GRAND RAPIDS, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The country is continuing to feel the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in ways many would not expect. The virus halted bottle return and limited store hours, and now it’s affecting how shoppers pay at Meijer.
The Michigan-based grocery chain is temporarily suspending the option to pay with cash at self-checkout lanes due to a national shortage of coins.
The U.S. Department of Treasury states that reduced business activity during the pandemic caused smaller amounts of cash to circulate through the economy, which led to less coins.
Now shoppers who would like to pay with cash will have to visit a staffed checkout lane at any Meijer location.
It’s unclear when cash payments will start being accepted at self-checkout lanes again.
In a written statement, Meijer Company spokesperson Frank Guglielmi said:
“As a result of the national coin shortage caused by the pandemic, Meijer is temporarily converting the self-scan checkout lanes at most of our supercenters to credit/debit use only (they’ll also still accept Meijer gift cards and SNAP/EBT cards). Our staffed checkout lanes will continue to accept cash payments. While we understand this effort may be frustrating to some customers, it’s necessary to manage the impact of the coin shortage on our stores. We appreciate our customers’ understanding and patience. Thanks.”
