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  • 1.  Becoming a cashless institution

    Posted 07-22-2022 09:39 AM
    Dear colleagues -
     
    Our parent institution would like us to go cash-less for a variety of reasons. Our team is concerned about equity issues/disenfranchising community members who still rely on cash in their daily lives. 
     
    As far as we know, there is no federal law prohibiting cashless businesses and no state law in the Lowe's home state (FL). Nevertheless, we are concerned.
     
    Have any of you been in a similar situation and/or made the leap to cashless? If so, we would love to learn from your experience(s).
     
    Thanks in advance.
     
    Mark


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    Mark Osterman, Ed.D.
    Digital Experience Manager and Head of Education
    Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Coal Gables, FL
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  • 2.  RE: Becoming a cashless institution

    Posted 07-25-2022 02:21 PM
    Do you have a donation box? How much does it bring in? Will you miss that income stream?

    The other place we get cash is with kids in the gift shop. I know they advertise credit cards for kids, but I don't know any who actually use them.

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    Pamela Feltus
    Director of Advancement
    Mystic Museum of Art
    Mystic CT
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  • 3.  RE: Becoming a cashless institution

    Posted 07-25-2022 02:25 PM
    Hello Mark,

    You are correct in there is no federal laws against going cashless and as of 2020 (there may be updates since) the following states and cities are the only ones I know of that outlaw cashless only pay options - NJ, MA, RI and San Francisco, Philadelphia, and NYC.

    As you mentioned there are a number of audiences that are key to goals for community outreach for many museums (young, older, poor, immigrant) that line up with the stats of the unbanked or underbanked populations.  

    As someone who lives in NJ I have found that the work around for places like Six Flags who want to go cashless but avoiding being in violation of law and having a solution for all, is using a cash to card kiosk where the guest can get a temporary card that they place money on it.  This reduces the cash handling to only an ATM style kiosk.

    Good luck.

    -Jared



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    Jared Crellin
    Account Director
    ListenUp Audio
    Atlanta GA
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  • 4.  RE: Becoming a cashless institution

    Posted 07-26-2022 09:17 AM
    Thank you for this response

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    Mark Osterman, Ed.D.
    Digital Experience Manager and Head of Education
    Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Coal Gables, FL
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Becoming a cashless institution

    Posted 07-25-2022 02:43 PM
    We get a lot of international visitors at my museum and many of them pay with cash.  Due to language barriers, it would be difficult to explain to some of them that we only do cash.  We have some of the penny smashing machines, and generate a fair amount of money from those.  Many sales coming after we exchanged dollar bills for quarters.

    Do you have similar machines that generate additional income that you might loose if you go card only?

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    Pernille Houken
    Guest Operations Assistant
    Space Center Houston
    Houston TX
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  • 6.  RE: Becoming a cashless institution

    Posted 07-26-2022 09:18 AM
    Thank you

    ------------------------------
    Mark Osterman, Ed.D.
    Digital Experience Manager and Head of Education
    Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Coal Gables, FL
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Becoming a cashless institution

    Posted 07-25-2022 04:09 PM
    Mark,

    As you say, I am sure there are "a variety of reasons," but my first question would be why would you choose to diminish your capacity to make revenue?

    Everyone here has made great points.  I would add one more.  Admittedly, it is anecdotal, but some customers seem to prefer cash because they are tired of having their information captured, aggregated, and sold by everyone from their credit card companies, to social media, to merchants.  Cash is one way to alleviate at least a part of that invasion of privacy.  It might also present a PR problem.  While being "cashless" is legal in almost all localities, how does it look for your institution not to accept the legal tender of the United States of America?

    All the best,
    Deborah

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    Deborah Bigness
    Manager of Site Operations, Lubbock Lake National Historic Landmark
    Lubbock, TX
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  • 8.  RE: Becoming a cashless institution

    Posted 07-26-2022 09:18 AM
    Thank you

    ------------------------------
    Mark Osterman, Ed.D.
    Digital Experience Manager and Head of Education
    Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Coal Gables, FL
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


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