Some Businesses Are Going Cashless, But Cities Are Pushing Back
Washington, D.C., is the latest city to consider banning businesses from rejecting cash. Opponents of cashless stores say they discriminate against low-income, homeless and undocumented people.
After almost 10 minutes of standing in line at a coffee shop, Ritchie Torres realized he only had cash in his pocket — a form of payment no longer accepted by this store.
"It was a humiliating experience," he said. "I remember wondering aloud, how could a business refuse to accept cash, which is legal tender?"
Torres is a City Council member in New York. He says his constituents, especially seniors, have also complained about a. So Torres led the charge on a bill to ban businesses from rejecting cash, which New York's city leaders almost unanimously last month.
