# Kroger Stops giving coins in change **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 14, 2020, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300 "2020-07-14T11:51:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/1 "2020-07-14T11:51:23Z")
Apparently there’s a coin shortage because people are sheltering at home and not shopping. I tried quoting and screwed it up. I have no idea how to fix it. There’s no tags to delete. > **[Kroger to stop giving coin change in response to nationwide coin shortage](https://www.wane.com/news/local-news/kroger-to-stop-giving-coin-change-in-response-to-nationwide-coin-shortage/)** > > Kroger will be giving customers paying with cash two options: to add the change to a loyalty card to apply on their next visit or to round up and donate to the Zero Hunger|Zero Waste Foundation to … Kroger announced Monday that its cashiers will stop returning coins as change to customers who pay with cash. Instead, cusomters will have two options to collect their change: - they can add the change to a loyalty card to apply on their next visit, or - round up and donate to the Zero Hunger|Zero Waste Foundation to help area food banks. Kroger said that customers should see information posted in their store within the next few days. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/2 "2020-07-14T12:07:09Z")
Related thread: > [@National Shortage of Coins?!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/8): > > It’s real. Our bank notified us two weeks ago. Of our past five orders for coins from the bank two were only half filled and the most recent three simply weren’t filled at all. I just put in an 11 hour day helping to convert our self-serve checkouts to card-only. (it’s not as simple as you might think.) Unlike Kroger, my company is still giving change (as of yesterday - who knows about tomorrow these days?). ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/3 "2020-07-14T12:08:29Z")
Won’t this policy make the coin shortage worse? We have a shortage because coins aren’t circulating. They aren’t being used. People are avoiding close physical contact during the pandemic. Kroger Stops giving coins in change. I wonder how many customers will stop paying with change? That means even less coins circulating. Catch-22. You have to give to receive ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/4 "2020-07-14T12:29:58Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Won’t this policy make the coin shortage worse? It can’t make the shortage worse since they don’t have any coins to begin with. Kroger (and all the other stores) can’t get change right now. My little store goes through about 50ish rolls of pennies in a week and maybe 30 or 40 rolls for quarters (plus dimes and nickels). If I got to the bank and ask for a box of pennies (50 rolls), they’ll give me 4 or 5 because that’s all they have. That’s less than one business day for me. If, for example, my store has zero pennies, how am I making things worse by telling customers we’re not giving out pennies any more. It’s the customers that have to start using pennies so that I have pennies to give to other customers or customers bringing their change to the banks or coinstar machines so that I can buy them from the bank and have them on hand to make change. I don’t know how much of the shortage is due to mint workers not working and how much is due to people not circulating their coins, but one thing people can do is not hoard coins. Yes, I know, people aren’t ‘hoarding’ them in the typical sense, but everyone is so terrified of touching anything the toss it in a bowl or bucket or purse or cup holder and don’t use it again or they’ve totally switched over to credit cards. People need to start taking their change and using it at stores\* or bring it to the banks or coinstar machines and get it back into circulation. \*Again, I know people don’t want to touch money, but if it’s been sitting in the same place for the last 3 months, by all accounts, it’s perfectly safe to touch. Toss some in your purse or pocket each day and start spending/depositing/changing it. > [@aceplace57](#): > > Catch-22. You have to give to receive It’s not catch-22. If people start getting rid of all their change, the stores will have be able to use it. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/5 "2020-07-14T12:44:23Z")
It would help if the Coin machines would eliminate their fees for a short time. People could empty their jars of coins and get paper currency. I’m not sure how that could be done. The companies that own the cash machines would have to be reimbursed by somebody. We need a turn in your coins campaign. Hosted by local cities with borrowed coin machines. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/6 "2020-07-14T13:29:54Z")
I thought some coinstar locations don’t charge a fee if you redeem it for a gift card for that store. For example, dump $100 in change into the coinstar machine at Kroger and get a $100 Kroger gift card. Presumably Kroger then pays the fee you would have been charged. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/7 "2020-07-14T13:37:38Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Related thread: > [National Shortage of Coins?! - #8 by Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/8) I recommend anyone interested in the topic give that a read. **Broomstick** is seeing this in real time and her input has been educational. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/8 "2020-07-14T13:56:05Z")
I’m not sure how this could be legal. Kroger should just round down. ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/9 "2020-07-14T14:01:36Z")
My Credit Union has a coinstar-type machine that is free for account holders. The only problem is that they shut down the lobby in March except by appointment only for necessary face-to-face interactions(maybe loans?). The coin machine isn’t considered necessary. When the lobby opened back up in May for ‘limited transactions’ the coin machine was still not available. Since then the lobby has shut down again. I have an overflowing container of coins that I can’t get rid of - it was full when the shut-downs started. That would be around $80-$100 back in circulation. I imagine many people are in the same situation. Is there something special about coins that they are afraid of? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/10 "2020-07-14T14:15:25Z")
Around here, where I use it, there’s a gazillion fee-free gift card/credit options—not just that store’s credit—including [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) credit, which is as good as cash for us. I thought they all came with numerous options to avoid the fee. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/11 "2020-07-14T14:16:30Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I’m not sure how this could be legal. Kroger should just round down. They’re not keeping your money. Any extra is put onto your loyalty card and the next time you shop there that money gets used first. From a legal standpoint, if they clearly explained that they’re doing this and that you can, of course, use a different form of payment, they might be okay but I don’t know. Remember, stores aren’t required to accept cash. You can’t compel them to take your paper/coin currency (and then get mad when they physically don’t have the change to give you back) . That might help strengthen their (legal) ability to do that. As for rounding down. I can’t see them doing that. They’re not going to give every customer (on average) 50¢. A store the size of Kroeger is doing, I’m going to say 2000-3000 customers a day. If 1000 of them use cash that could be a nearly $500/day loss. I think they’d go cashless, at least temporarily, before they’d do that. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/12 "2020-07-14T14:20:06Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > They’re not keeping your money. Any extra is put onto your loyalty card and the next time you shop there that money gets used first. This assumes you are naive enough to have a privacy-invading loyalty card, though. Sure, they don’t have to take cash, but now I wonder what the law says about discrimination. That is, if they accept cash from _some_ customers (privacy-invading loyalty card users), do they have to accept cash from _all_ customers? > [@Joey\_P](#): > > A store the size of Kroeger is doing, I’m going to say 2000-3000 customers a day. If 1000 of them use cash that could be a nearly $500/day loss. They spend way more than that on credit card fees. If they can’t provide change, then this is just part of the cost of doing business. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/13 "2020-07-14T14:28:49Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Sure, they don’t have to take cash, but now I wonder what the law says about discrimination. That is, if they accept cash from _some_ customers (privacy-invading loyalty card users), do they have to accept cash from _all_ customers? They are taking cash from all people. If you don’t have a loyalty card you can donate the change. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/14 "2020-07-14T14:34:56Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Remember, stores aren’t required to accept cash. You can’t compel them to take your paper/coin currency (and then get mad when they physically don’t have the change to give you back) . This is not entirely correct. Some cities and states do require stores to accept cash. [Cite](https://www.npr.org/2020/02/06/803003343/some-businesses-are-going-cashless-but-cities-are-pushing-back). Also, the store _is_ taking cash, just not giving it back. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/15 "2020-07-14T14:35:54Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > This assumes you are naive enough to have a privacy-invading loyalty card, though. I thought about that too. I suppose the other option is to put the change on a gift card which you could use the next time you’re at the store. I understand people want and need their money, but they would be missing, on average 50¢ from one trip to the next. > [@Balthisar](#): > > They spend way more than that on credit card fees. If they can’t provide change, then this is just part of the cost of doing business. I’m more than aware of credit card fees. My store has had all time record high credit card fees (and we’ve been here 40 years) the last few months. 6 months ago, the bill I got from the processor would be about $2500, these months it’s nearly $4000. That works out to an extra $50/day. Lets call that a wash over just giving rounding everything down. In any case, you call it a cost of doing business or an unexpected expense, but whatever you call it, ultimately the customer is going to foot the bill. The business, especially small businesses are going to have to raise their prices to cover that added expense. There’s nothing we can do going backwards, but if this becomes at all normal for any length of time, it’s going to drive up prices. There’s no two ways around that. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/16 "2020-07-14T14:43:47Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > This is not entirely correct. Some cities and states do require stores to accept cash. [Cite](https://www.npr.org/2020/02/06/803003343/some-businesses-are-going-cashless-but-cities-are-pushing-back). I’ve seen that debate here and there. Some people are calling it discrimination based on income. That is, by not accepting cash, it suggests you trying to ‘keep the riff raff out’. OTOH, a few places around here that did that, have been high end jewelry stores that made the point that, in a nicer way, didn’t have a whole lot of riff raff to begin with. What I did notice in that article was the quote “I remember wondering aloud, how could a business refuse to accept cash, which is legal tender?” That, IMO, is a the big misunderstanding. As has been stated a million times just on this board, it’s legal tender for debts. You don’t owe Kroger money, you have no debt with them. > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Also, the store _is_ taking cash, just not giving it back. Then don’t give them cash. And they may not be giving you cash back, yes, but the 50¢ they’re keeping is automatically applied to your next purchase. Honestly, I think this is probably the best solution to the current problem that doesn’t involve them rounding down and giving away money or rounding up and [actually] taking your money. Hopefully people will start using change or the mint will get back to work and the problem won’t last much longer. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/17 "2020-07-14T14:47:57Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > That, IMO, is a the big misunderstanding. As has been stated a million times just on this board, it’s legal tender for debts. You don’t owe Kroger money, you have no debt with them. I agree that there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about this and of course there is. I do owe Kroger money for the food I want to take, don’t I? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/18 "2020-07-14T14:50:30Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I agree that there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about this and of course there is. > > I do owe Kroger money for the food I want to take, don’t I? I usually suggest that you don’t owe them money for the food you’re going to take since it’s still their food. However, if you steal it, get caught, arrested, charged, tried and found guilty, there’s no reason why you can’t pay the restitution in cash. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/19 "2020-07-14T14:51:41Z")
The thing is, the definition of debt is “something, typically money, that is owed or due.” Money is due when you want to leave the store, right? ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300/20 "2020-07-14T14:53:19Z")
It’s not due until they’ve agreed to sell it to you for a mutually-acceptable form of payment. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kroger-stops-giving-coins-in-change/915300.md?page=2)