'Penny for your thoughts.' Local businesses adjust rounding policies as federal government halts penny production
Local businesses are concerned since the U.S. government ended the production of pennies and how it will affect them.
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As you've probably heard, the penny is no more, and some businesses are starting to run out.
Maybe you've noticed the signs going up at all kinds of businesses explaining they'll now round cash purchases to the nearest nickel.
But the state is saying not so fast.
The latest guidance from the U.S. Treasury encourages businesses to round cash payments to the nearest nickel, even if that means charging customers one or two cents extra.
It also works the other way, where you could be charged one or two cents less.
But the Connecticut Department of consumer protection says state law strictly prohibits businesses from charging even one cent more than the actual amount.
"Every cent makes a difference," Kaitlyn Krasselt of the Dept. of Consumer Protection says. "As consumers, we all want to make sure we get exact change, and we get our money back."
Local businesses say they're feeling the impact.
"If people don't have the pennies, we just round down," Annette Norton, owner of Saavy + Grace (https://www.instagram.com/savvyandgracewestport/) in Westport, says. "It's just another thing as a small business owner you have to deal with. It's just frustrating."
Wegman's, a large supermarket chain, says it has enough inventory of pennies right now to accommodate cash transactions, but it's closely monitoring the situation and will adjust its rounding policy if needed.
Meantime, Norton estimates she could lose hundreds of dollars in a year if this were to go on.
She says she'd like to see the government provide a credit to small businesses to help make up for money lost.
"A penny for your thoughts, right?" Norton says, "I guess it's the cost of doing business in today's environment."
The state is encouraging people to dip into spare change jars they might have at home to help put pennies back in circulation.
Consumers who would like to file a complaint with the Department of Consumer Protection can do so at CT.gov/DCP/Complaint.
