Poll:How do you pay at the register?

[Tracer]

I'm all about speed and shortcuts in everything I do in life. Getting through the register at the store is one of them. Almost everyone I see swipes or inserts plastic which is definitely better than counting out pennies to the cashier, although quite a few still do that. I hardly ever see anyone writing checks at the register any more. I go a step further and scan the wallet on my Iphone or my smartwatch. I often don't even have my credit card with me while shopping. How do you pay at the register?

 

[disneysteve]

Almost always a credit card. Tap and go. Couldn't be simpler. I have used Apple Pay a couple of times but I think a credit card is just as fast if not faster.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I'm all about speed and shortcuts in everything I do in life. Getting through the register at the store is one of them. Almost everyone I see swipes or inserts plastic which is definitely better than counting out pennies to the cashier, although quite a few still do that. I go a step further and scan the wallet on my Iphone or my smartwatch. I often don't even have my credit card with me while shopping. How do you pay at the register?

Stick my bank debit/credit card in the card reader. The new card readers are plenty fast and the card is only in the reader for 2 to 3 seconds. I keep thinking I should give Google Pay a try but it seems like an unnecessary complication to me.

 

[Katsmeow]

I usually tap the credit card. There are a few places that I get more cash back with an Apple card and if so and it is easy to figure out how to do the Apple card I will do that.

 

[easysurfer]

Mostly credit card insert.

 

[Walt34]

Pay with credit card now. No debit card, I don't have one, just an ATM card if I ever need cash. And it wasn't all that long ago that I stopped writing checks at the grocery store.

 

[MarieIG]

DH does most of the shopping at stores. (I don't like waiting in line. Yeah, I know, don't say it.)

DH pays with credit card. When I do go by myself (occasionally to the Dollar Store for stuff I don't really need) I pay with cash. I use a CC for online shopping and donations.

 

[Dtail]

Tap the credit card. Pretty quick.

 

[Gumby]

Tap the credit card if available. Insert it if not.

And here is my PSA - when you go to the grocery, you know you're going to need to pay, so get your card out and swipe/tap it before they're done ringing you up. Don't wait until everything is bagged up and sitting in your cart before you even begin searching though your suitcase sized purse looking for your credit card. You are not the only person at the grocery store; there are other people waiting in line. So be snappy about it.

 

[braumeister]

For the last year or two, almost always with my watch, using Apple Pay.

 

[Harris4crna]

Cash or credit card

 

[frayne]

Cash/CC pretty much 80/20.

 

[LateToFIRE]

You have to pay?

 

[Qs Laptop]

Tap the credit card if available. Insert it if not.

And here is my PSA - when you go to the grocery, you know you're going to need to pay, so get your card out and swipe/tap it before they're done ringing you up. Don't wait until everything is bagged up and sitting in your cart before you even begin searching though your suitcase sized purse looking for your credit card. You are not the only person at the grocery store; there are other people waiting in line. So be snappy about it.

How about the person that pulls out a checkbook after everything is bagged up and writes out a check? C'MON!!

 

[Qs Laptop]

You have to pay?

Well, it appears to be optional nowadays, since the stores don't intervene if you are leaving without paying.

In a surprising bit of news Dollar Stores are reporting that their profit margins are getting squeezed because of "shrinkage" (code word for theft.)

Yes, people are shoplifting at the freakin' dollar store!! I mean, how bad does it have to be that someone is stealing stuff that's costs a dollar?!

 

[Car-Guy]

Credit card w/chip wherever possible. Self checkout too "if" I only have a few items.

 

[W2R]

I do most of my shopping online, and hardly buy anything in person.

 

[Jerry1]

Almost always a credit card. Tap and go. Couldn't be simpler. I have used Apple Pay a couple of times but I think a credit card is just as fast if not faster.

Agree. Same here. They’ve become very efficient at collecting payment.

 

[Walt34]

And here is my PSA - when you go to the grocery, you know you're going to need to pay, so get your card out and swipe/tap it before they're done ringing you up. Don't wait until everything is bagged up and sitting in your cart before you even begin searching though your suitcase sized purse looking for your credit card. You are not the only person at the grocery store; there are other people waiting in line. So be snappy about it.

That was the favorite rant of a guy I used to work with. In a store when that happened he'd do the eyeroll, look directly at the offender and say, "What a surprise, you have to pay for it". It wasn't enough for some, they just gave him the deer-in-the-headlights look.

 

[badatmath]

Cash for groceries or small items or haircuts. Credit for gas or large items. (I didn't vote as nothing quite fit)

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Well, it appears to be optional nowadays, since the stores don't intervene if you are leaving without paying.

In a surprising bit of news Dollar Stores are reporting that their profit margins are getting squeezed because of "shrinkage" (code word for theft.)

Yes, people are shoplifting at the freakin' dollar store!! I mean, how bad does it have to be that someone is stealing stuff that's costs a dollar?!

Homeless people for one. I was in Dollartree and walked into the food aisle and this scruffy dirty guy was filling his backpack with stuff so I made a quick U-turn. No point in reporting him, the employees have been told to not confront shoplifters. I really feel bad for the people that work retail these days, there are so many violent mental patients living on the streets in California. When I was checking out he walked out and that backpack was stuffed pretty full. He probably goes there every day, there is an encampment in the fields behind the shopping center. I've also seen them open up the water valve with a tool behind the Walmart, presumably to bathe. Hundreds of gallons of water pouring out in a State where we need to preserve every drop we can.

 

[disneysteve]

I did respond earlier but I didn't vote in the poll since "tap a credit card" wasn't a choice. I occasionally encounter a place that hasn't upgraded to tap terminals yet but they are increasingly rare.

 

[jollystomper]

No vote for me on poll, I usually tap CC. The only place I regularly frequent where I still have to insert the chip is Walmart. Hopefully they will catch up to this century soon .

 

[scrabbler1]

I pay cash for small purchases under ~$20 and for gas and my haircut. I use the self-checkout at the supermarket to get rid of any buildup of coins. For most purchases over $20 I swipe or tap with my CC.

 

[badatmath]

No vote for me on poll, I usually tap CC. The only place I regularly frequent where I still have to insert the chip is Walmart. Hopefully they will catch up to this century soon .

I always insert - so used to it I don't even notice if there is a tap or not.