If you’re heading to Kroger for groceries, the chain is strongly encouraging you to bring exact change. Kroger, like many other retailers affected by the nationwide penny shortage, started posting signs in stores asking cash-paying customers to provide exact change as the United States adjusts to life without newly minted pennies.
“Kroger will continue to accept pennies for payment,” the company said in a statement obtained by USA Today. “We continue to assess the impact of the U.S. Treasury’s decision to end penny production. If using cash for payment, we kindly ask customers to consider providing exact change.”
The reminder signs are now posted across all 103 stores in the Cincinnati/Dayton Division, which includes Northern Kentucky.
Why Is This Happening
President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. Mint to stop producing pennies earlier this year, and Congress is now considering a bill that would make the move permanent.
“For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents,” he posted on Truth Social. “This is so wasteful! I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies.”
The U.S. Mint followed the directive, making its final shipment of pennies in August. The proposal would round all transactions to the nearest nickel.
Why Are Retailers Struggling?
While there are still billions of pennies in circulation, the halt in production has made the coins harder for retailers to come by. Industry groups — including the Food Industry Association, National Grocers Association, and National Retail Federation — sent a joint letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Oct. 14, requesting emergency guidance for SNAP retailers.
“This permanent disruption in inventory of the 1-cent coin is beginning to cause a cascade of negative events in stores across the country and has a serious implication for SNAP retailers’ compliance with the SNAP equal treatment provisions,” reads the letter. “Without exact change, our stores have no choice but to round to the nearest nickel for cash customers, meaning these customers would be paying a slightly different price than SNAP customers.”
The groups asked the USDA to clarify that rounding cash payments won’t put retailers out of compliance.
Have you seen signs asking for exact change at grocery stores and elsewhere? Let us know in the comments!
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