From: bowman@montana.com   
      
   On Fri, 12 Dec 2025 07:27:34 +0000, John wrote:   
      
   >  I even, on the first day of our local Christmas Market, paid for the   
   > goodies a motorised Crinklie tried to buy when she said "I don't have a   
   > card" and there were fucking HUGE "card payment only" signs everywhere.   
   > After all, we can't expect the vulnerable and elderly to be able to read   
   > the language of the country they've lived in for eighty-odd years, can   
   > we?   
      
   I was embarrassed a couple of weeks ago at a market that I rarely use. I   
   use cash but the self service cash lines were moving at the pace of a   
   ruptured sloth and I saw an opening at a 'card only' station.   
      
   I stuck the card in and the machine politely said 'Declined'. WTF? I had   
   missed the 'debit' part of the 'card only' and I don't have a debit card.   
   I did research later and the store balked at the rather exorbitant 'swipe   
   fee' on credit cards.   
      
   https://paymentdepot.com/blog/durbin-amendment/   
      
   In this case the intent of the legislation seems to be working. The market   
   is employee owned and often less expensive than the others in town so the   
   capped swipe fees on debit cards make sense.   
      
   However, by then I was pretty pissed off and stalked out.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)