This week, the mayor of Philadelphia signed a bill that would ban cashless retail stores, according to Morning Call. The move makes Philadelphia the first major city to require that brick-and-mortar retail stores collect cash. Except for Philadelphia, Massachusetts has required retailers to collect cash since 1978, according to CBS.
The law will take effect on July 1, and will not apply to stores like Costco that require a membership, nor will it apply to parking garages or lots, or to hotels or businesses. A rental car that requires a credit or debit card as security for future payments. , such as Wall Street Journal. Retailers caught failing to pay can be fined up to $2,000.
Amazon, whose new Amazon Go stores have no cash and low queues, has reportedly pushed back against the new law, asking for a waiver. According to the WSJPhiladelphia lawmakers said Amazon could work around the law under an exemption for stores that require a membership to shop there, but Amazon told the city that a Prime member is not required to shop at Amazon Go stores, so your options are limited.
A top official at the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce said the ban would prevent Philadelphia from keeping up with the rest of the country. Bankruptcy companies argue that money slows down businesses when change is needed to count and creates safety risks for workers who close at the end of the night.
Supporters of the new law, however, say that it does not take money to harm the poor residents who may not be able to afford or qualify for a credit card or who want to avoid the fees that come with changing money into prepaid debit card. In addition, privacy advocates say that being forced to use a digital payment method to buy things costs us so true request to share records of their purchases with third party companies.
According to the WSJA New York City council is pushing a similar measure, and the New Jersey legislature has also passed a bill to require stores to collect cash, though the state’s governor has yet to sign the bill. the money however.