Cashless fest?

[swag]

https://www.musicfestivalwizard.com/...are-the-worst/

From that link:

We Already Have a Better Cashless System
While festivals were busy figuring out how to make the festival experience more annoying, credit card companies have made cashless payments seamless. At smaller festivals, I just use my phone or credit card at the point of sale.

That's the approach I expect Jazzfest will take.

[brpfest]

I seem to seriously be in the minority here but, to me, this is just a big snore. So many other things have gone cashless and I've noticed no difference. A number of people here really seem to care, to the extent of boycotting Fest, and I respect that they feel that way. I just can't get worked up over something that is, to me, such a non-issue.

Tap systems are certainly faster than cash, so I see that as a plus.

Again, I respect that folks have different views. I just don't get it. But that's just me. We all gotta do ourselves.

Cheers.

[Marignygregg]

I seem to seriously be in the minority here but, to me, this is just a big snore. So many other things have gone cashless and I've noticed no difference. A number of people here really seem to care, to the extent of boycotting Fest, and I respect that they feel that way. I just can't get worked up over something that is, to me, such a non-issue.

Tap systems are certainly faster than cash, so I see that as a plus.

Again, I respect that folks have different views. I just don't get it. But that's just me. We all gotta do ourselves.

Cheers.

And that is why Jazz Fest loves you.

The world is definitely trending towards cashless. I'm old and think it sucks. I'll hang onto my values as best I can until I die. I'm dug in and luckily I've seen more great music than these youngins could ever hope to, for a fraction of the price, bands in their prime and paid for with cash. I've had enough fun at Jazz Fest over the years and have no problem passing the baton to the cashless multitudes.

[jjazznj]

I seem to seriously be in the minority here but, to me, this is just a big snore. So many other things have gone cashless and I've noticed no difference. A number of people here really seem to care, to the extent of boycotting Fest, and I respect that they feel that way. I just can't get worked up over something that is, to me, such a non-issue.

Tap systems are certainly faster than cash, so I see that as a plus.

Again, I respect that folks have different views. I just don't get it. But that's just me. We all gotta do ourselves.

Cheers.

I've been going to the fest since the late 80s, never noticed taking cash as being an issue except from fools who don't already have their money out when ordering. There has to be other reasons besides speed. It's just sad that we as a country are going away from accepting actual US currency.

[belyin]

I have no doubt cashless systems can offer conveniences to the individual in a position to take advantage of them. Americans are always encouraged to look at every situation from the perspective of their individual convenience without considering the larger picture (until it is too late.) Ask yourself this: have all the "conveniences" (Uber, AirBnB, TicketMaster, Walmart, CVS and Walgreens, Tinder, Facebook, etc,. etc.) that have upended our urban world in the past 40 years made your life better? Your neighborhood better? Your community better? Your city better? Society better? Some of us have held up hope (against the beatings of reality) that New Orleans could offer a model of a community based on human interactions rather than that of things and processes. The early years of Jazz Fest seemed to feed this hope with a model of an idealized community (whether this was ever really the case is an open question) but it has been many, many years since it presented itself as anything other than just another flavor of business as usual. And less face it, most folks are happy with that, but I am not one of them.

[chrisjoseph]

I'm for cashless if it actually works, but not at the expense of screwing the vendors out of $$ or making it harder for them to actually make sales. I love Jazzfest, and have been attending for decades, but let's face it: sometimes they don't make the right decisions. I hope they think this through and try to implement a system that works for all....and if they can't, keep it as it is.

[swag]

I've been musing how this affects the food vendors.

First, of course, are the merchant fees. That's a few percent that they'd rather not pay, but doesn't seem like a make or break deal. An exception might be a small dollar vendor like the Roman Candy guy, if he has to pay 10 cents or more on a dollar purchase.

Next is the speed. Some vendors rarely have much or a line. If a 20 second transaction now takes 30 seconds, that doesn't change much. Other vendors, like Patton's (the crawfish sack / combo place) seem limited not by the speed of the payment but by how quickly the kitchen can plate up each dish; again little effect. But other vendors with lines that can serve quickly keep them moving at impressive speed. Crawfish monica does that, and yes, so does the crawfish bread. For these folks, slower payments will cut into throughput and sales.

Finally, card payments means an accounting trail. I figure when you buy a $10 dish at fest, that's really a ~$9 dish and $1 in sales tax. If your cost including ingredients, prep work, staffing, booth fees, etc is $5, you have $4 profit, with probably $1.00-1.50 of that going to state and local income tax. In the all-cash world, I wonder if every vendor is fully reporting their sales? If they haven't been, but will now be forced to, that's a much bigger hit than a small merchant fee.

On the flip side (wordplay intended), if the POS system includes the tip flip, where the buyer has to select/enter/decline a tip, that will mean a lot of extra revenue. While tipping the charity-run beverage booths is fairly common, I think almost no one tips the food vendors. I can't recall ever noticing a tip jar at a food booth (except the oyster shuckers). A tip flip changes that.

So a lot depends on the specific system used. But the systems that are most efficient don't accept tips; the ones that maximize revenue with tipping by definition slow things down. We shall see.

[Cjb-otch]

Probably oversimplifying here but I vote for choice - for both the vendors and the customers. I’m also ok with a vendor charging a fee for credit card transactions which tends to encourage cash payment. Change is a lot easier when it’s voluntary rather than forced.

[rosetree]

Probably oversimplifying here but I vote for choice - for both the vendors and the customers. I’m also ok with a vendor charging a fee for credit card transactions which tends to encourage cash payment. Change is a lot easier when it’s voluntary rather than forced.

Actually, it is against the contracts for most credit card companies to charge an additional fee for card transactions. J/S....

[brpfest]

And that is why Jazz Fest loves you.

The world is definitely trending towards cashless. I'm old and think it sucks. I'll hang onto my values as best I can until I die.

I'm old as well (retirement looms in 10 days) and set in some of my ways. In others, I'm willing to adapt to things that end up being more convenient for me. Tapping my phone is definitely an improvement in my experience in multiple ways. In this case I see no reason to stick to my old ways when they inconvenience me and a path toward added convenience is offered.

Different for different folks. But I'm willing to adapt in some cases to my inconvenience if the benefit is worth it. In cases (like this) where the adaptation benefits me, it's a no brainer.

Don't really care whether or not Jazz Fest love me, But I appreciate them making my experience better, even if I know it's for their benefit.

Cheers.

[canadianjohn]

My problem with cashless, as a foreigner, is that the exchange rate will vary at every purchase. I have a US dollar card, but I use that for bigger purchases such as dinners out, hotel, Rosetree glass etc. I only pay the exchange once this way & only 1 transaction fee.
I believe that cash is still king.

[MormonMatthew]

Actually, it is against the contracts for most credit card companies to charge an additional fee for card transactions. J/S....

If I understand correctly, the way that many businesses typically get around this standard merchant agreement is that instead of them "Charging" a "Fee" for credit card usage is by "Offering" a "Cash Discount" , which is apparently legally cool with the fine folks at Mastercard and Visa....

[CEfromLA]

I remember standing at a line at an ATM at Fest forever because it couldn’t connect to the network. I have no problem with using my phone or a card at Fest, as long as they have a network that can handle that insane amount of traffic.

[Molo]

Honestly the only place I have kept cash on me in the past 3 years is New Orleans. I will not miss carrying cash at Fest. Agree that they need to make sure they have the connectivity but this seems like a no brainer for Fest going forward. And, like BRP up in this thread I too am in the retirement age bracket. We have talked a lot about Fest appealing to the next generation of Fest goers. Well, that generation has moved past carrying cash by and large.

[swag]

(retirement looms in 10 days)
Cheers.

Congratulations!