Supermarkets require a purchase to provide cash-back, do they not? That would seem to amount to some sort of fee, even if it's a lot smaller (e.g. a 50 cent pack of gum).
EDIT: I suppose I am referring to precisely that aspect of them which would otherwise be "ATM-like" - namely, that the function is to dispense cash on demand, and that the fees in question would otherwise go solely toward paying for the privilege. Cashback is a nice way to stock up on hard currency, but it is technically a side effect of making a purchase, not an ATM, even though in practice the side effect does not entail a "fee" in that you meant to buy whatever you're buying regardless.
Right. But purchasing something at a store like this when I travel is in no way forced for me.
I find my friends and I go to grocery stores/drug stores even more often when we travel than at home. You have no stock of stuff like when at home/work. You're constantly grabbing a drink/a snack things to take back to "base." You often have no refrigeration, so that means more, smaller trips to the store, too.
EDIT: I suppose I am referring to precisely that aspect of them which would otherwise be "ATM-like" - namely, that the function is to dispense cash on demand, and that the fees in question would otherwise go solely toward paying for the privilege. Cashback is a nice way to stock up on hard currency, but it is technically a side effect of making a purchase, not an ATM, even though in practice the side effect does not entail a "fee" in that you meant to buy whatever you're buying regardless.