Plea from shop leader as paying with cash costs more

Charity shop leaders are urging customers to use card payments to reduce the high costs of processing cash.

Dorothy House Hospice, which offers free palliative and end-of-life care, said it costs about £42,000 annually to process cash handed it at its 30 charity shops across Wiltshire and Somerset.

Banks have raised the cost of processing coins and notes in recent years amid declining demand.

Rowena Rees, the hospice's head of retail, said: "What we are trying to is encourage, where appropriate, to pay by card which reduces that spend. This means we are being more efficient and can reduce our costs, which can go into patient care."

The cost for the charity to process card payments is about £20,000 annually.

But, Rees added they did not want to "discourage" shoppers.

"If people can't or don't want to pay on card, that's absolutely fine. Every penny counts to our consumer, but also to our hospice.

"We are asking for card payments, but still taking cash," she said.

It comes as Swindon Borough Council's car parks have gone cashless.

Councillor Chris Watts said handling cash is "an expensive and time-consuming process".

Leaders at Dorothy House said it was important to save as much money as possible as they struggle with rising costs.

National Insurance and minimum wage hikes, as well as a decrease in government funding, have meant that between 2022 and 2024, the cost of running the hospice jumped from £46,000 a day to £52,000 a day.

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