Well, we do still carry cash for that kind of thing. It’s just not a big deal? Half the places at my local farmers market only take cash. But they wouldn’t take a cheque or credit card with signature either.
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There are super local places here that only take cash, too, like farmer’s markets and rural places, but I don’t think many people end up there by accident. I never carry cash of any kind unless I plan of visiting a specific place that requires it.
In Mexico I’m living 100% on cash, and the wad of bills is intimidating. I already miss my gloriously cashless society and I haven’t even left yet.
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Interesting!
There are several restaurants in my neighborhood that are cash only. They have an ATM nearby, but it’s a fee one.
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Now that I’m thinking about it, I pay cash for under the table services and used goods. My massage therapist, respite worker, handyman and mechanic are paid in cash.
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Cash and contactless are the best. Most people’s debit requires a pin above 100 and people are deeply offended by my 101.70 pricing. We are considering an increase because it’s less offensive to do a pin for more money.
My new credit card will let me tap away all my money. It pleases me. As does cash.
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I hate tipping. I loved being in Japan where you knew the total amount including tax before you got your check and there is no tipping.
I’ve never tipped a barista and for everyone I know it’s not the norm to do.
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FYI for those wondering in other countries, when many Americans say “balancing a checkbook,” it doesn’t involve checks or a checkbook. It’s just antiquated terminology. 
For a lot of people, it’s actually reviewing your bank statement and comparing against receipts/knowledge of what you’ve spent as a way to catch errors and make sure that everyone has gone through properly. (Helpful when someone steals your card information, or when you’re like “I bought X five days ago, why has it not gone through yet?”)
I definitely tip baristas, especially at little local shops (a little less so at e.g. Peet’s). If I’m in a state with a separate tipped minimum wage, deeeefinitely tipping baristas – $1 a drink is about the norm around here.
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Really? I would never ever not tip a barista unless it’s like an airport coffee shop where things move too fast and you don’t get a receipt. I find that so interesting. I usually do $.50-$1.00 a drink depending on the fancyness.
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No tips places I’ve worked - I slung coffee in both Washington and Idaho and made more than minimum wage in both.
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Apparently there is no standard and it varies by coffee shop and you should just give up trying to understand lol.
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Yes. I actually had no idea baristas could be tipped wage earners! I believe Washington doesn’t even have a tipped wage anymore - it’s the same as state minimum.
I kinda remember when random coffee shops started putting out tip jars and we all were wondering wtf this isn’t table service, I’m not tipping you for black coffee from a press pot. Even though I’m pretty sure my friends tipped for a beer pour
From now on I’ll be asking my counterperson if they are tipped wage workers, though!
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nerdiest flirt with your barista question ever: “So…do you, uh…earn a fair minimum wage for your labor?”
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I pay for my coffee with my phone and there is no option to tip.
In the small local coffee shop they have a tips jar but everyone pays by card and there is no way to add a tip to the card payment, so the jar is sad and empty.
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I have two things about Australia that I don’t like.
Surcharges for card payments. I think these are technically not allowed anymore but many places still do it. Handling cash costs money too, in time and also losses. Time spent with staff, leasing a property, shelving, heating/cooling, etc all cost money too and there are not surcharges for these things, they are built into the pricing. I’m also always a little bit suspicious about the tax affairs of businesses that insist on cash.
Public holiday surcharges. They are absolutely not allowed unless there is a printed/signed menu with all the individual public holiday prices for items but so many places just whack 10-20% on the total and the first you realise is when you go to pay. Then every year there are reports of businesses charging a surcharge and then not paying their staff the public holiday rates. Icky.
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I hate both these things as well, though I dont think Ive had a credit card surcharge anywhere recently. but the not paying their staff public holiday rates while still charging an extra 10% is by far the worst
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Illuminate an american: what is a public holiday rate? Is it like time and a half or something? Is it set by the gov’t?!
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yes it would be either time and a half or double time, depending on if you are casual or permanent and where you work (we have restaurant award rates, hospitality award rates and fast food award rates). Though I think they just changed on the 1 July (for the start of our financial year)
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Gosh, for the country that started the labor movement, America is real crap at fair labor practices these days. We do not have anything like that (tho businesses can choose to do it on their own choice.)
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We too have holiday pay. I didn’t know America started the labour movement… To google!
After an exhaustive 45 seconds of duck duck go and Wikipedia, I’m not sure that it started in the US. But someone willing to devote a full minute could know more than me
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Wikipedia makes it sound like it started in Europe.
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