https://www.wired.com/story/cashless-retail-excludes-customers-in-the-name-of-efficiency/

Brands increasingly seek to provide "frictionless" experiences—a sense of ease and efficiency that enables users to engage with them on their terms. However, in a small but growing number of cases, frictionless means eliminating cash as an accepted payment method.

This is a seemingly minor but significant shift in the retail landscape. As a society, it signals a shift away from inclusive commerce toward what might better be described as the age of the preferred customer.