Sliding cards before total is known

At 10:10:03 on 06/04/2006, Michael Hoffman delighted uk.finance by announcing:

Yes. They check(ed) the signature in the UK. Signature capture (and hence the customer-facing machines) hasn't really been used either.

No but it's fortunate that it isn't or consumer spending might reach the same levels

These machines would also be used with PIN debit cards. Now that Chip and PIN is in use, why not let people start the process before the items are scanned and save time?

You honestly think that consumer spending in the U.S. has something to do with the kinds of credit card terminals being used?

How exactly does the level of consumer spending differ in the two countries?

IME 50% of the population, which is about 80% of people at checkouts (aka 'women') seem completely surprised that any type of payment is required at the checkout, or at least, I presume thats why they take SO DAMN LONG to take their card or cash out. So unfortunately I dont think your proposal will work.

Dunno but I know that if you oil wheels then they turn faster

Good point Tumbleweed, you are so right. Why do most women stand by the tills totally unprepared to pay despite standing in the queue for like 20 minutes. Once everything is scanned and the total appears they then start fumbling for the cards leaving the cashier to twiddle her thumbs. A mystery! SM

Interesting thought.

I do oil the wheels on my bike - but if I travel at 10Km/h they still turn at the same rate before and after oiling. Why is that?

because you are looking at a contstant speed of 10k/h in both circumstances. OTOH, if you were travelling at 10k/h and someone oiled the bearings (not the wheels!) then you would travel faster without any extra effort.

But if I was influenced by a third-party factor (such as the speed limit) and I had no choice but to obey it then no amount of oil will make me travel faster. Perhaps oil behaves like interest rates.

I suspect that interest rates and available credit have more to do with spending than the kind of credit card terminals in use.

And there would be the nasty knock-on effect of reduced queues at checkouts. ;-)

Would it involve new hardware or is it an opportunity to introduce some new software bugs?

You are horribly unfit, 12mph is a normal easy speed for a cyclist, at

10kph you will be wobbling, which is generating side forces which detract from the effect of oiling the hubs.

Actually, oil or grease on ball bearings is not for lubrication, but only to prevent rust. When I were a teenager the track racing cyclists did not run with any oil on chains or wheel hubs, because they believed it caused drag compared with running dry. :-)

Many are even tardier. They watch the cashier like a hawk as the goods are being scanned, just in case any of the prices do not agree with what was written on the shelf. Then after everything is scanned they pack the goods into their bags. Only after they have done this do they start searching in their handbag to get their purse, and finally take an age counting out the exact amount to tender to the cashier.

If your bike was analogous to US consumer spending then it's top speed would be around 11 km/h

In message , Colin Forrester writes

But you would use less energy to get where you were going.

Yes, interest rates control the velocity of money.

Too right!

Bitstring , from the wonderful person SandalsMan said

Not just women (although they are the majority of customers in most supermarkets). And not just credit cards - they are first confused when asked for the store loyalty card. The bemused to discover they need the car park refund voucher ('here somewhere', as they empty out 50l of handbag). Only then do they repeat the whole procedure, with a credit card as the target.

Cashiers are not allowed to raise eyebrows about this apparently!

No kidding?