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It seems like a cashless society is a long way off and it may be. It will take a long time for both consumers and merchants to stop using cash but the path to that point may have just been embarked upon. The first major sports venue in the United States has gone completely cashless. Will this be a hit with the fans or will it place the team in the fan’s cellar?
Don’t Bring Cash to a Rays Game
It was announced in late January that the Tampa Bay Rays venue, Tropicana Field, would no longer accept cash for the upcoming 2019 Major League Baseball Season. The move is spearheaded by its concessions manager Levy Management and analytics firm E15. Fans will be able to pay for anything from the team store, concessions stand and box office with credit cards, NFC payment types and with team gift cards. In the event a fan does not have a credit card (or forgets it) cash can be used to purchase gift cards in any of the in-stadium retail locations or from a roving seller. Cash will also not be accepted for parking.
According to data from E15 by moving to cashless payments it is expected to decrease the amount of time it takes to complete a transaction therefore keeping concession lines moving. This was tested during the 2018 season and it was found that fans adapted quickly and the speed of concession lines increased. The fans seemed to be happier as well.
About the Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are on of Major League Baseball’s newest teams, beginning play in 1998 in the last round of expansion. They compete in the ultra-competitive American League East Division which includes the New York Yankees and the defending World Series champions Boston Red Sox. While the team lost in the 2008 World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies success has been hard to come by though the team has been pioneered several on field strategies like defensive shifting and the opener as well as off the field with free parking for cars with four or more occupants.
About Tropicana Field
The Rays play in Tropicana Field which opened in 1990. The venue has been the home venue of the Tampa Bay Lightning and has also hosted the 1999 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four. It is not a popular venue for fans as the Rays routinely are one of the worst draws in baseball and it is one of the last artificial turf playing surfaces. Catwalks above the field create unique ground rules leading to frustration from both players and spectators. The Rays have been working to build a new stadium, noting that Tropicana Field is located away from the main population area in Tampa Bay (the city of Tampa) and is not an easy place to get to at rush hour.
Tropicana Field is the first major sports venue to go cashless. Will this work? Considering that the Rays are not one of the more popular draws this might not be the best place to determine if this will work. Or it could be a prime place to work out the inevitable kinks and find what works and what does not so that other venues can potentially follow suit. It is probably inevitable that one day fans will not use cash at Madison Square Garden or Heinz Field or Fenway Park.
