Fort Wayne store owners see decline in cash and coin usage since COVID-19 hit

The Federal Reserve is working to relieve the nationwide effects of low coin inventories.

Kroger has announced it's going to temporarily stop giving coins back to people who pay in cash.

This is because of a temporary coin shortage caused by the covid-19 pandemic.

Fox 55's mallory beard tells us how this shortage is impacting smaller local businesses.

Copy solutions in fort wayne is a big believer in change - that why accept n credit cards.monica starr//copy solutions postal "when you are dealing with such small amounts of money like 55 cent stamps, it just isn't worth it for us to pay those fees and to lose money on those stamps, so that's why we've always just accepted..we accept cash and check"but now because of the covid-19 pandemic people are using cash ?and coins?

Less and complaining more.monica starr//copy solutions postal"i definitely understand the germs and everything associated with cash.

You never know where it's been."

Pnc bank issued a statement saying the virus has disrupted the normal supply chain and circulation of coins.that means fewer coin deposits are being made to federal reserves.

Clean spot dog and car wash owner kelly broyles says s/he depends on coins.

Kelly broyles//clean spot dog and car wash owner"without being able to take quarters, i don't know that i'd be able to stay open.

Because i wouldn't be able to justify the 15 or 20,000 dollars it would take to upgrade all of bays to credit cards."now there are fewer coins in the registers at local businesses.

Kelly broyles//clean spot dog and car wash owner"i guess i should see if my gas station owner friends need to swap out.e ut broyles says they making due with pocket change.

Kelly broyles//clean spot dog and car wash owner"its rare that i have to go to the bank because people have quarters in their ash tray quarters in their sheets, quarters in who knows where so a lot of times we end up with more of those quarters than what we started with."in fort wayne, i'm mb.... the federal reserve is working to relieve the effects of low coin inventories.

And as of june fifteenth, a temporary coin order allocation went into effect in all reserve bank offices and federal reserve locations since the covid-19 pandemic disrupted the