Penny Problems

I guess - but there are always externalities in any transaction. If you're paying cash, somebody has to pay to haul that cash around, never mind the cost of minting or printing it in the first place.

It seems to me that moving digital bits around should almost always be cheaper and more efficient than moving physical tokens or stores of value. Of course, the two have different failure modes (being hacked vs. being robbed/burgled, etc). And if the electronic clearinghouses don't have meaningful competition, they can seek rent as they please.

 

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The saga concludes; the self checkout stations have been taught that it's OK to round change to the nickel, and are now doing so.

 

Distribution is uneven to be sure. Around here (ironically quite close to the Denver Mint) they're getting pretty scarce.

 

100% on point.
I live 20-25 miles from West Point. I've never gotten a single 'W' quarter in circulation.