Ask HN: Why aren't QR based payments big in western markets?

For example in China you find WeChat Pay and Alipay QR codes at every single shop / food stall / vendor.

What is holding a company like Venmo, PayPal, or even Facebook from implementating a similar system?

To me, it seems the biggest value it brings is the lack of initial investment it takes from a company to add support. Just print a simple QR code on paper or a sticker and you're set. It's not like Western users aren't used to digital payments already.