How many of you have attempted to purchase something at a small business only to be confronted with a minimum purchase sign? I had heard about this, but surprisingly hadn't experienced it myself until yesterday.
I walked into Daily Harvest in Monroe, LA at lunchtime yesterday. I was hungry. I was meeting Justin and Ryan at his parents house to go swimming. I opened up my checkbook and realized that Justin had used the last check that morning for gas. I grabbed my debit card and ran inside. I waited in the lunch line until my turn. I decided to get 3 large cookies for us to share. My total was $4.58. The nice guy at the counter pointed to a sign by the register. Notice it was not even posted on the door, where it would be noticed before I ordered. Minimum Purchase of $5.00 Required on Credit/Debit Purchases.
Now I am a frequent reader over at Chowhound. I have read quite a few threads on this issue. I knew that it was a violation of the Merchants Agreement to require minimum/maximum purchases. I mentioned this to the guy at the counter while the line behind me grew. He informed me that he couldn't allow me to purchase, but that I could get another cookie. If he only knew how infrequently I spend my money on anybody else's baked goods, he would understand. I did not want to be pressured into another cookie. H*@L, these cookies are large enough for two people anyway! I had about 3-4 desserts at home waiting to be eaten.
I realized that he wasn't going to budge and walked out. This morning I sent an email to Daily Harvest. I included a link to the Rules for Visa Merchants. With a request for them to check out the paragraph on page 14: Always honor valid Visa cards, in your acceptance category, regardless of the dollar amount of purchase. Imposing minimum or maximum purchases is a violation. I also sent a note to Visa mentioning the violation. Mastercard even has a handy form for doing just that.
Let me be clear about something; it is not that I do not understand the plight of small businesses. I understand that each debit/credit purchase includes a small fee for the business. I understand that this can make it difficult for them. My mother owns a small business, and has never accepted plastic for this very reason. I do not even object to the sign they have posted. Hopefully, people who have cash on hand would use it when they have the chance. However, to enforce such a rule, to actually turn away a paying customer because the purchase is 42 cents short is just ridiculous.
(By the way, obviously just the knowledge that this is a violation is not enough. I have read on Chowhound that several people carry a paper copy of the rules in their wallet. I do not encounter it enough to be quite so prepared...)
