It's anonymous. Nobody knows that's the 5th plunger you've been through in a week.

That's kind of condescending, in that it assumes that the average customer really can't afford what they're selling. My first thought would be not how they're trying to suck people into the debt spiral with their little jab, but more like "what a rude little sign".

Could we have some contextual information about the sign? Is it stuck on a big ticket item? On the register? This would help us out!

Fine. I'll use my charge card for that $0.39 washer I need. Let them lose money on the transaction with the credit card company.

By paying cash I might end up getting a contact high from all of the drugs that are on our currency in circulation and really, who doesn't like free drugs?

I think it's a perfectly legitimate - if snarky - question; unless you're buying a pack of gum or something, a credit card is the way to go.

@timmus: Kinda looks like the door to a microwave from here.

I think that it's a fairly legit statement, but only because I pay off my card every month. Home Depot is just making it to try to get a buck on the HD credit card.

Because in this ridiculously information-gathering corporate culture in which we live, I get a small thrill from the fact that no one knows what I'm buying.

Using cash instead of your debit can help you prevent those wacky overdraft fees.

I will never have another 37 dollar cup of starbucks coffee of the day again if I just take a minute to scrape 2 dollars out of my purse instead of debiting it when the bank has held a big deposit for no reason and processed 6 small transactions first. :)

@The Count of Monte Fisto: Even for a pack of gum, credit cards are the way to go, in my opinion.

What's wrong with that? As long as you're not foolish enough to carry a balance, CC's are the way to go. You get an automatic 1% discount on everything, per cash-back and points! It would be foolish not to use CC's for everything.

@johnva: So you're the guy who's always in front of me in line when I'm in a hurry!

@KatieKate93: Agreed. They should have stopped at "Why Pay Cash?" But unless the sign is in the context of a special financing offer, what the hell? Why put a needless, obvious sign up-even if you could?

Home Depot wants you to run up your credit cards so you default on them. Then you default on the mortgage. Then you lose your home to foreclosure. Next, your house, likely a small crack shack gets auctioned off by the bank and purchased by a developer that levels the home, then buys the materials and fixtures for the rebuild... from Home Depot.

I'm one who pays almost everything with credit cards, and pay it off within a couple of days with online banking. Like a delivery guy, I usually carry no more than $20 in cash. It racks up the free gas pretty quick on my BP card.

Except when I need it for cash-only transactions, like hookers and blow.

I call shenanigans, how hard would it be for a customer to stick a piece of paper on the display/wall/shelf/whatever this is as a prank?

I tend to use my CC only for online purchases and expensive items that I want covered by the CC's purchase protection benefits.

Because I completely review my CC bill each month to make sure it is accurate, I want it to be as simple as possible. I don't want to have to document and revisit every pack of gum or sandwich I may have bought in the past 30 days.

As for the Home Depot sign, I'm not exactly sure what their point is, but it does seem a little snarky.

I find this funny, because I remember a few years ago when my parents paid for new countertops and linoleum for our kitchen from HD in cash. They were completely floored, as if the concept of paying in cash was entirely foreign.

It was hilarious.

I buy all my wood in cash...

Although the CC does make taxes easier for a lot of things for small business owners and other tax reasons when shopping at places like Home Depot

"Why buy here?"

@TalKeaton: Funny! You joked. (see "floored" and linoleum pun)

That sign probably is related to buying carpet or something large on a Home Depot card or Home Depot credit program. There is probably another sign above saying "No Payments and No Interest for 1 year!"

So here Home Depot recommends that we use credit, while Canadian Tire gives CTM as a cash incentive?

Because debt is stupid.

See: current state of American economy

To keep your CC number away from thieving employees.

My husband's number was stolen from a local store a few months ago (we know it was local because someone was ordering stuff online and having it delivered locally) and it was a huge hassle to right the ship.

We pay our balances every month and enjoy the frequent flier miles, but dealing with fraud is a big concern.

@josephbloseph: Canadian Tire Money is simply one of the genius things of this world. Feels like cash, spends like cash, you get a good feeling collecting it, and charities will accept it. Getting $2-$3 in CTM when buying gas is satisfying, and takes the edge of CT's higher prices. Canadian Tire Money rocks.

[www2.canadiantire.ca]

Because that way you can't track every little purchase I make and decide to send me targeted circulars filled with things that I have no intention of purchasing. I shop at Home Depot for the discount most of the time, but if I need a few nails or a some simple stuff, there's a hardware store just down the road. And if I want quality lumber, I go to a lumber yard.

Their usage of "if you could" also imply that you, the customer, couldn't possibly have enough cash to buy the item... which, when you think about it, makes the whole sticker moot in the first place. The sign should have said "even if you can".

@theblackdog: My thoughts exactly. How about posting a homemade sign "If you can't pay cash, you can't afford it" and "Imagine how much better you'd feel if you paid cash". I am 'righting my ship' financially, and I think these things whenever I'm in a store.

At Home Depot we often use the 10% off coupons for large purchases (over $500) which are only valid if you use the HD credit card. We then pay off the card in full.

But otherwise we use debit (cash) for all purchases and we have no debt except our mortgage.

I am the guy that took the picture. It was at a Home Depot in Woodstock, GA, and was stuck to a $3,000 GE microwave/range combo. I thought it was odd because there wasn't anything else explaining the context of the question. No credit offer, no incentive to charge - just this nebulous question...

@IphtashuFitz:

Pff that .39 cent washer only cost them 5 cents, they mark the item up 7-8 times on items that low in value, your the sucker then, not them. My guess is HD would love you to buy tons of them.

@TalKeaton:

You're lucky noone called the cops on them. Because everyone knows only drug dealers buy anything expensive with cash! lol

I've often wondered what would happen if I walked into a dealership & wanted to buy a brand new car with $20,000 in cash.

Strange... I don't know of a good reason to not use cash, long as cash is an option. Cash is secure, private and confidential. Use plastic and some minimum wage employee has your account information, it goes into some possibly-badly-secured corporate system where hackers can help themselves, your purchase history goes to your credit card company and to all of their "affiliates" including the ones you can't opt out of, you earn a "prior business relationship" with the company you purchased from, which entitles them to telemarket to you if they so choose... Where's the upside?

@Bladefist: "You know they sold me the 7th plunger? By throwing the 8th one in for free! Heh heh heh heh heh, ain't America great?!"

-Kids in the Hall

I hate that the self serve registers at Home Depot, et al do not have a coin acceptor larger than a small slot. These places can have a little bowl to sent coins to as your change but not for you to use I understand that the grocery stores have a coinstar or similar contract to rip off people 10% for laziness, but Home Depot and other places should have a better slot arrangement.

One time, we wrapped over $50 to buy a ceiling fan. The service checkout woman looked at us like we were aliens from another planet when we presented the nicely wrapped coins (And $30 was in 3 rolls of quarters). I told her that we would have fed the self-service register but the hole was too small. With a harumph she took the coins...

@DWalk: Unless you're trying to return something -

[www.cbc.ca]

@DWalk:
Amazing how few people catch on to that.

Of course, everyone posting here is a responsible credit user who pays their balance off every month faithfully but I suspect that for every one of those there are ten that don't and those people... coupled with the predatory banks and credit card companies that have become an industry in themselves these past few years... are one of the major reasons the economy is in the shambles it's in.

@forgottenpassword: My mom actually bought a new (to her) car with cash a few years ago. The car probably cost about 17K but she wanted to pay for it all in cash because she could and she wanted to see their faces.

They took the cash and then had her wait while they checked it in case it was counterfeit. I am sure that they thought she was a drug dealer but what kind of drug dealer is buying a dodge van?

Personally, I take advantage of every 0% interest offer I can get my hands on. Right now I have about $5,000 on a 0% account from a furniture store. That same amount of cash is in a 5% CD, by the time the interest kicks in in 2012 I'll have enough to pay it off in full plus a lot extra.

@forgottenpassword:
My wife and I just bought a car with a large sum of cash via wire transfer, but I am assuming you mean walking into a dealership with a bag full of bills. I was with a friend of mine about 10 years ago who did just that, the dealer looked at him like he was nuts, but had no problem taking it, other than filling out a form from the Treasury Department. It was around $25k in cash, I don't know if the Feds came knocking on his door afterwards or not. The best part was watching three people count it three times.

@Meggers: "They took the cash and then had her wait while they checked it in case it was counterfeit. I am sure that they thought she was a drug dealer but what kind of drug dealer is buying a dodge van?"

Drug dealers don't need to counterfeit money. Biker gangs have been known to use vans to haul their illicit items, so when a biker gets pulled over and searched, the van rolls on by, and the biker is clean.

It seems almost every place where I hand a bill larger than $5 checks it for counterfeit. I wouldn't expect a dealership to be any different.

That form they fill out is for any cash transaction over $10k. It's to create a paper trail in case you're trying to launder money. Also helps the IRS to get you for back taxes if you make a large purchase with unreported cash.

@vladthepaler: Well it's nice to know I am not the only one who still likes to do business with cash frequently.

It's anonymous, quick, secure. You don't have to worry about overdraft fees and any other surcharges or limitations.

In my opinion it's the most efficient way to pay for smaller ticket items. There are absolutely no conditions attached to it. When was the last time you saw a post on consumerist about a customer upset they had to show ID to pay with CASH? That's right, never.

While I do appreciate the protections credit cards offer for larger purchases, if I am buying anything under say $100, I usually pay cash and I have seldom had issues doing returns or refunds on those transactions.

Oh, and I meant to add: Home Despot wants you to use credit so they can upsell you. Added benefit is when you default on the CC payments, it's not their loss.

This actually reminds me of the Burger King commercials a few years back, where they were advertising their relatively inexpensive fast food meals by implying that two characters in the commercial, junior college students, probably didn't have much money and should therefore eat at Burger King

@Bladefist: Until they put RFID chips in all the currency, that is.

I understand what Home Depot tries to do, but honestly, I use a credit card for 99% of my purchase anyway. I never see a point of using debit card over credit card. If you use debit card or cash believing they help you stay financially sound, it's time to train yourself to budget and control spending better. Credit cards are generally safer, transactions are trackable, you get benefits such as price protection, warranty extension, rewards, and you earn more interest since your cash will stay in your savings account for longer time. In addition, if something goes wrong, you can ask a credit card company to take a look into it. Just remember though 1)don't carry balance, and 2)don't use a Home depot card.

I like my Home Depot trick. When they have the 1 year no payment / interest when spending $300 bucks or more, I'll use my HD card and 'purchase' a gift card, which qualifies for the deal. Then, I pay off the credit balance over the next year (all at zero interest), while at the same time I have money for whatever random thing I need from the Depot. My house is almost 100 years old, so I always need something.

I think a microwave oven is one of the few things I would actually go into debt to buy. They DO make life cheaper.

Also, this is even better than the Home Depot Shed prank!

If someone mugs me and steals my CC, I can fix that.

If someone mugs me and takes my cash, I'm screwed.

Having been robbed as a kid, I'm decidedly cash averse. That doesn't mean I'm financially irresponsible.