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Cornish art gallery chain Whistlefish goes cashless

BBC Exterior of Whistlefish galleryBBC
Whistlefish has 11 galleries across Devon and Cornwall

A chain of art galleries and card shops has banned the use of cash, meaning customers can only pay using debit or credit cards.

Cornish company Whistlefish says the decline in the number of high street banks means shops have to hold more cash, which is a risk to security.

The company believes the move will also be better for shoppers.

E-commerce manager Aymer Wilson said: "It will speed up the time that the customer is at the till."

"Our galleries get extremely busy in the summer and as a customer you don't want to be sitting in a five or six person queue," he added.

"It leads to an increased security risk, not only from our gallery staff, from robberies, but from them arranging for our delivery drivers to transport the cash."

Notice, card payment machine and selection of greetings cards
Whistlefish has made the measure to protect the security of their staff

There are only two high street banks left in St Ives, where the first Whistefish gallery opened in 1997, while the local branch of Natwest is due to close next month.

Whistlefish says they have had a largely positive response to the change.

The company says it will monitor customer satisfaction, but it does not expect to reverse its decision.

One customer told the BBC: "A lot of people don't have cash on them these days, so I think it's a good idea."

Another, who was more sceptical, said: "It's fine for people like myself who use contactless, but for someone who only uses cash it's a big problem, they wont be able to come in here."