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San Francisco Bans Cashless Stores

sfgate.com

1–10 of 47 posts

Re: San Francisco Bans Cashless Stores

#4
post #2

I pay electronically almost everywhere, but I do recognize that cash payments are a basic human right. Going 100% cashless opens doors to all sorts of monopoly/distopia scenarios.

> , but I do recognize that cash payments are a basic human right

Is it a human right to be able to pay with any kind of cash, or just from some governments?

Re: San Francisco Bans Cashless Stores

#6
post #2

I pay electronically almost everywhere, but I do recognize that cash payments are a basic human right. Going 100% cashless opens doors to all sorts of monopoly/distopia scenarios.

> , but I do recognize that cash payments are a basic human right Is it a human right to be able to pay with any kind of cash, or just from some governments?

Not a human right as such, but it's the law pretty much everywhere in the world.

A shop refusing to accept legal tender seem pretty brazenly illegal to me.

Re: San Francisco Bans Cashless Stores

#7
The problem here is that there isn’t a non-private-enterprise privacy sensitive (although accessible with appropriate warrants etc) cashless money system IMO.

Cash enables so many problems in the world I’ll be happy to see the end of it.

Re: San Francisco Bans Cashless Stores

#8
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> , but I do recognize that cash payments are a basic human right Is it a human right to be able to pay with any kind of cash, or just from some governments?

Not a human right as such, but it's the law pretty much everywhere in the world. A shop refusing to accept legal tender seem pretty brazenly illegal to me.

It may seem illegal to you but no, it's actually generally not illegal.

E.g. in the US specifically, US bills say "legal tender for all debts", which means it's illegal not to accept cash once a debt is incurred.

But in most places a business owner is perfectly free to not create the opportunity for customer debt in the first place, i.e. not sell something -- whether based on form of payment ("We don't accept Amex") or quantity ("limit 5 per customer") etc.

Re: San Francisco Bans Cashless Stores

#10
post #5

So they install one self pay cash box? Not a big deal, and probably required for ADA. Not all seniors have access to electronic payment.

Seniors or not, the most important thing to me is this: cash is issued by the government, and can be used without incurring any additional cost. Credit cards require you to sign contract with a bank, which is a private company, that makes money on every transaction. Government should never force you to sign a contract with a private entity, for any reason, so if they ever want us to go cashless, then I would expect they provide government-issued, free of charge credit/debit card for everyone first.
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