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Not having cash actually is a feature for some establishments. There's a bar in Berkeley that doesn't allow you to pay with cash, so they had no need for regist

Not having cash actually is a feature for some establishments. There's a bar in Berkeley that doesn't allow you to pay with cash, so they had no need for registers. We assumed the purpose was to prevent any incentive to rob the place (even by employees).

ghaff 9y ago
It's probably not just being robbed but all the controls and general headaches associated with cash (transferring cash to and from the bank) that have to be in place if you use cash at all. Not just for securing against robbery but for accounting controls, auditors, etc. It's not that common today (and there are legal issues in some states), but I can easily see an establishment that gets to the 90% (or whatever) credit card/smartphone payment range deciding to just dump cash entirely.
StudentStuff 9y ago
This is quite rare compared to cash only establishments, I've yet to run into any bar like that in Seattle.
blahedo 9y ago
> "Doesn't allow you to pay with cash" How? Once they've poured your drink and ask for money, they can't refuse your cash payment[0] (that's what "legal tender" means). I suppose they could forbid you from ordering another at that point, or ban you.... [0] ETA: or rather, they can refuse it, but only if they forgive the debt. If you try to pay a debt in legal cash, they can't tell you "no you need to pay us some other way". (IANAL)
- PKop 9y ago
  Pretty sure they can: https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/currency_12772.htm https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/currency_12772.htm
- jjeaff 9y ago
  All debts public and private refers to debts by a creditor. A drink you haven't paid for isn't a debt. It's just an account payable. They don't have to take your cash.
  - closeparen 9y ago
    >debts by a creditor It's clearly not all debts. I actually can't think of any debts this applies to. Your student loan, credit card, auto loan, home loan, water bill, power bill, heck even rent if you're in a modern corporately owned complex... would never under any circumstances accept cash payment. It would be stunning if one even provided an address that isn't a PO box, let alone an address where you could get in the front door if you showed up in person, assuming you were willing to travel a few thousand miles. At most there might be something like a retail bank branch where you could deposit cash and then request an electronic transmission of the same amount of money.
- abritinthebay 9y ago
  I used to think that but after some more reading I realized it’s fundamentally not true. YANAL, as you said, and this is a common misconception about what “legal tender” is.
- grkvlt 9y ago
  Or, just exercise their right to not serve you? If you order something and then are unable to pay in the manner they request, they can just throw the drink away and move on. This would also happen if your card was declined.
lotsofpulp 9y ago
It’s also a feature to help keep out people with worse credit, who are likelier to cause problems, such as in hotels.

ghaff 9y ago

It's probably not just being robbed but all the controls and general headaches associated with cash (transferring cash to and from the bank) that have to be in place if you use cash at all. Not just for securing against robbery but for accounting controls, auditors, etc. It's not that common today (and there are legal issues in some states), but I can easily see an establishment that gets to the 90% (or whatever) credit card/smartphone payment range deciding to just dump cash entirely.

StudentStuff 9y ago

This is quite rare compared to cash only establishments, I've yet to run into any bar like that in Seattle.

blahedo 9y ago

> "Doesn't allow you to pay with cash" How? Once they've poured your drink and ask for money, they can't refuse your cash payment[0] (that's what "legal tender" means). I suppose they could forbid you from ordering another at that point, or ban you.... [0] ETA: or rather, they can refuse it, but only if they forgive the debt. If you try to pay a debt in legal cash, they can't tell you "no you need to pay us some other way". (IANAL)

PKop 9y ago
Pretty sure they can: https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/currency_12772.htm https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/currency_12772.htm
jjeaff 9y ago
All debts public and private refers to debts by a creditor. A drink you haven't paid for isn't a debt. It's just an account payable. They don't have to take your cash.
- closeparen 9y ago
  >debts by a creditor It's clearly not all debts. I actually can't think of any debts this applies to. Your student loan, credit card, auto loan, home loan, water bill, power bill, heck even rent if you're in a modern corporately owned complex... would never under any circumstances accept cash payment. It would be stunning if one even provided an address that isn't a PO box, let alone an address where you could get in the front door if you showed up in person, assuming you were willing to travel a few thousand miles. At most there might be something like a retail bank branch where you could deposit cash and then request an electronic transmission of the same amount of money.
abritinthebay 9y ago
I used to think that but after some more reading I realized it’s fundamentally not true. YANAL, as you said, and this is a common misconception about what “legal tender” is.
grkvlt 9y ago
Or, just exercise their right to not serve you? If you order something and then are unable to pay in the manner they request, they can just throw the drink away and move on. This would also happen if your card was declined.

lotsofpulp 9y ago

It’s also a feature to help keep out people with worse credit, who are likelier to cause problems, such as in hotels.