Why doesn’t Festival Foods give pennies as change?

As national penny supplies continue to decline, Festival Foods has begun rounding all cash transactions down to the nearest five cents at every store location. This change keeps checkout simple, fair, and efficient for both guests and store teams.

The U.S. Treasury has announced it will cease production of new pennies, leading to limited availability across banks and retailers. To stay ahead of this change and avoid disruptions, Festival Foods stopped issuing pennies as change beginning November 5, 2025, with the process taking effect at all locations on November 6, 2025.

While pennies are no longer given as change, they will continue to be accepted as payment. Guests paying in cash will see their totals automatically rounded down, ensuring they never pay more than their purchase price.

All other payment methods, debit, credit, EBT, and mobile, remain unaffected. Checks written for more than the sale total (known as overtenders) are still accepted for whole-dollar amounts between $1 and $20 over the purchase total. Coinstar vouchers and cash refunds continue to be rounded up to the nearest nickel in the guest’s favor.

This small adjustment helps keep checkout lines moving quickly and accurately while adapting to the nationwide shortage of pennies. Festival Foods remains committed to providing a convenient, transparent, and positive checkout experience for every guest.