After days of rain the sun came out and I decided to go for an outing. On my way home I stopped at a large garden centre that has nice rest rooms. Needed a coffee and a short rest too; got a latte and put down the right amount in cash.
The assistant immediately went ballistic and said cash was not acceptable. Had she been nicer I'd have got my card out, her belligerence got my back up and I decided to stand my ground and said: Its legal tender.
We don't accept it! I picked up the coffee and walked away. Sat down at a table and took a few sips only to be confronted by a man saying I could not have the coffee. He grabbed it, returned my money and accused me of being rude (I wasn't). I was stunned that they went full retard and created such a scene.
Shame I'm not on social media; if anyone wants to leave their thoughts on the Burford Garden Company (I'm in the UK) FB page feel free. Disgusting way to treat an old lady (anyone, in fact). We need to make a stand; so many are now excluded because they don't have cards or smart phones.
I would love to get a flash mob to go in, get full meals with drinks etc., try to pay in cash and walk away if they get stroppy. In the meantime I need to find out if they are legally entitled to refuse cash.
Look at it this way, anon -- the people who work there are not the type of folks you want to be financially supporting by giving them your business and they've been good enough to show you their true colors. Now you can support their competitors instead when you want gardening supplies. Had this incident never occurred you would have happily continued to shop there and put money in the pockets of people who, wittingly or unwittingly, support the promotion of electronic shackles on the public at large.
Telling all your friends is good and writing to the manager/owner is as well. If, by some odd chance, the manager wasn't aware of this behavior by his/her employees, he/she can offer you an apology, perhaps make amends, and correct said behavior by directing his/her employees to be more decent. It's likely that the rot comes from the top, but you never know. Good luck in any case.
Edit: In looking at low ratings on the TripAdvisor site, I found the following from October 2022. It seems their policy has been "no cash" for some time. On the good note... There's at least one other person in your area that's awake!!
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Geraldine T 3 contributions
Card only payment. No thanks.
Oct 2022 • Couples
Card only payment. We were due to spend £500 + on Christmas presents. It has just lost our trade. If you want Social Credits and to be told how and when you can spend your money, continue with your cards sheeple.
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https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g186358-d12119479-Reviews-Burford_Garden_Center-Burford_Cotswolds_England.html#REVIEWS