Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The slow retreat of cash from our lives continues

One of our readers informs us that Graham's Dairy will no longer accept cash on the doorstep from the end of the month. The options are now payment by Direct Debit or cheque. Our correspondent is most disappointed by this and just doesn't like the bother of setting up direct debits or writing out cheques. 

Perhaps it is marvellous that doorstep deliveries of milk continue, it almost seems like part of a different age but obviously there are those that find this service important and are of a mindset that is not happy doing too much with setting things up with the bank for payment etc. 

The move away from what we have known for generations continues - we still have two banks and a post office but soon will there be anywhere in our town where you can deposit your cash? That unpleasant scenario has already been reached in other Highland communities. Things are changing fast, many younger folk are quite happy to pay for things on their phones these days and lots of us sit at home buying things from the comfort of our armchairs with our credit cards by our sides. Soon will we have more choices too about what currencies we pay with, such as a Facebook form of money perhaps? As artificial intelligence increases exponentially money won't be the only thing that changes, how long before the driver-less lorries are coming up the A9 to supply the supermarkets?  

Perhaps governments would indeed love cash to disappear as far as taxation and crime are concerned.  Still a lot of cash around though but is a tipping point not far ahead in the future where we all have to adapt to electronic transactions or starve? 

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