First it was toilet paper, then hand sanitizer. The latest national shortage created by the COVID-19 pandemic is coins. The coin shortage is prompting businesses to ask customers to pay with plastic or provide exact change when making cash purchases.

Richard Baskerville with First Kansas Bank commented on the shortage Thursday during the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce Coffee. He said financial institutions in Great Bend are asking people to bring in unused coins in exchange for currency.

Banks are limiting customers to single rolls of coins and suggesting they round up transactions instead of getting coins back.

Supermarkets and gas stations across the country are asking shoppers to pay with a card or produce exact change when possible. At Dillons stores, any coins due as change are being loaded onto the customer’s store loyalty card. 

Walmart has converted some of its self-checkout registers to accept only plastic.

Other businesses encourage customers to round up their total to the nearest dollar for charitable causes.

The cause of the shortage is two-fold. Several weeks ago, social distancing and other safety measures slowed production of coins at the U.S. mints at the same time businesses shut down and fewer people were recirculating coins into the economy.

“This shortage is not expected to be long-lasting,” Baskerville said. 

The Federal Reserve announced it has created the U.S. Coin Task Force, working with industry partners and the U.S. Mint to minimize supply constraints and maximize coin production.