Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Florida
In Tallahassee, FL, what are the stipulations to being able to pay for goods/services rendered in pennies? It is an ongoing battle between my associates and myself whether or not one is allowed to pay for anything one desires with purely change. I was under the impression that if a store/theater/place of business has it posted that one cannot pay in change then one can simply not pay in change, regardless of it being official currency or not. Would someone please care to elaborate?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Stores do not have to take your pennies. It takes them time to count it. What you should do is roll it yourself and exchange it for bills at your bank. Or, you can take it to one of those change kiosks at the grocery store.
Stores have the right to accept payment in any form they desire. It's perfectly acceptable for a store to post a sign saying, "we will not accept payment in pennies," or something like that. If the store wants to refuse payment in change, it's allowed. For that matter, the store doesn't even have to post a sign saying that it won't accept payment in change only, though I suppose that would be the better practice.