It was once a common sight, hanging on the wall behind the counter, in many small shops and mini-markets.
A clearly written sign, in full view of every customer, that read, “Please do not ask for credit as a refusal often offends.”
Some younger readers might think it sounds ‘quaint’, but they must admit the wording – polite but to the point – removed any possibly ambiguity regarding whether customers might be able to buy a loaf of bread, a packet of tea and a pint of milk ‘on tick’.
It was cash up front or go elsewhere.
And you’d be hard pressed to find another small business that didn’t have a similar sign behind the counter.
Today, in small shops, people use a debit card to buy anything from a newspaper to a sausage roll. Which is a form of credit that no-one thinks twice about.
That said, when Tesco and Sainsburys had computer meltdowns a few Saturdays ago, for a few hours they could onlyaccept cash . . . which bewildered customers who believe we’re already living in a cashless society.
Presumably, they left the store without their weekly ‘big shop’.
Bear that in mind next time someone confidently tells you, “No-one uses cash anymore!”
Maybe I’m wrong (I guarantee someone will be only too eager to point it out – yes, that’s YOU, Mrs Betty Evans of Fishguard Harbour), but current affairs shows love booking guests who hold whacky opinions and are in a permanent state of expecting to be offended by somebody else’s viewpoint.
It’s not enough for them to simply disagree with someone who has the opposite – and usually more reasonable – view to theirs.
They have to claim they’ve been ‘offended’ because the other person has the ‘audacity’ to disagree with them.
The discussion gets more ‘volcanic’ than ‘heated’ which leaves both parties disgruntled, and viewers frustrated, wondering why they bothered watching.
Here’s a helpful suggestion for TV current affairs producer. Have a big sign permanently hanging in the studio that says . . .
“Please don’t disagree with dippy guests, as a rebuttal of their daft opinion will definitely offend!”