Why bother? It's not like BTC is even that useful in retail. Let it first prove itself by conquering the international remittances market and e-commerce.
Why is it not useful in retail? I love the idea of not having to depend on a credit card company to buy simple, cheap items. If I can just scan a QR code and pay directly that sounds so much easier and convenient.
I'm surprised that someone on this forum would regurgitate an incorrect statement like this.
Bitpay and coinbase remove the risk of volatility completely. Period.
This only remove the risk on the merchant side. What about consumer side?
If consumer only buy bitcoin on demand before paying, why not stick to fiat or credit card?
Because right now bit coin consumers are also the main advocates for it. It is well worth it for me to use bitcoin at expedia for my travel and pay the exchange rate to replenish my supply. I get to help the bit coin economy and keep my stake where it is. In time this will be less of an issue because there will be a natural discount passed on to customers from businesses because they no longer have to build fraud and fees into their price structure.