A cafe in the hot and humid Western Australian town of Carnarvon has sparked an uproar by banning people from paying with money stashed in their bras and underpants.
Fascine Coffee Lounge Photo: Google Streetview screenshot
Fascine Coffee Lounge owner Robin Weeks said that his staff, including his son, were fed up with accepting sweaty money from patrons.
"A couple of people pulled out money from their undies, other people from their bras," he said.
"We have had people that have searched for things in their pockets and just put their money back in their mouth until they've found it."
He said he put up a sign on the register spelling out the cafe's policy, but he feared it had simply forced the problem out of sight, and not prevented patrons' unorthodox cash-carrying habits.
"We did keep the sign up for about two months, but then people just caught on that they could take their money out of their bras before they came in," he said.
He said he had turned customers away and would continue to do so, and urged women particularly to carry a purse.
"I know it's basically women, we've had some men that've put it in their jocks and pulled it out from there, [but] I know most women don't have pockets," he said.
"I really don't know what to say."
Talkback caller Christine from Meekathara said she thought the ban was unfair.
"I think it should be allowed, basically, speaking as a woman who often wears clothing without pockets," she said.
"I agree that money is dirty in terms of bacterial stuff, but I don't think being in a sweaty hand or being in a sweaty bra, [it] doesn't make any difference."
- AFP
