Starbucks don't take cash

[CoastalWave]

AIBU to think this is ridiculous?

Took DS yesterday for a treat after school with his birthday money. We only spent £8 but as he handed over his £10 we were told, sorry we don't take cash anymore, card payments only.

Is this just the start of the slippery slope down to a cashless society ?

Really annoyed me!

If ever you have had to deal with the companies that collect cash, you would understand why some places have gone cashless. Not that I agree with it.

I was delighted when my local Starbucks closed down, I don't like tax avoiders.

I paid with cash on Friday.

We haven't got a Starbucks, thank goodness.

I do understand why many places are now cashless, or only use cash as a back-up if the card reader system goes down (doesn't always mean a power cut, they can just go down like any other computerised system).

Less cash on the premises is generally safer.

I have found myself adapting over the last couple of years or so to using mostly card payments now. I do like to have cash as an option sometimes though so I do get OP's frustration.

These places can take cash, but for a variety of valid reasons many are choosing not to. They can though if they find themselves needing to.

There is a very large Costa near to where my DD is at university and I met her there once. They had been cashless for a couple of years so I went to pay with my debit card only to be told that the card payment system had crashed earlier that morning so they wanted cash (cheaper than having to close a large, heavy footfall store I am sure). I didn't have quite enough in my purse, so DD ran out to a cash dispenser to get more (I did pay her back). That branch have taken cash ever since then although most people (including me) normally use cards.

We should all go elsewhere if we don't it will never end.

Should always have the option.

Legal tender only applies to debts, not goods or services.

I should! Okkkk - all branches of banks in my suburb have closed actually. But it’s ok anyway, they have all managed to make it to adulthood with the ability to use a debit card (hardly tricky).

They managed their money as cash. It was all good.

But I wanted to make a general point - lots of teens are IME paid in cash and will want to spend it. Dd (21) is more annoyed about this, perhaps on behalf of her teen friends who get cash as gifts or wages. I always paid the babysitter in cash.

Exactly using cash helps people on low income to budget and prevent going overdrawn. But with online banking bank's are closing some cash machine's you have to pay to withdraw cash.

Our local shop cash machine has no money most the time. The post office next door never reopened after lockdown. The shop itself also stopped doing cashback. It's a busy little shop always have to queue the next nearest one is a half hour walk away.

I do have an old phone. It does not update and will not install banking apps. I do my banking online on my laptop. Purchases do not show immediately. When we use the card to shop in Aldi for example, it can take 2-3 days to show on the account and deduct.

Cash is my preference as we are on a budget and it's easy to monitor and keep spending in check. We know exactly where we are and how much money we have left for the week.

Although I mainly pay by card there are a few 'pop up shops' that I always pay by cash so wouldn't like to see a cashless society.

On the flip side I've often wondered if we did ever go cashless what would happen to all the nail bars popping up that accept cash only.

Of course it’s all going to be cashless very soon, that’s why they have just started printing money with King Charles on it. Why bother then? 🤣

I don't think we'll be cashless but there will be a heck of a lot less cash about.

I also wish they'd do away with the whole £3.99 thing, and follow John Lewis and charge the proper amount.

Franchise or not they are still using the same name. I'll just go to costa instead. Unless they start going cashless

That was to skylight

I gave 2 examples. I'm not going to list every place and bore the pants off everyone. I am sure they have come across example themselves as well.
There's no contradiction in the rest of my post at all.

I became aware of this issue some t time ago when volunteering for a charity that helps disadvantaged people. They are the most likely to rely on cash - either as a means of escape from domestic violence, or as a means of managing their finances. They are more likely to be paid in cash and are the least likely to have a bank account or bank cards. Take cash away and we push them even more into the fringes of society. Ever since then I have made an effort to get cash out every week and pay for as much as I can with it - groceries, petrol... anything I buy in person pretty much.

I was in Asda earlier and queuing for the self service. There are 4 tills that are cash and card and 6 that are card only.
They had to go about 6 people down the queue to find someone who wasn't paying cash and could use one of the 6, so I don't think we'll be going cashless any time soon.

Cash is also crucial to people escaping domestic violence, by the way:
cashessentials.org/cash-lends-a-helping-hand-in-case-of-domestic-abuse/

So we can pay £2.50 a month so my children can spend their own little bit of money? Why should I pay a middleman? Same goes for a GoHenry card. There are few completely few fee free cards out there for children.

Exactly my problem with it.and would you look at that,once again the most vulnerable and disadvantaged will suffer because of it. So many of the people we see have to pay via cash.they can’t afford to do it any other way. They are often embarrassed and ashamed enough when they go to the supermarkets with their envelopes of cash.they don’t need this to contend with now too.

your lack of ability to refrain from spending money because you’re using a plastic card rather than handing over cash is not Starbucks (or any company’s) problem. it makes no sense saying ‘it’s easy to think oh it’s only £4 when paying by card’, why would you not also think the same when paying by cash?

It’s annoying me a lot now. It’s rare to find a shop that will take cash. I went shopping in the summer and none of the shops would take cash. Fat face wouldn’t open their till. They just said I don’t think we have the change for that.

Loads of research shows that people on very little money find it easier to budget with cash. You can sneer at individuals all you want, but it is a well recognised fact.

it’s not ‘sneering’ to point out that OP’s lack of willpower isn’t the problem of Starbucks 🙄

It’s not lack of willpower. It’s being human and how human brains work,react,process things.it is widely accepted and researched that contously or subconsciously people do this.

For a restaurant after eating a meal the legal tender element means they cannot subsequently take you to court for the debt if you have offered to pay with cash under the terms of legal tender.

So if you had offered to pay cash, they refuse it then a court will not enforce the debt.
But legal tender covers how much of each denomination is valid - such as if you only offered to pay in 1p & 2p coins as they are legal tender up to 20p
But pound coins are not limited