"Particularly in supermarkets, newsagents' kiosks, fast food outlets and public houses."Inevitably at such join an early stage of a totally new concept there will be people in Swindon who aren't yet aware of what Mondex might join do for them. htm But independent market research hasshown htm that the join overwhelming majority of those who do use Mondex htm are very happy with it."Perhaps I was unlucky. "Mondex htm is beginning to replace cash, and to change people's spending join habits," insists Ron Clark htm the company's Chief Executive. They say some 70 per cent of the town's retailers join take it, while there are currently around 10,000 card holders.

Fast food - electronic cash; McDonalds - McMondex! The young lad behind the register informed me that his Mondex card had been taken away by the bank because he kept going overdrawn with it.Despite all this, Mondex UK Ltd are quite bullish about what they claim is a success. The Oven Door, a cafe a door down from the Mondex Centre didn't take it Nor did the restaurant in the Wyvern Theatre. The Savoy, a big pub in the centre, took Access, Visa, Switch and Amex - but not Mondex Increasingly hungry, I ended up in McDonalds This seemed appropriate. The sales assistant pulled a Mondex machine from under the counter and blew dust off it. It wasn't used much, she admitted.Trying to buy lunch on Mondex was a sad affair. Forced to dig out cash, I asked stallholder Pauline Dawson why she wouldn't take my card."I've only been in business three weeks but nobody's come in and asked me for Mondex," she explained "I haven't got one I don't want one either I prefer cash.

I know how much I've got, how much I've spent and what I've got left I like to see my money."She is not alone. In Beatties I picked up a couple of toys and put them on the counter "Sorry, we don't take Mondex," said the lady on the till. "Somebody came round asking if we wanted it, but we weren't bothered to be honest." So back went the toys.In Burton Menswear I picked up several pairs of socks. And there was a compulsion to check the balance, what if I was electronically overcharged? But a quick look at the reader showed pounds 49.60 left."From a retailer's point of view it's very good," said news-stand manager Richard Jackson "But less than one per cent of my actual customers use it. Lots of people get confused about what it actually is, they think it's a Switch card or a credit card."In Debenhams cafe they took it too.