Businesses are slowly becoming cents-less in Sundre.
Effective the beginning of this month, the penny is no longer circulated in Canada.
An assortment of businesses in town have posted notices stating they will no longer be giving out pennies, but rounding up or down to the nearest nickel.
ìRight now it's sort of half and half, some people have finished using pennies and don't accept them anymore, others are just letting them run out,î said Gordon Moore, manager of the Sundre Chamber of Commerce.
The loss of the penny makes a small challenge for businesses in town, when it comes to balancing their tills at the end of each workday, he said.
ìIf your till says you sold 41 cents in something and you only have 40 cents in the drawer, you don't balance,î he said.
Some businesses in town are rounding down in every case to give the customer the advantage, he said.
ìI'm going to miss it (the penny), it's been around a long time,î he admitted.
The Sundre post office is still giving out the few pennies remaining in its tills, as workers are still accepting them from customers, said clerk Donna Kelly.
Post office staff are rounding up to the nearest nickel if the cent comes to three or higher, or down if it comes to two or under, she said.
ìWe're all in the same boat and we all have to work together,î she said, explaining that the loss of the penny is a ìlearning curveî for everybody.
ìWe haven't had any customers say that you owe us a penny or anything like that,î she said.
Sundre Sobeys is no longer giving out pennies, but is still accepting them from customers, said Marty Mennear, co-owner.
Staff members are rounding up or down to the nearest nickel, he said.
ìI'm going to miss it (the penny), because of my penny collection,î he jokes.
It's official - the penny no longer makes common cents.
