A street vendor in Chicago told me he lost a whole day of sales because his card reader broke

I was grabbing lunch from his cart last Tuesday and he only had a sign saying 'Cash Only' after his Square reader died. He said he had to turn away at least 30 people who only had cards or phones to pay. It really showed me how fragile a cashless setup can be for small businesses. Has anyone else seen a small vendor get totally stuck like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

adams.uma7d ago

Yeah, the "fragile cashless setup" thing is real. I read about a food truck that had the same problem during a big festival, lost a ton of sales.

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karencampbell7d ago

Ever wonder if the push for cashless is leaving some customers out, like older folks or people without bank accounts? That food truck story @adams.uma mentioned shows how it can backfire for businesses too. What if they just offered both?

park.miles7d ago

Actually, going cashless can be a huge help for small businesses by cutting down on theft and time spent counting. The tech issues @adams.uma mentioned are just growing pains, not a real reason to keep cash around. The long-term savings and safety are worth pushing through those early problems.