Currently, the shop often covers the payment fee.. The fee, atleast in the Netherlands can be up to a euro per transaction (depending on your volume ofcourse). As a costumer, you don't see this because the shop takes care of this. Maybe an option like this, where the receiver pays the fee, could be an option?
That's how Visa/MasterCard does it. They charge their percentage to the receiver. Of course, that's passed along to the customer in higher prices. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about transactions that currently do not cost either party anything. I walk into a store and see a flat screen TV that I want to buy for $3k. I don't carry that kind of money around with me so I use a checking debit card that automatically taps my saving account to buy it. There is no fee whatsoever. Why would you routinely pay more for your utility bills (even a penny) month after month when you don't have to? Makes no sense.
If I want to send money quickly to the Russian mafia half way around the world for some reason. That's where Bitcoin shines.
Using a debit card is pretty much the same as using a credit card, the merchant still has a cost.
All forms of payment have a cost, even cash, however in today's society generally the costs are not visible to the consumer as they are already priced into the goods or services.