Step 1.) Add ATM in lobby.
Step 2.) Tell customers they can’t use cards because of laws.
Step 3.) Customer uses debit card at ATM and then purchases weed with the cash they just used their debit card to get.
Yes, but the problem is that the volume of cash makes retailers a massive target. People have been killed over this, and will continue to be put in danger until customers have access to the same payment resources that all other retail businesses take for granted. This is not a trivial issue at all. There are serious real world consequences to these decisions that paint the industry in a bad light when they are a DIRECT consequence of the inaction of the federal government. We are never going back to prohibition. There is simply too much tax revenue generated, and too much public sentiment on the side of both legalization as well as ending the failed drug war policies.
Not just a massive target to criminals either. Cops are willing to pull over armored cars and take the cash when it gets transported. That money then goes through the civil asset forfeiture process, getting handed to the feds who then give some of it back to the local department through their “equitable sharing” program. Legalized theft.
This is discriminatory and it shouldn’t even need to exist, I mean, heck, you can literally buy legal weed over the internet now and get it delivered to your door, you can purchase seeds too because in 2018 selling hemp was decriminalized federally
It got a lot worse in 2008. The federal government shutdown about a third of the banks for not being big enough and with the drop in market competition they started slapping fees on everything.
ATM fees in the US have been a thing since ATMs have been a thing. It’s not new and didn’t start in the great recession.
And what do you mean by the government shutting down banks? Banks were killing themselves by doing dirty financial tricks and approving garbage loans and playing hot potato amongst each other with them.
Stress tests. Go read up on it. About 1/3 of banks, almost all midtier, were shutdown by the US government after the crisis has passed. Leaving places like Goldman (which caused the problem to begin with) with less competition. There are less baking companies in the US now then in 2007.
Step 1.) Add ATM in lobby. Step 2.) Tell customers they can’t use cards because of laws. Step 3.) Customer uses debit card at ATM and then purchases weed with the cash they just used their debit card to get.
Fuck it. Not hard at all.
Yes, but the problem is that the volume of cash makes retailers a massive target. People have been killed over this, and will continue to be put in danger until customers have access to the same payment resources that all other retail businesses take for granted. This is not a trivial issue at all. There are serious real world consequences to these decisions that paint the industry in a bad light when they are a DIRECT consequence of the inaction of the federal government. We are never going back to prohibition. There is simply too much tax revenue generated, and too much public sentiment on the side of both legalization as well as ending the failed drug war policies.
I’ve been to dispensaries with armed security. They’re just as friendly inside as other dispensaries, but wow is that intimidating.
Not just a massive target to criminals either. Cops are willing to pull over armored cars and take the cash when it gets transported. That money then goes through the civil asset forfeiture process, getting handed to the feds who then give some of it back to the local department through their “equitable sharing” program. Legalized theft.
That sounds really bad but has it actually happened to a legal pot retailer?
Yes, over 1 million dollars in total with just this one transport company for example: https://ij.org/case/empyreal-forfeiture/
Cash is way more dangerous to hold, these stores get robbed all the time. Just let them process cards
This is discriminatory and it shouldn’t even need to exist, I mean, heck, you can literally buy legal weed over the internet now and get it delivered to your door, you can purchase seeds too because in 2018 selling hemp was decriminalized federally
And the transaction fee goes right to the bank.
You get charged for a cash withdrawal? That’s rare here in the UK.
“This is America.”
Most do. I use a bank that reimburses the costs.
America’s national motto is “Yup, there’s a fee for that!”
Charged by the ATM and sometimes also charged by your bank for using an ATM
It’s a scam
It got a lot worse in 2008. The federal government shutdown about a third of the banks for not being big enough and with the drop in market competition they started slapping fees on everything.
Never forget what the economists took from us.
ATM fees in the US have been a thing since ATMs have been a thing. It’s not new and didn’t start in the great recession.
And what do you mean by the government shutting down banks? Banks were killing themselves by doing dirty financial tricks and approving garbage loans and playing hot potato amongst each other with them.
Stress tests. Go read up on it. About 1/3 of banks, almost all midtier, were shutdown by the US government after the crisis has passed. Leaving places like Goldman (which caused the problem to begin with) with less competition. There are less baking companies in the US now then in 2007.