This is another reason they will be dead once these customers figure out they can do it with bitcoin faster and easier.
We're not quite there yet with seamless international transfers. I live in the UK, if somebody sends me £1,000 in BTC I need to change this into fiat money. Right now the only way I can do this is by registering on an exchange, providing all my ID + verification (sound familiar?), then listing the BTC for sale. I suspect the same is true in most countries. So Western Union still has a place until such time that BTC can be converted to and from fiat effortlessly OR there are 1000s of retailers accepting BTC as a valid form of payment. I'm really hoping for the latter!
B&M acceptance is still negligible unless you're in a major city (sometimes even then, still), though, but I don't use B&Ms except for fresh groceries, medical care (I think I just visited a doctor ~4 years ago), and gas. -And dog food. Unsure if there's much reason to worry about B&M adoption... going the way of landline phones and dedicated television service. By the time Bitcoin's relevant there, many of the stores won't be.
I keep cash from local BTC sales on property, but rarely have to dip into it. Hoping I can go a full year without having to buy more fiat, but property taxes make it hard.
