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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 8 May 2019
Cash is still king: San Francisco bans credit-only stores

By JANIE HAR counts. Anyone who wants to pay
Associated Press According to the Federal with cash will be swiped
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Deposit Insurance Corpo- through the turnstile en-
San Francisco officials ration, 17 percent of Afri- trance by employees. After
voted Tuesday to require can American households shoppers grab what they
brick-and-mortar retailers and 15 percent of Latino want, an employee will
to take cash as payment, households had no bank scan the items with a mo-
joining Philadelphia and account. bile device, take the cash
New Jersey in banning a Some people also prefer and give customers their
growing paperless practice to use cash because they change.
that critics say discriminates don't want to leave a digi- Amazon didn't say when its
against low-income people tal trail of where they have 11 other Go stores will start
who may not have access been and what they have accepting cash.
to credit cards. bought. Plenty of cheap dim sum
The vote by the Board of San Francisco's legislation spots, taquerias and dive
Supervisors was unanimous. requires brick-and-mortar bars take only cash in San A customer carries his shopping bag as she walks out of a new-
Supervisor Vallie Brown, businesses to accept cash Francisco, but some retail- ly-opened Amazon Go store, Tuesday, May 7, 2019 in New York.
who introduced the legis- for goods and some ser- ers argue that not taking Associated Press
lation, said it "will go far in vices. Temporary pop-up cash is safer and more ef-
ensuring all San Franciscans stores and internet-only ficient. Andy Stone, vice president quence of excluding those
have equitable access to businesses such as ride- Cashless restaurants are of brand marketing at Blue- who prefer to pay or can
the city's economy." hailing companies would clustered in San Francisco's stone Lane, said the com- only pay with cash."
Brown said she thought be exempt, as would food Financial District and South pany "will always comply The San Francisco Cham-
it unfair that someone trucks, which say they lack of Market neighborhoods, with the laws of jurisdictions ber of Commerce did
couldn't buy a sandwich the resources to handle where white-collar employ- where we operate." not take a position on the
just because they had cash. ees devour upscale salads The other companies did proposal.q
cash. She said young peo- Philadelphia and New Jer- and protein bowls. not respond to requests for
ple, victims of ID theft, im- sey passed similar laws this Those now refusing paper comment from The Associ-
migrants and homeless year. Legislation requiring money include Bluestone ated Press.
people are among those merchants to accept cash Lane, a New York-based Some businesses appear to
who don't have bank ac- also has been introduced coffee chain, and The Or- be getting on board as the
counts or credit cards. in New York City. ganic Coup, which sells or- backlash grows.
In many ways, the legisla- The efforts come after the ganic fast-food chicken. At Salad chain Sweetgreen
tion was an easy call for rollout last year of cashless Freshroll Vietnamese Rolls announced last month that
San Francisco officials, who Amazon Go stores, which & Bowls, which has several it will accept cash at all its
strive to make life more require customers to scan lunch spots downtown, restaurants by year's end,
equitable in a city with an an app to enter . Whatever signs remind customers of saying going cashless "had
enormous wealth gap. items customers take are its no-cash policy. the unintended conse-
High-paid tech workers automatically tallied in a
who flocked to San Fran- virtual cart and charged to
cisco to work for Facebook, a credit card.
Google, Uber and Airbnb The retail giant bowed to
may like the ease of paying pressure last month and
by credit card, debit card agreed to accept cash
or smartphone. at more than 30 cashless
But many low-income stores.
people, including more Amazon opened its first
than 4,000 who sleep on cash-accepting store Tues-
San Francisco's streets ev- day in a high-end New
ery night, likely don't have York City shopping mall fre-
money to sustain bank ac- quented by office workers.