Who only takes cash?

The staff editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Murray State News.

There is a trend spreading around local businesses to stop taking debit and credit cards due to increased costs of running those forms of payment. It is no secret that running a card instead of paying in cash costs more to both the customer and the business.

The town of Murray is exceptional in its ability to retain so many small and local businesses. Other college towns are infamous for their lack of diversity when it comes to off-campus options for students. Here that has never been an issue.

Recently a number of local restaurants have decided they no longer want to deal with the hassle of card reading machines, citing the cost for not only themselves but for their customers.

The problem with this decision is not the inconvenience it will cause those who find themselves without cash in their daily operations, but with the beginning of a downward slope for businesses doing away with their machines.

Young people today very easily change their habits if forced to. Unfortunately for these businesses, the changing habit will be where they shop, not how they pay.

When thinking of students businesses should keep in mind students’ options are limited to time and space. How close is it to campus and can we get there and back before the next class?

With only two ATMs on campus in the same spot it is very unlikely students will cross campus just to get cash for what they need when they could just go somewhere else.

So we ask local businesses before making what seems like a smart decision to remember students and their limitations.

 

Scroll to Top