Four pennies.

By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice

A Northeast grocery store chain will pay you twice as much as your pennies are worth.

Price Chopper and Market 32 will host "Double Exchange Day" on Sunday, Nov. 16. The promotion comes after the US Mint pressed its final penny on Wednesday, Nov. 12, taking the one-cent coin out of circulation after 238 years.

Double Exchange Day lets customers trade in their pennies for a Market 32 or Price Chopper gift card worth double the cash value. A shopper who brings in $10 in pennies will receive a $20 gift card for future in-store purchases.

Shoppers can bring their pennies to a customer service desk, where employees will count the total and hand out the matching card. Exchanges must total at least 50 cents, and the company will match up to $100 in pennies for a $200 gift card.

Production of the penny officially stopped in the summer, and within weeks, Federal Reserve sites began reporting empty supplies. As of early November, more than 100 of the nation's 165 coin distribution sites no longer have pennies available.

Thousands of retailers nationwide say they're running out of pennies. A recent survey from the Retail Industry Leaders Association found that nearly one-quarter of 25 large companies reported that more than 1,000 of their stores don't have any pennies.

The RILA says the penny's rapid removal has created major challenges for stores.

"Retailers recognize the federal government's decision to discontinue the penny, due to the potential for cost savings," wrote Austen Jensen, the RILA's senior executive vice president of public affairs. "However, the speed of the phase-out and the lack of formal guidance from the [Trump] administration — and no action from Congress since the shutdown — have created significant challenges for retailers and all businesses that accept cash."

According to the RILA, two-thirds of surveyed retailers said they're rounding cash transactions to benefit customers when pennies are unavailable. Some companies like McDonald's plan to round cash transactions to the nearest nickel, a method used in other countries that have ended their one-cent coins. 

Price Chopper says its Double Exchange Day gives customers a special deal while helping with the penny shortages.

"Cash transactions remain an important part of how we serve our customers, and for those who prefer to pay with cash, we want to make sure we can continue providing the same great checkout experience — right down to the penny," Market 32 and Price Chopper president Blaine Bringhurst said. "Double Exchange Day gives our customers an opportunity to partner with us in that effort, while being rewarded for supporting us in managing our coin inventory responsibly as the nation prepares for the phase-out of pennies. We also know a lot of families across our six-state footprint are facing hardships right now, and this is another unique way our team is working to provide support."

Price Chopper and Market 32 operate about 130 supermarkets across New England, upstate New York, and northeastern Pennsylvania.