I am a determined shopper. Because I am a busy working mum, when I go shopping I’m on a mission to get what I need (or want) as fast as possible. No time for browsing.
So I was baffled when I found out that more than one in four Australians would walk out of a shop and never return if they couldn’t pay for the goods on the spot.
The recent survey commissioned by creditcardfinder.com.au, found that almost one in every three Australians prefer to use cash when purchasing items at a physical shop.
The remaining two-thirds would rather use either a debit or credit card.
But if they had no cash on them and the shop didn’t have an eftpos facility, 28 per cent would walk out and not return.
While less than half (41 per cent) would return to the shop after withdrawing cash from an ATM, 31 per cent would shop somewhere else.
I’m one of those shoppers who would hunt down an ATM and return with cash.
If I pull myself away from the office at lunchtime or drive to the shops on the weekend, I’m not returning without what I need to buy. Mission accomplished.
But clearly not everyone is this determined.
Do you have too much time on your hands?
Would you really enter a shop, browse through the items, try them on, decide on the product you want, line up at the counter, pull out your card from your empty wallet, find out there’s no eftpos facility then walk out without bothering to find an ATM?
Or is it a sign of protest that you’re sticking it to the shopkeeper because they inconvenienced you?
Or perhaps you are one of the lucky ones who always finds what you need somewhere else.
For the time-poor shoppers, let’s hope more retailers break into this century and offer customers alternative payment options than just cold hard cash.
Michelle Hutchison, is money expert at finder.com.au
