Repository logo
Log in(current)
Repository logoMIT Open ScholarshipDSpace@MIT
  1. Home
  2. Faculty and Researchers
  3. Bucciarelli, Louis
  4. Selected Publications
  5. Pennies, Penny Pools

Pennies, Penny Pools

Thumbnail Image
Download
Name

Pennies, Penny Pools.pdf

Size

2.15 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

Checksum (MD5)

8ad6a30472aa0e9e28e96fcc7afd8031

Author(s)
Bucciarelli, Louis
Date Issued
February 24, 2026
Abstract
On Feburay 25, 2025, our president ordered the US Treasury to cease minting pennies. In this essay, I recount how members in Congress have tried to legislate the same - calling for rounding to the nearest nickel - but have not succeeded, some fearing that prevailing price structures (e.g., $xx.89) would leave customers on the short end of the stick over time with rounding up (customer loses) being more prevalent than rounding down (customer wins). I analyze the situation, then suggest how a “penny pool” might be used by retailers to ease the transition to a just and fair penny-less society.
Subjects
Elimination of Penny; Penny Pools
Terms of Use
Attribution 3.0 United States
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/
Persistent DSpace Link
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/164933
Repository logo
PrivacyPermissionsAccessibilityContact us
Repository logo
Notify us about copyright concerns.