NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — At some Dunkin’ locations across Nashville, customers paying with cash may notice a change at the register: pennies are no longer being given out as change.
Signs posted inside certain stores explain the shift. Because of a penny shortage, cash transactions may be rounded to the nearest nickel. Customers can still use pennies if they have exact change, but stores will not provide pennies back.
At a North Nashville Dunkin’, shift manager Myeisha Hart said the policy has prompted frequent questions from customers.“People ask for their change back, and we tell them we don’t give pennies out anymore,” Hart said.Hart said reactions vary. Some customers accept the explanation while others are frustrated. She recalled one woman who attempted to give the store extra pennies in hopes of receiving exact change in return.“She tried to give us pennies, but we couldn’t take them,” Hart said. “She was upset.”A few miles away in East Nashville, another Dunkin’ location is still giving out pennies for now, but that may soon change. Shift lead Pamela Senec said the store has about $8 worth of pennies remaining.After that supply runs out, Senec said the store may have to begin rounding cash totals as well.“We’ll either have to round everything up or round everything down,” Senec said. “Either the customer feels like they’re losing something, or we are. Even though it’s just pennies.”The move comes as fewer people use cash for everyday purchases and as pennies become harder to keep stocked…