Grocery shoppers were left in chaos on Thursday after retailer SuperValu’s card payment system was hit with technical problems.
Customers reported they were unable to use their card to pay for shopping, with the retailer accepting only cash for a number of hours. The problem hit SuperValu stores throughout the country, and was resolved shortly before noon.
In a statement, SuperValu apologised to customers. “We experienced a technical issue which impacted card payments in our stores and online for a short period of time this morning,” the company said. “The issue is now resolved. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our customers.”
SuperValu is currently the third-largest grocery chain in the Republic according to the most recent figures from Kantar, with 20.5 per cent of the market. Dunnes is in first place, with Tesco in second. Other retailers appeared to be unaffected by the system problem.
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The latest issue comes as businesses increasingly shift towards contactless payments, which have grown in popularity particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic. The most recent Payments Monitor from Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) published in May found that contactless payments reach €24 billion in the 12 months to March 2024. Mobile wallets, such as Apple or Google Pay, made up just over half of that total.
According to the Central Bank, the value of contactless payments increased by 7 per cent in May, rising to €2.24 billion from €2.09 billion in April. However, the value of cash withdrawals also rose, increasing by €85 million, or 7.5 per cent, to €1.2 billion.
There have been an increasing number of businesses restricting or refusing to use cash in recent months, including airlines’ in-flight services, fashion retailers and venues. However, although Irish people have embraced cashless payments, there has been a pushback against the removal of cash completely. Last year, the National Car Testing (NCT) Service said it would no longer accept cash as payment for car testing, but later reversed its position.
There are also moves to compel certain categories of business – grocery stores and pharmacies, for example – to accept cash, amid concerns that some parts of society would be left behind.
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