Price Chopper's Penny Power Play: Double Your Change into Gift Cards This Sunday in Vermont
Price Chopper and Market 32 supermarkets, which operate locations across Vermont and five other northeastern states, are hosting a one-day “Double Exchange Day” on November 16, 2025. Customers who bring in pennies—either loose or rolled—will receive gift cards worth twice the value of their coins.
According to a press release from Price Chopper, the exchange requires a minimum of 50 cents in pennies (which earns a $1 gift card) and caps at $100 in pennies (earning a $200 gift card). The promotion runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. only.
Blaine Bringhurst, president of Market 32 and Price Chopper, stated that the initiative aims to serve customers who prefer paying with cash. “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,” Bringhurst said.
The Penny Shortage
The promotion responds to what retailers describe as a national penny shortage affecting stores across the country. Mike Weisse, a manager at a Price Chopper location in Cicero, New York, told WSYR that he anticipates his store “might not have enough pennies to get us through the holiday season.”
The shortage stems from the federal government’s phaseout of penny production. The U.S. Mint pressed its final penny earlier this week at its Philadelphia facility, where workers marked the occasion with applause. Clayton Crotty, a 15-year mint employee, described it as “an emotional day” but noted it was “not unexpected.”
How Retailers Are Responding
Price Chopper joins other businesses grappling with the transition away from pennies. Without official federal guidance on handling the change, retailers have adopted various strategies:
Some stores are rounding prices down to the nearest nickel to avoid shortchanging customers
Others are asking shoppers to bring exact change
Some businesses have offered incentives, such as free drinks, in exchange for pennies
Jeff Lenard of the National Association of Convenience Stores told reporters last month that while his organization had advocated for eliminating the penny for three decades, “this is not the way we wanted it to go.” The abrupt nature of the phaseout, without clear guidance for businesses, has created challenges for retailers managing cash transactions.
Geographic Scope
Price Chopper and Market 32 operate stores in six states: Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Pennsylvania. All locations in these states will participate in the November 16 exchange event.
What Happens Next
The one-day promotion represents an immediate response to the penny shortage, but questions remain about long-term solutions for cash transactions. Retailers continue to seek clarity from federal authorities on best practices for handling purchases that don’t divide evenly by five cents.
For Vermont shoppers with penny collections, the November 16 event offers an opportunity to convert small change into usable gift cards while helping local stores maintain adequate coin supplies heading into the busy holiday shopping season. Customers planning to participate should bring their pennies to any Price Chopper or Market 32 location between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 16.