My local coffee shop in Portland stopped taking cash last month and it hit me

I mean, I keep seeing people say a cashless world is just about convenience, but that's wrong. It's about access, because my friend's grandma can't get a bank card due to her credit, so now she can't buy her own coffee there. I know because she told me she feels left out, and it matters because we're building a system that leaves some people behind. Has anyone else seen a small business go cashless and think about who it might shut out?

3 comments

3 Comments

martin.riley1mo ago

Read an article about how cashless places can be a real problem for older folks and people without bank accounts. It's not just an idea, it actually stops them from buying basic things. Makes the whole convenience argument feel pretty weak.

harper9141mo ago

Saw that at a coffee shop last week, an older guy trying to buy a sandwich with a twenty and they wouldn't take it. He just left looking embarrassed. Felt awful, and it's not even some fancy place, just a regular spot.

emeryj661mo ago

Watched a food truck turn away a kid trying to buy a soda with coins last summer.