
Happy 21st Century

I would assume the cost of lost business is higher. I’ve not carried or used cash since the pandemic began. If you don’t take cards I’m going somewhere else.

At the more cynical end I’d guess it’s more to do with management not passing it on to the exchequer, continuing furlough for people actually working etc. But that’s me being cynical.

Not cynical, as it’s the same shops around here who are taking cash only who also seem to frequently have card machine ‘issues’ at other times!

My barber insisted on cash yesterday.

I was cash only until COVID, now I have a card machine as an option for payments.  I was surprised at just how reasonable the charges can be.  IANAB

I would assume the cost of lost business is higher. I’ve not carried or used cash since the pandemic began. If you don’t take cards I’m going somewhere else.

If they can fill their capacity with cash customers they haven’t lost business.
That said, I share your opinion that I’ll only be patronising establishments that are paying their tax bill.

If that’s what they need to do in order to stay in business then I’d say crack on.

My window cleaner is now bank transfers only. Saves him having to chase around in the evening and weekends for his cash.

It’s hard to justify how any business cannot take card payments today.
Bank charges are minimal and probably less than the cost of handling cash.
Those taking cards and cash are the ones with the highest costs.

Bank charges are minimal and probably less than the cost of handling cash.

we know what the real reason is – theres no cost attributed when your not banking the cash.

but then the self same people are the ones moaning about not being supported during the gov mandated shut down……

Some high horses being ridden in this thread! 🙂

Of course. Maybe linking VAT registration to cashless would be a good idea.

If that’s what they need to do in order to stay in business then I’d say crack on.

Yeah, I suppose if Amazon can avoid tax, then its OK for the small shops to evade it.

(that’s sarcasm by the way)

Amazon pay exactly the amount of tax they legally have to pay, it’s not right but thankfully the EU has closed the loopholes, not paying the tax you owe is not comparable.

I’ve not carried or used cash since…

…flippin’ yonks ago.

not paying the tax you owe is not comparable

If only that were true. It just goes by a different name and the wealthier you are the better your accountants and more ‘efficient’ your tax liability becomes!

In a way yes Woody but withholding payments is illegal using tax loopholes is using the law to your favour.

The only local place I can think of that doesn’t take card is a very small local baker – they have a really basic old till – digital, but think mid-90s rather than anything that scans or uses such hi-tech things as heat transfer receipts.

Everywhere else is card & quite a few takeaways that were cash only are now accepting cards from what I have seen on FB etc.

You tip your barber?

I do too. Am I wrong?

we know what the real reason is – theres no cost attributed when your not banking the cash.

but then the self same people are the ones moaning about not being supported during the gov mandated shut down……

I tried to say the same on another thread to my peril 😀

Cash is much more expensive to process through your business bank account than card/electronic payments. Some small businesses may take their cash takings and use it to pay their wholesaler, the local corner shop for example, but even this is being phased out by the likes of Bookers as they then have the cost of having that cash collected and banked. The only reason for lot of businesses to take cash now is:

At the more cynical end I’d guess it’s more to do with management not passing it on to the exchequer, continuing furlough for people actually working etc. But that’s me being cynical.

Of course there will be some people that prefer to take payment in cash and fully declare all income correctly and legally.

You would think that all those businesses that previously bent the rules in their favour but then found out it bit them in the arse when the covid help schemes were announced and based on declared income would have learned their lesson but I doubt it.

I do too. Am I wrong?

Maybe, maybe not, I’ve honestly no idea, just never occurred to me people would.

That said as shining example of male pattern baldness I’ve not been to a barber’s in some years and congratulating & tipping myself for successful use of a set of clippers seems a bit narcissistic.

Tax avoidance vs Tax evasion innit

Doesn’t seem to be a correlation in the Turkish ones round here, about 80/20.

My friends who run small businesses are still rattling on on Facebook about the scourge of cashless society. It all seems a bit tinfoil hat, you’ll have no control/access to YOUR money – well no, but then unless you keep it in your mattress that’s not really that much different to now. You might have a small amount in your wallet but not as would make much difference.

But they do all claim that the cost of card payments is an issue for small business. I suggested that having to take cash to a bank to pay it in was a cost that should be considered, and an inconvenience but apparently I know nothing and they do that for free because it is so much fun. That’s before you consider the security improvement of not having a counter full of easily removed difficult to trace cash.

I avoid our local Greengrocer even though it’s cheaper than the Coop as it was cash only till CV-19 hit. I just think Tax dodger when it’s cash only.

*dons flame suit* some of these Turkish barbers (at least around here) are fronts for other criminal “shenanigans”. That cash isn’t going to clean itself.

Physical money as in coins and paper just seems like a weird and old concept to me. The sooner it’s gone the better.

but then the self same people are the ones moaning about not being supported during the gov mandated shut down……

no they’re not. Anyone not banking their cash knows why they’re doing it and they’d be cutting their own throats drawing attention to the fact by moaning

there are plenty of people moaning about any lack of parity of support but its not the cash in hand businesses.

Its interesting that its so much of a given that barbers and hairdressers tend to be cash only – hairdressers in particular – they’re not cheap either in terms of cost of transaction or the sum of readies someones likely to have in their pocket. A friend of mine had her hair done for the Baftas – pulled out all the stops a bit and it didn’t become clear til the end that the hairdresser would only take cash.. which she didn’t have. The hairdressers didn’t want her to leave without paying – ie go to the cashpoint-  and take her hair with her. It was a peculiarly glamorous hostage situation.

*dons flame suit* some of these Turkish barbers (at least around here) are fronts for other criminal “shenanigans”. That cash isn’t going to clean itself.

Even for the purpose of other shinnangans like money laundering – taking only cash makes no sense. You can use any sort of service based business to launder money- but the point is to make the money look clean by feeding it in to a stream of legitimate earnings. The point of money laundering is to have a means to feed illiegitmate cash into a bank and as a result…. pay tax on it.

I didn’t say it’s just them moaning.

But around here there are more than a few folk being vocal on Facebook about it operating historically cash businesses and how they are not being supported….others have just ignored calls to shut and people still use them…… Burger vans on industrial estates for example seemed to divide between moaning about lack of support and just not closing.

I was chatting to the guy in a (cash only) ‘Turkish’ barber, not my usual place – turns out they were actually all Romanian in there. I hope they were at least getting paid minimum wage. :-/

The problem with lots of cash knocking around is you are vulnerable to getting robbed for it. Unless a busy barbers off loads the money throughout the day then they could easily get caught with a few grand at the end of the day which is easy money to a couple of thugs.
I remember when we worked on the building sites 30 years ago and everyone got paid in cash…500 people collecting their pay on a Friday was bloody risky business for the payroll dept who had a few hundred grand in cash in the site office.
Also was chatting to one of the street food vendors last year who worked a big festival and the van next to them was followed home one day and robbed on the doorstep for a huge chunk of money.
I know one or two . Ahem.. horticulturists who aren’t too keen to see cash phased out though.

Burger vans on industrial estates for example seemed to divide between moaning about lack of support and just not closing.

Burger vans on industrial estates have never been required to close. The shut down didn’t effect food for take away.

a few folk being vocal on Facebook

Oh well, just idiots then maybe 🙂 Unless they are moaning specifically that they are excluded because they’re blackmarket and live on undeclared earnings  then it may well be the case that they’ve run their cash only business totally legitimately and still been shafted for support.

Maybe, maybe not, I’ve honestly no idea, just never occurred to me people would.

if your haircut was 8 or 9 quid, you wouldn’t just tell them to keep the change? its never occurred to me people wouldn’t.