When a store accepts a CC, they are charged for each CC transaction. Determining the exact amount that gets paid is convoluted; it depends on the CC used, how it is processed (e.g., swiped/tapped vs. web site), what middleman system processes the CC transaction, and some other things. But all together, these charges typically work out to 2.5-4.5% of the purchase price.
Here's a page with the convoluted CC processing details:
https://www.valuepenguin.com/what-credi ... fees-costs
It doesn't matter if you use a traditional CC (VISA, Mastercard, etc.), a debit card, or something like ApplePay. All of those charges get processed using the same systems on the backend, and the merchant pays something.
A previous post mentioned gun stores having a different cash vs. CC prices. I've seen that in my area as well. The "cash discount" price represents the real price of the item without the CC processing charges included. Most gun stores (excepting big national chains like Cabelas) are independent and operate on razor thin margins. So they aren't going to eat the CC processing charges, and the "regular" price has those charges included.
Keep those merchant-paid CC processing fees in mind when you use a CC at a small merchant. If you go to the farmer's market and buy $20 of strawberries and give the farmer a $20 bill, the farmer gets $20. If you use a CC and he uses his tablet with a Square dongle to process that CC, he's charged 0.62 (2.6% = 0.52, plus a 0.10 per transaction fee) by Square, so he's only getting $19.38 from that sale. (
https://squareup.com/guides/credit-card ... -and-rates)
You may not care if Amazon or Wal-Mart or some big national retailer has to eat the CC processing fees. But those fees can make a difference to a small local store. And even though a product might cost slightly more at a local store, some of us prefer to shop locally because we don't want to see the retail landscape devolve to the point where the only choices are Amazon and Wal-Mart.
Could a small store pad the price of everything to include the CC processing fees? Sure. And without a "cash discount" price, that means when I pay cash I'm boosting their profit margin on those items. And I'm OK with that. I don't shop at small stores to get the lowest price -- I'd go to Amazon or Wal-Mart if price was my only concern.
So yes, I still use cash for many purchases. Partially because I'm trying to help merchants avoid the CC processing fees. But partially because cash is anonymous (and now that we're all wearing masks everywhere, cash purchases are REALLY anonymous!) and I don't care to let VISA or Mastercard know everything about my purchasing habits.