A restaurant in downtown Baltimore went cashless recently after being robbed 5 times in 4 months. Which seems understandable in that case, but I wonder what will happen when someone comes in with a gun and demands money. Is a robber going to believe that there is no cash? Will they instead take the iPad used to ring up purchases, demand the cashier’s wallet, or just shoot people for not complying?
I hadn’t thought about it originally, but a friend pointed out that cashless policies are extremely discriminatory to people who don’t have access to banking. That might be because of race, poverty, age, etc. If you want to send your kid to the store to pick up bread, does she need her own debit card? If you’re in too much debt to qualify for a credit card, how do you purchase groceries? If you’re homeless, how do you cash in the loose change you’ve collected to buy a sandwich?
Apparently it might also be illegal to refuse to accept cash.
“ But there’s a significant hitch to this trend: Refusing to accept cash is illegal in Massachusetts. A state law on the books since 1978 states that no retailer “shall discriminate against a cash buyer by requiring the use of credit.” Federal law leaves the choice up to states.” Boston Globe
