Tesco has made a 'bonkers' change to using cash so we tested it out

For as long as I can remember, going to the Big Tesco Extra has always been an event. The gigantic store with its runway-length escalators and endless aisles with everything you could ever want, has meant that I never pass up an invite.

So when my editor briefed me about the most recent change to their café system, with the conversation-starter: "Got a mission for you", I was in my car before I knew it.

Armed with a crisp £10 note, my task was a simple one - to buy some lunch from the café using said note.

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The only catch - over 40 of it's superstore cafe's have stopped accepting cash. The move has seen its customers forced to pay by card or contactless at self-service machines.

An increasing number of retailers and cafes are refusing to take cash as a cost cutting measure because it is more expensive for them to handle. Recent figures published by banking industry trade body UK Finance found the number of payments made using notes and coins fell by 7 per cent in 2023 compared to the year, the Manchester Evening News previously reported.

At the same time, it found that 40 per cent of people – mainly under 24s - now effectively live a cashless life and rely on cards and smartphone apps, such as Apple Pay. However, critics say the move by retailers to drop cash is “bonkers” and risks alienating elderly customers.

So far, 40 cafes have been redesigned and more are thought to be in the pipeline. Sites in Oldham, Sheerness, Newmarket, and Ashford in Middlesex are among those to undergo the cashless overhaul.

And so I found myself on the first floor of the superstore in Oldham, and was met with four touchscreen