[News] Saddledome is going cashless

[mikeecho]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Money is dirty and gross and slower to pay with and less safe to handle.
And I'm sure they know how much of their transactions are currently not cash and how they will manage the risk of losing any of that.
But this is a decision that more businesses will make.
Nothing dumb about it.

In my experience, cash handling is a big PITA and a drain on resources.

Employees at WestJet went berzerk the day that it was announced that they would no longer be accepting cash transactions. Pure vitriol. How dare they... what about this, what about that, granny doesn't have a credit card, etc...

A week into the cashless world and it was a big non issue. Almost the opposite. Employees were thrilled at how much it simplified the operation and many wanted (er... demanded) to know why management didn't implement this sooner.

[TorqueDog]

It is a massive inconvenience when the point-of-sale systems go down at stores because I never carry cash on me. At least if they have an ATM on-site and accept cash, I can withdraw and pay with cash.

On the other hand, sometimes the cause of the POS going down also impacts the on-site ATM and you're screwed anyway.

[Locke]

Yeah, I was being highly sarcastic. I havent paid cash for something in....it seems like forever.

I do remember going to Disneyland and the man in front of me paid for his family's admission (2 adults + 4 kids) in cash and I remember thinking:

"If thats what he had for admission, how much more is he holding?? I hope the 'happiest place on Earth' has some dark alleys."

[monkeyman]

I honestly can't remember the last time I used cash to purchase anything. Having the ability to tap with a debit/credit card or phone is way easier than lugging around a bunch of bills and a pocket full of change.

[Locke]

I like the idea of cash, but the practicality of it is that its a pain in the ass.

[tvp2003]

As noted above McMahon went cashless so this is not a surprise.

I also wonder if the Flames are moving to virtual tickets only, which is what the Stampeders did (or attempted to do) this year. In other words, instead of physical tickets (which the Flames began phasing out years ago), or printing off pdf tickets, the Stampeders would only accept virtual tickets saved in your iphone wallet or scanned from your ticket account (i.e. screenshots were insufficient). I think there were major delays during the first home game but hopefully it's all sorted out by now...

[Buff]

Originally Posted by Jacks

I like the idea of doing a quick tap to pay but not sure how this will affect worker tips in that case?
I wonder if they start adding a mandatory tip?
If they don't do tap and people have to go through the whole "pin #", "amount ok", "select tip amount", "select account", "ok" every single time it could be ridiculous.

Okay, I guess I have obliviously been a cheapskate, but... people tip concession stand workers at sports events?

[The Yen Man]

I honestly can't remember the last time I used cash to pay for anything. I absolutely hate carrying change in my pockets. I think I've had the same $60 emergency cash in my wallet for the past 3 years.

[Enoch Root]

This is welcome news.

For anyone that doesn't have a credit card or debit card, here's a thought: go get one!

The trend is towards a cashless society, whether the Flames do this or not. You eventually started using the internet, you eventually got a cell phone... go get a fricking debit card or an app for your phone.

You'll thank us later.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Do you miss Blockbuster?

I miss the idea of being able to rent a true 4K Blu Ray instead of a hokey stream with a crappy bitrate, but that has nothing to with paying cash.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by RM14

They absolutely will. McMahon concession stations have the tip option. I think they are earning more tips than ever.

Everything the Stamps implemented so far has been announced for the Flames.

My assistant works at McMahon in concessions and she indicated that the concessions do not have the tip option. Only those that sell booze only. I have not attended myself.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by Bleeding Red

Credit cards are a third party payment method whereas the credit card company enters into a deal with the shopkeeper. I think a shopkeeper can refuse payment by Amex, since they may not have a deal in place with Amex.


There is no middleman when it comes to cash - the government backs it. The currency act denotes legal tender as coins and notes.

Do credit card companies or shopkeepers make more money on transactions? Where I live ATMs make up to 3 dollars when you take out a $10 or $20 (outrageous). Just curious if more card transactions will provide a financial benefit to the Saddledome.

[djsFlames]

Cool cool. Can the team go suck-less also?

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by Buff

Okay, I guess I have obliviously been a cheapskate, but... people tip concession stand workers at sports events?

I don't usually buy food at the games but when I get a beer, from the beer stand or the guy walking around, I usually do. The rare time I do buy food if there is a tip jar at a food concession or even a fast food place I'll usually throw a buck or two in.

[Bleeding Red]

Originally Posted by DazzlinDino

Do credit card companies or shopkeepers make more money on transactions? Where I live ATMs make up to 3 dollars when you take out a $10 or $20 (outrageous). Just curious if more card transactions will provide a financial benefit to the Saddledome.

The CCC gets between 3-5% of each transaction out of the shopkeepers end.
Spend $100, the shopkeeper gets his $97 right away, the CCC gets $3 right away.

I know some charities will have a section on their donation page to add the CC charge to your total. I have yet to see that with for-profit businesses though.

(the CCC gets theirs coming (from businesses) and going (from people in the form of interest on unpaid bills). I think the average interest rate on a card is 19%, and a lot of people only pay the minimum each month. Granted the CCC is taking a large risk. When I worked in the bankruptcy industry stories of CCCs writing off $25-50 of bad debt were standard.)

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Buff

Okay, I guess I have obliviously been a cheapskate, but... people tip concession stand workers at sports events?

The beer person sometimes because their job is more difficult carrying around a 24 for hours on end. A concession worker/volunteer? Never.

[t0rrent98]

I hate to say it but going cashless was pretty much in the works anyway and still is with COVID around. I'd still rather pay cash but this is what the world has come too.

[The Familia]

Originally Posted by Bingo

This comes across as a little change resistant, doesn't it?

I for one love change like this. Make it easier for me. I don't want front pockets full of loonies and twoonies from every beer or hotdog trip I make.

Happy to have blue tooth in my car, and a thermostat I can change from 300 km away in my house, online banking and banking apps on my phone that don't mean I have to stand in line at the bank.

Going cashless was pretty inevitable.

Do you miss Blockbuster?

I’m not change resistant and I personally do not have a problem paying with credit. I do know a few people, however, that do have an issue with not being able to pay with cash. Maybe they are change resistant, maybe they aren’t. Who am I to say.

I have a family friend who cancelled his Stamps tickets after 30 years because CSEC refused to print him hard copy tickets (phone only) and because of the cashless system. His tickets were 50 yard line, 20 rows up. My point is CSEC just lost a long time high paying customer because they refused to continue doing what they had been doing for the past 30 years. I guess a team that only averages around 24,000 a game is now cool with losing a long time fan and supporter. Put it another way. We build wheel chair ramps to accommodate the small population of people who are in a wheelchair to make their life easier. Why can’t the Flames accommodate the small group of people who want hard copy tickets or don’t have phones or cards and want to pay with cash? I don’t see the request being out of line.

By the way I would love for blockbuster to come back. Great memories and I would totally go rent a movie!

[chedder]

Comparing a person with a disability (where accessibility standards are the law) with some idiot that needs paper tickets.
Now I've read everything.

[curves2000]

Originally Posted by The Familia

I’m not change resistant and I personally do not have a problem paying with credit. I do know a few people, however, that do have an issue with not being able to pay with cash. Maybe they are change resistant, maybe they aren’t. Who am I to say.

I have a family friend who cancelled his Stamps tickets after 30 years because CSEC refused to print him hard copy tickets (phone only) and because of the cashless system. His tickets were 50 yard line, 20 rows up. My point is CSEC just lost a long time high paying customer because they refused to continue doing what they had been doing for the past 30 years. I guess a team that only averages around 24,000 a game is now cool with losing a long time fan and supporter. Put it another way. We build wheel chair ramps to accommodate the small population of people who are in a wheelchair to make their life easier. Why can’t the Flames accommodate the small group of people who want hard copy tickets or don’t have phones or cards and want to pay with cash? I don’t see the request being out of line.

By the way I would love for blockbuster to come back. Great memories and I would totally go rent a movie!

An excellent post and an excellent way of looking at it! I think it's become almost taboo to want to pay with cash and I don't like the look or the comments sometimes associated with it.

My uncle recently went golfing at some high level course in Calgary, I think his green fee with cart was $142 or something. He is a mostly cash guy but will use credit card for business expenses and larger purchases. He had 3 $50 bill on him and tried to pay, they hassled him and said no cash, Covid, they didn't have change etc. Bottom line is if your charging those type of prices for a few hours of entertainment, let people pay how they choose. He even gave the guy an $8 tip cause he didn't want the change!

At my family's store we get the same question multiple times a day "Are you accepting cash???" My answer is always the same, "We are in business, only fools don't accept money"