As we were market and show traders before retirement we didn't carry a card reader for years and finally ended up getting one. The difference it made wasn't worth talking about we made so few card transactions and it was really a waste of money and effort. Especially when working in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere where a reliable phone signal is as rare as a working card reader. Then the pandemic came and went and the increase since in cash only traders has grown massively. People are also realising a cashless society hands over all control to the already over greedy bankers and gov. Cash payments are on the rise.
Well by not having the card option those show traders lost £100 of sales to me yesterday of which they would have given £1.50 to the bank. As they were loading the gear back into the van wonder which they would have preferred ? Now those sales from me will probably go to some eBay seller who is slowly killing them anyway. Trying to go back to cash is raging at the wind.
Yes they lost £100 of sales but that £1.50 would have come out of the profits on that sale and depending on the item the profit could be very little. It may not have been so bad if in 2018 it hadn't been made illegal to add a surcharge for those wanting to use a card, the choice then would have been the customers cash or card, instead of forcing the hit on the trader.