5 ms·

It sounds like the author lives somewhere upper class. I've never been to a business that can't take cash.

casion 5y ago
I live in a "not affluent" city, and cashless is common. Many restaurants will not take cash. No hotels take cash. Some gas stations do not take cash. Grocery stores actively encourage cashless payments. etc... Is it more likely that you frequent places which are cash-centric? Coffee shops, independent retailers and the like?
- lupire 5y ago
  independent vendors use square instead of cash.
  - casion 5y ago
    It's the opposite in my experience. If I go to the welding shop, it's cash only. Similar for other local shops that I frequent.
    - ghaff 5y ago
      I'd be surprised if that were the norm in most places in the US. I have a $20 bill stuck in my wallet--which I carry mostly as a backup in case something goes wonky with my phone--but I mostly don't carry cash except on trips and I expect I'm more careful than many.
      - phil21 5y ago
        You'll find a strong blue/white collar divide here, which also tends to follow rural/urban lines. Once you get into the trades and workshops, cash is king for obvious tax avoidance reasons. It's rare someone in such regions doesn't at least imply you can pay a portion of an invoice/bill with cash for a moderate discount. Small shops in those areas might be more apt to only accept cash, and you'll notice at chain stores like Dollar Tree the cashiers actually have cash handling skills vs. the affluent areas of the cities. For most places within the airline network, you can easily avoid paying cash these days. I still recommend anyone who travels keep enough cash on them to get back home in a pinch, if at all practical. This is personal anecdote, but I make it a point to pay cash whenever at all possible (to the point of being "that guy" in my friend group) so I likely pay attention to it more than most.
actually_a_dog 5y ago
In SF, they recently passed a law saying all stores must accept cash. https://www.ktvu.com/news/san-franciscos-cashless-ban-now-in-effect-stores-that-dont-comply-could-get-slapped-with-fine https://www.ktvu.com/news/san-franciscos-cashless-ban-now-in...
- umeshunni 5y ago
nickff 5y ago
It's become common in many restaurants and stores throughout North America during the COVID pandemic. It seems unlikely that all these businesses will revert. Other places such as China and some Nordic countries have gone further.
handmodel 5y ago
I'm far from the biggest crypto enthusiast but pretty hard to buy home, purchase car, get business loan etc. without a bank account. Obviously you can still get food and clothes no issue but I think the larger point stands.
uoaei 5y ago
There are a few that won't take cash, especially in the more COVID-conscious areas. Nominally it was because during early pandemic people were worried about handling cash with virons on it, or otherwise bringing infected peoples' bodies nearer to cashiers' bodies than strictly necessary. Then many realized that their profits didn't take a hit since card payments are common now and nearly everyone has a card. Now it seems simply to be a convenience thing. Probably businesses are happy with prompting every customer with a tip request, rather than expecting them to remember to drop some money in the jar before they leave with their goods.
- henryfjordan 5y ago
  There were some non-cash businesses in L.A. before covid hit. My favorite was a boba shop. They mostly cited that the cost of the Armored truck to count/move the money + risk of robbery/theft (including by employees) cost them more than the CC fees and now it's all digital.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
adamrezich 5y ago
many Walmart and other grocery self-checkouts began only accepting cards due to a ""coin shortage"" during covid, and it seems like they now have no reason to revert.
- zdragnar 5y ago
  No need for scare quotes; it was (still is?) a real thing. My local rural grocery store has had a hard time getting coins for making change basically since covid started.
  - adamrezich 5y ago
    they aren't scare quotes, we just never got a good explanation for why there was a shortage, aside from some vague hand-waving about covid.
    - zdragnar 5y ago
      A super quick search on google reveals two causes: - The US mint slowed production to protect workers - The shutdowns slowed circulation of existing coins Given that a large percentage of coins are irredeemably damaged or lost each year (I once knew a particularly spoiled college student who would simply throw change away rather than deal with keeping them) it doesnt seem like much explanation is owed beyond that.
      - adamrezich 5y ago
        and all of this right as the Federal Reserve is looking at making a digital dollar, what're the odds
deathanatos 5y ago
The state of Massachusetts no longer operates toll booths along some of its toll roads. You either have an EZ Pass, or (for +$0.60 more) you get a photo taken of your plate, and a bill mailed to you, which is online or check only, no cash option. Or you stay off the toll roads, I guess. IDK what NY's policy is, but it is rather hard to cross the southern Hudson without toll. If you're renting a car, and you don't have an EZ Pass, some rental agencies will also charge some pretty ridiculous fees (we were once charged ~$25 for a single toll!), which pretty much forces you down the EZ Pass route, or onto some really odd paths to avoid incurring that charge. (In our case, we didn't even realize we'd driven on a toll road, and actually requested proof of such when the bill came. Sure enough, we had.)
- henryfjordan 5y ago
  If Massachusetts says you owe money, they must accept cash. That's the point of cash being "legal tender", you cannot refuse it if someone is trying to settle a debt. That said, it might be really hard to figure out how to pay in cash.
  - ska 5y ago
    That's potentially interesting: legal tender means it must be accepted to settle certain debts and contractual obligations, but it doesn't mean you must accept it for transactions. Something like EZ pass seems potentially gray area; can they just say "well don't use these roads if you don't like the payment terms" ? I suspect you are right that with a state agency they probably have to provide some way for you to settle a debt (plus possible penalties) in cash, but they don't have to make it convenient.
    - henryfjordan 5y ago
      If there was a gate at the entrance to the road and they verified you had an EZ Pass before letting you drive onto their road, sure. It's the same as a coffee shop not giving you any coffee until you've paid using a credit card. If they put up a sign that said "don't use these roads if you don't like the payment terms" and then you drove on the road anyway, that would technically form a contract between EZ Pass and the driver. However, contracts are made to be broken and any damages would be payable in cash so we're back to the start. The legal tender thing has nothing to do with the agency being part of the state. Private debtors must also accept cash.
dagw 5y ago
I've never been to a business that can't take cash. It's becoming more and more common here in Sweden. Especially smaller shops and restaurants don't take cash anymore since it's so expensive and annoying (and potentially dangerous) to deal with.
SamReidHughes 5y ago
With the "coin shortage" many businesses I've seen have required exact change. I still see a few oscillating in and out of that state today -- but somehow, the less corporate places don't have this problem.
RLN 5y ago
In the Netherlands it's not terribly uncommon. It used to be more the other direction in the UK but it has become more common to be card only here as well. I'm not really sure where class comes into accepted forms of payment? But I'm also not sure what class you're talking about.
Gigachad 5y ago
In Australia, covid basically kicked it off. Now several regular businesses have stopped taking cash. Not high end rich people stores. Places like IKEA and chain restaurants.
YaBomm 5y ago
SkyPuncher 5y ago
I've been finding more and more. In fact, a local ski resort ($99 season pass - cheap type of place) only allows ordering via the Toast App. No credit. No cash. App only.
booleandilemma 5y ago
You see it in NYC. It's not exactly common but they're out there.

I live in a "not affluent" city, and cashless is common. Many restaurants will not take cash. No hotels take cash. Some gas stations do not take cash. Grocery stores actively encourage cashless payments. etc... Is it more likely that you frequent places which are cash-centric? Coffee shops, independent retailers and the like?

lupire 5y ago
independent vendors use square instead of cash.
- casion 5y ago
  It's the opposite in my experience. If I go to the welding shop, it's cash only. Similar for other local shops that I frequent.
  - ghaff 5y ago
    I'd be surprised if that were the norm in most places in the US. I have a $20 bill stuck in my wallet--which I carry mostly as a backup in case something goes wonky with my phone--but I mostly don't carry cash except on trips and I expect I'm more careful than many.
    - phil21 5y ago
      You'll find a strong blue/white collar divide here, which also tends to follow rural/urban lines. Once you get into the trades and workshops, cash is king for obvious tax avoidance reasons. It's rare someone in such regions doesn't at least imply you can pay a portion of an invoice/bill with cash for a moderate discount. Small shops in those areas might be more apt to only accept cash, and you'll notice at chain stores like Dollar Tree the cashiers actually have cash handling skills vs. the affluent areas of the cities. For most places within the airline network, you can easily avoid paying cash these days. I still recommend anyone who travels keep enough cash on them to get back home in a pinch, if at all practical. This is personal anecdote, but I make it a point to pay cash whenever at all possible (to the point of being "that guy" in my friend group) so I likely pay attention to it more than most.

actually_a_dog 5y ago

In SF, they recently passed a law saying all stores must accept cash. https://www.ktvu.com/news/san-franciscos-cashless-ban-now-in-effect-stores-that-dont-comply-could-get-slapped-with-fine https://www.ktvu.com/news/san-franciscos-cashless-ban-now-in...

umeshunni 5y ago

nickff 5y ago

It's become common in many restaurants and stores throughout North America during the COVID pandemic. It seems unlikely that all these businesses will revert. Other places such as China and some Nordic countries have gone further.

handmodel 5y ago

I'm far from the biggest crypto enthusiast but pretty hard to buy home, purchase car, get business loan etc. without a bank account. Obviously you can still get food and clothes no issue but I think the larger point stands.

uoaei 5y ago

There are a few that won't take cash, especially in the more COVID-conscious areas. Nominally it was because during early pandemic people were worried about handling cash with virons on it, or otherwise bringing infected peoples' bodies nearer to cashiers' bodies than strictly necessary. Then many realized that their profits didn't take a hit since card payments are common now and nearly everyone has a card. Now it seems simply to be a convenience thing. Probably businesses are happy with prompting every customer with a tip request, rather than expecting them to remember to drop some money in the jar before they leave with their goods.

henryfjordan 5y ago
There were some non-cash businesses in L.A. before covid hit. My favorite was a boba shop. They mostly cited that the cost of the Armored truck to count/move the money + risk of robbery/theft (including by employees) cost them more than the CC fees and now it's all digital.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

adamrezich 5y ago

many Walmart and other grocery self-checkouts began only accepting cards due to a ""coin shortage"" during covid, and it seems like they now have no reason to revert.

zdragnar 5y ago
No need for scare quotes; it was (still is?) a real thing. My local rural grocery store has had a hard time getting coins for making change basically since covid started.
- adamrezich 5y ago
  they aren't scare quotes, we just never got a good explanation for why there was a shortage, aside from some vague hand-waving about covid.
  - zdragnar 5y ago
    A super quick search on google reveals two causes: - The US mint slowed production to protect workers - The shutdowns slowed circulation of existing coins Given that a large percentage of coins are irredeemably damaged or lost each year (I once knew a particularly spoiled college student who would simply throw change away rather than deal with keeping them) it doesnt seem like much explanation is owed beyond that.
    - adamrezich 5y ago
      and all of this right as the Federal Reserve is looking at making a digital dollar, what're the odds

deathanatos 5y ago

The state of Massachusetts no longer operates toll booths along some of its toll roads. You either have an EZ Pass, or (for +$0.60 more) you get a photo taken of your plate, and a bill mailed to you, which is online or check only, no cash option. Or you stay off the toll roads, I guess. IDK what NY's policy is, but it is rather hard to cross the southern Hudson without toll. If you're renting a car, and you don't have an EZ Pass, some rental agencies will also charge some pretty ridiculous fees (we were once charged ~$25 for a single toll!), which pretty much forces you down the EZ Pass route, or onto some really odd paths to avoid incurring that charge. (In our case, we didn't even realize we'd driven on a toll road, and actually requested proof of such when the bill came. Sure enough, we had.)

henryfjordan 5y ago
If Massachusetts says you owe money, they must accept cash. That's the point of cash being "legal tender", you cannot refuse it if someone is trying to settle a debt. That said, it might be really hard to figure out how to pay in cash.
- ska 5y ago
  That's potentially interesting: legal tender means it must be accepted to settle certain debts and contractual obligations, but it doesn't mean you must accept it for transactions. Something like EZ pass seems potentially gray area; can they just say "well don't use these roads if you don't like the payment terms" ? I suspect you are right that with a state agency they probably have to provide some way for you to settle a debt (plus possible penalties) in cash, but they don't have to make it convenient.
  - henryfjordan 5y ago
    If there was a gate at the entrance to the road and they verified you had an EZ Pass before letting you drive onto their road, sure. It's the same as a coffee shop not giving you any coffee until you've paid using a credit card. If they put up a sign that said "don't use these roads if you don't like the payment terms" and then you drove on the road anyway, that would technically form a contract between EZ Pass and the driver. However, contracts are made to be broken and any damages would be payable in cash so we're back to the start. The legal tender thing has nothing to do with the agency being part of the state. Private debtors must also accept cash.

dagw 5y ago

I've never been to a business that can't take cash. It's becoming more and more common here in Sweden. Especially smaller shops and restaurants don't take cash anymore since it's so expensive and annoying (and potentially dangerous) to deal with.

SamReidHughes 5y ago

With the "coin shortage" many businesses I've seen have required exact change. I still see a few oscillating in and out of that state today -- but somehow, the less corporate places don't have this problem.

RLN 5y ago

In the Netherlands it's not terribly uncommon. It used to be more the other direction in the UK but it has become more common to be card only here as well. I'm not really sure where class comes into accepted forms of payment? But I'm also not sure what class you're talking about.

Gigachad 5y ago

In Australia, covid basically kicked it off. Now several regular businesses have stopped taking cash. Not high end rich people stores. Places like IKEA and chain restaurants.

YaBomm 5y ago

SkyPuncher 5y ago

I've been finding more and more. In fact, a local ski resort ($99 season pass - cheap type of place) only allows ordering via the Toast App. No credit. No cash. App only.

booleandilemma 5y ago

You see it in NYC. It's not exactly common but they're out there.