How many restaurants charge a fee to use a debit card? « Columbus Underground Messageboard

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How many restaurants charge a fee to use a debit card?

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Started 2 years ago by agtw31
Latest reply from Lakee911

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Twixlen
Westgate, Columbus
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JonMyers wrote
My first thoughts when confronted with that fee announcement first thing would be - what else am I getting nickled and dimed on? What else are they skimping on? Are they skimping on ingredients? Why are they running their business this close to the edge? This business owner isn't sharp enough to negotiate better terms or bake this into their pricing model to deliver an experience and expectation that everyone is familiar with? Why not?

Hmmm - you think too much.

Me, I'd just think, "bastard credit card bastards", pay the fee and immediately forget about it. Especially if the meal was decent at all. If the meal were subpar, it would be another story.

Posted 2 years ago #
manticore33
Delaware, OH
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Maybe it is me, but I hate paying for fees I can avoid. I know it is only $.50, but $.50, $1.00 here, and etc really adds up over time and over multiple businesses.

Think about how many fees you are charged for 'activities.' We have loan origination fees, titling agency fees, car dealership fees, service change or upgrade fees, annual fees, maintenance fees, online payment fees, and etc to pad business margins. Companies know 'low prices' attract customers and rarely people look at 'total cost of ownership.' Thus, they hook you with the low cost, and pad margins with fees, warranties, and expensive consumables.

Now sit back and add up all the 'extra fees' you pay on a monthly basis and you will realize why I am so tired of 'fees.' I mean seriously, how much longer until we have brewing fees for our coffee? :shrugs

Posted 2 years ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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I'm just waiting for the "WTF, Beechwald Diner just raised prices by .10" thread and the 12 pages it spawns.

Posted 2 years ago #
Bear
The woods
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JonMyers wrote >>
Maybe independent restaurants should add heating/ cooling and electricity surcharges to each diner's bill, in addition to some others.
------
YOUR BILL
ITEM DESCRIPTION
Blueberry PancakesÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ $7.50
CoffeeÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ $2.50
JuiceÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ $3.25
ITEMIZED CHARGES
Credit Card Usage FeeÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ $0.50
ElectricityÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ $0.45
GasÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ $0.55
Print Fee for the MenuÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ $0.33
Workers Comp ClaimÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ $0.75
Bathroom SoapÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ $0.10
Paper TowelÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ $0.07
Flatware Convenience FeeÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ $0.18
Plus Size Chair Wear FeeÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ $0.73
Table Light BulbÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ $0.89
Thank you for your business!! :)
----

So, surely you realize that you actually are paying for all of these things, whether the menu says it or not, right?

Which means that we are actually getting bent out of shape about whether or not it's hidden?

Fine, hide it -- no discount for cash.

Thanks, CU!

Posted 2 years ago #
KSquared
Literally Hell
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JonMyers wrote >>
Plus Size Chair Wear FeeÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ $0.73

----

They can afford to eat out because they didn't spend all their money on jeans.

I'm also not understanding the relationship between the credit card fee and the quality of ingredients. The fee applies to only people who choose to pay that way, while poor or cheap ingredients would affect everyone. Your complaint is that the owner is not savvy enough to "bake" the fee in, so why assume he is savvy enough to cheat you on ingredients? Or is the owner just an evil genius?

Posted 2 years ago #
manticore33
Delaware, OH
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I understand I pay for overhead that is built into the price of any product I buy. What I do dislike is discounting prices and charging me for overhead directly. For instance, when I see VISA/MC/XX/XX on the door of a building, I *do not* expect to be charged to use that card.

Given that, you typically do not see this fees until you've committed to the business or purchase. For instance let's say retail store A charges $10 for a shirt you want, but retail store B has it on sale for $9.50 per an advertisement. Trying to maximize your dollar, you go to the retail store B. Upon trying to purchase the shirt, you found out there is a $1.00 fee to fold and put it in the bag; retail store A does not charge this. You would have been better to buy from retail store A. However, the opportunity cost to leave retail store B and go to retail store A is more than the $.50 price difference, thus you pay more. Had you had all the information for the total cost of ownership, you would have went to retail store A, but now you are out an extra $.50.

Trivial, right? But it happens frequently in business (see car dealerships). Advertise low, get you in, and add-on. How many times have you been asked about service plans lately? This is the exact reason why banks, by law, are forced to tell you the APR versus the rate. The APR is the total cost to finance with applicable fees (which is why the percentage it is higher than the rate).

Yes, $.50 no big deal until it is $1.00, $5.00, and everything becomes and add-on etc (yes, extreme, but who knows, tough economic times). :)

And I will still go to this place, albeit with cash. :)

Posted 2 years ago #
myliftkk
Columbus, OH
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KSquared wrote >>

I'm also not understanding the relationship between the credit card fee and the quality of ingredients. The fee applies to only people who choose to pay that way, while poor or cheap ingredients would affect everyone. Your complaint is that the owner is not savvy enough to "bake" the fee in, so why assume he is savvy enough to cheat you on ingredients? Or is the owner just an evil genius?

there isn't one. it's a paranoid delusion often the hallmark of the hyper-sensitive consumer mindset that american culture in particular cultivates with it's pious worship at the consumerism altar. americans love to extrapolate bogeymen and slippery slope arguments, be it third world dictators, wmd, or an evil genius business owner who happens to run a restaurant from just this side of the river styx (one from which he evidently plans to take over the world, no doubt).

it makes me wonder how my grandmother ever managed to survive her personal economic transition from an al a carte all cash economy, to checks, to credit cards, to debit cards, to e-payments without losing her mind.

Posted 2 years ago #
manticore33
Delaware, OH
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You should check out the Best Buy optimizer issues whereby Best Buy / Geek Squad 'optimize your PC' and actually render it slower than the 'as-shipped-condition' on new computers. Likewise, they now pre-optimize their inventory and make it abnormally difficult to purchase a non-optimized machine thereby forcing the customer to purchase the $40 optimizer service (which is roughly, percentage wise is the same as $.50 on a $5.00 - 6.00 purchase). So? :)

Posted 2 years ago #
JonMyers
HCMC ✈
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Bear, of course I know that, which is my point.

Can you imagine a restroom fee explicitly stated on the front of the menu.

* Please note: All defecating diners will be charged a $0.95 restroom fee.

Why would a credit card processing fee be any different?

It makes absolutely no sense for an independent business competing with the chains to start out the introduction to their business (the menu) with an unfamiliar negative. No sense.

Bake it in and keep it consistent unless you are delivering a benefit, not a negative fee.

A totally stupid policy is what irks me, not $0.50.

Posted 2 years ago #
misskitty
Columbus
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manticore33 wrote >>
You should check out the Best Buy optimizer issues whereby Best Buy / Geek Squad 'optimize your PC' and actually render it slower than the 'as-shipped-condition' on new computers. Likewise, they now pre-optimize their inventory and make it abnormally difficult to purchase a non-optimized machine thereby forcing the customer to purchase the $40 optimizer service (which is roughly, percentage wise is the same as $.50 on a $5.00 - 6.00 purchase). So? :)

That is indeed bullshit and a real shitty practice. The only reason they get away with this is because when they have those "Door buster deals or sales" They have a required minimal amount In stock without the optimizing and the rest have it. Best Buy is notorious for Bait and switch. Everything the geek squad does it simple stuff many people can do. But people still use it In fear of messing up their computer. They tried to pull all that buy this and that when my boyfriend was purchasing his laptop. All it took was one mean look and the sales person backed off.

Posted 2 years ago #
Bear
The woods
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JonMyers wrote >>
It makes absolutely no sense for an independent business competing with the chains to start out the introduction to their business (the menu) with an unfamiliar negative. No sense.
Bake it in and keep it consistent unless you are delivering a benefit, not a negative fee.
A totally stupid policy is what irks me, not $0.50.

I realize it's bad salesmanship... but the wording aside, it amounts to a discount for using cash.

It kind of scares me that so many people are offended by the surcharge but happy about the discount -- assuming that both are announced up front (to Manticore's point).

Posted 2 years ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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JonMyers wrote >>
Bear, of course I know that, which is my point.
Can you imagine a restroom fee explicitly stated on the front of the menu.
* Please note: All defecating diners will be charged a $0.95 restroom fee.
Why would a credit card processing fee be any different?
It makes absolutely no sense for an independent business competing with the chains to start out the introduction to their business (the menu) with an unfamiliar negative. No sense.
Bake it in and keep it consistent unless you are delivering a benefit, not a negative fee.
A totally stupid policy is what irks me, not $0.50.

Stupid policy, yes. At least this owner is willing to reverse said policy (at least thats the implication I see in CMH's earlier account) and engage the consumers to find a good solution. Shouldn't we be more supportive of these types rather than keep hitting them over the head with one stupid decision? You know, instead of calling into question their whole business down to the quality of their product over one policy.

How much of this is-looking in general at some of the business issues we commonly see anymore-is due to more non-traditional entrepreneurs cropping up? Yes, business is cut throat and the weak die off and fail. That said, how can the Central Ohio business community work together to strengthen and support these entrepreneurs to better educate them on things like legalities, business documents, connecting with consumers etc.? Would we all be better off with better educated owners? Some of the people here could probably market themselves pretty well as consultants for social media.

Posted 2 years ago #
Bear
The woods
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So.

Recommendation for owners (if they are reading this): change wording to "50Ã‚Â¢ discount for cash" next time menus are printed... or just drop discount entirely and implement blanket price increase.*

Recommendation for OP and fellow internet bitchers: check facts, consult owners (see Gourmand, CMH), before spreading disinformation or complaining about a situation that might easily be rectified with a few words in private.

'bout sum it up?

* equal to, say, (% of clients using debit cards x 50Ã‚Â¢) per entree.

Posted 2 years ago #
drew

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Interesting development - an amendment to finance regulation changes the credit card fees game considerably:

A second set of provisions applies to both credit and debit card transactions. Visa and MasterCard impose an all-or-nothing requirement on businesses, requiring them to accept cards even on small transactions, and prohibiting businesses from offering discounts based on the method of payment. The amendment strikes those rules.

Many small businesses already violate the rules. The National Federation of Independent Business reported in a 2008 survey that 13 percent of respondents required a minimum purchase before a customer could use a card, and 14 percent offered a cash discount. The amendment would provide legal shelter for chain stores to adopt similar policies.

More here.

Posted 2 years ago #
Lakee911
Clintonville (South)
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I went to the liquor store on Blake and High and got hit with a $1.00 credit card fee. Bastards.

Posted 1 year ago #