[Fat Charlie]

Redistribution? Yeah, the wealth was getting redistributed to the financial services industry. Business as usual, in other words.

Credit card companies charge a fee and a percentage of every transaction. Remember when gas stations had a cash price and a credit price? The bank lobby made that illegal so cash customers had to pay the higher price. Stores put up with it because they want people to spend money and roll the fees into the retail price so they don't lose. Stores do want to keep them to a minimum- you've seen places that won't take American Express? It's because they take a bigger cut than the others.