Your payment is OK with us

KUA recently announced that their customers can now pay their monthly utility bills at local Amscot locations.

Experienced readers of this blog have already mentally leapt ahead, looking for an Amscot punchline. Stay with us.

Because today we write not to criticize KUA or Amscot, but to congratulate them.

KUA is in the power generation and delivery business, not the staffing a payment counter business. Amscot, on the other hand, is in the staffing a financial storefront 24 hours a day business. Thus, rather than guessing when customers might want to come in to pay their utility bill, and trying to have staff available to accommodate most of them, it makes sense for KUA to have Amscot locations accept those payments, as they are open already.

In a time when governments and businesses alike are trying to reduce costs and become more efficient, doesn't it make sense to actually offer longer in-person payment hours without having to increase staff?

We also noted that KUA is picking up the $1 fee that Amscot charges for this service. We hope that this is also an indication of things to come, where government and quasi-government agencies realize that the savings gained through more rapid payment (anyone noticed how long it takes a check to clear these days?) and lack of staff processing time needed overcome the merchant service charge on credit/debit payments, and that those agencies stop exploiting a loophole in their merchant service agreement that allows them to charge a "convenience fee" by using a 3rd party processor.