Preparedness for when

GreyQueen

jk0 wrote: »

This is worrying:

http://news.sky.com/story/1286583/cashless-high-street-ditches-notes-and-coins

Worries the hell outta me. TPTB would just love to have a cash-free society, it would mean that they would know exactly where each and every one of us was, and what we were doing, should they choose to look. And if you wanted to shut down someone, you'd just freeze their bank accounts. This was mentioned as something which was done to all womens bank accounts in The Handmaid's Tale.

Dystopian fiction aside, imagine how easy it would be to shut down any group which was annoying TPTB; trade unionists, members of a rival political party, a certain faith or ethnic group - the applications are potentially endless.

I was unamused by the remark near the end that it cuts down on queue times. Oh really? Perhaps I was imagining the extra time I spend stuck in queues behind people paying with cards as opposed to cash? I hates them, I does, I hates them.

And did you note that it causes increased sales? Yes, because without the constraints of physical cash, many people overspend, and get into debt, but debt-slaves are what we're all supposed to be, so why would this surprise me?

This is a bad idea and if people had the sense of day old chicks, they'd avoid any shop participating in this scheme until they revoked the policy/ went out of business.

calicocat

jk0 wrote: »

This is worrying:

http://news.sky.com/story/1286583/cashless-high-street-ditches-notes-and-coins

This whole concept worries me to hell too. I can't stand the idea of big brother knowing every move/purchase I make.


Totally agree that people should boycott these shops...or go in and refuse to pay with anything but cash and see if they turn down business.

jk0

Hear hear GQ.

As a contrarian, I think I would be tempted to make all my purchases in that street in cash. Can you imagine filling up your trolley in Iceland and getting to the checkout for them to refuse cash?

Well, then they'd have to put it all back on the shelves.

mardatha

I totally agree. I'm not that fussy about big brother knowing what I buy, but I am fussy about standing in bloody queues a mile long behind eejits who keep forgetting their pin number. And yes it's all to make people spend more. I wouldn't be forced into that.

calicocat

De-lurking for a minute again.


If people thought their cash was to become useless, aside from dry/tinned foods, cleaning stuff, toiletries etc/general household stuff that's usefull to store for yourself.......i'm interested what folk on here would buy to use up their cash? what kind of things do you think would be very tradeable?.

I need to go to sleep after night shift, so thanks in advance for any thoughts, and will pop back later to read.

GreyQueen

I wonder if there are any passing legal eagles to advise on the potential purchaser's position should a retailer refuse to accept legal tender in return for goods or services? Are we allowed to say, OK, if you won't accept the legal tender of this country, I assume you will allow me to take them for free? Bye-bye!

Bet it's not legal. But how would if figure if you bought a meal in a restaurant, went to pay and they only did cards and you didn't have one? Refuse to take your cash? Call the police because you're obviously a crim or hold you hostage in dishwashing hell forever?

This needs to be stamped on, stamped on hard and well. I totally refuse to pay for most things other than by cash, and it keeps my affairs private.

I suppose it is general knowledge that any accredited fraud investigation officer with the DWP or the local authority can demand your bank statements from your bank? And that they can't refuse to give them up nor will they tell you that they have done so? And that if there is an allegation to either of those organisations that you have behaved fraudulently, no matter how spurious or malicious the allegation may be, you will have to be investigated?

calicocat, gold. Plain gold jewellery or coins. Goes anywhere, any time. Imagine you are impoverished and tearfully pulling off your wedding band to sell.......isn't the buyer's business to know its one of the thirty or so wedding bands you happen to have purchased secondhand years ago as a store of value against such an event.

A friend of mine in the trade tells me that you can't sell diamond rings these days, no one wants them (undercut by the cubic zirconia market) and they are prising gemstones out of gold rings and scrapping the gold. Plain rings or necklaces/ bracelets, hallmarked pure gold, that's what you want.

Frugalsod

GreyQueen wrote: »

And did you note that it causes increased sales? Yes, because without the constraints of physical cash, many people overspend, and get into debt, but debt-slaves are what we're all supposed to be, so why would this surprise me?

This is a bad idea and if people had the sense of day old chicks, they'd avoid any shop participating in this scheme until they revoked the policy/ went out of business.

Personally I prefer the limitations of cash. You cannot get into debt with cash only. I still take cash back when I go shopping as it saves me going to the bank where there are always queues. It will make pocket money obsolete and totally destroy the principle of saving with kids. How on earth are they expected to learn the value of it and the concept of saving without cash when they are really young?

As for enabling more sales that might be because people are using their credit cards and are so more indebted, which might be great now but cuts future sales as eventually these debts have to be paid back on a micro scale.

GreyQueen

:T Well said, Frugalsod.

I was quietly shocked in Poondland last year to see some children (possibly about 14 y.o. ?) paying for goods using some kind of debit card. I assume its one of those special ones aimed at youngsters via their parents, in order to get them indoctrinated into cashless (and consequenceless) spending at a young age.

I've worked in the debt advice sector and I hate debt. I hate it because it enslaves people and I hate it because I have seen it destroy lives. Anything which encourages habits which lead to indebtedness is an abomination.

One of my colleagues, logged onto a national debt advice line, had to talk a married father-of-two down from a suicide attempt, because of his debt. Ain't many office jobs where you have to do things like that. And I've seen people lose rented homes for want of a couple of hundred or less at the critical time.

We should all aspire to debt-freedom, it's the ultimate way to stick it to the man.

[Deleted User]

I'd produce as much of what I needed as I could, do as much of what needed to be done as I could, asnd then try to link in to a barter society like LETS and extend it as far into life as I possibly could or become part of the transition town network and try to establish a local currency like the Totnes and Lewes populations have already done. If businesses want my custom they are going to HAVE to let me pay with cash if I want to, and enough of us voting with our feet and boycotting any business that would only accept a card in payment would presumably very quickly see the results of thier decision to do just that. It won't take many of them having no customers to effect a sea change (no pun intended) and it would be 'people power' working at it's very best. I will not be dictated to by the financial sector, not now, not ever!!!

I've just remembered what is the fatal flaw in the 'NO CASH' machine, last year I went to Lidl and wanted to do a substantial shop only to be faced by a notice at the door to the effect that all the card machines weren't working so they could only accept cash payments that day.................Interesting???or would the financial sector really be silly enough to shoot themselves in the foot and remove the only alternative to an electronic payment system at a time in our society where rolling power outs due to lack of generating capacity is rapidly becoming a reality???

GreyQueen

Just before heading out for a day of gardening, I wanted to share a LBM.

My decluttering of a cupboard (see Hoarders thread if interested) has brought some belongings to light inc a largish cheap courier bag. I have for some time thought that it might a good idea to have a few bits and bobs secreted in the lottie shed (I have a very heavy duty industrial plastic crate stashed there for just such a purpose) inc case something caused me to be denied access to my flat.

Here's what I plan to assemble, from things already on the premises; a change of clothes inc 2 lots undies and socks, a basic washkit, a fleece and a spare jacket, hat, gloves. All of these are things I already own, not valuable things (several were jumbly specials, some cast-offs from family). To the kit I will add a few tins, a P.35 GI canopener (have several of these) and a firestarting kit and a cheap torch.

The idea is not to have too much monetary value there, as there is a possibility of losing it to theft or even the whole lottie shed being torched. It won't include any ID docs, cash or particularly valuable items, but could be invaluable if the worst came to the worst. I would diarise to rotate the tins (small tins) every 6 months and to fetch down and launder the clothing at least once a year. Apart from that, the bag would live at the bottom of the crate, which is itself buried under a lot of difficult to access stuff.

Any suggestions for stuff to add? I have a comprehensive BOB at home and a back-up of basics inc ID etc at my parental home, which is 30 miles away, this is by way of being an interim measure only.

Looking forward to your good thoughts, back later, GQ xx