Going digital and 'swiping' your card is touted as the solution to the woes of demonetisation. The country may be turning digital going by the steep increase in usage of cards and other modes of cashless payments. But if you think you can manage with your card and prefer to shop without much cash in hand, be warned.

There are bottlenecks ahead. The Point of Sale (PoS) machine might decline the transaction and the shop keeper might either keep you waiting or request for settlement in cash.

The new year weekend saw large crowds at shopping centres, as people rushed to grab new goods at discount sales in this textile hub of Coimbatore. Even on normal days, the numbers flocking at cash counters is a sight to see at a good number of business establishments.

This time, with most establishments permitting customers the use of card for settlement of dues amounting to just Rs 100, the traffic, shop keepers say “has become unmanageable in recent days.”

The load on the machines has increased. But when they break down or there is some delay in the processing the transaction due to connectivity issues, shoppers were caught unawares. They were either forced to wait or settle in cash and move on.

One shop keeper told this correspondent that at times it took more than 20 to 30 minutes to complete one transaction. “We started to caution people to be prepared to wait to settle their dues or come back with cash, even as they entered our store to make the purchase. What a way to welcome the customer on New Year,” he said ruefully, wishing every customer “a Happy New Year”.

An individual, who had taken his family for lunch to a renowned restaurant in the city voiced his embarrassment and regretted not having asked his wife to prepare the lunch at home. "We are now ready for a cup of hot coffee. But we would rather not indulge, as the card swiping machine would probably make us wait until dinner time,” he summed up with a tone of disappointment.

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