It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

Floss

IrishRose12 said:

... I'll be using cash for as long as I'm alive....

...I also don't do online banking, all banking business is done in the bank itself, or at the post office. Money is taken out of my account once a week at either the bank branch or Post office, whichever I'm nearest to, and that money does me for the rest of the week.  Same as the OH. We're in our late 30's but cash is our payment method...

You are very lucky to be able to access a bank branch AND a post office. A lot of people cannot.

Caroby

Although I bank online and mostly use a debit card for shopping, I guess at least with cash you know where you are... can't spend what you haven't got.
My bank's given me a small overdraft limit in the hopes I will use it and pay them some charges but I'm always checking my balance to make sure I never go into it. They've had enough of my money over the years with mortgage interest. I remember on the first place I bought in the 80s, a little one-bed flat, the interest rate rose to 15 per cent at one point. It was a constant worry, thinking my home might end up being repossessed.

JIL

I very rarely use cash. More than happy with online banking. Make use of cashback credit cards and online payments.
I couldn't understand my mum, who insisted on paying her council tax monthly, but that meant going to the town, into the bank, not even a cash point withdrawal, waited in a queue, took cash out over the bank counter, walked to the council, stood in another queue to hand over the cash. 

I would much rather spend the queuing time on other activities.

I dont think I spend more doing it this way, I still budget. I use my cashback credit card for all my months shopping and when I get paid, I pay it off in full. 

I think the key to all this is to do what suits you. 

London_1

I too dislike online banking, but as where there used to be 4 banks locally there now are none, and its a bus ride or a drive to the nearest one about 3 miles away.So many branchs have closed its becoming almost a rarerity to see an onpen bank branch I changed banks three times in the past five years because branches have closed and now I am forced to bank online .the post office is two miles away as well and I only live 40 miles from central London !

JackieO xx

RobM99

Barclays (see later) and Santander have closed branches in my town so it's Post Office, on-line or a 4 mile drive to Basildon. Although - Barclays is now one person with a lap top for 4 hours a week in the local library. No cash transactions at all. Gee, thanks!

tooldle

I was initially a little resistant to online banking, although now i use it regularly. I have a number of savings accounts and find the ability to open new accounts at the touch of a button, to be very helpful. Without this option, i'd be queueing in the branch on a Saturday. In the past i would use the cashpoint weekly. Since March 2020 i have withdrawn cash 3 times. 
Talking to a friend who works for Tesco, their branch is scheduled to be refurbed shortly and will lose half the existing manned checkouts. I've heard people say before, using auto checkouts leads to job losses. My friend tells me the loss of manned checkouts will provide additional floor space for stock. The online orders will now have their own shop floor space to allow picking and packing to be more time efficient, and for the store to keep up with demand. Definitely no job losses and some job creation expected. 

IrishRose12

Floss said:

IrishRose12 said:

... I'll be using cash for as long as I'm alive....

...I also don't do online banking, all banking business is done in the bank itself, or at the post office. Money is taken out of my account once a week at either the bank branch or Post office, whichever I'm nearest to, and that money does me for the rest of the week.  Same as the OH. We're in our late 30's but cash is our payment method...

You are very lucky to be able to access a bank branch AND a post office. A lot of people cannot.

I have to travel to those branches.  
We've no car anymore so have to get 2 buses or a taxi into town to get to a bank, or a bus to the local post office. And that's done on a Saturday morning or during my holidays as I work in a school so not in town often now.  Or it depends if OH is going that way he'll lift the money we need out.
We've had too many friends and family lose jobs in recent years be it retail stores closing or in one case a bank.... and the main reason was online use.  

And our Tescos I'm sure will be regretting their changes in the store this past few weeks.  We've now got an area for scan as you go, another area for card only then a small till area for cash only.... this past 3 weeks there have been no queues at the card only tills, and large queues down 3 aisles for the cash only tills.  And longer queues for the scan as you go tills now.  
With these worrying times, more and more people are going back to using cash, especially with the cash stuffing trend going on at the moment as people are needing to budget more strictly and they are relying on cash to ensure they can afford to pay for their shopping.
The school I work in was using an online payment system to pay for dinners, milk money etc.  They have had to scrub that and go back to taking in cash as parents were saying they couldn't pay via the online system anymore and needed to pay by cash. 

Slinky

tooldle said:

Talking to a friend who works for Tesco, their branch is scheduled to be refurbed shortly and will lose half the existing manned checkouts. I've heard people say before, using auto checkouts leads to job losses. My friend tells me the loss of manned checkouts will provide additional floor space for stock. The online orders will now have their own shop floor space to allow picking and packing to be more time efficient, and for the store to keep up with demand. Definitely no job losses and some job creation expected. 

Our local Tesco has reduced the manned tills and put in more self serve, including ones where you can scan your trolley at the end of your shop. A couple of weeks ago I was in a rush so decided to try this self serve. First off it didn't like my canvas shopping bag - too heavy- so an assistant had to come over. Then the second thing I scanned it didn't like, so I had to call the assistant again! I just chucked my bits back in the trolley and went and queued for a human operated till.

I don't want to scan as I shop, I get really annoyed by people messing about doing their packing whilst standing in front of items I want to reach. There's a time and place for scanning and packing, and it's after you've picked up everything you want.

Floss

Slinky said:

I don't want to scan as I shop, I get really annoyed by people messing about doing their packing whilst standing in front of items I want to reach. There's a time and place for scanning and packing, and it's after you've picked up everything you want.

During Covid I found being able to go into my local Asda with my phone in one hand and a shopping bag in the other was great - no unnecessary interaction or handling of items but still using the store. Even now I do selfscan on my phone - it is easy & quick for my single household shopping. This way I can choose my shopping rather than use online picking.

YorksLass

Our local Sainsburys has the gadget that connects to your card via a smart phone so you can scan/pack as you go around the store then a paypoint for that, a self service cash only section, a self service card payment section and finally manned tills, three I think from memory, so plenty of choice.  However, I have noticed the manned tills getting busier as people cut back on their shopping, especially if they're paying by cash.  I prefer the manned tills, partly because I want the staff to have a job and partly on principle.  I'm the customer and I don't see why I have to forgo the personal touch in the so-called name of progress.  Tbf, I have tried to self service tills but can't say I'm a fan.  And I don't have a smart phone either.  Each to their own, I guess.