Uberazzi

Thursday, 18 August 2011 21:04

Why don't all people in Los Angeles accept credit cards in restaurants ? Well, they do but they don't. I was in L.A. for the Teen Choice Awards to get my fix of Beiber and Selena nonsense when I realized the worst thing about this town was not the traffic or the narcissists, it was the small business owners.

Over the last few years cash has become less necessary around the country. In fact, I never carry any. But this trip to Los Angeles has changed that and it is rather an alarming conspiracy I've devised. It all started at the gas stations where it is very hard to even find a pump to slide your card. In some stations there is a central machine between the islands to accept credit cards and there notices plastered on them about the fees. Gas should be a point of purchase sale and not fee generating so your if you do not have cash, the price of your gas goes up anywhere from $1 to $2.50.

The first gas station got me and good for them because I'm a plastic guy and in a plastic town I thought I would be fine without cash. It was the second gas station that really irked me because I had forgotten to go get cash in the interim. But before I swiped my card in machine, I decided to go inside to see if they had an ATM so I could get cash and beat the system but the ATM fee was $3.00 so getting extorted outside was a better deal.

I then went to a bank and withdrew some cash and felt rather strange carrying several hundred dollars around on my person. Part of the conspiracy is that if you have cash, you will spend it. Just walking down the street the people must have smelled it on my because I didn't pass a single person who didn't stop and ask me for a buck. Then I noticed that the newsstands and street vendors suddenly had a lot more appeal than ever before. The term "cash burning a whole in your pocket" certainly has some merit because I found myself spending money left and right and without the opportunities to get proper receipts.

In a day and age when even the parking meters on every street in America seemingly accept credit cards it is a bit shocking to go to a major city which leaves no other option but cash. It happened too many times to just be coincidence and the core of my conspiracy is this. If businesses do not accept credit cards then it easier for them to skim and cook the books. Forget the fact that electronic transactions make accounting processes for small businesses extremely simple, many just want the cash to disappear into their pockets.

I cannot say that I blame them but it sure does put me off. In 2011 cash is not king because our most precious resource is time and convenience. I'm not sure if I will be more prepared for my next visit or just skip it all together.