Will that be debit or credit?

Have you ever been at the checkout point of a store when all of a sudden the computers crash? The eyes of all cashiers immediately bulge as they begin to frantically look around at each other. The customers in the line behind you let out an audible groan as they realize more time has been added onto their wait in the line. And usually all sales come to a halt, because how can anyone possibly complete a checkout without the use of the computerized register? Back in the old days, cash and checks were the main forms of payment. I even remember when my mother would write out checks at the grocery store and it was considered "normal". Now, check cards are all the rage, and if you don't have any money handy in the bank, then credit cards are your plastic savior. Yet despite advancements in technology both in form of payment and in registers that receive the payment, there seems to be the glitch of when computers freeze and registers just stop working. Computers can crash anytime, leaving cashiers vulnerable to the impatience of difficult customers and leaving customers with an uncertain time period of waiting. There's no doubt that cash registers are a convenience that is essential to any business. But should there be some other form of back up for when the register computers crash or freeze up, or is it okay to be fully dependent on this piece of technology?

A similar scenario is brought up in an article I found in the Journal of Leadership Studies, which I was able to access through the Wiley InterScience Database thanks to the FSU Library page. In the article, the author relays an experience in which a power outage brought business to a complete halt, stating: "not because of anything hindering the physical exchange of goods...but because...without an electronic calculator, no one in the store knew how to make change" (Miller 74). The article discusses the dependence we have on technology and the fact that institutions of higher education continue training students to rely more on technology, rather than encouraging students to think critically and with a "greater emphasis on intentional development of technology-independent thinking skills." (Miller 74).

If you're interested in reading more about the topic, Miller's article is worth a read!

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Miller, George P, and Caroline Molina-Ray. "Beyond Technology Dependence."  Journal of Leadership Studies4.1 (2010): 74-77. Web. 8 Jul 2010.

Insert Credit Card Number Here.

Happy 4th of July Everyone!

Since it is the beginning of the month, I'd like to talk about the technology available for making bill payments, since I recently had to make a rent payment. I recall as a child my mother would always have a stack of bills and a checkbook from which she would write out and tear several checks in order to pay the bills. If she waited too close to the deadline of the bill to send it in, we would get a phone call to the house asking where the payment was and stating that the company would wait a week or so before taking action against an "unpaid" bill. I remember thinking what a hassle it was to have to send a check overnight, just so that it would arrive at the company on time. Most of the time, as long as the check was postmarked for the due date, the payment would not be considered late, even if it arrived a couple of days after the due date.

I can imagine the frustration of companies having to constantly deal with snail mail in order to receive payments from customers, even moreso, I think it was much easier for customers to evade making payments by simply blaming the post office for losing payments. These days most payments seem to be made online. Just recently it came to my attention that I can even make payments to the phone company using my cell phone!

The technology available for online payment has become something I am fully dependent on because of the absolute convenience. Every month, I pay my rent online. Within the first week of the month, I receive my utilities bill in my e-mail inbox and with just 3 click I can pay that bill, from my very own e-mail. I use my mother's account information to pay the cellphone bill from my actual phone.

Even more exciting is ONLINE SHOPPING =D I remember when I was younger being upset when I would be in a store because they no longer had the item I had fallen in love with in my size. With online shopping that is no longer the case. You can fall helplessly in love with an item online and order it from home. Personally, I am not a very avid online shopper, I tend to prefer seeing things in person. But the convenience of online shopping has definitely made events such as holiday shopping a little less stressful.

Here's an interesting study that was done to determine the demographics that are most likely to use online payment services as well as various other online payment service statistics. It's interesting to not that education and marital status have an effect on whether or not someone is willing to shop or make payments online.

Hope everyone has a great 4th!

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Hogarth, Jeanne M. "Consumer payment choices: paper, plastic, orelectrons?." Int. J. Electronic Banking 1.1 (2008): 16-35. Web. 04 Jul 2010.