ALLENDALE, Mich. (WOOD) â As she cruises the aisles looking for hanging baskets and other plants at Countryside Greenhouse, Emma Meindertsma knows when she hits the checkout line, she'll have to pull out the plastic.
âIt seems kind of like a no-brainer. I never have cash and I don't even think I have checks,â said Emma Meinderstma, as she shopped with her mom Thursday morning.
And it's not just a millennial thing; Emma's mom seldom uses cash.
âIt works for me,â said Melissa Meindertsma. âI use debit cards all the time. I rarely have cash or know where the checkbook is.â
There's still plenty of green on the shelves at Countryside Greenhouse in Allendale, but you can't use your green at checkout. Countryside began its no cash policy in the spring.
âIt just makes sense to me,â said Emma Meinderstma. âI don't really think twice about it, but someone else might.â
That someone else remains a big concern for Dale Buist, who started Countryside 36 years ago. Buist said the decision to go cashless was made for several reasons: Handling cash is isn't cheap; you have to have someone count it, store it and take it to the bank; and there are security concerns when there's a lot of cash in the store.