Mariano’s, other Kroger supermarkets stop giving customers coin change

Customers paying in cash at Mariano’s and other Kroger grocery stores will no longer receive coin change.

Cashiers can load coin change onto loyalty cards to go toward a future shopping trip, or customers can opt to round up their total and donate to the grocer’s public charity, the Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, which helps reduce waste and hunger in communities. Or they can abandon paying in cash all together and instead use a credit or debit card.

The new policy is connected to the coronavirus pandemic, but only indirectly.

“The Federal Reserve is experiencing a significant coin shortage across the U.S., resulting from fewer coins being exchanged and spent during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mariano’s spokeswoman Amanda Puck said in an email. “Like many retailers and businesses, we are adjusting to the temporary shortage in several ways.”

Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said at a June 17 hearing that, “with the partial close of the economy, the flow of coins through the economy ... has kind of stopped.”

In the Chicago area, Kroger owns Mariano’s and low-price grocer Food 4 Less.

At the Skokie Mariano’s Wednesday, many customers weren’t aware of the new policy, despite signs notifying shoppers at the store’s entrances, exits and checkout lanes.

Clare Proctor/Sun-Times

Joe Wilk, 24, of West Rogers Park, said he didn’t know anything about the change. He did notice his items cost exactly $28, though he attributed the total to random chance.

Wilk said he prefers having spare change to keep in his car, though he wouldn’t oppose rounding up his total to benefit the store’s charity.

“I’m for it,” Wilk said. “But I’m not sure how everyone will feel about it.”