Kein Eis für Sie, Herr Solly! Sie müssen mit Bargeld bezahlen! (No ice cream for you, Mr Solly! You must pay cash!) Photo: Hanoisoft.
A very strange occurrence is unfolding across parts of Europe. Shops are turning their backs on credit cards and insisting shoppers pay with cash only.
Hard to believe, really, that in 2023 your plastic card is practically useless in some cities in these modern economies that have prided themselves on single currencies and streamlined economies.
I don’t remember the last time I had cash in my wallet or in my pocket. Have you tried paying for anything using cash recently? Young staff look at you incredulously when you try to hand over a fiver, or even crazier, a $2 coin. You’ll be lucky if they have change for you.
But in Europe, it’s the other way around. The rot kicked off in Germany, which has dined out in recent years on their progressiveness.
People who know me reasonably well know I have a particular penchant for ice creams. I especially enjoy ice creams when I’m travelling, although my fondness for gelatos can strike at any time.
I spent the best part of six days in the German city of Augsburg, near Munich. During that time I visited at least two or three shops a day in search of ice cream. I had no trouble locating the gelatos, which certainly looked enticing, but not one of the vendors would accept my card. Cash only, they said. Some even had signs up saying plastic had no standing at this establishment.
In Munich, it was the same. Cash only. How could this be so?
I spoke to some German friends of mine who shared my frustrations. They told me the nonsense started during COVID when people started to lose trust in their elected officials. Apparently, that lack of trust extended to using credit cards.
“Nobody wants to use plastic any more because they don’t want the government to access their information,” one friend told me.
“Are you sure this is not more about vendors avoiding the tax office?” I asked.
“Of course, but people don’t trust the tax office either,” was the reply.
I also visited Prague and found a reluctance in the Czech Republic to accept plastic. In Slovenia – same story.
Most restaurants and bigger cafes still accept cards, but they don’t give the impression that they are comfortable doing so. It seems this suspicion of elected officials is hard to shake!
I have a couple of Australian acquaintances who always carry cash and prefer to use it when they can, but they are definitely in the minority. Will we eventually follow Europe? Are we about to re-enter a time when cash is king?
No doubt many Australians don’t trust their elected officials and have a suspicion of government motives, but Australians also love taking the easy option, and there’s nothing easier than flashing your phone or your credit card to pay for your ice cream.
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