Banks and retailers run short on pennies as the US Mint stops making them
By KEN SWEET, AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — The United States is running out of pennies.
President Donald Trump’s decision to stop producing the penny earlier this year is starting to have real implications for the nation’s commerce. Merchants in multiple regions of the country have run out of pennies and are unable to produce exact change. Meanwhile, banks are unable to order fresh pennies and are rationing pennies for their customers.
One convenience store chain, Sheetz, got so desperate for pennies that it briefly ran a promotion offering a free soda to customers who bring in 100 pennies. Another retailer says the lack of pennies will end up costing it millions this year, because of the need to round down to avoid lawsuits.
“It’s a chunk of change,” said Dylan Jeon, senior director of government relations with the National Retail Federation.
FILE – A lone penny is illuminated in a bin of completed pennies at the U.S. Mint in Denver on Aug. 15, 2007. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
A sign in a Kwik Trip store shows the store will no longer be using pennies to give change, on Oct. 23, 2025, in Yorkville, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
A sign in a Kwik Trip store shows the store will no longer be using pennies to give change, on Oct. 23, 2025, in Yorkville, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
The penny problem started in late summer and is only getting worse as the country heads into the holiday shopping season.
