The other night I went to a baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. After finding our seats, I strolled to the kiosk where scorecards are sold. I pulled out three one-dollar bills, and the vendor shook his head.
“No cash,” he said.
I dug into my pocket for a credit card and shoved it into the little machine.
“I hate where this no-cash thing is going,” I told him.
The guy’s face soured and he shook his head. “You have no idea,” he said, “what this has cost me in tips.”
He’s not alone. All those food and beverage vendors are in the same boat. No longer can you pass your money down the row to the sweating vendor on a hot day and say, “Keep the change!”
You might not think this is a big deal, but it is. I don’t know how many workers in our society depend on tips to supplement their wages, but I’m sure it’s in the millions. Yes, I know not all tips are given in cash. I know you can add a tip to some credit-card payments – but not all of them. That certainly wasn’t an option with my payment for the scorecard.
There has been increasing discussion about the merits of tipping and whether the practice should be eliminated. I would hate to see that happen.
Getting rid of cash is a bad idea all around. I say this as someone who charges most purchases (although I don’t have a debit card and refuse to apply for or accept one for a lot of reasons). But I want the option to use cash.
I like the quick convenience of cash. I don’t like having to stand at a machine, punching buttons, entering digits, re-inserting my card, having my card rejected by a faulty machine, etc. (Yeah, I know; I just acknowledged making most purchases with plastic, but that’s largely because I don’t like to carry a wad of cash.)
Here’s another thing I like about cash: It’s anonymous. I can put it in a Salvation Army Christmas bucket, hand it to a street person, tip my bartender, buy a new TV or throw it out a window and watch people run around picking it up. You can stuff it in a drawer and let your heirs celebrate when they find it after you die. And nobody else knows. That’s important.
It’s nobody else’s business what you spend your money on.
Cash is also neutral. It doesn’t judge your age, sex, gender, race, color, creed or hygiene. You got it, you can spend it.
Or at least you used to be able to spend it. Now there are places that won’t take your money. Got to have a plastic card with your name on it.
Think this through. This is more than an inconvenience. It’s freaking scary.
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