Take a penny, leave a penny

"Take a penny, leave a penny" (sometimes "Give a penny, take a penny", penny tray, or penny pool) refers to a tray used for convenience in cash transactions. They are found in the United States and Ireland,^[1] in gas stations and convenience stores, and were once common in Canada before 2013 when the penny was taken out of circulation.

A "take a penny, leave a penny" tray in a restaurant

Usage

A small tray near a cash register is designated as a place for customers to discard unwanted pennies received as change. For customers who want to avoid breaking a higher-denomination coin or bill, they can take a penny or two from the tray left by others.

The tray can also be used by cashiers. For example, the cashier might take a penny from the tray to then give the customer one quarter instead of six coins totaling 24 cents (two dimes and four pennies).^[2] These are also called "penny pools".^[3]

See also

• Money portal

• Cash rounding
• Honesty box
• Penny debate in the United States