Sweden's Push to Get Rid of Cash Has Some Saying, 'Not So Fast'

Doomsday Prepper Forums

Help Support Doomsday Prepper Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Arcticdude said:
But Kevin you did bring up a valid point. There would be an enormous retrofit of every small business to be able to take only plastic. If this were to happen in the US there would be massive business closures. Maybe not so much in the big cities, but there would be in the rest of the country. I also think that we'd end up up a huge "underground" economy. Trading and bartering would expand in a huge way.
Click to expand...
The square app actually makes it fairly easy for small businesses to take credit cards with minimal confusion. The coffee shop next door to my office uses it. But when the internet is down, of course it doesn't work.
 
None of this stuff is an improvement. I used to be able walk in, pick out whatever, if I wasn't sure how much money I had I could just look in my wallet! Slap down my stuff, register person look at tag, take my money hand me change.

Now it's a wreck, sometimes. Get my item, get out my phone, bring up banking app, put in password, navigate to account page, check for pending withdrawals, put away phone, get card from wallet, pit stuff on counter, scan items, bad barcode? Get different item, scan again, scan fails? Punch in item code on register, put card in slot, answer stupid questions, sign for purchase GAWD

It was so much better 10 years ago.
 
Squirtgunsquirter said:
None of this stuff is an improvement. I used to be able walk in, pick out whatever, if I wasn't sure how much money I had I could just look in my wallet! Slap down my stuff, register person look at tag, take my money hand me change.

Now it's a wreck, sometimes. Get my item, get out my phone, bring up banking app, put in password, navigate to account page, check for pending withdrawals, put away phone, get card from wallet, pit stuff on counter, scan items, bad barcode? Get different item, scan again, scan fails? Punch in item code on register, put card in slot, answer stupid questions, sign for purchase GAWD

It was so much better 10 years ago.
Click to expand...
But people had to do math! That is too hard for us millenials. . . :D
 
Maverick said:
A lot of the small ma and pop stores here use the old mechanical credit card imprinters
Click to expand...

Now this is going to sound strange, but when I opened my business and applied to accept credit cards, in credit card company rules, I had to have a mechanical card imprinter. Not accepting a card due to system down was not allowed. I never had to actually test if the enforcement would happen. I did have an imprinter, because I always want proof the card was present and used to make the sale.

I have used both Square and Shopify. Square is much better for POS (not what you are thinking --- POINT OF SALE). Shopify has a good online store setup but tries to make you sign up for their more premium plans. If you are going to have mobile sales (craft fairs, flea markets, etc.) stay away from Shopify, it is absolutely horrendous. If you are just using a web store, then shopify is decent. JM2C
 
bigpaul said:
I have never seen a card reader in the UK that wasn't connected to the electricity supply, that's why the markets and car boot sales are all cash, no electric supply.
Click to expand...

The card imprinter is not connected to any electricity. It is a mechanical device that copies the raised number onto a carbon receipt paper. Very primitive but does function without electricity. The seller still have to resort to an electronic reporting device, to actually log in the sales. As stated, very primitive but helpful in very remote areas.
 
Urbanprep said:
The card imprinter is not connected to any electricity. It is a mechanical device that copies the raised number onto a carbon receipt paper. Very primitive but does function without electricity. The seller still have to resort to an electronic reporting device, to actually log in the sales. As stated, very primitive but helpful in very remote areas.
Click to expand...

Many new cards do not have raised numbers so they cannot be imprinted.
 
Years ago I worked at J C Penny during Christmas. I worked on the computer imputing catalog orders.

One day they had many out sick and pulled me to the register. I forgot to run the imprint on MANY cards. I didn't get fired. I'm the one that brought it to their attention.

I stayed in the back from then on.
 
robinjopo said:
Many new cards do not have raised numbers so they cannot be imprinted.
Click to expand...

That's because many cards are using laser etched number and chips, my bank switched over to the chip and the non-embossed card. One can still hand write the card info, I know several stores have done that in power outages though limiting the purchase although that practice may be ending if it hasn't already, banks have been clamping down on the old ways, my bank still allows it but the other bank doesn't. I really dislike the digital age but then again, this has always been a world of fools.

Kaczynski manifesto had very striking points in it... Too bad he gone over to the dark side :-/
 
bigpaul said:
I have never seen a card reader in the UK that wasn't connected to the electricity supply, that's why the markets and car boot sales are all cash, no electric supply.
Click to expand...
Bigpaul, this is a "Square" that Urbanprep referred to, which plugs into the headphone jack on a mobile or tablet. No mains electricity required, just a mobile signal:

shopping
 
@bigpaul

Here is the card imprint machine, no power, no ability to communication the sale, just simple proof of purchase.
Card Imprint 1.JPG



AS Dr. Henley pointed out, This device requires cell phone or wi/fi connection and will record and report the sale.

Square card reader 1.JPG
 
I think we had something similar to that in the UK when credit cards first came out way back, the card was put on the unit and was swiped over by an arm on the unit which produced a receipt, but I haven't seen those for like 20 or 30 years.
markets and car boots are usually in fields or recreation grounds with no power supply available, and have traditionally been cash only, I have never seen any trader with a credit card reader portable or otherwise, its just the way it is here.
 
bigpaul said:
I think we had something similar to that in the UK when credit cards first came out way back, the card was put on the unit and was swiped over by an arm on the unit which produced a receipt, but I haven't seen those for like 20 or 30 years.
markets and car boots are usually in fields or recreation grounds with no power supply available, and have traditionally been cash only, I have never seen any trader with a credit card reader portable or otherwise, its just the way it is here.
Click to expand...

A few years ago i was at a petrol station when the tills weren't working and the staff pulled one of those old card swiping machines out from under the counter. I guess some still keep them as backup.
 
Here in Finland there have been numerous days when people have not been able to access their bank accounts due to either I.T maintenance or some type of denial of service attack. Nordea bank customers couldn't buy anything on Black Friday due to the system going down. Even though it happens several times a year most people don't seem to learn and keep some cash stored away. Also they seem to be in favour of going cashless.
 
When they do finally close the net on humanity I will be left with no alternative other than to do direct trade/swaps with other likeminded individuals. Luckily in countryside there are more people with the skills i need and I can trade what they have for extra that i produce. No need for any form of money. I don't see any other way around it. And on the plus side the tax man can't get his greasy hands on it.
 
I used to work in a hardware store back in the late 60s early 70s, if the power was off we had a handle which you inserted in the side of the till and hand cranked it, I also worked in an office which had its own petrol pump in the back yard, I was in charge of that and it was hand cranked.
when the power goes off for good we will be back to barter, I already barter a few hand tools excess to what I need for some wild bird food.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top