Top Retailers Address Future Operations Without Pennies: Insights from McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Kroger

Bassyonni

ago 1 month

The U.S. Mint has announced that it has pressed its last circulating penny as of Wednesday, highlighting a significant shift in currency operations. This decision follows a directive from President Trump earlier this year to halt minting new one-cent coins due to increased production costs. With the penny’s circulation coming to an end, major retailers are adapting their cash handling practices.

Future Operations Without Pennies

Several large chains and retailers have shared their strategies for managing cash transactions in light of the penny shortage. Here are insights from notable businesses:

McDonald’s Adaptation

McDonald’s announced that at certain locations, customers paying with cash may not receive the exact change due to the unavailability of pennies. The fast-food chain is rounding totals to the nearest five cents for cash transactions. For example:

Order total: $10.22 → Customer pays: $10.20
Order total: $10.23 → Customer pays: $10.25

However, payments made through digital or card methods remain unaffected by this change.

Actions by Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, and Jamba

GoTo Foods, the parent company of Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, and Jamba, is guiding its franchisees to round cash transactions in favor of customers. This proactive approach aims to help both the businesses and the consumers during the penny shortage.

Wendy’s Strategy

Wendy’s is implementing a similar rounding strategy, advising restaurants to round cash transactions down to the nearest nickel when experiencing penny shortages. Like others, Wendy’s digital and card transactions are unaffected.

Kroger’s Customer Request

Kroger encourages customers to provide exact change when using cash. Despite this, the supermarket chain continues to accept pennies for purchases.

Kwik Trip’s Approach

The Midwestern convenience chain Kwik Trip has opted to round cash transactions down to the nearest nickel. This method helps streamline the payment process amid the penny shortage.

Giant Eagle’s Exchange Program

Based in Pennsylvania, Giant Eagle supermarkets recently hosted a promotional event where customers could exchange their pennies for gift cards worth double their value. This initiative aims to collect more pennies for transactions while maintaining accuracy.

Sheetz Encourages Cashless Payments

Sheetz has been promoting cashless transactions but also held a unique promotion where customers exchanging a dollar’s worth of pennies received a complimentary drink. This approach highlights the chain’s flexibility in dealing with the current currency situation.

As retailers adjust to a future without pennies, it remains to be seen how the U.S. government will respond to this evolving landscape. The strategies employed by these companies reflect their commitment to maintaining customer service and operational efficiency in challenging times.