so, this is kind of timely, as a friend and i were just bemoaning the long, seemingly drawn out process of money actually coming from a credit card charge into an account where you can actually use it. of course, having no real knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes, i decided it takes entirely too long. in an age where things seem to happen instantaneously (whether or not we like it), it just seems crazy.
lo and behold, i stumbled across this great info-graphic through twitter today. (thanks, internet!). if you love a good info-graphic as much as i do, or if you've ever wondered what on earth is taking so long to get that hard earned cash from your customer's bank into your grubby little hands (kidding), i thought you might appreciate it as much as i did.
hopefully without sounding totally whiny and unappreciative, this is why it's SUPER courteous, as a shopper, to have whatever funds you plan on spending at a craft show in your wallet before you walk up to a booth and fall in love with things. while most artists accept credit (in my opinion, we kind of have to), it usually takes over a week for your $20 to actually become money i can use. i'm not totally complaining - i'm grateful for every purchase anyone has ever made from my little business, however there's certainly something to be said for being able to spend money you earn at the time you earn it instead of in 7 business days. i'm happy to provide the convenience of accepting credit cards, but this graphic really spells out why most artists aren't jumping up and down for joy when you pull out your check card to pay for that $10 item - most of the time, we've put ourt hundreds of dollars in expenses to be standing at said show, and it's nice to walk away from the weekend with money we can use right away to buy gas for the way home or lunch the following day...
on a somewhat related note, one of my favorite neighborhood brunch / lunch spots has suddenly stopped accepting credit cards. we went to eat there a little over a weekend ago, and paid with a card (i realize i sound hypocritical now, but i actually gave my friend cash for my part of the bill, and my friend paid with their card, if that helps my case at all...). a week later, we went again, and noticed a note at the bottom of the menu that read "cash only please!"... curious if i was going crazy or if they were really taking this seemingly backwards step, i asked the host. he told me i wasn't crazy (ha!), and that they decided they didn't want to pay credit fees anymore, and so they were no longer accepting cards.
if i see credit fees as a normal cost of doing business, is it ridiculous to think a successful restaurant can't also bear the (relatively minimal) expense of accepting credit? for some reason, especially since i've started accepting cards, i can't help but think cash-only brick and mortar businesses are a bit shady. your thoughts?
