# Is the coin shortage happening everywhere, or just in the United States? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 29, 2020, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762 "2020-07-29T22:35:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2020, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/101 "2020-08-24T12:19:03Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Well, suppose 25 years from now a quarter only buys you four minutes of drier time, and it costs five bucks to run the washer Where do you live that five bucks for a washer cycle is 25 years in the future? That’s what it is _today_, and not even for the biggest machines (which are seven dollars for a cycle). And four minutes for a dryer cycle is less than I get, which is seven minutes per quarter. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2020, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/102 "2020-08-24T12:30:13Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Where do you live that five bucks for a washer cycle is 25 years in the future? That’s what it is _today_ , and not even for the biggest machines (which are seven dollars for a cycle). And four minutes for a dryer cycle is less than I get, which is seven minutes per quarter Where I do laundry, it’s $2.75 for a washer, and like you–seven minutes per quarter for the dryer. I usually throw in 4 quarters when drying. So it’s $3.75 for each load (let’s say four bucks). I don’t know how much the big machines are where I go. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2020, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/103 "2020-08-24T12:48:46Z")
Since this thread has now evolved into, “How much does laundry cost where you live?”, I thought I would jump in. The washers cost at a minimum $3.00 and you can spend up to $4.50 with extended cycle and extra rinse. The big, heavy-duty washers cost $8.00. A quarter gets you six minutes in the dryer. Except for dryer #53 where a quarter gets you eight minutes. Few people know this. Or even care. What I like about this laundry is that many of the machines accept **dollar coins**. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2020, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/104 "2020-08-24T17:30:34Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > penny (still in circulation) = 1/100 pound Pre-decimal: Penny = 1/240 pound > [@GreenWyvern](#): > > It hasn’t happened, prices still routinely end in .99 or .95. The reasons are that a) you may buy a whole basket full of goods, and the total is added up before rounding, and b) a large number of people pay by card anyway. I always figured pfices ended in .99 was because that way the merchant could advertise, eg, a $99.99 item as costing “less than one hundred dollars!” ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2020, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/105 "2020-08-24T19:30:54Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > I always figured pfices ended in .99 was because that way the merchant could advertise, eg, a $99.99 item as costing “less than one hundred dollars!” Cecil wrote a column about x.99 prices, which I’m too lazy to hunt up right now. Basically, it’s a psychological thing. $10.00 is only .01 more than $9.99, but if one product is $9.99, it’s going to way outsell an identical one priced $10.00. So just to survive, stores have to do x.99 pricing. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2020, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/106 "2020-08-24T21:12:51Z")
> [@TheCuse](#): > > You’re seriously doing this “whataboutism?” and talking about a laundromat 25 years not having the latest washing machines? Seriously? I thought we were talking about the machines’ capabilty of accepting bank cards or some other kind of cashless payment. As for the technology of the actual laundry process, well I hope that will have improved in 25 years but that’s beside the point. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/107 "2020-08-24T21:20:05Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Where do you live that five bucks for a washer cycle is 25 years in the future? OK, I have no idea. The last time I used a laundromat was when we were replacing our machines, early this year, and I don’t remember how much it cost. For just a wash cycle it definitely less than $5, but the washer and drier together definitely cost more than $5. When I said wash cycle I meant just the washing machine. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/108 "2020-08-24T21:42:27Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > I thought we were talking about the machines’ capabilty of accepting bank cards or some other kind of cashless payment. > > As for the technology of the actual laundry process, well I hope that will have improved in 25 years but that’s beside the point. We were–that’s what I meant by latest washing machines (i.e., with cashless options). Sorry for the confusion. The place I go to is going to phase in the bankcard ones, but will also have the ability to use coins. I guess that’s for the neighborhood folks who may not have bank cards/credit cards. But just because they haven’t done it yet doesn’t mean they’re crappy. Personally, I’d rather use coins or paper money rather than a credit card to do laundry. I feel the same way about soda machines that take credit cards. Anyway, I go to a neighborhood laundromat (privately owned and not a chain), so it’s not a big deal for me or others I see there frequently whether the machines are cashless or not. But if everything goes cashless, then I guess it’s something I’ll have to get used to. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2020, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/109 "2020-08-24T22:07:23Z")
The laundry room in my apartment building just upgraded the washing machines and dryers to support a smartphone app, stored value card or credit cards. So the first week I used it, before I got the smartphone app to work, I used a credit card and because it took longer than the default to dry my clothes, I was adding additional time, with multiple $0.25 charges. I have no idea what the economics are of processing individual charges of that amount. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/110 "2020-08-25T03:17:24Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I used a credit card and because it took longer than the default to dry my clothes, I was adding additional time, with multiple $0.25 charges. I have no idea what the economics are of processing individual charges of that amount. All those individual additions will be combined into one charge that appears on your monthly bill. It’s like adding a tip to a restaurant charge. You don’t get charged for the meal and tip separately. The merchant combines them and sends a single charge to the CC company. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/111 "2020-08-26T04:24:31Z")
Where do people live that laundry cycles are five bucks? In our building in Waikiki, it’s $1.50 or $1.75, depending on load size. Dryers are 25 cents for 20 minutes. That’s at our condo, and I’ve been told the area public laundromats are a little more, but not _that_ much more. And this is Hawaii. Our condo recently switched out machines from coin-or-card to card-only. Can’t use a credit card but rather a special card dispensed from a machine in our lobby. You have to pay a $5 “deposit” for the card, but no one knows how to turn the card back in if you ever move. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/112 "2020-08-30T00:59:24Z")
I went to my credit union this morning. Based on this thread, I approached the teller with trepidation and asked for four rolls of quarters. He verified my account information, reached into his drawer and pulled out two rolls. _“Uh oh”_, I think, _“that’s all I’m getting.”_ But then he opened a larger drawer under his cash drawer and there was a cardboard box (maybe 4"x4"x12"), and it was full of rolls of coins. He grabbed two more rolls and slid all four over to me. So, at least at my credit union, there doesn’t seem to be any concern over the shortage of coins. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/113 "2020-08-30T01:25:40Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Where do people live that laundry cycles are five bucks? In our building in Waikiki, it’s $1.50 or $1.75, depending on load size. Dryers are 25 cents for 20 minutes. In my building in Manhattan the washer is $2.75 and the dryer is $1.75 for 45 mins. So $4.50 total. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/114 "2020-08-30T02:04:49Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > I’ve always wondered why laundry sticks to quarters instead of tokens like video game arcades have used since the 80s. Unless they are as expensive as coins, tokens are easier to counterfeit, and there is a whole branch of government dedicated to preventing coin counterfeiting. Our game arcades mostly use cards now, and our libraries moved to cards 50 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/115 "2020-08-30T02:16:41Z")
Tokens might be easier to counterfeit, but would there be any point? A counterfeiter may make thousands of dollars worth of coins, and find an outlet to launder them [pun not intended]. But what good is thousands of fake laundry tokens? Who would buy them? Even using fake tokens in a fruit machine trying to win a cash prize is probably too much work and risk for too little reward. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/116 "2020-08-30T07:55:25Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Unless they are as expensive as coins, tokens are easier to counterfeit, and there is a whole branch of government dedicated to preventing coin counterfeiting. Our game arcades mostly use cards now, and our libraries moved to cards 50 years ago. If you counterfeit laundry tokens then… you can do a lot of laundry? It seems like an unlikely avenue for crime to me but maybe it’s a bigger risk than I imagine. All of the barcades that I’ve been to in recent years use tokens, and I’ve seen that at arcades since the 80s so it’s not a recent tech, and since none of them have felt a need to move to cards I’m guessing counterfeit tokens aren’t a worry for that use. I’m not sure what libraries have to do with this, libraries here have used cards as far back as I’m aware (at least back to the early 20th century) and don’t have a reason to use lots of quarters anyway. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/117 "2020-08-30T09:55:09Z")
this topic reminds me of an old video arcade owners joke “we dont make money on the games themselves we make money renting quarters” which is true and which is why a lot of them wouldn’t let you leave with their quarters and when that became unpopular they switched to tokens … ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/118 "2020-08-30T09:55:50Z")
Contrary to the other Brits on here, I have been still been using cash lately- in the small town I live in there are a few shops that still don’t accept card, including the butcher, not that I care about that one as a vegetarian, and one of those little shops that sells stuff from mothballs to kiddie sweets where everything’s about 50p and you can’t imagine how it’s making a profit. The chip shop, the other main hold out, suddenly went from cash only to card only overnight a few months back. I also get a significant proportion of my seasonal fruit and vegetables, plus eggs, from roadside stalls. I’ve yet to find one of them with a card reader. A couple I’m friendly with who I buy eggs from definitely seem to think that the sudden reduction in cash use has had a knock-on on their sales, as they just have an honesty box, usually with no change in it, so if people don’t have the change they tend not to buy things. I don’t think we have a change shortage as such, but we do seem to have a difference in distribution, which may be causing some issues. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/119 "2020-08-30T10:20:57Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Where do people live that laundry cycles are five bucks? In our building in Waikiki, it’s $1.50 or $1.75, depending on load size. Dryers are 25 cents for 20 minutes. That’s at our condo, and I’ve been told the area public laundromats are a little more, but not _that_ much more. And this is Hawaii. > > Our condo recently switched out machines from coin-or-card to card-only. Can’t use a credit card but rather a special card dispensed from a machine in our lobby. You have to pay a $5 “deposit” for the card, but no one knows how to turn the card back in if you ever move. > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > In my building in Manhattan the washer is $2.75 and the dryer is $1.75 for 45 mins. So $4.50 total. That’s also approximately how much it is on the Space Coast of Florida. We used to have a system like Siam Sam’s, where you pay a $5 deposit for a card and then had to refill it, using paper bills, in the apartment lobby. Then they switched to a new system which was also card-only but you can refill them using a credit card in the laundry room. They also have an app where you can monitor your load’s progress (and I assume probably also top-up your card) but I’ve never used it. ---
**Author:** ![GMANCANADA](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gmancanada/32/2837_2.png) [@GMANCANADA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GMANCANADA)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762/120 "2020-08-30T10:48:57Z")
> **[Short Stuff: The Great American Coin Shortage of 2020 - Stuff You Should Know...](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-stuff-you-should-know-26940277/episode/short-stuff-the-great-american-coin-70380520/)** > > In addition to all the lousy things that’s come out of the Coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. is also experiencing a coin shortage thanks to a stalled-out economic system that normally circulates coins. Learn more about your ad-choices at... Back to the OP - they say some other countries are also experiencing coin shortages. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-coin-shortage-happening-everywhere-or-just-in-the-united-states/916762.md?page=7)