I went grocery shopping yesterday and noticed something has changed

[NNN0LHI]

People aren't using credit cards any more. As usual I got stuck in the longest line so I had some time to look around. Everyone was using cash. Except me because like a dummy I left the house without checking to see if my wife had raided my wallet.

She had.

So I was forced to use the plastic.

Don

[janedum]

1. They may not be using credit cards because they CAN'T ..

Once you're over the limit and you're not paying your bills, what's left ...?
C-A-S-H-!!

[Telly Savalas]

2. I haven't noticed any change in the % of folks who use plastic vs. cash around here

[lonestarnot]

3. Shit seems higher again from the last time I went.

[SoCalDem]

10. The olive oil I have always bought,., $14.00 now..

I use crisco to make pie crust, and needed a new can. $6.99 for the regular sized can..(not the big restaurant-sized one)..

a 3 lb box of frozen fish filets at Smart & Final..$25.49.. The same sized box I used to always pay $11.99 for ..

the cheapest apples $1.49 lb.

[DeschutesRiver]

13. Olive oil prices here were shocking to me

Also, I went to Costco for a 50 lb bag of rice - we eat rice daily and I use it in my homemade dog food.

Damned 50lb bag of California Cal-rose short grained rice was $28 and change. In the last few years, I've bought that same rice for 9.99, then it was upped to 12.99. The only time I saw it this high was during the rice "panic" months ago.

Blue Ribbon rice was about $20/21 to get 50 lbs, and we couldn't find anything less anywhere else we looked, so Blue Ribbon it was. Can't recall right now everything that I bought, but I'd say 3/4 of my purchases made me suffer severe sticker shock - dh even noticed my expression when I came back out to the car. I said "you just don't want to go in there, I don't think you as a guy who doesn't like to shop or spend much could handle it":)

ETA - I use credit cards for purchases but pay it off monthly always. But paying cash would work for me too -anything that avoids the credit trap of hooking people into paying more for the interest than for what they bought (ultimately) is a better way to live. I don't like having strangers at cc companies slowly drain my wallet.

[glowing]

4. People still use plastic, its just debit these days.

[Warpy]

8. Right, they've actually made it easier to use debit cards

than write a check. I see few people signing credit card slips anywhere, so all the plastic I've been seeing must be debit cards. Just punch in the PIN and you're good to go, nothing needs to be signed.

I still use cash a lot of the time and I have been seeing more people using it lately.

Using a credit card for ordinary purchases is risky and just plain nuts, given the natures of the issuing companies. They should be used for emergencies, only.

[POAS]

12. I almost never use cash anymore

strictly debit card but I use it with a signature rather than a pin. My bank gives me $0.25 every time I do that!

[HereSince1628]

15. Keep your eye on how your bank handles debit cards

the minimum balances for "free-checking" are adjusting up and the fee per use when you drop below the minumum inflated greatly last spring.

[Gormy Cuss]

18. Small purchases on credit cards these days don't require signatures

Usually it's totals below $25-$30 dollars that can be made without signatures. Some types of stores the amount is higher ($50.) It speeds up the checkout line and encourages the use of CC for small purchases. It also makes it hard to tell whether the person in line ahead of you is using a credit or debit card.

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/cc/20060828a1can.asp

I don't use my credit card for small purchases because I'd prefer to pay cash rather than put up with the vagaries of credit card posting and statement schedules.

[sarcasmo]

21. Exactly, and you can get cash back at the register with out paying a ATM fee.

[NashVegas]

5. I Use a Charge Card

And pay the full charges off every month. Don't really care to carry cash around, don't really care to send my pin # (debit) through various retailers' wireless systems.

[abluelady]

6. I Still Use Credit

I find it easier to keep track of spending this way. I think a little more before I charge while I spend cash freely. I also pay off the card at the end of the month so I'm not paying interest charges.

[CoffeeCat]

7. In addition to that being a shift from plastic...

...it may also signal that people are on strict budgets.

People can use their debit cards, instead of credit cards--so the reason for the cash may be due
to more rigid budgets.

I know that our family sets aside X dollars for groceries. This money is supposed to last us 2 weeks.

This helps me to be mindful of how much I am spending--and it keeps our grocery budget at an exact dollar.
This method has really helped us to make better choices at the grocery store. If I'm just constantly
swiping a card--I don't pay attention to how expensive some things are. Pretty soon, I'm just throwing
stuff in the cart--without really trying to get good deals.

This triggered a grocery-spending revolution in me---and I now use coupons, belong to a coupon club and
use savings Web site to determine the best deals. Now, our family of 4 (plus 3 cats) spends about 75 per
week on all groceries, cleaners, personal grooming and paper products.

[hlthe2b]

9. Bad economic times are not the safest to carry much cash...

I use one credit/debit card directly linked to my checking/savings account, but with a fairly high credit limit. I check my account online daily and transfer to pay off any credit use that I've had, almost in real time. I'm betting a lot of people are doing this.

[SurfingScientist]

11. I still use my cards but pay them off in full every month...

... to use them as a convenient payment tool only. I also buy stuff online and need to book my work trips myself, so I need a credit card anyway.
Plus, I can collect a 1% payback, which is a nice little extra at the end of the year.

The convenience comes at a price though - I found one needs to be VERY wary - 2 months ago, they slipped a $40 'late fee' onto my credit card bill, which was completely unjustified. Took a phone call to set this straight. I found it a bit hard to believe that this particular thing was just a computer error. There was similar stuff in the past where the companies tried to set up traps for me to run into their ripoff system - 'misunderstood instructions' for paying my cards automatically from my checking account etc.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

14. For any major shopping trip, I use my debit card...

I get cash back, and it's fast and easy.

For small trips, I use cash.

I don't know why, but I hate using a credit card for food...

:shrug:

[Irishonly]

16. The last time I went to Target the machine

asked it I wanted to put the whole purchase on one card. It surprised me and the clerk said it was not only because of gift cards but now people will use two or three cards to pay for their purchases. I always use my debit card and only use credit for an emergency. I don't like carrying large amounts of cash.

I have noticed that more and more people are getting cards rejected. I don't know if the cards are credit or debit. At times it takes forever to get through the check out. I feel badly for the people struggling to pay along with frustration that it takes such a long time.

[DemReadingDU]

20. I noticed that at Target too

I use one debit card if purchases are greater than $10. Else cash if less than $10.
It's enough to remember to keep track of purchases on one card, how do people keep track of purchases on multiple cards?

Maybe they don't.

[NC_Nurse]

23. I saw that and it told me that times are really BAD if people are having to put

part of each purchase on different cards! Yikes.

[Irishonly]

27. I thought that also

The saddest thing is they are not buying toys and luxuries. They are buying staples and necessities. I am thankful I do not have young children at this time.

[gauguin57]

17. And I've vowed to take HALF of what I usually take out of the ATM machine each week.

To keep myself from spending much at all. Time to use those dried lentils that have been sitting on my kitchen shelf!

[Obamanaut]

19. There were no carts in the parking lot yesterday. nt

[emilyg]

22. I haven't noticed that.

[doctor jazz]

24. I wonder if it's a regional thing. Saw your post earlier this morning and just got back

from the store where I watched people paying because I remembered your comment. I guess I was able to see about 20 customers pay and only 1 paid with cash. I couldn't tell if the cards were debit or credit though (but I did notice a couple were the 'food stamp' cards...they have a distinctive blue appearance)

[NeedleCast]

25. Pretty much everyone at the store I go to uses plastic

I imagine most of them are debit cards. That's what I use.

[Vinca]

26. The only thing that has changed at the store I shop is the prices.

They keep going up . . . a real mystery since energy costs have gone down. How do they expect people to eat a healthy diet when one lousy orange costs $1.50??

[tammywammy]

28. I haven't noticed that at all n/t