Bills Banning Cashless Practices Are on the Rise – Here’s Why
Over the last couple of weeks we’ve seen two more cities reconsider the ethics of the cashless philosophy.
This month, San Francisco and Philadelphia introduced legislation to ban the cashless philosophy because of its discriminatory nature. In fact, last week, Philadelphia City Council passed the ban on cashless stores in a 12-4 vote moving it to the mayor’s desk.
These cities join New Jersey, Washington D.C., New York City, and others in a common effort to promote preference of pay.
This right is particularly important for the unbanked who lack access to checks, credit, or even smartphone payments. Removing the right to pay in cash means limiting their purchasing power for basic goods and services.
The sponsor of Philadelphia’s bill says the documentation carries particular importance considering the city has a poverty rate of 26%. One survey indicates that 6% of the city’s population does not have a bank account.
Massachusetts completely banned the cashless practice years ago. The state ruled all retail establishments must accept cash.
As one California board supervisor recently stated, “People should not be required to own an expensive smartphone to buy a cup of soup.”
Evention automation bridges the gap on the discrimination caused by the cashless movement.
Through innovation in cash recycling and cloud-based reconciliation, Evention makes it possible for the unbanked to pay in cash and for retailers to accept cash and add efficiency to their operations by doing so.
