Cash or Card: Consumer Perceptions of Payment Modes - Scholarly ...

Emotions (see Exhibit 5.7g)
The most reported emotion was in the context of receiving a gift of cash (the focus was on
$50/$100) was ‘excited’- excitement that they could indulge. This of course may be a
reflection of the characteristics of those studied- females with young families. Females with
young children tend not to have spare cash to spend on themselves. This of course may have
biased the gift findings, as the gift of cash does not go into ‘general revenue’, but can be kept
to spend whichever way they fancy.
The other emotion reported is a sense of sadness, this is different to pain and is more
associated with sentimental nostalgic feeling of loss of something to which you were
attached. experienced when parting with cash that does not occur when a card is used as well
as a feeling of justified self-satisfaction, in the sense that being able to spend is a ‘reward’ for
work done and it is more intense when cash is used. This awareness of concurrent emotions
was generally agreed. The following extract (Focus Group Four) is an example:
LI
SH
P1. If it’s a luxury thing depending on how much money I had if it’s a kind of
luxury item and I feeling a bit broke then I might not feel very happy about it but I
never feel very happy about the money for shopping for the groceries. But
otherwise if it was a present then I would feel very happy about buying a luxury
thing. Bargain ..all those luxury items all those wonderful cheeses I had brought.
Doesn’t matter how you pay? (Facilitator)
P1. Yes with the card you don’t feel the, parting with it- No not as much
P3. Yeah
P2. Not as an emotional parting like I know it’s gone obviously but not a kind of a
real thing…..
So cash is more.......(Facilitator)
P1.…more protective feeling – want to keep it safe
With the cash......(Facilitator)
P3. Yeah- More responsibility with the cash because you get that realistic my hard
money earned is disappearing
P3. Yeah so the experience is actually more heightened either way when you are
using this cash and we are talking about this luxury situation.
P2. Exciting!!
Exciting? (Facilitator)
P3. Yeah, Yes a bit of a rush
P2. Yes – sort of - feels like I am in control. I think heightens is a really good word
P3. You can be a bit naughty with the cards because you don’t have the absence of
that feeling there’s more responsibility I reckon
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