• idiomaddict@feddit.de
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    11 months ago

    I’m an immigrant in Germany and kind of had to laugh at this, because the cash thing is so hard for foreigners here. Since the pandemic it’s been better, but I had multiple moments before it where a grocery store or gas station only accepted cash with zero warning.

    I didn’t like having much cash on me at first, because I was worried about losing it or having stolen. After about a year, I did lose my wallet, but the found things bureau at town hall called me to return it, cash still inside it. They charged 10% (iirc) and split it wiith the person who found it.

    Edit: name of town hall changed for clarity

    • Vrtrx@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      I’m currently in Scotland and have experienced the exact opposite xd I was kinda shocked when certain shops and stalls at festivals only offered card payment. Like just a few days ago I went into town and saw that the Christmas market was already up and running so I thought I might as well buy myself a mulled wine. At the stall I realized I didn’t have that much cash on me (especially since mulled wine is extremely expensive in Scotland for some reason. Borderline scam lol) and asked if card payment would be okay thinking they would refuse since it’s just a stall on a Christmas market so why would they be able to accept card payments right? The clerk answered “Oh yeah we only accept card anyway”. I was kinda shocked a bit but I got my mulled wine so all’s good :D

      • idiomaddict@feddit.de
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        11 months ago

        They provide a service, why wouldn’t they? As a student, I didn’t pay any taxes, but I still benefit from the service. If I had had my rent payment in the wallet or hadn’t been able to afford it, I might have tried to cap it, but it was like 60€ total (for a payment of 6€, not a payment of 60€), so I wasn’t bothered.

        • sarmale@lemmy.zip
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          11 months ago

          Because its a public service funded by taxes? Ok now I understand if you didnt pay any

          • idiomaddict@feddit.de
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            11 months ago

            I’m not sure if it’s partially funded by taxes or just the profit from the found things, because I’ve only dealt with them the once. I’d assume it’s at least partially funded by taxes, because they’d need to find a lot of lost things otherwise. I don’t know if a taxpayer still has to pay a fee, but I suspect so, based on how things generally work here (though they’re also generally sympathetic, in the case that someone does have their rent or something that they can’t afford to pay in the wallet, though there probably is a cap on how much someone would have to pay).

            I think of it basically as a deductible for the lost item insurance.

            Edit: I realized the problem. The found things bureau called me, I just felt like that was a weird translation so said town hall. Sorry lol