Et tu, latte? Starbucks no longer accepts traveler's checks

Starbucks has mounted signs at its cash registers announcing that as of May 25, the chain will no longer accept personal checks or traveler's checks. Et tu, latte?

Personal checks I understand. Who does accept them these days? But traveler's checks have been dying an ignoble death in recent years. Whither Starbucks goes, so shall follow Citibank? Well, no. But Starbucks is a canary in the coal mine when it comes to consumer trends, and such an important chain's refusal to honor what was once an upstanding form of secure payment is a sure sign that the old traveler's check is ready to be covered with a handful of dirt.