Penalize the Exceptions, Not the Majority

A new meat market recently opened down the street from us. It has a great selection of both meat and seafood. It also has a terrible policy posted on the front door:

“There’s a 3% surcharge if you pay with a credit card.”

Less and less people carry cash, and even fewer know how to write a check anymore. But, nearly everyone carries credit or debit cards. Wouldn’t it make more sense to raise all prices in the store by 3%, and change the sign? It could then say:

“There’s a 3% discount if you pay with cash.”

It’s better to create policies that penalize the exceptions, rather than the majority. We, as customers, don’t care about the financial burden that credit card companies are putting on merchants. That’s their business. We just want a good steak.

Gas stations have it figured out.

How about your business or department?  Any policies in place that penalize the wrong people? Flip the script. Reward the right people and make it easy for everyone to do business with you!