Giant Eagle Doubles Penny Value Nov. 1 Event

Giant Eagle will hold a one-day “Penny Exchange Day” on Saturday, Nov. 1 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at all 200+ Giant Eagle and Market District stores, offering customers a gift card worth twice the pennies they turn in. Customers can exchange between $0.50 and $100 in pennies per transaction (receiving $1 to $200 in gift cards); loose pennies are accepted and will be weighed at the event. The promotion responds to a growing penny shortage as the U.S. Treasury phases out penny production and the Federal Reserve limits penny deliveries to banks and retailers. Giant Eagle says the temporary collection will help preserve exact change and fairness in cash transactions while the industry awaits federal guidance on possible rounding rules, and other grocers have run similar coin-exchange incentives.