What will companies do without pennies? We asked McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Kroger and other top retailers.
With the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia halting the production of pennies due to the rising cost of manufacturing, many businesses are facing challenges when it comes to providing exact change to customers paying in cash. Several major chains and retailers have come up with solutions to address the penny shortage:
McDonald’s
McDonald’s has implemented a policy in some locations to round cash transactions to the nearest 5 cents. This means that if a customer’s order totals $10.22, they will pay $10.20, but if the total is $10.23, they will owe $10.25. Digital and card payments are not affected by this change.
Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, Jamba, Carvel
GoTo Foods, the parent company of these popular brands, is advising franchisees to round cash transactions in the customer’s favor to account for the penny shortage.
Wendy’s
Wendy’s is also rounding cash transactions down to the nearest nickel if they are experiencing penny shortages. However, digital orders and card payments remain unaffected by this change.
Kroger
Kroger is encouraging customers to provide exact change when using cash. The supermarket chain will continue to accept pennies as payment.
Kwik Trip
The Midwestern convenience chain has decided to round cash transactions down to the nearest nickel to address the penny shortage.
Giant Eagle
Giant Eagle supermarkets in Pennsylvania held an event where customers could exchange their pennies for gift cards worth double the value of the coins. This exchange program helps the company collect more pennies to provide exact change to cash-paying customers.
Sheetz
Sheetz is encouraging cashless payments, but one store offered a promotion where customers who brought in a dollar’s worth of pennies received a free drink.
