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Cyclopath
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PostThu Mar 16, 2023 10:01 am 
Mount Rainier to stop taking cash at entrance, campgrounds Beginning May 26, only electronic card payments — including mobile phone payments — will be accepted for entrance fees and campgrounds. Visitors who can pay only with cash will be able to buy a prepaid pass from a local vendor before coming to the park. Spokesperson Kevin Bacher said the park is currently working on identifying vendors. They will likely be gateway businesses that already serve a lot of recreational customers, he said. Only about 2% of visitors over the past few years have used cash, Bacher said. https://www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoors/mount-rainier-to-stop-taking-cash-at-entrance-campgrounds/?amp=1

mosey
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Bruce Albert
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PostThu Mar 16, 2023 10:47 am 
So nice to see Mr. Dungeon plugging away at the important stuff, despite those nasty staffing shortages. I just pulled out a dollar bill and checked. It still reads "This note is legal tender for all debts public and private."

Anne Elk, rossb, ChinookPass, vogtski, silence, mosey
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KascadeFlat
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PostThu Mar 16, 2023 12:02 pm 
Interesting…we were there last weekend and the ranger pointed out to me that they no longer accept cash. I thought I had just missed the memo and that was a policy change during Covid. Good to know it’s recent. Another point in favor of the America the Beautiful pass!

For a good time call: 1-800-SLD-ALDR.
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Cyclopath
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PostThu Mar 16, 2023 12:09 pm 
Bruce Albert wrote:
So nice to see Mr. Dungeon plugging away at the important stuff, despite those nasty staffing shortages.
Not having to make change means staff will no longer have to drive to and from the bank to maintain a supply of small bills and coins. Requiring less work makes sense when you're short staffed.

Randito
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thunderhead
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PostThu Mar 16, 2023 1:00 pm 
Cash? What primitive dark ages nonsense!

Chief Joseph
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jinx'sboy
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PostThu Mar 16, 2023 1:05 pm 
As much as I hate to see this - it does make sense. For the Government to handle cash and reconcile receipts, etc is gigantic pain. Back in the day, mid-80s, I had a financial type person tell me “The Forest Service spends more $ auditing the petty cash funds in all its offices, than it does the money in a multi-billion $ timber sales program.” There is also the issue of employee safety. Employees, often working alone, picking up and transporting cash in remote locations, isn’t a good situation. I suspect this is probably the major reason to get away from cash.

kiliki, thunderhead, Cyclopath
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Bosterson
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PostThu Mar 16, 2023 1:15 pm 
jinx'sboy wrote:
Back in the day, mid-80s, I had a financial type person tell me “The Forest Service spends more $ auditing the petty cash funds in all its offices, than it does the money in a multi-billion $ timber sales program.”
But how much of the income collected will be lost to payment processing fees? I guess from an accounting perspective it's a wash since they will no longer "spend" employee resources administering the cash. And if 98% of transactions already incurred processing fees then this is more likely to save money than cost money.

Go! Take a gun! And a dog! Without a leash! Chop down a tree! Start a fire! Piss wherever you want! Build a cairn! A HUGE ONE! BE A REBEL! YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE! (-bootpathguy)
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zimmertr
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PostThu Mar 16, 2023 1:34 pm 
I just flash em my America the Beautiful pass and am through the gate in seconds. After waiting in line a couple dozen minutes for all the cash/card exchanges, of course.

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Chief Joseph
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PostThu Mar 16, 2023 3:31 pm 
Just another move toward a cashless society. I was happy to see that here in N Idaho a Bar-Resort and a Mexican food place began charging a 4% fee for credit card purchases, so of course I now use cash at those establishments. Last summer in Priest River, a Burger Express stand stopped taking cash. There was such a public uproar that they soon did away with that practice.

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.

Anne Elk, Randito, rossb
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Cyclopath
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PostThu Mar 16, 2023 5:27 pm 
I didn't realize people used cash for anything but drugs. smile.gif

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostThu Mar 16, 2023 6:52 pm 
Like the tv commercial says (is it AFFLAC?), cash is as good as money. Or maybe not anymore.

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Randito
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PostThu Mar 16, 2023 6:58 pm 
Even Dick's drive in has moved away from cash. They only started accepting card payments quite recently. They now only accept card payments, for a while they would take "Exact amount cash only" , but the last time I got a Deluxe and a Cheeseburger, that sign was no longer visible.

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Cyclopath
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PostThu Mar 16, 2023 7:22 pm 
Only 2% of visitors pay in cash, and entry permits will still be available from local vendors outside the park who accept cash. So this doesn't sound like a big deal. But (no matter what you think about cash or digital) Rainier is a wonderful place to hike, you should all go there. And know how to pay at the gate. (Rant: I wish we could just fund public lands and not charge peke to visit them.)

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zimmertr
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PostThu Mar 16, 2023 7:46 pm 
Hesman wrote:
I just show my America the Beautiful pass and get a “thank you and enjoy your visit” in return.
The one time this wasn't true for me was Volcanoes National Park. The gatekeeper seemed annoyed with me for using one instead of coughing up more tourist money. They acted like I was rude for bringing it or something. Strange experience.

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Chief Joseph
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PostThu Mar 16, 2023 8:53 pm 
Cyclopath wrote:
I didn't realize people used cash for anything but drugs. smile.gif
Private sales, poker and other card games for money, massage parlors...

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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