Customers of two local retailers can now buy gas and household items with a service many associate exclusively with online shopping. PayPal is trying to gain a presence in brick and mortar stores. If you have a PayPal account, you can now use it at Brentwood-based Mapco Express or Dollar General, headquartered in Goodlettsville.
At the terminal where you usually swipe a credit or debit card, PayPal users can enter their phone number and a four digit PIN. More than 20 retailers already offer this service, including Home Depot, Barnes & Noble and Toys R Us
Other companies,including Google, are developing similar ways to pay for in-store purchases. But many require stores to buy new equipment. PayPal’s pitch is that it can be used with the credit card processing systems already in place. The company has also announced its teaming up with Discover Card, to allow any the merchants who accept the card to also take PayPal.
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