Thursday, January 24, 2019
Scene: A pub near London Bridge
Background: I visited to meet a former work colleague.
Backstory: On arrival they'd already bought their beer, so I went to the bar alone.
Caveat: The pub did not have any Becks, so I ordered a different bottled beer.
Preparation: I had a ten pound note ready, but not on display.
Activity: The barmaid opened the bottle and placed it on the bar.
Surprise: Rather than telling me the price, she whipped out a card reader, typed in a number and showed it to me.
Shock: The price was £5.15. For a standard bottled beer!
Aside: Over Christmas I bought 20 bottles of Becks from the supermarket for £10. This bottle was over 10 times more expensive.
Action: I offered my ten pound note. This threw the barmaid slightly, but she recovered and gave me my change.
Observation: Along the bar I noticed another punter waving his card against the reader without checking the screen.
Key point: This is why why banks want us to use contactless, to train us to pay without necessarily realising how much we're spending.
Interlude: Beer was drunk, and conversation was enjoyed.
Follow-up: On my return to the bar, I opted for what I hoped was a cheaper brand.
This time: The total for this round was £11.10. I offered a ten pound note again, plus a pound coin.
But then: While I was scrambling in my wallet for the extra 10p, the barmaid gave me 90p change.
Consequence: Ha, I was now a pound up, which almost made up for the expensive beer earlier.
Observation: I'd not have been a pound up if I'd paid by contactless, because no mistake would have been made.
Conclusion: I know contactless is damned convenient sometimes, but there are reasons why I still like cash.
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