Take a penny, leave a penny on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
"Take a penny, leave a penny" (sometimes "Give a penny, take a penny", penny tray, or penny pool) refers to a type of tray, dish or cup meant for convenience in cash transactions. They are often found in the
"Take a penny, leave a penny" (sometimes "Give a penny, take a penny", penny tray, or penny pool) refers to a type of tray, dish or cup meant for convenience in cash transactions. They are often found in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
in gas stations, convenience stores
A convenience store, convenience shop, corner store or corner shop is a small retail business that stocks a range of everyday items such as coffee, groceries, snack foods, confectionery, soft drinks, ice creams, tobacco products, lottery ticke ...
, and other small stores, and were similarly common in Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
before the penny
A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...
went out of circulation in 2013.
Usage
The small cup or tray near a cash register is designated as a place for people to placepennies
A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...
they receive as change if they do not want these pennies. Then, customers who, for example, need one cent for a transaction can take one of the pennies to avoid needing one of their own or breaking a higher-denomination coin or bill. The tray can also be used by cashiers for the sake of efficiency: the cashier may take a penny (1 cent) from the tray and then give the customer, for example, one quarter (25 cents) instead of 24 cents (two dimes and four pennies, or six coins in all). These are also called "penny pools", and may be either a generic container such as a small box, or a purposely made container, perhaps with an advertisement or with text advising the customer to "take a penny, leave a penny".
See also
*Honesty box
An honesty box is a method of charging for a service such as admission or car parking, or for a product such as home-grown produce and flowers, which relies upon each visitor paying at a box using the honor system. Tickets are not issued and such ...
* Penny debate in the United States
*Cash rounding
Cash rounding or Swedish rounding (New Zealand English) occurs when the minimum unit of account is smaller than the lowest physical denomination (currency), denomination of currency. The amount payable for a cash transaction is rounding, rounded t ...
References
Personal finance Pennies Money containers {{Coin-stub