Aussies divided as Woolworths customer rages at cash withdrawal limit
The customer expressed frustration after the supermarket denied his request to withdraw $500.
A disgruntled Woolworths customer has voiced frustration with the retailer for refusing to fulfil his cash-out request, igniting a heated debate about whether supermarkets should be obliged to offer the service.
Taking to a Facebook group dedicated to calling out cashless businesses, the shopper criticised Woolworths after being informed by an employee that a $500 cash withdrawal was not possible.
According to the customer, the Woolies team member cited a shortage of cash in the register, allowing only a $100 cash withdrawal. Unhappy with that response, the man claimed the retailer is "full of s**t".
"I went to Woolworths yesterday and tried to get $500 cash out. They said that they had very little cash and we could withdraw $100 as everyone was withdrawing cash. When she opened the cash drawer, it had plenty of money in it."
'Supermarkets are not banks'
The post polarised Aussies, with some coming to Woolies' defence and pointing out that people can always use an ATM. "To be fair, supermarkets are not banks, and they are under no obligation to do cash out at all," commented one Facebook user. "Really, that isn't their problem. They don't have to give you cash," another group member responded.
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Others argued that shoppers should always have the choice to withdraw their desired amount of cash at supermarket checkouts. "This happens to me every week at Coles when I ask for cash out (and it's not huge amounts either)," responded one individual.
Yahoo News understands that Woolworths stores have different cash-out limits and withdrawal amounts are left to the discretion of staff, and will vary according to how much cash is available on any given day.
Cashless society looms
"I reckon they are trained to discourage it," another shopper stated, as the debate encompassed Australia's trajectory towards becoming a cashless society.
The issue has been a hot topic in recent days, as pro-cash consumers around Australia announced they'd only pay retailers with bank notes all week long to protest the shift to digital transactions.
In a letter published in The Age that's been shared by more than 10,000 supportive Facebook users this week, Blackburn North resident Julie Christensen expounded the virtues of using cash instead of digital payment methods, writing: "If some people want to rely solely on digital financial transactions, let them. But don't take away cash for the rest of us.
"My $50 note can't be hacked. If I'm robbed, I lose $50, not my entire life savings. If my $50 note is accidentally immersed in water, it still works. My $50 note doesn't batteries, it can't be 'out of range' and it won't break if it's dropped. If ths system is down, I can still use my $50 note," Ms Christensen continued.
The discussion comes as the annual Global Payments Report projects that cash will account for only 2 per cent of the value from all Australian point-of-sale transactions by 2025. The report also forecasts that digital wallets will surpass credit and debit cards to become the leading e-commerce payment method by 2024.
Currently, debit cards dominate point-of-sale transactions at 41 per cent, followed by credit cards at 35 per cent, digital wallets at 11 per cent, cash at 7 per cent, and buy-now-pay-later services at 4 per cent.
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