US Mint asking shoppers to use coins

The U.S. Mint is asking shoppers to use the change that has turned into dusty decor on top of their dressers.

Paying for things with exact change will help to combat a national coin shortage, the agency says.

“For millions of Americans, cash is the only form of payment and cash transactions rely on coins to make change,” the mint said in a news release. “We ask that the American public start spending their coins, depositing them, or exchanging them for currency at financial institutions or taking them to a coin redemption kiosk.”

The mint said it has seen an increase in orders for newly minted coins, but there is an adequate amount of coins in the economy. They just aren’t readily available where needed, as shoppers have cut back on visiting retailers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“The coin supply problem can be solved with each of us doing our part,” the mint said.