By ALEXIS ZOTOS
6 News Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - A new partnership between Starbucks and a mobile payment application called Square has people buzzing about a possible future where people leave their wallets at home.
The app basically turns any tablet or smart phone into a mobile cash register. The two-year-old start-up was created by the founder of Twitter, and many Knoxville companies say it's revolutionizing the way they do business.
For a mobile business, a mobile payment app just makes sense. The food truck Savory and Sweet began using Square six months ago.
"We don't even have to have power in the truck, and we can still accept credit cards. You can just swipe the card and it will go right (through the iPad)," said Byron Sambat, co-owner of Savory and Sweet.
Each card swipe charges a 2.75 percent transaction fee, but businesses say the convenience of the mobile app is well worth it.
"It works out really well. You just link it to your bank account and it's usually in there the next day," Sambat explained.
During the busy lunch hour Wednesday, nearly a dozen customers swiped their cards using Square.
For the family-run Pups and Pals in North Knoxville, the app has been a huge success.
"The lack of a headache really, we can email the receipt or text message it to customer, so it's easier for them and us," said Zack Johnson, who runs the pet grooming store with his wife.
Johnson says his customers also love the app.
The only concern is when people think it's storing their information. "The only thing it stores is your email or phone number so we can send you a receipt," Johnson said. "Most people understand it's simply the newest way to pay."
Brian Ellis runs a digital design website in Knoxville and says Square is just the beginning of mobile pay technology.
"I think we're very much in what could be considered the infancy state. I think the learning curve on this is about to explode," Ellis, who runs Anocial Digital Design Studio, explained.
The biggest change could be the idea of paying without using any form of credit card.
"Starbucks is talking about you're going to be able to say your name and they're going to have what you drink on file. They're going to ring you up and the payment will come out and all you had to do was say your name." Ellis said. "That's huge."
At Savory and Sweet, they've already started using that technology. If a customer has a Square account, they don't even need their wallets.
"They can place an order and I can hit their picture and it shows a larger picture to verify it's them and I can hit accept, and it just charges their account," Sambat said. "Ultimately we can get people their food quicker and faster and get them on their way."
"We don't even have to have power in the truck, and we can still accept credit cards. You can just swipe the card and it will go right (through the iPad)," said Byron Sambat, co-owner of Savory and Sweet.
For the family-run Pups and Pals in North Knoxville, the app has been a huge success.
