It had taken so much for Tina to get to the supermarket; to go home1left her in tears. At the checkout, the checkout assistant scanned Tina's items and2her cash.
"You can't pay cash in here," she told Tina. Tina is one of the many people who have3to purchase necessities during the coronavirus pandemic, as stores4refuse to take cash. A recent study of more than 2,000 people in the consumer group found that one in 10 people was refused by shops when trying to purchase essential items with cash during the pandemic.
Retailers moved to ban cash transactions (交易) because of5that coins and notes may spread virus.6reports, the World Health Organization never instructed consumers to avoid cash during the pandemic.
The UK has been moving towards a7economy for some time, with ATM usage declining at about 6% to 10% a year. But the concern over virus spread further pushed this transition. "During lockdown, cash withdrawals from ATMs were8about 60%,"says Natalie Ceeney of the access to Cash Review.
But for the approximately 1.2 million people living in the UK who are unbanked一meaning they don't9any bank account-buying essentials became a challenging task. "People without legal immigration status in the UK are not legally allowed to open a bank account," says James Tullett of the migrant and refugee charity Ramfel. When shops refuse to take cash from these people, they are likely to use informal services, which are more10to being exploited.
It is not only11people who will have struggled during the pandemic. People with bank accounts12to use cash for a variety of practical and personal reasons. "Those who13cash are the most disadvantaged people in our society," says Ceeney.
"Cash is really the14of payments," says Scott. "It appeared before the card and is still popular today. We need to have a15form of payment systems .... cash and card working together, just as bicycles and car lanes go together."
