Overview
- The Nov. 1 event ran from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. across about 200 Giant Eagle and Market District supermarkets.
- Shoppers exchanged between 50 cents and $100 in pennies per transaction for gift cards worth twice the coin value.
- President and CEO Bill Artman called the response “nothing short of amazing” and said the coins should cover exact change for months.
- Giant Eagle framed the exchange as a response to shrinking penny supplies after the Treasury began phasing out production and the Federal Reserve limited deliveries.
- According to federal data, a penny cost about 3.7 cents to produce in 2024 and ending production is projected to save roughly $56 million annually.