They’re not using peanut butter and a bell to change our behavior as consumers, but the latest Visa commercials sure have behavior modification in mind.
The messaging in the most recent Visa commercials is about as subtle as being hit over the head with a baseball bat; use your check card or you slow down progress. The message: Woe is you if you try to use a check in a retail establishment! We’ve got a combination of fear and good old guilt at work here telling consumers that all things productive halt when you whip out your check-book.
Is this good for consumers?
Probably, in a world of convenience and efficiency management, there’s some merit to moving to the card system. I’m just not sure who wins more; consumers getting zippy service at check-out or Visa, who’s earning fees with every zip of that card. Zip-zip, what would Pavlov do?
I understand the checkbook concept from an efficiency standpoint, however the commercials that show a “cash transaction” holding up the line are absurd.
A debit card is just as fast.
I use it grocery shop and so on and it works I have never held up a line with it. I rarely see anyone take out a check book anymore. People pay by debit, cash, or Credit Card.
I used a check last night in the grocery store. The funny part is that I consciously thought about those VISA commercials. The guilt for holding up the line began to rise. They’ve got me right where they want me.
April, don’t feel guilty for using a check…
Guilt as a manipulative technique is bad whether by a person or firm.
I think using fear and guilt both cross the line.
Anyone who’s really observed knows that the method of payment isn’t what holds up the line. It’s people who aren’t *ready* with said payment, as if it’s a surprise when the cashier announces the total and expects the customer to fork it over! A person digging through her purse to find her wallet derails the check-out process just as much as the check user. Ditto for credit card users who are unfamiliar with the electronic interface for entering PIN, signature, etc.
Cash doesn’t slow lines! People do!
Patricia, I absolutely agree with you. people do slow things down.
Neil, thanks. I agree. Guilt for manipulation purposes does cross the line, but it works. It sure worked for my parents. The ‘guilt trip’ as my father called it, worked quite well.
I will say that nothing irritates me more than watching as an elderly lady is doing her best to get through the process, while 19-year old “cool-daddy” is huffing and puffing about it taking her an extra 60 seconds to get out her wallet. What is so important that can’t wait that extra minute?
As an experiment, I think I am going to use checks for a while to see what kind of reaction I will get from those behind me.
It works but do not let it work on you.
However, I will say, why do an experiment with checks to check reactions? I see no purpose in that. I say be nice and get through the line as quickly as you can for the sake of your fellow shoppers. No guilt trip intended but your motivation does not seem to be I need or want to use checks but that I want to see cool daddy sweat it out.
April, I disagree with Neil. I think it is a good social experiment. Don’t purposefully go slow, but guage the reaction of the folks behind you. If I happen to see any one writing a check, I’m going to be sure to razz them — don’t they listen to what VISA has to say?
Nathan, the social experiment is not that of writing checks but of intentionally slowing down a line. I see that as a bit passive aggressive.
I pay with a debit card right out of my bank account and it goes fast. I am not annoyed when someone writes a check in front of me because I assume that is their natural modus operandi. But if someone does it just to go slow, I cannot see how that could be useful to anyone.
but what about us small business. the fees they charge are borderline rediculous. in some cases 5% to take a prepaid card. those precious millage points, yep small business pays for them too. all you see is the 45 dollars you charge. we see a fee to process the card and an extra fee to a rewards card millage or cash back. so if you’re favorite place starts charging more you know why…moral of the story cash or check with the little guy…credit or other with the big guys..they don’t pay as much in fees because of size and buy down power…all the best to you all. doug
Doug, I agree with you. But, if you were where I am, cardholders pay the fees. This was done to encourage businesses to accept payments by smart cards. So, can you imagine paying more for the convenience of not carrrying cash and access to your money anyitme? Funny, what the model is this side of the world.
Well as one of the few firms still handling cash out there, I can say that guilt is great but probably bad for consumers.
Would you pay 2% to a third party for the privilege to buy your house or your car on a credit card, heck no… Retailers take a bath literally and figuratively when they process a credit transaction. They do it because we as consumers are wedded to the concept of giving “IOUs” instead of good old cash. Still all costs considered, cash, debit, and ACH transfer are all cheaper forms of completing transactions with retailers than credit. So watch the VISA commercials turn us into Pavlovian consumers but remember we all pay 2% more for the privilege of expediency. Phil
Large businesses, banks, and the Federal Reserve System, all have a strong financial incentive to eliminate paper checks. So what happens to small businesses that rely on paper check payments? Here is a good article titled “Why the paper check will disappear.” http://www.paysimple.com/blog/?p=28
Here’s the underlying business issue. Banks have to pay for checks to be processed and cleared; that’s an expense. Banks share the fee revenue that merchants pay VISA; that’s income. That’s why commercials like this try to modify this behavior. Classic marketing: Modifying consumer behavior to increase corporate profits but make consumers think it helping them. Lovely bit of diversion.
I live in the UK and behaviour is being modified another way.
Retailers are increasingly having signs that state they will no longer accept payment by cheque, from a particular date.
Mike Ashworth,
Business Coaching and Consultancy,
Brighton and Hove, Sussex, UK
I use checks specifically *because* it takes a few seconds longer. I used to us the debit card all the time, and I’d get my sales slip thinking I’d enter the amount in my check register later — and hurry to get out of the next customer’s way. Guess how often I got back to that register… Now I get my check filled out while the cashier is ringing up my purchase, and then log the total onto the check AND into the register, and it takes NO more time than punching in my PIN number, or reswiping the card when it doesn’t read. Also makes me think one extra second about whether I really need to buy something or not. So I’m not gonna take that ad’s guilt trip, thank you very much!
Pavlovian it is – and in my opinion dangerous. When companies that exercise arbitrary control over our lives once they’ve “got us” – raising interest levels, for instance – are using their influence to shape our behavior – in their favor – it feels to me that they are abusing power.
Frankly, I often get cash these days just for the sake of using cash. The more I see their commercials, the more I want to use the old fashioned greenbacks! Something is creepy here. I choose to resist the temptation to have Visa or Mastercard shape my behaviors unless it’s in MY self interest.
Ah, it gets even better. I happened across the ad again and realized, not only are they conditioning us to use the cards, but look at the behavior of everyone shopping. They’re all buying, buying, buying….that’s right, spend more my little sheep for if you don’t the wolf of negativity will look down upon you until you join the sheep at the slaughter house of debit. What a wonderful world we live in when morals and great product service are a thing of the past. To find our way again perhaps unplugging from the machine would be best–do we dare?