Support Your Local Shops, Not.

We visited our local book shop today, looking for a travel guide to the Ostsee (somehow DBW has these weird dreams of long walks along the beach while ice-cold gales delicately brush through our hair, before retreating to a lonesome lighthouse where we cuddle up below a large duvet and spend an awfully long time attempting to warm each other up.. ;-)).

Anyway, they had one so we were more than delighted to fork out the CHF 18.60, until we attempted to pay by EC-Card (i.e. direct-debit, NOT credit):

Errm: do you mind paying cash? We only accept card payments for amounts over CHF 20.00.

I really had to make an effort not to issue a long “tirade” about Amazon, and how they would actually deliver my book, to my doorstep, for free (maybe I shouldn’t have, but it was Monday and I was feeling mellow.).

And being an investigating B*stard, I checked out the vendor conditions for handling a so-called Maestro card. Apart from the obvious leasing fee for the reader (which can also be used for credit cards), advantages include:

1. You can count on 4.4 million cardholders as customers, alone in Switzerland, all who wish to pay conveniently and easily without cash.
2. You enable over 582 million cardholders from around the world to pay without cash at your business or in your online shop.
3. Your customers feel secure because they always have sufficient funds on hand when they can pay with Maestro at your business.
4. It is proven that your customers make more spontaneous purchases daily.
5. Your turnover is in your bank account in no time at all.
6. You have less cash in the cash register and thus bear less risk.
7. You incur no expenses for billing and collections.
8. You can process payments quickly and easily at the terminal.
9. Your administrative expenses are clearly reduced.

So, next time: if I actually take the bother to visit your premises, don’t force me to empty my pockets, ok?