Shortage of coins in circulation causing concerns
Don't expect to receive change in coins when you go to the grocery store. Kroger, the largest supermarket chain in the U.S., has said it will stop giving customer coin change, citing the nationwide shortage of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarter in circulation as a result of thecoronavirus pandemic.
The company, which operates nearly 3,000 grocery stores in 35 states, has posted signs at many of its stores indicating the change in policy. Kroger is asking customers paying with cash to use exact change. Alternatively, patrons may donate what they are owed in coins to its Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, an initiative aimed at eliminating hunger in the U.S.
Kroger customers can also chose to have their change loaded onto a customer loyalty card and be automatically applied to their next purchase. Patrons may continue using credit and debit cards and avoid any cash hassles altogether, the company said Monday.
The Federal Reserve is experiencing a significant coin shortage that is impacting our store operations and ability to provide change. As a result, the company is implementing a new process for providing change to customers. In all staffed lanes, coin change owed to the (1/2)
— Kroger (@kroger) July 13, 2020
The coin shortage in the U.S. is one of many unexpected effects of the coronavirus. The Federal Reserve, which manages coin production and distribution, disclosedin June that it is facing low coin inventories partly due to disruption to the coin supply chain..
Workers at the U.S. Mint, which makes the country's coins, are operating at a reduced production rate because of precautionary measures taken to protect them from the virus. Coins are also accumulating in the homes — and pockets — of people leery of going out in public.
Other grocers have implemented similar policies in light of the unusual shortage, including Wawa, a chain of 850 convenience stores that has also asked patrons to pay with exact change.
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