Two California C-Stores Ban Pennies

The Orange County stores started rounding to the nearest nickel for all transactions.

January 04, 2016

FULLTERTON, Calif. – This year, two California convenience stores will no longer use pennies, CBSLA.com reports. The copper coins might still be legal tender in the United States, but owner Roland Foss has decided they aren’t welcome in his Fullerton and Anaheim locations of Mission Market.

A sign prominently displayed by the cash register reads: “WE NO LONGER USE PENNIES. All cash transactions rounded to the nearest nickel.”

“For example, our coffee right now is $1.39. And you will now pay $1.40,” said Foss, who had the idea from his time stationed at an Army base in Germany, where pennies weren’t used on the base.

Foss said that his decision to ban pennies is a win-win for everyone. “We’re all consumers. We know how annoying pennies are. They waste time. They accumulate. We throw them in the trash,” he said. “We put them in the piggy bank never to be seen again.”

While the price tags stay the same in his stores, the registers will roll up or down by a few pennies to end in a five or zero.

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