Business Urged to Think of Older Customers

Reporter: Ask Bury
Date online: 09 February 2008

Greater Manchester Chamber is urging shops to think about people without credit cards, following the news that Marks amp; Spencer and Tesco are to stop taking cheques.

The two High street giants are the latest in a number of stores to announce they will no longer be accepting cheques at their tills. But the Chamber is concerned that some customers who do not have cards, such as the elderly, will face difficulty.

Simon Cronin, spokesman for Greater Manchester Chamber, said: "We understand that cheques are seen as old fashioned because of the growth in the use of credit and debit cards.

"However not everyone has a card, so their only alternative will be to pay with cash which is not very practical. We would urge stores to phase cheques out gradually and give customers plenty of notice about the change."