# With the coin shortage, why don't stores offer an option to donate change \<$1 to charity? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2020, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-coin-shortage-why-dont-stores-offer-an-option-to-donate-change-1-to-charity/915959 "2020-07-21T22:41:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**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 22, 2020, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-coin-shortage-why-dont-stores-offer-an-option-to-donate-change-1-to-charity/915959/41 "2020-07-22T02:52:48Z")
Interestingly, I found an [old thread](https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:_PbU4KP6N0kJ:https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-815951.html+&cd=18&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us) about this. Tired and Cranky linked to an article about just this subject called [Contributions Received and Contributions Made](http://www.fasb.org/resources/ccurl/770/425/fas116.pdf). Now, to be fair, I didn’t read a whole lot of it since something on one of the first pages caught my attention (so, you’ll have to excuse me if it’s not relevant or I missed something). It states: This Statement establishes accounting standards for contributions and applies to all entities that receive or make contributions. Generally, contributions received, including unconditional promises to give, are recognized as revenues in the period received at their fair values. Contributions made, including unconditional promises to give, are recognized as expenses in the period made at their fair values. Conditional promises to give, whether received or made, are recognized when they become unconditional, that is, when the conditions are substantially met. That seems to back up my point that if you donate through a business, they’ll list it as income when they get it and an expense when they send it back out. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-coin-shortage-why-dont-stores-offer-an-option-to-donate-change-1-to-charity/915959/42 "2020-07-22T02:53:39Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > My issue is with the places rounding up the mostly credit card purchases and putting that money in the register, to be collected by MegaCorp HQ, and sent in a big check to some charity partner. They don’t need your help, if they were philanthropic they’d just write a check without rattling the cup when you’re trying to check out. I get this, but I don’t have a problem with it. The charity gets vastly more money than they would if they relied only on the good graces of the supermarket. It feels intrusive when every single time I get rung up I get hit on for money, but I’m okay with it. ---
**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 22, 2020, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-coin-shortage-why-dont-stores-offer-an-option-to-donate-change-1-to-charity/915959/43 "2020-07-22T02:54:34Z")
To be fair, the amount of times we’ve collected and donated money in this manner is so small it’s insignificant. Even an audit wouldn’t be likely to catch it. Besides, the ‘donation’ account is essentially what’s holding it until I write the check. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-coin-shortage-why-dont-stores-offer-an-option-to-donate-change-1-to-charity/915959/44 "2020-07-22T02:56:07Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > To be fair, the amount of times we’ve collected and donated money in this manner is so small it’s insignificant. Even an audit wouldn’t be likely to catch it. > Besides, the ‘donation’ account is essentially what’s holding it until I write the check Right. It’s not like your claiming the write-off. Are you…? Joking! ---
**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 22, 2020, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-coin-shortage-why-dont-stores-offer-an-option-to-donate-change-1-to-charity/915959/45 "2020-07-22T07:50:42Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > The whole reason this is an issue kind of highlights how worthless coins are to begin with. If coins were worth more then they would actually be spent at the stores. Coins actually ARE spent at stores. We’ve always had customers paying a couple dollars in coin for purchases. Just because YOU don’t do this don’t assume no one else does. Granted, fewer people are using cash these days, but as I’ve been saying for some time, 1/3 of the transactions at my store involve cash. No, it’s not a majority of people but it is a significant minority whose business we very much want to keep. ---
**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 22, 2020, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-coin-shortage-why-dont-stores-offer-an-option-to-donate-change-1-to-charity/915959/46 "2020-07-22T07:56:18Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Is there a coin shortage or are people avoiding touching coins as much as they can? Yes… ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-coin-shortage-why-dont-stores-offer-an-option-to-donate-change-1-to-charity/915959/47 "2020-07-22T12:25:12Z")
I’m real late to this party and pre-COVID used cash about twice a year. But I’m struggling to understand what’s going on here. I accept there is a coin shortage at retailers and that non-cash transactions are up and that cash transactions are down. But … If I were to use cash now in the era of COVID, and I was one of the people who didn’t want to touch coins, then I would NOT let the cashier put them in my hand, I would NOT put them in my pocket, and I would NOT put them in a jar at home to lay untouched for years. Instead I’d say “keep the change; it’s yucky!” And as such, I would not be contributing to the shortage. Whether the retailer keeps the change in the till, drops it in a donation bucket, or the cashier / waitperson pockets it matters not to me. It’d still be circulating. I guess my bottom line is if somebody is afraid of _spending_ a coin, you’d / I’d think they’d be afraid of _accepting_ the same coin. The fact coins are almost worthless (as pointed out upthread) makes it easier, not harder, to refuse to accept them. Are people really so dumb, or so hard up, that they’ll happily take what they see as a big risk by accepting a handful of change, but steadfastly refuse to take the equally big risk of spending it later? Heck, it isn’t hard to wash your coins when you get them home while washing your hands. Then the spending later would be completely safe. Or at very least vastly saf_er_. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2020, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-coin-shortage-why-dont-stores-offer-an-option-to-donate-change-1-to-charity/915959/48 "2020-07-22T12:38:05Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Coins actually ARE spent at stores. We’ve always had customers paying a couple dollars in coin for purchases. It is true that, aside from the dollar coin (which isn’t used much and in any case there’s still a one-dollar bill around), American coins are lower-value than most other countries. So in Canada, for instance, one can use a small number of one- or two-dollar coins to buy something inexpensive, like a can of soda or a cup of coffee. You need a lot more coins to make the same transaction in the US, which is part of the reason why we, as a country, make few such transactions using coins. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2020, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-coin-shortage-why-dont-stores-offer-an-option-to-donate-change-1-to-charity/915959/49 "2020-07-22T14:42:38Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Coins actually ARE spent at stores. We’ve always had customers paying a couple dollars in coin for purchases. > > Just because YOU don’t do this don’t assume no one else does. Come on. Did you _really_ think I meant that nobody, _ever_ uses U.S coins to purchase things? Our coins are worth so little that we have an entire industry in place to turn those water jugs worth of coins in peoples houses into bills, Amazon credit, and whatnot. Our coins are worth so little that the Mint loses money on pennies instead of making money and the nickel is getting close. This makes coins part of a larger, more elaborate supply chain. No wonder it easily got disrupted during a pandemic. ---
**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 22, 2020, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-coin-shortage-why-dont-stores-offer-an-option-to-donate-change-1-to-charity/915959/50 "2020-07-22T15:03:48Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > If I were to use cash now in the era of COVID, and I was one of the people who didn’t want to touch coins, then I would NOT let the cashier put them in my hand, I would NOT put them in my pocket, and I would NOT put them in a jar at home to lay untouched for years. That might be what you do, but it’s not what others are doing. Some people, for any number of reasons, aren’t paying with plastic, they have to or want to use cash. They give the cashier a $5.00 bill, get their 43¢ in change and toss it in their purse/car/bucket at home. They’re not going to short themselves the 43¢. However, when they get to the next store and their total is $4.03, they’re going to give that cashier $5.00 and get 97¢ back in change. In the past, they’d go rooting through their pocket or purse or cup holder for 3 pennies. Now, that person has $1.40 in change that’s out of circulation until they feel comfortable using it again. People are avoiding touching coins as much as they can, but not to the point that they’re just going to let the store keep them. It’s not all or none, there’s a middle ground. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Are people really so dumb, or so hard up, that they’ll happily take what they see as a big risk by accepting a handful of change, but steadfastly refuse to take the equally big risk of spending it later? It’s not dumb at all. You’re not telling the store to keep your money and you’re cutting your risk in half by only handling it once instead of twice. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-coin-shortage-why-dont-stores-offer-an-option-to-donate-change-1-to-charity/915959.md?page=2)