I got stuck at a farmer's market in Asheville because they only took cards

It was last fall and I had $20 cash ready for some apples and honey. The vendor pointed to a small square reader and said they stopped taking cash two months ago. I had to put it all on my card, and the bank texted me right away to check if it was really me. It felt weird having every jar of jam tracked like that... Has anyone else run into a cash-only place that flipped to digital?

3 comments

3 Comments

leowells15d ago

My local library book sale went card-only last year. They said handling cash for thousands of used books was a huge security risk and took too much volunteer time to count. It feels odd buying a 50 cent paperback with a card, like the fee must eat their profit.

jamieb8015d ago

Our church rummage sale tried that and the card fees ate up almost 20% of the total. It's a real problem for small sales where most stuff costs a dollar. They went back to a cash box with two people watching it.

emmam8914d ago

Wait, 20% in fees? That's insane, I thought it was like 3%.