Re:Full power outage in Spain and Portugal
by brewdad on Monday April 28, 2025 @06:28PM
(#43826794)
In a multi-day event like we are talking about here, couldn't a shop owner revert to a paper ledger? I mean, it would suck and transactions would take much longer but if the alternative is people starving or having your inventory looted by a desperate mob, a nineteenth century solution seems preferable.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
They can and do. They will also do deep cuts on prices/give away for free for refrigerated and frozen goods because those will just get tossed and neighborhood goodwill is still a thing in some places.
Re:Full power outage in Spain and Portugal
by chihuahua on Monday April 28, 2025 @10:40PM
(#43828237)
There was a 4-day power outage here (Seattle suburbs) last fall, and one of the auto parts store made an effort to serve customers even though they didn't have any power. I paid cash, and I forget whether or how they did credit card transactions (possibly by writing down CC numbers on paper.) They made a lot of phone calls to a different store to get prices for items.
I'm located in Barcelona, and yesterday lot of transactions on mini markets / pharmacies were not possible because the item prices were unknown, adding to the fact there was no phone lines available to reach out.