Cash is now a dirty word
A DISQUIETING story surfaced on Twitter earlier this week, about a child who fell off her bike and cut open her knee.
In some alarm, the child’s mother went into a nearby chemist to buy wipes (to disinfect the wound) and a plaster, but was unable to pay because she had only cash (as you might expect on a bike ride).
Like so many other shops, the chemist refused to accept notes or coins due to fears over Covid-19.
Fortunately, a kind customer in the queue stepped in and paid for the items using his card.
But how ridiculous that shops cannot show more flexibility — not to mention sheer human decency.
When did cash become a dirty word? Too many retailers believe that official guidance is to avoid using cash because it spreads the virus. But this just isn’t true.
The World Health Organisation has clarified it is not warning against using paper money; it merely advises that you wash your hands after handling cash — just as you would after touching anything someone else has come into contact with.
Despite this, as we reveal on Page 43, shoppers now face a lottery as to whether or not they can pay with cash — and there is often no way of knowing until you are queuing. This is enormously concerning for the many elderly and vulnerable people who rely on notes and coins.
As 72-year- old Diane von kesmark says in our story today, she prefers to take a set amount out of the bank each week, so she can keep track of what she’s spent.
And as Twickenham residents discovered recently, what happens if the card network goes down? Presumably, shops would suddenly be all too willing to accept cash again in that instance. But we should not despair. Work is under way to protect cash.
Just today it was revealed that, under one new scheme, more than a dozen ‘cash deserts’ across the country are to get improved access to notes, be it a new ATM or a cashback service in shops.
But with more ‘card-only’ signs popping up each day, urgent action is needed at a national level.
At the very least, the Government should force essential shops, such as pharmacies, to accept all payment methods. If it doesn’t, expect to see more distressing scenes where customers are turned away at the counter and denied vital supplies — even with a bleeding child at their side.
Parcel false
EVERY week, I open my front door at some point to find a parcel sitting on my doorstep in plain view of the street.
Often the doorbell isn’t even pressed to tell me it’s been dumped there.
Even if it is, by the time I arrive at the door, the driver has usually scarpered without waiting to see if anyone answers.
It’s a miracle nothing been stolen — yet.
This is the new reality now that lockdown has driven millions of us to shop online for everything from paint to nail scissors. And as our investigation on pages 36 and 37 reveals, complaints about delivery failures have rocketed.
But I don’t blame the drivers. Most are under pressure to meet almost impossible targets while earning a pittance, so it’s understandable that many will try to cut a few corners.
It’s down to their employers to introduce a fairer system that rewards good service rather than speed. retailers should also remember that working with delivery firms renowned for poor customer service will tarnish their reputation, too.
Lottery of love!
THANK you to all our competition enthusiasts for sharing your cheering tales of success.
We tell a few of our favourite stories on page 44 — along with the winners’ top tips to help you boost your own chances.
Another two emails really put a smile on my face. Money Mail reader James Aicken writes: ‘The best prize I ever won was meeting my future wife, June, by chance in a pub in Hackney, East London, in 1966. We got married on April 1, 1967, after five months, had three wonderful children and, after 53 years, she’s still my best prize.’
Thinking along the same lines, Stuart Howat writes: ‘Forty-three years ago I won a lovely prize in life’s lottery. On a visit home from working abroad I met my wife and the rest, as they say, is history.’
Proof that romance isn’t dead.