Don’t expect to receive a currency change when you go to the supermarket. Kroger, the largest supermarket chain in the US, has said it will stop changing customer currencies, citing the national shortage of pennies, nickels, dime and quarter in circulation as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The company, which operates about 3,000 grocery stores in 35 states, has posted signs at many of its stores that indicate the change in policy. Kroger is asking cash paying customers to use the exact change. Alternatively, customers can donate their coins due to their Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, an initiative aimed at eliminating hunger in the USA.
Kroger customers can also choose to upload their change to a customer loyalty card and automatically apply it to their next purchase. Customers can continue to use credit and debit cards and avoid any cash problems, the company said Monday.
The shortage of coins in the United States it is one of the many unexpected effects of coronavirus. The Federal Reserve, which manages the production and distribution of coins, revealed in June that it faces low coin inventories, in part due to disruption of the coin supply chain.
Workers at the U.S. Mint, which manufactures the country’s coins, operate at a reduced production rate due to precautionary measures taken to protect them from the virus. Coins are also accumulating in the homes, and in the pockets, of people who are suspicious of going out in public.
Other supermarkets have implemented similar policies in light of the unusual shortage, including Wawa, a chain of 850 convenience stores that has also asked customers to pay with the exact change.
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