Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
More businesses rejecting cash for credit and debit cards only
As she tends bar at Boxi Park’s Hops and Vine, Shannen Sanstrom has to remind several customers of the restaurant’s policy.
“We actually don’t take cash, I’m afraid,” she says.
For the most part, she says, customers are briefly taken aback but then quickly hand over a debit or credit card.
That’s what Susan Duarte did after her $10 bill was turned away on Saturday.
“It’s not a big deal,” the Orlando native said. “I usually don’t carry cash, so I would have been more disappointed if they only took cash.”
There is an emerging cold, hard truth about cold, hard cash: some businesses don’t want it at all and consumers are using it less.
Some Central Florida merchants, including Boxi Park in the Lake Nona community, have no problem with that trend, having completely removed cash as an option for payment.
“Our guests at Boxi Park have been receptive to us going cashless from day one,” said Greg Walker, senior vice president of Tavistock Restaurants Group, the overseeing group of the restaurant park. “We want to keep up with what we feel is a positive trend that makes the guest experience easier.”
A study by the financial technology company Square found that American consumers used cash for 46% of transactions of less than $20 in 2015. This year, that number has dropped to 37%.
Square makes devices that allow smartphones to conduct transactions with credit and debit cards.
On the seller side, one in 10 businesses do not accept cash, the study found.
At Boxi Park, those who do show up carrying only cash can opt to buy a sort-of gift card they can use at the six restaurants and three bars there.
Some customers, like Stephan Stokes, who lives nearby in Lake Nona, have no problem with that.
“Most people don’t carry cash, anyway,” he said. “The fact they take cards makes it a lot easier.”
The move to a cashless society still has some major obstacles.
Four city or state governments — San Francisco, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Massachusetts — have already passed laws banning cashless businesses.
Meanwhile, six others — none in Florida — have proposed such legislation.
When Steve Brown opened his dessert shop The Glass Knife in Winter Park, he decided to forego cash as a matter of convenience and safety.
“There are a few people who grumble, but it’s very rare,” he said. “But most say it makes perfect sense.”
That’s because the world has generally been moving more online, he said.
“We are in a very digital world,” he said. “For most people, that is how they are consuming their normal life, anyway. They are not surprised, by any means.”
Boxi Park leaders say they have plans to take their cashless approach a step further, hoping to eventually even take credit and debit cards out of the equation.
“Innovations in technology are helping create a cashless world that not only offers greater convenience for guests but also improved levels of security for businesses,” Walker said. “Most of us are comfortable using credit and debit cards. Paying for things with our phones is steadily becoming more common and is our next step at Boxi Park.”