Credit card fees are an unfortunate cost of doing business these days but I have never heard of a company getting charged $1/transaction from a processing company that they would need to pass on to a consumer. Credit card processing is a very competitive business and fees are very negotiable these days. Most fees usually run more along the lines of well under $.40/transaction and that is if you do very little volume and have not been in biz long. Hopalong is correct that the service fee is a consideration in determining margins, though a very minor one. So, the thing to look at to determine if his theory about the store not charging all customers for the credit card fees and thus being a 'pro' for the cash consumer is to see if the prices drop for cash customers or if a store has lower prices for the same products as another store that does not charge for credit card use. We have lots of customers who come in and buy a single 22oz bottle or a six pack and put it on their credit or debit card. While those transactions cost us a little higher % of the sale to process it is ok because the customer who spends $50 balances that out. If we charged an additional $1 for a six pack or 22oz that would not really be fair to the customer. Just my view.
