![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/NINTCHDBPICT000946485833.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
KROGER, a popular grocery store chain, has introduced a new payment policy that might make paying for groceries harder for shoppers. <\/p>\n
Kroger<\/a> joins a few other retailers in addressing the penny shortage that will hit the U.S. once the coin is phased out of use. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the Money newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThank you!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Notices have been popping up at self-checkout<\/a> stations in Kroger locations, advising shoppers on how to handle cash transactions. <\/p>\n \u201cThe U.S. Treasury has stopped production of pennies, which is now impacting supply,\u201d the notice said, according to photos obtained by Local 12<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cIf using cash for payment, please consider providing exact change.\u201d<\/p>\n A Kroger spokesperson told the outlet that the chain will \u201ccontinue to assess the impact of the U.S. Treasury\u2019s decision to end penny production.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tread more on penny shortages\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MINTED NO MORE<\/p>\n Target & Walmart fans hit with long lines & fees as payment option vanishes<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t PENNY PROBLEMS<\/p>\n Popular convenience store to \u2018round up\u2019 every purchase as pennies vanish <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIf using cash for payment, we kindly ask customers to consider providing exact change. Kroger will continue to accept pennies for payment,\u201d the spokesperson said. <\/p>\n Kroger did not immediately respond to The U.S. Sun\u2019s inquiry. <\/p>\n CENT SEND OFF<\/p>\n The U.S. government previously announced plans to end the production of\u00a0pennies<\/a>\u00a0by early 2026. <\/p>\n This leaves retailers scrambling to implement new rules for cash transactions once the coin is out of circulation.<\/p>\n The U.S. Department of the Treasury decided to end penny production<\/a> after reporting a loss of $85.3 million in 2024 from minting over three billion new pennies. <\/p>\n Kroger is not the only company to address the penny problems. Convenience stores<\/a> like Kwik Trip<\/a> and Sheetz have also issued advisories to customers as pennies will soon vanish. <\/p>\n PENNY FOR YOUR SODA<\/p>\n One Sheetz<\/a> customer shared<\/a> a photo on Facebook of a sign hung at their local store saying the location was \u201cshort on change.\u201d<\/p>\n The convenience store asked customers<\/a> to consider making cashless payments with debit and credit cards<\/a> or by ordering on the store\u2019s mobile app. <\/p>\n Customers were also given the option to round up their purchases to support charity. <\/p>\n Sheetz offered an extra incentive, allowing customers to bring in $1 worth of pennies in exchange for a self-serve drink. It\u2019s unclear if the deal was only for that specific location. <\/p>\n Kwik Trip, another convenience store with over 900 locations, unveiled a penny policy<\/a> in a press release obtained by The U.S. Sun.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tEnd of Penny Production\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\tKroger joins other retailers like Kwik Trip and Sheetz in adopting new policies due to the impending penny shortage. But what does the end of penny production mean?\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n The Treasury Department placed its final order of blank pennies around May 2025 and planned to stop minting the coins.<\/p>\n Officials expect the end of production to result in savings of $56 million a year as a penny costs nearly four cents to produce.<\/p>\n The U.S. is not the first country to eliminate its one-cent coins. Canada, Australia and New Zealand have phased out their coins.<\/p>\n The nickel will become the smallest denomination once pennies are phased out. <\/p>\n However, it costs more to produce nickels than pennies which could result in other losses.<\/p>\n Each nickel costs roughly 13.8 cents to make.<\/p>\n Sources:\u00a0NPR<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0The Tennessean<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAll cash purchases at Kwik Trip and Kwik Star locations will be rounded down to the nearest five cents,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n The \u201cguest-friendly\u201d decision to round down came as \u201cthe government has not provided guidance on how to proceed,\u201d Kwik Trip said. <\/p>\n The press release noted that Kwik Trip\u2019s registers would automatically apply the rounding rule to all cash transactions. <\/p>\n Another convenience store, Love\u2019s Travel Stops, started rounding customers\u2019 purchases across some locations <\/p>\n \u201cAt this time, only around 50 of Love\u2019s more than 660 locations in 42 states are impacted,\u201d Ulysses Ochoa, the director of operations at Love\u2019s Travel Stops, told Oklahoma\u00a0outlet\u00a0KFOR.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIf a store runs out of pennies, all change will be rounded up in favor of the customer,\u201d Ochoa added.<\/p>\n RETAIL ROUNDING<\/p>\n The\u00a0Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond<\/a>\u00a0(FRBR)\u00a0explained that other businesses could likely implement a \u201crounding tax,\u201d but it may not always be in favor of the customer. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t WANT HER HOME<\/p>\n Missing girl’s sister reveals fight for custody before 9-year-old vanished<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1761276261_600_NINTCHDBPICT000946485833.jpg\")
Kroger is not the only company to address the penny problems<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/newspress-collage-5lfbc0swf-1760042318854.jpg\"\/)
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SC-Pennies-Vanish-Comp-copy.jpg\"\/)
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1761276263_401_JB_MELODEE-SISTER1_COMP-copy.jpg\"\/)
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1761276264_993_JB_KICKED_OUT_COMP-copy.jpg\"\/)
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n