Tim Hortons brews faster payment

BY NADINE ARMSTRONG

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com

Something new is brewing at Tim Hortons’ coffee shops across the county. Customers have noticed by now it costs a few cents extra to pick up their favorite cup of java. As well, a new method of payment has made fumbling in the pocket for change a thing of the past, but local operators say one has nothing to do with the other.

The newly installed 'swipe and go' machines mean all customers need at the drive-through or counter is their MasterCard. And although prices on hot beverages rose by four to seven cents a cup,Tim Hortons’ owner Joan Langille said revenue from the increase is not intended to offset the cost of this new technology.

She owns and operates all three Windsor and the one Hantsport location and said last year's wage increase and the rising cost of electricity were contributing factors for the new prices. “We put off raising prices as long as we could,” she said. “We've weathered through for the past year, but in the end we did need to adjust our prices.”

On the other hand, cost was a deciding factor in which credit card company they partnered with for the new user-friendly payment method. Langille said they gave all the credit card companies a chance, but MasterCard won the bid because they agreed to pay for the equipment and installation of the 'swipe and go' machine themselves. “This way we could keep prices down because there was no cost associated with it for us.”

Quicker than cash

The move toward 'cashless' transaction is the way of the future, Langille said. “People don't want to carry money around anymore. We were one of a few dinosaurs left still operating that way.”

She said installing the 'swipe and go' machine was an effort to become more customer-friendly while keeping costs down. “It’s quicker than cash.”

And in a fast-paced environment like Tim Hortons, time is always of the essence. “Our mandate is to have people place and receive their order in 21 seconds. The new machine will help make that a realistic goal.”

Langille said any type of MasterCard will work in the new machine and customers can charge up to $25 without signing a receipt. For best results, Langille suggests customers switch their card to the 'tap and go' model.

“You don't even have to swipe and look to see if it’s approved,” she said. “You can just flash it while going by the drive-through.”

Langille said they are also looking at creating a 'Tims' card that can be loaded on location or from customers’ home computers.

The only hitch in the new system so far is how to leave tips or donations when customers aren't paying with cash. “Our biggest concern was tips and our foundations,” Langille said. “Our staff really relies on their tips.”

She said they’re working toward a method that will allow customers to round up their payment to the next dollar for donation or tip. In the meantime, Langille hopes customers “will still have enough of the jingly stuff in their pockets to leave a little something.”