change shortage

May have noticed...several signs popping up at businesses about needing exact change... well--its a national problem.

The culprit?

A coin shortage..brought on by the pandemic..

Mandy gaither explains in today's consumer watch.

### if there's a little less jingle in your pocket --there's a reason for that -- the federal reserve says there's a coin shortage.

You might see signs like this one posted at a store -- and it's because of the pandemic -- which has significantly disrupted the supply chain and the way u-s coins are circulated.

Coin deposits from institutions -- like banks -- to the federal reserve have declined significantly the past few months -- the u-s mint says its production of coins has also decreased due to measures put in place to protect its employees from the coronavirus.

With federal reserve coin orders starting to increase as regions reopen -- the coin inventory is at below normal levels.

Officials at the federal reserve say they're working to lessen the effects of the shortage -- to minimize supply constraints and maximize production -- the agency is managing how it distributes the coins it does have -- and is encouraging institutions to only order enough coins to meet consumer demand.

For today's consumer watch, i'm xxx.

Kroger