New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS): People visited the outlets of supermarket chain Big Bazaar on Thursday to withdraw cash. They said it was quite convenient than standing in queues outside bank offices and at ATM kiosks for hours.

Thursday was the first day of cash withdrawal facility from Big Bazaar after such a provision was announced on Wednesday by the Future Retail firm at its 258 Big Bazaar and FBB stores in over 115 cities and towns across the country.

The State Bank of India (SBI) helped Big Bazaar activate this facility through the bank's cash at point of sale (POS) machines.

"We have two dedicated card swiping machines for cash withdrawal. Only one transaction is allowed per person and we are giving only Rs 2,000 per transaction. There was rush in the morning but it thinned out in the afternoon," said a staff member.

Customers at the Big Bazaar said they were relieved to find such innovative way of cash withdrawal.

"I had refrained from going to ATMs and banks so far due to the rush and long queues there. I could withdraw cash here very easily today. This service should be extended at all such kind of stores," said Sandeep Kaushik, who visited a Big Bazaar outlet on Thursday.

Some, however, faced inconvenience after debit cards of certain banks like HDFC, ICICI, Punjab National Bank were not accepted by the system.