A new ordinance in Philadelphia will ban cashless brick and mortar retailers. The average shop owner will no longer be able to operate without accepting US Dollar cash money as a payment method. The ordinance has been signed into bill number 180943 as an amendment under section 9-1132. The section of the bill is called the "Fair Practices Ordinance: Protections Against Unlawful Discrimination."
The ordinance was introduced on October 25, 2018. It will take effect on July 1, 2019. Retailers in jurisdiction of the ordinance will not only be required to accept cash, but they are also prohibited from charging a premium for cash payments. Entities in violation of the ordinance are subject to penalty fines up to $2000.
The ordinance excludes retailers who have a membership program such as Costco. It also excludes online sellers. Amazon may be exempt from the bill, but still has expressed concern as the companies policy doesn't align with the new ordinance. Amazon wishes to open 3000 cashless stores across the US.
Currently, the only states Amazon probably will not be opening shop in would be Philadelphia and Massachusetts. In 1978, Massachusetts also banned cashless stores. Critics of cashless stores generally argue that the cashless establishments are unfair and discriminatory. The critics and their lawmakers seem to gloss right over the fact that this ordinance will prevent people from freely doing business.
Stores accepting cash may be a convenience to some consumers, but the inconvenience of accepting cash will limit the scope of how businesses may develop. It's part of a vicious cycle of people depending on a government that grows in power. Without government influence, business and consumerism would reflect true capitalism. For better or for worse, it's freedom versus tyranny.
Credit, Debit, cryptocurrency, bartering, and trade storefronts are now banned in two US states. Why should people be less free in some states than in others? Why should anybody be forced to make or accept payments strictly with the US Dollar. Currencies are assets. Having a single currency centralized by the government is not capitalism and it's certainly not freedom.
