ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Armed robbers have been plaguing the city for months now, and they are forcing businesses to change how they operate. The brother and sister duo who own Frondescence, a little plant shop on Central and Carlisle, went cashless from the get-go all because of terrifying past experiences.

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The owners of Frondescence, siblings Meint and Megan Agena have only been in business for 5 months after both were laid off from their previous jobs during the pandemic. But, because of the city’s crime problem they made a business decision when they opened in October to not accept cash.

Meint explained scary moments when crime impacted him at his past job and in his home. “One day during one of my shifts, that guy walked in the back door, and he had a handgun. And you know, he held up the whole store,” he said. “ and a couple of months after that my house got broken into.”

They aren’t the only businesses not keeping cash in their shops. We’ve noticed signs going up at businesses all across the metro saying they’re switching to debit and credit cards only because workers have been victims of armed robberies.

Businesses include Keva Juice, Carl’s junior, Subway, and even Family Dollar. Not every shopper is a fan. “We think that they should still accept cash because it’s a minor inconvenience for people who don’t have a card or forget their card or leave it at home,” said one shopper.

The brother and sister duo say despite some complaints, they would rather feel safe in a city where they believe criminals run rampant. “Given the safety concerns, I’d rather deal with that than an armed robber or something like that, you know?” Meint said.

The siblings say they do feel a little better since this Nob Hill shopping center does have a security guard who patrols it. The Frondescence shop does offer other methods of payment like apple pay and Google pay.