Your Kids Can Help With Coin Shortages Across the Country
The coronavirus has brought us many tragedies and inconveniences this year, large and small, and among the latter – one that most of us probably would not have expected a few months ago – a shortage of coins across the country.
The slowdown in retail sales this year has led to a slowdown in coin circulation to the point where there is no longer enough cash in some areas, forcing companies to request or require shoppers to pay for purchases with cards or faithful change. But the US Mint said in a recent statement that the coin shortage is one part of this pandemic that we can solve if we each contribute:
You can do this by paying the exact change for the item and returning the spare change to circulation. Until coin circulation schemes return to normal, it may be more difficult for retailers and small businesses to accept cash payments. For millions of Americans, cash is the only form of payment, and monetary transactions rely on coins to deposit change. We ask the American public to start spending their coins by depositing or exchanging them for currency at financial institutions or by delivering them to a coin redemption kiosk.
Do you know who has a lot of little things lying around? Children. Filling up a piggy bank is a time-honored children’s tradition that can now be found profitably. And trading these coins is what kids can do to help their communities at a time when everything seems to be out of their (and our) control.
So how do they get their coins back into circulation? Well, they might want to go to the nearest vending machine and buy a lifetime supply of food-shaped rubber balls and erasers, but you might want to point them in a different direction.
They could just exchange the coins at the bank for paper money – some banks are paying people a little more for their coins right now . Or they could have some fun, like going to the local ice cream parlor and buying themselves a treat with all the little things. Or they can trade it to their parents for new Minecraft or Robux skins (and then you take it to the bank to trade it).
Do you know what else is funny? Those coin counters that you often see in front of grocery stores. (You can find a Coinstar kiosk here .) Or, if your kids really want to make a change right now, they can donate their change by filling out one of those charitable donation boxes you often see at retail stores or fast checkout counters. nutrition. lines. Many local nonprofits would probably also be happy to receive a coin donation right now.
Regardless of how they choose to spend their stash, it will help bring more coins back into circulation so that one tiny streak of life becomes normal again.