There's no cash in Sweden. Hardly anywhere takes it. It's like there's some anti-cash taskforce hellbent on eradicating it. There's so little cash that even beggars take "Swish" — direct mobile-to-mobile transfers.
I paid in cash recently and got a coin in my change. Wow, a coin! It's a 5 kronor, shiny and new and minted in 2016. I would have preferred it scuffed and scarred, but beggars can't be choosers (actually, they chose "Swish"). I hold it up to the light, flip it, eyeball the markings. My coin isn't even nice — all it's got on it are three splodgy crowns. The metal is thin and light, like toy money. I suppose Sweden makes their money so boring that everyone just sticks with card....nice, observable, traceable card. So safe. So clean. So...easily monitored. "Good show" say the kill-the-cash bureaucrats "Break out the light beer Lasse, cash is down by five fucking percent! HURRA!"
But a coin is something hard and real. It's not just 'blip-blip-gone'. You can flip it, slap it into your palm. Just for fun.
I'm keeping it. Those fuckers aren't taking it away from me!
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