Lots of good stuff in this thread. 
I have a data point on merchant/businesses not taking cash... in college I worked for a large up-scale apartment complex that didn't take cash for rent payments. It was actually in the lease that cash wasn't acceptable; only checks, cashier's checks, or money orders.
I remember several times people were on the verge of being evicted for non-pay and would come in with cash, and they were still told it couldn't be accepted. The people who worked the front office were instructed to tell people with cash that they could buy a money order at a nearby gas station (there was a bank less than a mile away, but their charge for cashier's checks and money orders was higher than the gas station).
I distinctly remember several times seeing people get genuinely confused that their cash was unacceptable... almost nobody remembered that part of their lease, even though they had to initial next to the paragraph that stated it.
When I first started working there I asked why this policy was in place and was told it was for security reasons - there wasn't even a safe on site. Receivables were $700k+ each month, so if even a portion of that were in cash it would have been a nightmare to secure and transport.
So, FWIW a business can definitely choose to not accept cash for a transaction. Whether or not it's a wise business decision is of course another matter...
@UncleB wrote:Lots of good stuff in this thread.
I have a data point on merchant/businesses not taking cash... in college I worked for a large up-scale apartment complex that didn't take cash for rent payments. It was actually in the lease that cash wasn't acceptable; only checks, cashier's checks, or money orders.
I remember several times people were on the verge of being evicted for non-pay and would come in with cash, and they were still told it couldn't be accepted. The people who worked the front office were instructed to tell people with cash that they could buy a money order at a nearby gas station (there was a bank less than a mile away, but their charge for cashier's checks and money orders was higher than the gas station).
I distinctly remember several times seeing people get genuinely confused that their cash was unacceptable... almost nobody remembered that part of their lease, even though they had to initial next to the paragraph that stated it.
When I first started working there I asked why this policy was in place and was told it was for security reasons - there wasn't even a safe on site. Receivables were $700k+ each month, so if even a portion of that were in cash it would have been a nightmare to secure and transport.
So, FWIW a business can definitely choose to not accept cash for a transaction. Whether or not it's a wise business decision is of course another matter...
Same with my apartment building, in fact I do not know of one that will accept cash, with checks which they highly discourage they can deposit remotely which saves the office manager time and often saves a trip to the bank.