The Materiality of Point-of-Sale Credit Assessments

Abstract

Debt books of shoppers, sales forms of department stores, and POS terminals are those market devices that enable the seller to assess the creditworthiness and the credit limit of the buyer. The material aspects of these market devicesdomatter in the assessment processes. Debt book of shoppers records the routine shopping of customers. Hence, arhythmicevaluation process leads seller to trust the customer on credit. It also determines a certain limit and restructuring terms for the credit. Sales form of a department store makes a buyer answer definite questions that are weighted instantly to decide whether sell the product on credit or not. Hence, aclinicalevaluation process leads seller to trust on the customer on credit. POS terminal calls the server of Credit Card Company to receive authorization for the credit sale. Hence, analgorithmicevaluation process leads seller in couple of seconds to trust on his sale on a credit card. Based on interviews with relevant parties of credit sale transactions and published materials as well as literary works, this paper aims to open the black box of point-of-sale credit assessment processes by analysing the materiality of the market devices that enable credit assessment. Bridging the historical figurational analysis of Norbert Elias, andin situencounter analysis of Erving Goffman with the emphasis on non-humanactants of Actor Network Theory, the paper seeks for an alternative explanation to deconstruct the grand narrative of the loss of trust in modern society.