SPOKANE, Wash. — Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson is expected to sign a bill on Monday giving businesses the option to stop using pennies.
The U.S. stopped making pennies last year, citing the 3.4 cent cost to create one penny. Since then, circulation has been going down, making it harder for some businesses to get pennies. The federal government is letting states decide on their own whether to let businesses stop using pennies and round their transactions.
At Divines Convenience Store and Gas Station on North Division, cashier Christina Perez enjoys interacting with customers and says some customers have been asking whether the business still uses pennies. “A lot of people have asked, are you rounding up?” Christina said. “I say, not yet. They are the ones who bring it up to me, but I say, we haven’t started anything like that yet.”…