Realcent.org

Our Home Depot's have checkout machines that only accept cards....our local HD only has one machine that accepts cash, A local merchant stopped taking cash last week and now my wife goes by the chik filet and as of yesterday no longer accept cash to "protect out team/community and to help speed up the process in our drive-thru" maybe it is an April Fools joke but I doubt it.

Are y'all seeing more cashless society in your locales?

This is the death nail. How would you like to be a convenience clerk in an urban area, or a $hitty Las vegas corner market?
I think cash is going to become so distasteful and expensive for corporations to handle, it's going to be used only for very private transactions.

I went to the clinic to pay a doctors bill and they told me they don't accept cash. Is this legal? It says on a FRN that it is legal tender for all debts public and private. This is a debt as I went to the doctor in January. I can see it being legal to refuse cash payment for something that you want to buy but if it is to pay a debt you would think that they would have no choice. When I go to pay my property taxes in May can they legally refuse to take my cash?

https://blogs.findlaw.com/free_enterpri ... -cash.html

Depending on what state you are in it appears to be a topic of dispute.

Toss the cash on the counter take a picture of it and walk out?

On the flip side, I can think of a few examples of places/people that/who will ONLY accept cash.

McDonalds: late at night when they are doing computer backups they will NOT accept a credit card- only cash.

A small mom and pop (one of a kind) burger place near a local college campus: still doesn't accept anything but cash- used to keep bounced checks hanging on a wall of shame near the register. These guys have really good food, but are very stubborn- I will be very surprised if/when they accept credit cards. Website still says "cash only".

Handyman types: Many of them will take checks, but prefer cash and will give a discount for it. They're used to getting dirty when doing the work they do. I'd be surprised if many of them would try to push people away from cash. I'd also be surprised if they refused to take cash.

I've heard the estimate that 20% of the adult population in the U.S. doesn't have a bank account. Some people simply prefer to deal with cash. Think also about places like flea markets. If I was renting a booth at a flea market, I'd want people to pay me in cash.

I agree that those who are flexible enough to adopt an alternative method will be looking at cashless ways to do transactions. But I think cash could be on life support for many years still.

Make a document that basically says:

.

Date.

ABC Co. provided goods and/or services to Realcenter.

Realcenter tendered cash in full payment in the amount of $x,xxx.xx for the debt owed.

ABC Co. refused to accept said cash in payment of the debt owed.

Signed ... ABC Co. representative

.

Then walk out with the signed document as your receipt, the debt has been settled.

The pandemic has certainly temporarily changed payment practices at businesses, but I don't see a cashless society in the near future.

It's one thing for small developed european countries to attempt to ban cash, but entirely different for a country as large and diverse as the USA to do so.

Interestingly, earlier this year NYC banned cashless businesses: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... rimination

Even the hi-tech hub of San Francisco banned cashless businesses last year.

The arguments for keeping cash actually come from both ends of the economic political spectrum.

This is just anecdotal at one Walmart, but self serve checkouts all had one or another sign this weekend.

Pennies out at this machine
No coin at this machine
All coin reservoirs low

This struck me as odd so I had to get on and ask some realcenters if you have noticed anything else strange.

-Mark

StoreOfValue wrote:This is just anecdotal at one Walmart, but self serve checkouts all had one or another sign this weekend.

Pennies out at this machine
No coin at this machine
All coin reservoirs low

This struck me as odd so I had to get on and ask some realcenters if you have noticed anything else strange.

-Mark

Not a clue about that one Walmart.

There is an opportunity for someone to supply them with zincolns!

Some small businesses can't qualify for merchant services (too small or too many chargebacks) or perceive the processing cost as too high. They are the merchants that only accept cash. On the flip side many businesses are refusing cash or stating they prefer not to take it due to covid.

Cash usage is down, demand for holding cash is up. $50 bills are becoming scarce in Canada. https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/canada/ba ... -1.5042848

I think this whole scenario is why you should have cash on-hand now more than ever..

Think about it:

1.online transactions are up up up- the infrastructure is not designed to handle that much activity.
2. COVID has alot of people doing everything online- in the meantime, hackers (both foreign AND domestic) are watching and looking for opportunities to gain intel, identity data, transaction data, etc.

Any one of these things can make either a component, or the whole system, fail. If and when it does, and people can't use a card someplace, what will you use then?

We keep some cash at the house solely for these reasons. Too many people are putting too much faith in cashless transactions. If the system blows up, they will be SOL.

TXSTARFIRE wrote:I went to the clinic to pay a doctors bill and they told me they don't accept cash. Is this legal? It says on a FRN that it is legal tender for all debts public and private. This is a debt as I went to the doctor in January. I can see it being legal to refuse cash payment for something that you want to buy but if it is to pay a debt you would think that they would have no choice. When I go to pay my property taxes in May can they legally refuse to take my cash?

I think I'd be calling a lawyer friend if I had one. That may turn into extra cash, at minimum!

Could cash become a DNC versus GOP issue in the future? (we know where libertarians are depending on which non libertarian they pick this time). Could be the DNC supports it with the idea that such a huge amount of people in lower classes dont even have bank accounts. then also maybe, not since most of these people probably dont vote either. Maybe the GOP takes it up as an issue as personal liberty. Most modern massive companies do support the left now. Its not the 90s anymore.

Recyclersteve wrote:

StoreOfValue wrote:This is just anecdotal at one Walmart, but self serve checkouts all had one or another sign this weekend.

Pennies out at this machine
No coin at this machine
All coin reservoirs low

This struck me as odd so I had to get on and ask some realcenters if you have noticed anything else strange.

-Mark

Not a clue about that one Walmart.

Our walmart wont accept cash at the self check out