ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Penny problems, that’s what some businesses are brainstorming about now that pennies are no longer being minted. The last penny was minted on November 12, and at some point soon, they might be hard to find.
Now, local businesses are thinking ahead to come up with a plan of how they’re going to accommodate sales and customers without the one-cent coin. “Probably within the next year or so, I would expect more and more shortages of pennies,” Trevor Moss said with Empire Board Game Library.
Most businesses say about 10% of their customers pay with cash, so they don’t expect it to affect anything until next year. “In the next year or two, they’re not gonna be unheard of, but they’ll be harder to find,” Lindy’s Diner Owner Steve Vatoseow said. “I think people are gonna start hoarding them like they have some sort of value to them.”
Who wins and who loses as the US retires the penny
Some businesses are looking into either adjusting their prices to be in multiples of five or including the tax in the item price so it comes out to an even number. Such as Lindy’s Diner in downtown Albuquerque…