SF approves ban on cashless stores
City law requiring businesses to accept cash follows similar moves in Philadelphia, New Jersey
San Francisco outlawed cashless businesses Tuesday, ending a practice widely viewed as discriminatory against low income residents.
The Board of Supervisor unanimously approved legislation introduced by Supervisor Vallie Brown that will impose a ban on cashless businesses 90 days after its final approval.
The vote follows Philadelphia’s cashless business ban, approved in February, and New Jersey’s, which passed last month.
Brown said that the “future may be cashless,” but in the meantime denying cash payments is “excluding too many people.”
“This legislation will go far in ensuring all San Franciscans have equitable access to the city’s economy,” she said
In the United States, 17 percent of all African-American households and 14 percent of all Latino households had no bank account, according to a 2017 Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation survey.
There are currently only a handful of businesses that do not accept cash in San Francisco, requiring payment through smart phone applications tied to a person’s bank account or credit card. The number, however, was increasing. Those without bank accounts or credit are unable to purchase goods in these types of stores....MUCH MOREAnd from GeekWire, May 7:
For the 1st time, a new Amazon Go store accepts cash as lawmakers push cashless retail bans
Amazon today opened its 12th Amazon Go store, and its first in New York City. But there’s something about this iteration of the cashier-less convenience concept that stands out from the rest: It takes cash.
The New York store is the first to accept paper money. Amazon last month confirmed it would begin accepting cash at Amazon Go stores as legislators across the country push for laws that ban cashless retail. New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Philadelphia all have laws that require retailers to accept cash and other lawmakers are considering following suit.
Advocates for the poor say cashless retail is a discriminatory practice. The concern is for people without bank accounts — an estimated 6.5 percent of American households that don’t have access to financial services according to federal data.
“Adding more payment methods enables more customers to shop in the store. And that’s great for customers and great for us,” Cameron Janes, Amazon’s vice president for physical stores told Business Insider.
Accepting cash is an interesting hedge against Amazon Go’s signature “Just Walk Out” technology. It brings back the possibility of lines that come from employees ringing up items. But it also opens up the store to more potential customers, including those who don’t have smartphones that can power the Amazon Go app....MORE
