Starbucks Tests Cash-Free Store

Starbucks Coffee Co. (Seattle) began testing cash-free-only transactions in a new café in downtown Seattle last week at Russell Investments Center.

The site does not accept cash payments on any transactions, accepting only credit cards and mobile payments, reports the Seattle Times. The goal of the site’s policy is to improve the customer experience by reducing the amount of time each transaction takes, while removing inherent disadvantages of cash transactions, including longer customer lines, handling unhygienic money, employee theft, maintaining and counting change in the registers and having to physically travel to a bank to deposit the money.

There is no sign at the location announcing the new policy, but according to the company, most of its transactions are cash-free already. Starbucks’ mobile payment and ordering through its app has caught on with its customers, according to the brand. Recently, it even blamed its slow sales growth at stores on crowding caused by people standing around waiting on orders.