Canadians know about the elimination of the penny. I was surprised that it made the news in the schools in North Carolina where some of our grandchildren live.
So what will we do with all our colourful expressions like:
- Penny Wise Pound Foolish
- Cost a Pretty Penny
- Penny for your thoughts
- A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned
- Penny Ante
After awhile, some of us will literally not have two pennies to rub together. So what will that mean for shoppers from outside Canada? Quite simply, you will not see pennies in Canada. While they are still legal tender, you will not get them in your change.
If you pay by debit, credit or cheque, nothing changes.
If you pay cash, most store will round up or down. This means that is an item costs 41 or 42 cents, you will pay 40. Conversely, if it costs 43 or 44 cents you will pay 45.
Retailers with computerized cash registers may do the rounding automatic ally when calculating your change. But when you buy that item for $1.43 and the cash register says you get $.77 change, don’t be put off if you only get $.75.
If you want to save a penny on your groceries, go to the Atlantic Superstore, they have vowed to round down all the time. To continue saving you a penny, they will round down that 44 cent item to 40 cents. If you know of any other stores that round down all the time, please let me know.
If you are looking for interesting things to do with your old pennies, see Cindy’s Blog at Hats N Hospitalitea.
Guy
