OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Some locations of at least one convenience store chain appear to be shortchanged in the months since the U.S. decided to phase out the minting of pennies.

The argument to stop minting pennies in the U.S. dates back decades. The Trump administration decided back in May to phase out new penny production. Last year, the U.S. Mint reported that it cost 3.69 cents to make the penny. That’s up 20% from the previous year, and it marks the 19th consecutive year that the penny costs more to make than its face value. 

As of late September, several Federal Reserve coin distribution sites have stopped fulfilling penny orders, taking penny deposits, or both.

It’s seemingly starting to have an impact.

An internal email shared with Nexstar’s KFOR shows that dozens of Love’s Travel Stops locations are dealing with a shortage of the one-cent coins.

The email showed that an emergency call was held with Love’s and other unnamed retailers.

Now, several Love’s stores are being forced to round up change in favor of the customer, while a rate is depleting their bank vaults of about seven to eight per day. They expected shortages in mid-late 2026, but the timeline sped up, and now 54 stores have been affected, with more on the way.

The internal email also indicated that most Love’s locations have a week’s supply of pennies on hand, but the situation is evolving.

“The U.S. Government stopping the production of pennies is a developing issue impacting retailers nationwide, including Love’s Travel Stops,” Ulysses Ochoa, director of operations for Love’s Travel Stops, told KFOR. “At this time, only around 50 of Love’s more than 660 locations in 42 states are impacted.”

According to Ochoa, stores that run out of pennies will round up change “in favor of the customer.”

The penny shortage hardly appears limited to Love’s.

A September article from the National Association of Convenience Stores spells out the same issue. They say that the final minting of pennies happened in June, with the last distributions in August. They claim supply shortages are emerging and are expected to increase.

An official from the organization is quoted in the article saying, “NACS has raised industry concerns with Congress and the Administration and is advocating for federal legislation to permit the rounding of cash transactions.”

Nexstar contacted multiple other convenience store chains, including 7-Eleven, Buc-ee’s, Sheetz, QuikTrip, and Kwik Trip, to determine if they have been impacted as well, but did not immediately receive responses.

Nexstar also reached out to home improvement retailer Home Depot. In a Reddit thread, users claiming to be employees said their stores have posted signs within the last week that warn of a penny shortage and tell customers they’ll need exact change if making a cash transaction. Home Depot did not respond to Nexstar’s inquiry.