Report IKEA Goes Cashless at Key Thai Stores Amid Mixed Reactions

[richard_smith237]

6 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

As a retailer in Thailand, land of spiraling consumer debts, IKEA ought to be happy to get consumers' business and money in whatever forms it's offered....

 

And beyond that, what's the sense of going to a policy that has 3 IKEA stores in Thailand now refusing cash purchases, but having 2 other still accepting them, including their Emsphere branch, which isn't exactly a slumming locale!!!

 

And as referenced in the OP report, Thailand's mobile banking apps and systems aren't exactly known for being the most secure and reliable... I certainly wouldn't want to be putting all my purchasing eggs in THEIR basket!

 

Another head-scratching move by a Thailand retailer.....

 

Agreed...  Thats why I question the logic...  It is a bit of a head scratcher.

 

Although bigger picture - this wont make any difference to me or most...   

 

... but ....  from the perspective of "is this the direction things are going" - I wouldn't want to be left with only cashless options, even though I already am mostly cashless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Peterphuket]

And yet we may realise every company exists by the grace or the customer but once they earn enough they think they, the company, may call the shots.
You see it all around you, whether your name is Apple or Shell or whoever.
I mentioned this before, regarding Shell in the Netherlands, before the euro we had the guilder, 1 guilder was 100 cents, similarly we had the nickel, 1 nickel was 5 cents.
At some point the penny was abolished and what did Shell do when you went to fill up, they put 2 cents on the pump, without you having filled up.

 

[Caldera]

On 4/23/2025 at 4:50 PM, snoop1130 said:

As of April 21, 2025, the Swedish furniture giant announced that cash payments will no longer be accepted

 

Better make sure that your payment terminals work at all times then. I still remember trying to pay cashless at an IKEA restaurant once when the lady couldn't get the terminal to work. Back then I could pay cash, what would I do in the future?

[johng]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

I've had RFID blocking wallets for well over a decade already.

 

You conspiracy theorist you !!! 😋

 

[johng]

12 minutes ago, Caldera said:

what would I do in the future?

 

Eat the meatballs then write them an IOU ?

[JoseThailand]

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Why ?..... 

You want everyone to have the inconvenience of not having choice ?

 

No cash, no scams or shortchanging

[JoseThailand]

...

[dutch boy]

16 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Right!

IKEA will NEVER get my cash.

I never shop there.

Just not my style.

 

I do not understand people that love IKEA....

 

But, live and let live, is my belief.....in life....

 

Mostly things fit for a Doll House, has always been my impression.

 

 

Ikea sucks. Most of their goods are crap made for someone living in a 28 square meter hole.

[richard_smith237]

28 minutes ago, JoseThailand said:

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Why ?..... 

You want everyone to have the inconvenience of not having choice ?

 

No cash, no scams or shortchanging

 

You regularly get scammed in a 7-11 ??...   short-changed ?

 

I've been both short changed and over-changed (received too much) cashiers mistakes that I spotted at the time... innocent enough.

 

 

But, I do get your point - I've read of stories on here about people getting short changed at 7-11 in tourist areas - a missing 100 baht etc... 

 

So its possible and the 'cashless' part definitely removes that angle - I guess that why they use the token systems in foodcourts - so the owners can avoid workers ripping them off.

 

Nevertheless, I dont see that as sufficient reason to inconvenience shoppers with cashless, particularly in low-priced shops such 7-11.. They're better off adding PromptPay before anything else.

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

26 minutes ago, dutch boy said:

17 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Right!

IKEA will NEVER get my cash.

I never shop there.

Just not my style.

 

I do not understand people that love IKEA....

 

But, live and let live, is my belief.....in life....

 

Mostly things fit for a Doll House, has always been my impression.

 

 

Expand  

Ikea sucks. Most of their goods are crap made for someone living in a 28 square meter hole.

 

Have you ever been to an IKEA (with an open mind) and compared it to the equivalent competition... 

 

Their items i.e. kitchens come on a range of finish and qualities - while not luxury and never claiming to be, IKEA does have higher quality finishes, that for the price offer good value for money - Some sofas, kitchens, wardrobes etc....

 

 

[dutch boy]

12 hours ago, BritManToo said:

No KFC for you then

and Pizza Co are moving in that direction.

Some people do not even have a smartphone and I am one of them.

[ignis]

Do have a smartphone but don't have cashless payment options on it

 

No idea about this QR thing, have tried to use in the past but beyond me  -  like never use Line as no matter how many people have shown me still cannot log-in

[BusyB]

14 hours ago, hotchilli said:

All the scraps left-over at the chicken processing plant that cannot be packaged and sold as anything else...

if you like skin and cartilage ground up and rolled into a ball then help yourself.

 

aka 'beaks 'n a$$-holes'.

 

But they do taste good.

[GammaGlobulin]

4 hours ago, dutch boy said:

Ikea sucks. Most of their goods are crap made for someone living in a 28 square meter hole.

 

It's not real.

The stuff they sell is for a make-believe house, or something.

 

[BangkokHank]

I Want to Stop CBDCs – What Can I Do?

https://solarireport.substack.com/p/i-want-to-stop-cbdcs-what-can-i-do

[balo]

It's about time Thailand joins the cashless world. I know it can be hard but at least all the big chains should go that way .  I only use cash in bars or cheaper restaurants. 


 

[Luuk Chaai]

On 4/24/2025 at 2:28 AM, GammaGlobulin said:

Right!

IKEA will NEVER get my cash.

I never shop there.

Just not my style.

 

I do not understand people that love IKEA....

 

But, live and let live, is my belief.....in life....

 

Mostly things fit for a Doll House, has always been my impression.

 

 

 

start with all those 28sq meter condos !

[radiochaser]

On 4/23/2025 at 9:38 PM, bendejo said:

A few years ago they were horse meat.

 

There is a warehouse store in US called Costco.  They are cashless, and have been for decades, and they also charge a membership fee.  At this time they only take Visa cards.  

 

The costco's around where I live, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, will take cash in the store.   

But you need a card for the gas pumps.  

[richard_smith237]

10 hours ago, balo said:

It's about time Thailand joins the cashless world. I know it can be hard but at least all the big chains should go that way .  I only use cash in bars or cheaper restaurants. 

 

Thats somewhat of an odd statement - Thailand is already as 'casheless' as anywhere else and nearly everywhere accepts digital payment... 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sir Dude]

Going completely cashless for a society is actually really stupid. You need to have options and there should be multiple ways to pay for things depending on the thing you want to buy, as some ways are more appropriate than others. On top of that, you are giving away far too much power to the banks and government, plus giving these types every bit of tiny information about your life... a huge invasion of privacy imo.

Also, freedom is about choice, and anything that takes away choice from you makes you less free. So many are blindly marching into a China style dystopia with credit scores just because they are too busy staring into their phones, whilst being hoodwinked with the idea "It's for your security and convenience..".

Personally, I use cash as much as I can... as it is irritating when some duffus at the cashier takes 10 minutes to figure out how to use their phone to pay for something... and I don't want an electronic trail that I bought 5 beers, some milk, and chocolate on a Friday afternoon. No way!

As an aside, what will you do if there's no elecricity or the internet goes down? How will you pay for something? Just wait for the next perfect solar storm or another "Carrington Event"... cash should be kept as a backup way to pay for things if it all goes south, unless of course you have silver and gold sovereigns at home, as that would work too.