Commissaries announce penny policy for patrons receiving change from cash transactions

Courtesy Photo | Pennies in your change at the cash register will become a memory for commissary customers who pay in cash as the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) transitions to a policy of rounding up or down to the nearest nickel. (DeCA photo)  

FORT LEE, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES

01.07.2026

Courtesy Story

Defense Commissary Agency

By DeCA Corporate Communications


FORT LEE, Va. – Pennies in your change at the cash register will become a memory for commissary customers who pay in cash as the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) transitions to a policy of rounding up or down to the nearest nickel.

DeCA’s stateside commissaries are implementing this policy in response to the U.S. Mint ending production of pennies in August 2025.

Adjusting change for pennies is not new for DeCA. Overseas commissaries already round up or down at the register, said Rosie Leonard-Greer, DeCA’s director of accounting.

“DeCA, as well as other military resale activities, will limit the use of pennies,” she said. “That is not to say, though, that pennies are entirely eliminated. Every commissary patron may give pennies as part of paying for his/her groceries. Pennies are just not handed back as change.”

This is how it works: When a patron pays in cash, cashiers return change rounded up or down to the nearest nickel. For example, if the total sale is $25.36 or $25.37, then the cashier rounds down to $25.35. If the total sale is $25.38 or $25.39, round up to $25.40.

Patrons may also write a check for the exact amount, as well as complete debit and credit card transactions to the penny.

“This is a military services policy, not a DeCA initiative,” Leonard-Greer said. “This was also the case prior to the consolidation of the services’ separate commissary agencies into DeCA in 1991.”
-DeCA-


About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees, disabled veterans and other authorized patrons and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which supports the costs of building, modernizing and sustaining commissary facilities. A core military family support element and valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military services and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.

• Date Taken: 01.07.2026
• Date Posted: 01.07.2026 10:37
• Story ID: 555809
• Location: FORT LEE, VIRGINIA, US