July 19, 2020
This from Mississippi State Senator Chad McMahan:
Notice to businesses not accepting cash, Legal Tender, in Mississippi.
I've had several people reach out to me about an issue taking place in our state. Scott, thank you for the email.
It is my understanding several companies in Mississippi are refusing to take cash as payment.
Take a look at the photos attached. This is a Federal Reserve Note, a $20 bill. This paper money, this note, is Legal Tender for all debts, public and private.
Business owners, if you refused to take cash, the debt is paid in full. If you are a business owner and you refuse to take cash, you are breaking the law.
Here is an example, if I stop by your store and I purchase $44 worth of fuel, and I try to pay you with a $100 bill and you refuse payment of cash, the debt is paid in full. There is nothing you can do to prosecute me because you have refused payment of Legal Tender, unless the business suspects counterfeit bills.
I'm asking residents of Mississippi to make me aware of companies who will not receive or take your cash. They will be receiving a call from my office, the Department of Revenue, and the Attorney General's office.
SEPARATE ISSUE
We are experiencing a coin shortage. Due to this event, some companies
are requesting correct change. That is understandable and you should be
able to work out any change issue since we are talking about less than
.99 cents on any transaction.
My office #601 359 2886.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
10:44 AM
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Post contains 271 words, total size 2 kb.
BTW, Tim, do you have a citation for this? I didn't see anything clickable in the posting.
Posted by: Dana Mathewson at July 19, 2020 01:50 PM (3ESpR)
Willis Eschenbach pointed out (rightly) that the Federal Government has said that businesses may indeed not take cash if they so choose. He's right; they've done that with car rentals and some hotels for years. But generally it's a security thing, not a blanket policy.
Strange; you have to accept anyone who comes to your business for anything, but you don't have to accept CASH. If a Middle-Eastern looking fellow show up at your mom-and-pop hardware store and wants to buy a thousand pounds of high nitrate fertilizer and other such you have to sell it to him! But you can refuse cash from the little old lady buying a loaf of bread.
It's a crazy world.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at July 20, 2020 08:53 AM (8sgLQ)
My options are:
(1) "Excuse me, Ma'am, I have to go to the bathroom," (while I call the Feds)
(2) "Let me check my warehouse to see if I have that in stock" (while I call the Feds)
(3) "Come with me to my warehouse to see if I have exactly what you want" (where I rip her hijab off her and seduce her and she forgets her plot... -- oh, wait, that's old B-movie stuff, isn't it?)
Posted by: Dana Mathewson at July 20, 2020 10:35 PM (tUvF0)
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at July 21, 2020 09:14 AM (rLsub)
I suppose it's totally legal if your business has it posted nice and big at the checkout that you don't accept cash. (Here in the Midwest it's a common thing not to accept checks in most businesses, though they did back when we first moved here.) But I think it would have to be an "all or nothing" kind of thing, not "just during the pandemic." But maybe not. I can see it losing customers' good will if it isn't publicized properly.
When you think about it, hygienically, cash is a pretty ugly thing in the best of times.
Posted by: Dana Mathewson at July 21, 2020 09:48 AM (tUvF0)
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at July 23, 2020 07:07 AM (/2j6O)
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