Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Business
Gene Marks

Cash, cards, Venmo … don’t turn away customers who actually want to pay

Cropped shot of female employee taking payment from customer, focus on female hands giving credit card for juice bar payment.
Today’s customer has many ways of making payment, from credit cards to mobile apps to bitcoin. Photograph: jacoblund/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Splitting the bill with Venmo, paying with your Starbucks app, tap-and-go with your phones – how we pay for things has changed forever. But while our options have changed, and are still changing, some small business owners seem determined to either keep us counting bills or jump feet first into their idea of the future.

Case in point from my home town: the owner of the restaurant in South Philadelphia who “doesn’t accept credit cards” and instead forces their customers to use an ATM machine which – conveniently – charges a $4.50 fee to withdraw cash. Everyone has to do this because no one carries cash these days.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.