King County proposal would require businesses to take cash

SEATTLE — At Barberellas in White Center, there’s a sign on the counter that reads, “cash is king.”

“It’s kind of the old-school way of barber shops,” said barber Heather Peterman.

They take cards but prefer cash, which avoids processing fees.

“We have a lot of older clients that come in here, and a lot of them don’t like to use a card; they use cash,” Peterman said.

Other businesses are moving away from cash.

Sports stadiums made the switch because of COVID.

Some small businesses go cashless, hoping to prevent robberies.

But Metropolitan King County Council member Jeanne Kohl-Welles says no-cash policies leave some people out.

“Many people in low-income, marginalized communities do not have credit cards,” Kohl-Welles said.

An FDIC survey found two percent of people in Washington are “unbanked.”

Kohl-Welles wants to require businesses in unincorporated King County to accept cash on purchases of up to $250.

“Everybody should have access to the economy. Everybody should be able to buy a quart of milk or a loaf of bread or some kind of service,” Kohl-Welles said.

“This requirement on cash is silly, and it creates a civil penalty. You can sue somebody if they don’t accept cash,” said King County councilmember Reagan Dunn, who spoke against the proposal on the Jason Rantz Show on AM 770 KTTH.

“It just doesn’t make any sense. It’s a woke sort of policy being pushed forward on some equitable principle,” Dunn said. “Progress in the future is cashless, sorry folks.”

Kohl-Welles’ proposal is now in a council committee.

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