Mansfield gran fears she’ll have no way to pay as cash is banned

A Mansfield gran has slammed shops who refuse to accept cash during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Many older people still depend on cash to buy vital supplies, yet many retailers have banned notes and coins over coronavirus fears.

Vulnerable people fear they are at risk of being left with no way to pay for essential products and services.

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Norma Pierce, 80, of Ladybrook, says she has been left out in the cold by restrictions which left her unable to pay with cash for a tin of paint and two sausage rolls.

More places are refusing to take cash.More places are refusing to take cash.
More places are refusing to take cash.

Mrs Pierce said: “I’m 80 years of age, I haven’t got a bank card and there are many people like me who haven’t got cards.

"They refuse cash, I stand in a queue for 20 minutes – when I get to the front they won’t take cash.

“When you go to the shops they won’t take it. Even Birds Bakery are wanting a card to buy two sausage rolls for £1.20. It’s unbelievable

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"At Wickes I stood in a queue for 20 minutes to find they wouldn’t accept cash. I had to find someone in the family with a card. I only went to buy some paint.”

Norma fears the epidemic will be used to bring forward a cashless society.

“I don’t really want a card but I get my pension from the Post Office which is paid in cash,” she said. “It is handy for me.

“Is cash going to come back? I thought the Queen’s currency was acceptable everywhere. Are they trying to phase cash out altogether?

“If I had a card I would probably lose it.

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“I was wondering how everybody else in my generation was doing it.”

She said swipe cards made her feel very uneasy.

Mrs Pierce added: “Even some banks won’t take loose change now – I save it for my grandchildren. Mansfield Building Society for one.

“It’s the same for bills – they want you to go online. If you haven’t got a computer and don’t know how to work one, there are hundreds like me.

“I’m very independent. I live on my own and I have to do everything myself. They put blocks in the way so I can’t even go to the building shop and get two bags of pebbles.

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“I have a daughter who can help me but I like to do my shopping myself. I can’t tell her what I want – I have to see it.”

Britain's biggest supermarkets, including Sainsbury's and Tesco, have been urging their customers to pay without cash since March.

The advice on the Wickes website is: “At Wickes we put customer safety at the heart of everything we do. But right now, that doesn't just mean goggles, steel toe-capped boots or yellow helmets. It means two metre distances, paying by card and safety screens at checkouts. We ask all of you to do it right by following our new safety measures.”

Birds Baker’s say: “Due to the current spread of the Coronavirus, to keep our team and customers safe and healthy, we are currently only taking contactless and card payments. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

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