Work canteen purchases to come out of following month's pay packets

A question about : Work canteen purchases to come out of following month's pay packets

My employer is introducing a cashless system for our new canteen.
We were emailed the idea and asked for feedback. They plan to use our Company ID/swipe cards to pay for any purchases made in the canteen. All spends will then be taken out of the following month's pay packet.
Most feedback given was against this idea with many suggesting we use top-up cards that we can personally add money to using our debit cards instead or just use our actual debit cards.
It would seem that despite the majority's opinion, the company are proceeding with the original idea.
Their argument is that it's the same thing either way and that lots of schools use it. I personally think we should have a choice and paying for lunches in a lump sum before I even receive my pay packet is not the same as spending Ј4 a couple of days a week out of my bank account that I can personally budget. I also can't help but think this is a good way for the company to keep the money in their pocket for the duration of the month.
I'm just really interested in people's thoughts on the matter.
Thanks in advance.

Best answers:

• Hi,
  why not just take a packed lunch?
• If you want to put a spanner in the works, you can always pull out the equality/diversity card and say it amounts to a debt for the food - and some religions (sharia law) don't allow debt, so they'd be denying those people (muslims) access to food.
• The college I work at went cashless last year. We use pre-loaded cards. I thought my place was bad because they won't 'splash out' on change machines. The only thing that was effective was the students boycotting the canteens. Catering was at breaking point because some places lost 80% of their revenue overnight.
  It sounds like your employer is cutting costs. Cashless must be cheaper and they don't even have to buy card machines. So if they do go cashless without pre-loaded cards, might I suggest you boycott? They'll listen when they start losing money
• The money is in your bank earning interest for up to one month extra. Surely this works in your favour?
• Surely you don't budget for next month based on how much you've spent this month? Most people would check how much money they've got in their bank account and budget accordingly. If you have spare at the end of the month you top up your card, you certainly wouldn't want to have spent next months salary before you get it surely?
  df
• Hi,
  ahh, they are going to shut the canteen.
  If enough folks boycott the canteen, then in a few months the company will say it is losing money and has to close.
• My maths may be wrong but you say you go to the canteen 2 days a week and spend Ј4 a time so that's Ј32 a month taken out of your pay packet. It doesn't seem a huge amount.
  If money is tight then It seems relatively straightforward to just put Ј4 into a pot everytime you have a canteen lunch and then at the end of the month deposit into your bank account.
  It seems like one of those things that is not really an issue but people get worked up about it!
• Hi,
  Quote:
• Hi,
  if company had said, 'were going to close canteen', there would, no doubt've been uproar.
  As I said in previous post, if staff boycott canteen, then in a few months time it may close as losing money.
  Then company can say. 'well you didn't use it'.
  Company saves more money.
• Sounds like a good idea for those that lack budgeting skills and less hassle than taking money out of the atm ...
• It'd be tempting for some to over-spend if the money is limitless.
  Better to have a pre-payment card that budgeters could decide to put Јx on per week & after that, it's packed lunch.
  If the majority of you don't want the proposed system, just take packed lunches. Is there a microwave & kettle for you to use as well?
  I'm used to taking my own lunch because of dietary requirements and money-saving. The canteen's sandwiches & traybakes are a rip-off.
• I used to have this at work and it was a god send towards the end of the month knowing I would at least have one good meal a day, before I got good at managing my money.
• Is there an actual reason you are against this? Nothing you have posted so far is much of an explanation why.
  As for budgeting, surely this makes things easier as you know right at the beginning of the month how much of your wages are going to go towards lunch?
  I am really struggling to understand why you are against this.