JP234
On our travels in Europe, we've found that the U.S. is way behind in enabling Apple Pay and other cardless payment options. We've able to use our Apple Watches with Apple Pay at every single restaurant in France, Italy and Greece. The servers all have payment portals in holsters on their belts. I've only encountered this once in Chicago, where we live. Sure the Apple Store has implemented it, but almost everywhere else, you still have to go to the cash register, or wait for someone to put a bill on your table, come back for the card, go process the card and bring it back. Our local supermarket chain (Mariano's, which is owned by Kroger) doesn't even have Apple Pay yet. Seems like these business have yet to realize the inherent profitability advantage of time-saving payment technology. Even in brand new gas stations, they may say Apple Pay on the options, but it never works. You still have to insert the credit card and wait. and wait. When there are nationwide labor shortages, and waits to pay keep getting longer and longer, it would seem like Business 101 that any way to speed that process would increase profitability and decrease payroll.
Our local Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh stores have understood and done a great job implementing virtual wallet payments. We just use our phone at the AF store's turnstile, shop, and use the phone to walk out through the exit turnstile. No checkout, no waiting in line. No surly cashiers. And when the bill arrives via email, it's always been 100% correct so far.
Makes you wonder why.
