"Cash not accepted"

the door sign said. As I had no intention of going in or buying anything it was not of immediate concern to me. It just saddened me that yet another local business has gone "cashless". 

There was a time when there were four banks inside or within the immediate vicinity of our local shopping centre. There were also five ATMs. Now there are no banks and one ATM that can be accessed out of hours. There is a second ATM that is "privately owned" inside - and you pay extra to use it.

We have a great many very elderly people in the area and a number of "group houses" for people with a range of intellectual and mental disabilities. Most of them still use cash. This is particularly so when cheques are almost a thing of the past.

The local post office (which is not open on Saturdays as it is an "official" one, not privately run) does a limited amount of banking. It is not a full banking service.  

Yes, the government is determined to see us go "cashless". They keep saying this is the way of the future and that it is "safer" this way. We are being told that "people no longer want to use cash" and that "most people do internet banking now". 

I know. I have been here before on this blog. It concerns me. I have good reason to be concerned. I have a friend whose daughter has Down Syndrome. With an enormous amount of time and effort her daughter is becoming independent in many ways. She has her own bank account. She "works" at a sheltered workshop and her parents have insisted she have some financial literacy. Yes, she is capable of all that. In many ways she is capable but using a debit card will probably always be beyond her. She needs cash in her hand so she can understand how much money she has, how much she needs and how much she will have left. To do this she needs to go into a bank and get cash. Using the ATM is not a safe option.

I also know several people who live in group houses. Only one of them can use an ATM with any degree of safety. It takes him much longer to do this than most people. That alone is not particularly safe but he manages. I have helped him at times. He knows he must not give me "the four important numbers" but he is more than happy for me to help him check the balance and then take money out. Of all those I know he is the most competent. The rest rely on cash which is handed out to them by whichever "carer" is running their residence at the time. 

Using a debit card safely and responsibly would be beyond the capabilities of any of these people. They will be confused when told that "money" is no longer accepted at a local business.

It is of course much more convenient for the owner of the business. There is no longer any need to go to the bank. They will do all their banking "online" and do most of the work once done by a teller. All this is supposed to be much more "convenient". It is supposed to save "time" and even "money" itself. 

Cash is still legal of course. I have sometimes had to wait for Middle Cat near an outlet which sells lottery tickets. It is interesting to see how many people pay for their lottery tickets with cash. Cash is anonymous, usefully anonymous at times. Most of those buying a lottery ticket would never think cash might also be useful for a domestic violence victim.