Some SWFL businesses going cashless

The days of dimes and dollars are coming closer to an end. You may notice a trend towards places going cashless.

With credit cards, you can tap them, swipe them, hook them up straight to your phone and not even carry them.

Locally, there are a couple of restaurants that do this. In Naples, it’s at the Mercato, and let’s not forget about Hertz Arena’s parking lot and even local beaches.

“Much more popular and more practical, and it just works out better,” said Robert Kelley, a Naples resident.

But will they ever truly beat old-fashioned cash? Some businesses, like The 239 Naples, said yes.

“This helps us with accounting. We don’t have to keep track of cash,” said The 239 Naples’ general manager Ray Corallino.

Corallino said it’s safer on two fronts: bookkeeping and the physical safety of employees.

“Helps us for tax reporting purposes, as well as the tips are all reported in taxes, so it saves us any time or any questions from the IRS or in getting audits,” Corallino said.

Credit-only also means no late-night counting at the register and no cash tips.

“It’s safe for them because a lot of times they get off work late at night, and they’re not walking around with a bunch of cash in their pocket,” Corallino said.

And The 239 Naples isn’t alone. Nationwide, businesses are going cashless.

“Credit cards really advanced when COVID hit. Who wants to have a bunch of cash in your pocket that you know could have COVID on it?” Kelley said.

But since then, the idea has stuck.

According to AARP, cashless businesses more than doubled from February 2020 to February 2021 in the U.S.

Not everyone wants to live in a cashless world. Some find cash practical for smaller purchases like water bottles or gum.

Others said that while a credit-only world is bearable, a cash-only one seems way less practical.