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August 22, 2007
Priceless
I have a new pet peeve: restaurants that don't take credit cards. I'm not talking about the local hot dog stand or the farmer selling vegetables alongside the road. I mean actual, honest restaurants.
I got out of class at 9 o'clock last night, and moseyed over to a local diner to get some dinner and do some reading. When my modest $10 check came, I went up to pay and was told they didn't take credit cards. Lo and behold, there was indeed an ATM right in the lobby for me to withdraw some cash. Naturally, I had to pay an $1.95 charge to the ATM, in addition to whatever fee my bank may charge.
To me, there is only one reason certain restaurants don't take credit cards: they're cheap. I don't know what the fee is, but every time a merchant accepts credit cards, the card company takes a bit as a commission. I know it can't be that hard to take credit cards, because almost every type of business on Earth takes them, including some hot dog stands and farmers selling vegetables on the side of the road. The place I was at yesterday is a long-standing restaurant located in an affluent neighborhood - in short, I can't think of a reason other than cheapness that they wouldn't take credit cards.
It is always surprising to me that the places that don't take credit invariably have an ATM on the premises. Why could this be? Not only do they get to avoid paying fees to the credit card company, but they have the added benefit of charging $2 to withdraw cash from the ATM. I don't know who gets the $2 fee, but it wouldn't surprise me if the bank and the place where the ATM is located each get part of it.
Yes, this is really only a nuisance, but when it comes up, it sure is frustrating. I don't like spending cash unless I have to, and every time I'm sent off to an ATM because I don't have enough, I get a little frustrated inside. It probably won't make a difference, but at some point I may decide to stop going to places who don't take credit. It's unfriendly and backwards.
entry no. 945
Posted by oz115 at August 22, 2007 12:03 PM