Kalamazoo Area Meijer Suspends Cash At Self Check-Out

At first glance you might think this has to do with the problem of Coronavirus-contaminated money.  For years we've seen studies on how many germs are found on bills & coins.  Then there's the study that concluded that a large percentage of bills had some amount of cocaine residue.

But this is 2020 and nothing is what it seems.  No, this isn't about clean money or should we say unclean.  It's about availability.  And, no, it's not about how much money you have, it's about how much money is actually available.

Did I mention this is 2020?  As I've presented in several articles on this site, we still don't have any idea what the ramifications of shutting down the economy will have in the week and months and possibly years to come.

There is still a Clorox wipes shortage, a food shortage, a raw materials shortage and there's going to be an automobile shortage just to name a few.  But who would ever have thought that there would be a "physical" shortage of money?  Specifically coins.

That's why area Meijer stores have suspended the use of cash at the self check-out lanes.  Apparently, the economic shutdown causing a major decrease in business activity also caused a decrease in the amount of cash circulating through the economy; especially coins.

So, for the time being if you want to use cash you have to go to an attended lane and hope they've got your change.  I have to admit, i didn't see this one coming.  in an era where the majority of consumers use plastic you'd think there'd be plenty of cash & coins.  Did I mention this was 2020?