City Council Considering Banning 'Cashless' Business Ordinance
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The City Council is considering -- but not yet acting on -- an ordinance that would bar stores from refusing to accept cash for their goods or services.
Argo Tea and Epic Burger are among some retailers who have already gone cashless, only allowing patrons to use credit cards or apps to pay. 14 Ward Ald. Edward Burke, one of the sponsors of the ordinance, says that is not fair to people who don't have credit cards or even bank accounts.
"It's a discriminatory practice that also impacts credit card holders who simply can't afford to pay off their balances each month," Burke said.
However, Tanya Triche Dawood with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association says the trend is mostly among high-end shops. "This is not something that has spread widely -- it frankly has been fairly contained into the downtown area of River North and in some of the areas where frankly there's a lot of disposable income."
The aldermen agreed there's a lot of consider; resulting in more hearings and no vote in the immediate future.