Can a department store, K Mart, refuse to accept payment in cash and demand that Sears credit card be used?
My purchase was @29.99, tendered a $20.00 Reward Certificate good at any Sears or K Mart. They accepted the certificate and refused to take cash for the difference, insisted it must be charged to the Sears credit card. I thought Legal Tender must be accepted always. Am I wrong?
If they have their policy posted you can’t complain too much. Otherwise this sounds really weird to me.
I do not believe they can do that unless the certificate could only be used in conjunction with the card.
No, I always use cash at K-Mart. Tell the cashier you do NOT have a Sears card (even if you have one say you don’t) and you are paying cash. If they refuse, ask for the store manager. Repeat to the store manger, you do not have a Sears card and you do not want a Sears card.
Wow that’s really weird! I can’t imagine them not wanting to take yoru money. Unless there was some pre-set regulation on the reward certificate, I see no reason why they shouldn’t have taken your cash. I hope you decided not to buy it! But check the fine print on the reward certificate - perhaps it was only good towards a credit card purchase???
You’re right. Genuine US currency must be accepted by anyone who accepts any form of payment for goods and services in the US. If you wanted to pay with a sack of nickels, they would have to accept it by law. That’s why all bills say, “This note is legal tender for ALL debts, public and private.”
Sounds like a blatant lie.Ask to speak to a manager or do your business elsewhere.
They cannot refuse legal tender. I think you would either have to pay the full amount in cash though, there might be some catch trying to use the Reward certificate-read the fine print on its use. If not report them as it is a federal offence to refuse legal tender.
Any normal store will accept cash for the difference between what a reward certificate offers and the sum of the purchase.
The key word here is “normal”….
I thought so also…was there any conditions at the bottom of the certificate that said any purchase over the amount stated must be charged to your Sears charge card? I would not think that would be the case but its always possible….they are always putting those conditions on stuff anymore you have to read all this little printed stuff on the darn things. Hope this helps. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Those reward certificates are like a coupon and an incentive to keep using your very high interest Sears card. They hope that you will run up a balance and let it ride so they can more than make that money back in interest.
That sounds like you may have encountered a clerk who did not know how to handle that transaction. Cash would be sufficient and actually a preferred type of payment. Why would Kmart take a sears card? sounds suspicious to me.
Ca$h is King!
Although Mike B. is wrong…The apartment complex that I work at on the weekends only accepts checks or money orders. No Ca$h allowed.
You’re right. They’re wrong. Report it to the manager.
no you are correct
They want interest revenue. You can outsmart them by mailing the total balance on the same day as you make the purchase. Have your envelope and checkbook ready, make your purchase, fill out your check, mail it. Their shenanigans have yielded them nothing.
If it was all cash I am pretty sure they have to take it but being that theres also a “Reward Certificate” who knows. Whats this world coming to? There always has to be a catch or some kinda of obsticle to a simple purchase. I would assume they have a policy for u to use the credit card so they can collect the intrest. I
think its BS
Would if you don’t have a Sears card? The whole thing sounds like a joke to me.
Cash is “Legal tender for all DEBTS, public and private”. There is no debt in this case. Bussiness CAN determine what forms of payment they will accept. My source is the United States Treasury Department’s answer to a similar question. That is the most authoritative source you can ask for.
I’ve never heard of any store not accepting cash since they want to sell items.
It depends on the so-called fine print on the certificate that you used as part of the purchase payment.
If it specifically says that you must use a Sears credit card to make the transaction, then yes.
I recently received a coupon in the mail from JC Penny that required me to use the $10 credit coupoin with a Mastercard to make the purchase. So, yes, some stores may have policies in conjuction with special incentives that they make available to consumers.