Shop owners in Burnham-On-Sea have launched a campaign to encourage shoppers to pay using cash rather than use credit and debit cards in order to reduce costs for businesses.
Posters are being displayed in several shop windows to urge shoppers that cash is the preferred method of payment.
Business owner Nick Tolley, who runs Nick Tolley Photography in Burnham’s Abingdon Street, pictured, is among the retailers backing the move.
Nick told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We increasingly lose out on a large amount of income because so many people use payment cards by habit these days.”
”But the shop owner ends up footing the bill for part of the transaction to cover the cost of the card machine, the payment provider and bank charges.”
“It can mount up to hundreds of pounds each month. That’s why we’ve started the poster campaign to encourage local shoppets to pay in cash, meaning all of the transaction stays with us and supports shops and keeps staff employed.”
A wide range of Burnham-On-Sea town centre shops are supporting the scheme which vary from a fish and chip shop to a cafe, a clothing shop and a bakery.
The posters state: “Cash is king. Cash is our preferred method of payment. With cash we retain 100% of its value and the card processing companies get 0%, the banks get 0%. Support your local independent business by paying cash and keep cash alive!”
One Burnham shopper, Tracy Hill, says she supports the idea: “Many people like myself got out of the habit of using cash during the pandemic years, but I can fully understand why the shop owners want it to encourage us to use it. I don’t always have time to go and get cash, but I do try.”
