Co-op to be first UK store to introduce 'contactless' swipe cards to pay for goods

reply to post by stumason


I'm with you on this one, Stumason...

All the sheeple merrily visit the Temple of Tesco at least twice a week.........To be fair to the COOP they do appear to have upped their game and do provide better quality than before.... They are also more usually located in smaller communities and are part of the local make-up , much more than the larger out of town Monsters.....

Anyway, Contactless technology is part of the USP of Barclaycard.. I 've had one for several months now and it can be used up to a value of £15 per transaction..... it works and means I do not have to wait behind the 'Drongo's' who fumble about trying to pay for a bag of sweets and a newspaper with a PIN style debit / credit card......

Horses for courses I say - I use SELCTIVELY for convience, BUT the decision is still mine !!

Regards

PurpleDOG UK

Originally posted by stumason

Really? What UK is this you're on about?

Camera on every street corner and banning certain clothes? I would be interested to see if you could cite any source or whether this is just the same tired old rubbish trotted out to "prove" the UK is a Police State that never actually holds up under scrutiny.

banning the burqa like France did: www.dailymail.co.uk... cle-1290863/Tory-MP-Philip-Hollobone-launches-bid-ban-burka-Britain.html

I was exaggerating 'every' street corner having cameras. but you'll get there soon, and we're going to be following: www.humanevents.com...

you might not even need them though since they might start using the unmanned drones to help protect you: www.bigbrotherwatch.org.uk... /surveillance-drone-grounded-days-after-success.html

reply to post by againuntodust


Having by chance watched 'V for Vendetta' last night on BBC3 I think we are a little way off that scenario yet......................... BUT we do need to be mindful of getting there !!!

PS- a great film..

Regards

PurpleDOG UK

I quite like feeling like I'm in the future.

My local Tesco has the self-checkouts where you just scan the goods yourself and put the cash into the machine.

My local library has gone even further, all the books are chipped, and you just put the pile of books you want on a special counter for a few seconds, the names of them comes up on the screen, and you swipe your card.

I like both these things as i dislike dealing with a slow checkout worker, or even worse, one with a bad attitude.

I do get worried though about our security.

When I got my new bank card, I figured that because I only ever use it in PIN based payment systems, I'd sign the back as "DO NOT ACCEPT CARD". The idea was that anyone who stole it would not be able to do the usual trick of taking it to a store than still uses old tech where they use the signature to check, not a PIN number. Of course there are other methods they could use, but the idea was to at least cut one way out.

However, one time I was at the store and the phone lines were down, so they'd gone back to the old system for the day. They didn't bat an eyelid and let me use the card, I don't think they even really looked at the signatures to check.


[edit on 15/7/2010 by harpsounds]

reply to post by harpsounds


I suppose what i'm getting at is yes i do like the swiftness of just swiping your card and paying for things by yourself without the need for a checkout girl/boy but it's the cash issue... soon it will be fased out totally and i like paying for things in cash... at least some things....

I just don't want to have a chip inserted into me to be able to buy goods thats all i'm saying.

Originally posted by stumason
reply to post by mr-lizard

 

Isn't the Co-op one of the more ethical stores though?

When compared to the Master of the High Temple of Shopping that is Tesco, they are positiviely angelic!

Yes, they are.

The town I live in has 3 co-ops, and they all do a roaring trade.

Their own brands are much better quality than the big stores, and the staff are a lot happier, friendlier and helpfull.

I closed all my bank accounts, cut up my cards and now use my local credit union - so everything is paid for in cash.

I won't be having anything with a chip in it anytime soon, unless it's the greasy sort that comes with fish.

I understand there are issues with Tesco, but in many ways I think they are better than the old local stores.

Most of the small stores in my area used to - and many still do - pay less than minimum wage, under the counter, no taxes. They gave no paid holidays. Their health and safety records were often lacking. They'd do things like rubbing the use by date off milk bottle tops so they could sell them out of date. They'd employ underage people.

Tesco on the other hand pays more than minimum wage, gives paid holidays, pays it's taxes, and is generally very clean and safety conscious. They also give bonuses of shares in the company to employees based on profits.

I dislike some things about Tesco, like the near monopoly they are gaining in some areas, but if I needed a job, I'd apply to Tesco long before most of those small local stores.

The Co-Op also does banking, I've heard they are generally better than the main banks.

Originally posted by harpsounds
I understand there are issues with Tesco, but in many ways I think they are better than the old local stores.

Most of the small stores in my area used to - and many still do - pay less than minimum wage, under the counter, no taxes. They gave no paid holidays. Their health and safety records were often lacking. They'd do things like rubbing the use by date off milk bottle tops so they could sell them out of date. They'd employ underage people.

Tesco on the other hand pays more than minimum wage, gives paid holidays, pays it's taxes, and is generally very clean and safety conscious. They also give bonuses of shares in the company to employees based on profits.

I dislike some things about Tesco, like the near monopoly they are gaining in some areas, but if I needed a job, I'd apply to Tesco long before most of those small local stores.

The Co-Op also does banking, I've heard they are generally better than the main banks.

I'm going to disagree. You may be right about the local thing especially ten years ago where such things as minimum wage and hygiene requirements etc were certainly lacking in todays standards, but under gradually these laws and regulations have changed in OUR favour (possibly thanks to the corporations which have needed to protect themselves in such environments. Let's not forget these requirements do roll downhill). Now it would be almost impossible to open say... a butchers or a takeaway without passing certain hygiene requirements.

Also working regulations besides the position of temporary staff* now have set codes for break times, holidays and minimum wage (even variable between teens and adults) as well as disciplinary actions and employers/employees rights.

Don't be fooled into thinking that the corporations are the only ones with respectable standards, it's them who put the most money in advertising and marketing and research, so they bombard us with pseudo-information regarding their great deeds.

The local councils will almost always support the huge business schemes because of the egotistical ideologies of supposed increased tourism and leisure under bull# pretences of goodwill.

Not realising that these very things they allow into towns and villages under the masquerade of 'convenience' are the very things that swallow identity and culture and money from once proud towns.

Money is no longer circulating in local communities, all your hard earned pounds, dollars etc are now going to companies and corporations that have ZERO respect for yours or anybody elses identities.

So sod them. Boycott them.

*temporary workers are still subject to near-slavery. I just lost my home and job on the whims of a bastard of a boss.... so don't even get me started.

Edit: drunken spellings.

[edit on 15-7-2010 by mr-lizard]

[edit on 15-7-2010 by mr-lizard]