Last Friday, October 30, the checkout queue in Jempson’s in Rye began to stretch back right to the furthest aisle, the freezers, and then down that aisle, with maybe around a dozen or more customers in the queue at that point at around 9am on a Friday morning in half term, so quite busy with both people heading for work as well as young families.
The problem lay outside by the level crossing, where workmen were busy on the BT cabinets by the railway line. The online link between Jempson’s, and possibly others, and the banks and others who issue credit cards had apparently crashed.
However, because of the Covid pandemic and the possibility of passing on infections, the use of cash has shrunk significantly, and most people pay (and are expected to pay) by using their cards.
A solution was at hand though, but it took a while, for some unidentified hero or heroine to do some joined-up thinking, and point out that there were cash machines just outside the supermarket entrance which appeared to be working.
“Cash only” was the cry
Up until that point only those who already had hard cash on their person were able to get their shopping, and this seemed mainly to be those with baskets (or not even baskets) making one or just a few purchases – and Jempson’s staff had been shepherding them to the front of the queue for quite a while while information was sought on the “card blackout”.
However, once someone suggested the cash machines outside might be helpful, shoppers dashed for cash and progress in the checkout queue returned, and shopping returned to normal, whatever normal is currently.
The lesson to be learnt perhaps though was “never rely on just one route to your destination” as that route may suddenly be blocked – and you need to always have alternatives in mind – a point our leaders, both political and medical, may need to keep in mind.
Image Credits: Kenneth Bird .