A local customer claims she was recently treated like a leper for attempting to close a transaction by paying cash instead of using the ubiquitous payWave. Watsonia resident Hannah Lynch says she was subjected to odd looks from both staff and fellow customers as she produced actual cash money to pay for a six-pack of Bacardi Breezers at a local bottle shop.
Reflecting on the experience, Lynch said, “I should be used to it by now, but it still jars for me every time I pay cash. People just look at you like you’re some kind of weirdo, it’s not fair. The whole experience always leaves me feeling very uncomfortable.”
While Lynch conceded that we live in an increasingly cashless society, she said she still preferred the tactile nature of thumbing notes and coins. She said, “Call me old fashioned, but I love cash. We’ll end up with a whole generation of kids who don’t understand the true value of money. It’s just card wave here, card wave there, they’ll never experience the crushing reality of an empty wallet after a big night out. I feel sorry for them.”
The Watsonia Bugle 