Woolworths has revealed that that some of its WCafé stores are experimenting with cashless payments.
The retailer made it known that this is not compulsory, as consumers can be still be able to pay for food, fashion, beauty and home purchases with cash if they choose.
This past weekend, the company was at the top of the South African trends as customers took to social media to raise their concerns after a signboard appeared at a Woolworths store saying that from 16 January, it would only accept card and digital payments. It read: “From 16 January 2024, we will no longer accept cash, as we’ve joined a global responsible business initiative that prioritises customer and staff safety. We’re sorry for any inconvenience.”
Woolworths social media pages clarified the matter, and according to Daily Investor, the company said the decision for its WCafés to go cashless was based on data it had collected, showing that they received relatively few cash payments.
It is reported that the company’s WCafé team would continue to monitor the progress of the shift to cashless payments over the coming months, and that this only applies to WCafés and not Woolworths stores, which will continue to take cash payments.
