A mechanic is receiving a lot of praise on social media for encouraging customers to pay cash.
A sign spotted at the Home or Away Mechanical Services store in the south-east Queensland town of Loganlea has received widespread praise after being posted on the popular Cash is King Facebook page.
“Yes, we accept cash,” the sign said.
“We are not in favor of a cashless society.”
The board then listed the things the company supported, such as pocket money, cash purchases in the community (Marketplace and Gumtree), garage sales, cash in cards for Christmas and financial autonomy.
“As a small business paying nearly $400 per month in EFTPOS fees, bank charges and EFTPOS machine rental fees, we request that you pay in cash if possible,” the sign read.
‘This benefits the hardworking people and not the big banks.
‘Don’t let Australia come under further control – we want a cashless society.’
A sign seen at the Home or Away Mechanical Services store in the south-east Queensland town of Loganlea
The sign received much praise.
“Good for them,” someone wrote.
“Maybe I should change mechanics?” said another.
“I love this, I want to get it printed for my salon,” read another comment.
“Why would you take something away if it’s been working fine for so many years,” someone else asked.
“I also support cash, it’s legal tender. I will not support digital currencies,” another agreed.
Last month’s massive technical outage, caused by a faulty software update from US firm CrowdStike, was used by many to highlight the dangers of a cashless life, despite some experts already saying it is inevitable.
Banks, businesses, airlines, broadcasters and government agencies were thrown into chaos when Microsoft operating systems failed in Australia and around the world.
No longer able to pay digitally, supermarkets, retailers and hospitality businesses had to accept only cash from now on. In addition, the ‘blue screens of death’ even forced some stores to close their doors on July 19.
The mechanics in south-east Queensland said they were paying about $400 a month to accept digital payments
Angel Zhong, a finance scholar at RMIT University, has previously suggested that Australia will become a virtually cashless society by 2030, earlier than the Commonwealth Bank’s forecast of 2026.
She explains that digital payments account for more than 90 percent of all payments, while cash would retain its value and not disappear.
Her calculation is based on consumer preference data from the RBA.
The latest 2022 research, published in June 2023, shows that cash accounts for 13 percent of total payments, down from 69 percent in 2007 and 27 percent in 2019.
Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Michele Bullock warned in December that the declining circulation of cash is putting pressure on the economics of ATMs and the physical movement of notes and coins.
She even suggested that companies could pass these costs on to consumers by charging extra fees for using cash.
Home or Away Mechanical Services has been contacted for comment.