It’s already caused problems at vending machines, parking stations and pokies, and now the new $5 note is proving problematic for major retailers as well.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the high-tech currency is being rejected by self-serve check outs around Australia.
Supermarket giant Woolworths has reportedly been forced to shell out a whopping $20 million to update 100,000 machines as a result, while Kmarts are still routinely refusing to accept the note.
The new design, which was introduced to circulation on September 1, contains numerous features designed to curb counterfeiting, including the full-length clear strip that slices through the centre.
And as Nick Aronis, president of the National Vending Association, explained to The Daily Telegraph, it’s precisely that which is proving so problematic for machines.
“The note-reader starts to read the note and sees the clear strip. It identifies that as the end of the note and of course it can’t recognise it, so it spits it back out,” he said.
This world-first feature will be rolled out across all denominations as they too are upgraded over the next four years.
Each will also follow the fiver in featuring raised dots to assist visually impaired people easily identify the different notes.
Quicky News Headlines: Thursday April 25th 2024
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Top Comments
2 problems:
Supermarkets don't wanna pay to update note acceptors in machines..
Supermarkets don't wanna pay to have Checkout Chicks
See the pattern?
No, the bigger problem here is supermarkets getting rid of check-out staff and expecting customers to ring up their own purchases.
The machines are a pain in the arse. Twice they haven't given me the cash-out that was processed, so i had to wait for them to count the till.
My local supermarket often only has one register open. I refuse to put a trolley load of groceries through self-serve. There is never enough room, it's awkward and much slower. A couple of items is okay. Often the one register that is open is the 12 items or less, its such bad customer service. Not to mention it increases theft which then increases the price of groceries for us honest customers. Argh!