Take a penny, leave a penny
Encyclopedia
Take a penny, leave a penny (sometimes Give a penny, take a penny or penny tray) refers to a type of tray, dish or cup often found in gas stations, convenience stores, and other small stores in North America
, meant for convenience in cash transactions. The phrase should not be confused with 'Spend a penny' which is British slang for urination
.
they receive as change if they do not want them. Then, customers who, for example, need one cent for a transaction can take one of the pennies to avoid needing one of their own or breaking a higher-denomination coin or bill. The tray can also be used by cashiers when dealing with amounts slightly less than others easier to work with; the cashier may take a penny (1 cent) from the tray and then give the customer, for example, one quarter (25 cents) instead of 24 cents (two dimes and four pennies, or six coins in all). These are also called "penny pools", and may be either a generic container such as an ashtray, or a purposely made container with an advertisement on it, such as for cigarettes
, with text advising the customer to take a penny or leave a penny.
It is not uncommon to occasionally see nickels, dimes, and even quarters in a penny dish; a cashier short on pennies but nearing the end of his or her shift may swap one of the higher denomination coins for the equivalent number of pennies, especially if a large number of pennies are present in the dish.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, meant for convenience in cash transactions. The phrase should not be confused with 'Spend a penny' which is British slang for urination
Urination
Urination, also known as micturition, voiding, peeing, weeing, pissing, and more rarely, emiction, is the ejection of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. In healthy humans the process of urination is under voluntary control...
.
Usage
The small cup or tray near a cash register is designated as a place for people to place penniesCent (United States coin)
The United States one-cent coin, commonly known as a penny, is a unit of currency equaling one one-hundredth of a United States dollar. The cent's symbol is ¢. Its obverse has featured the profile of President Abraham Lincoln since 1909, the centennial of his birth. From 1959 to 2008, the reverse...
they receive as change if they do not want them. Then, customers who, for example, need one cent for a transaction can take one of the pennies to avoid needing one of their own or breaking a higher-denomination coin or bill. The tray can also be used by cashiers when dealing with amounts slightly less than others easier to work with; the cashier may take a penny (1 cent) from the tray and then give the customer, for example, one quarter (25 cents) instead of 24 cents (two dimes and four pennies, or six coins in all). These are also called "penny pools", and may be either a generic container such as an ashtray, or a purposely made container with an advertisement on it, such as for cigarettes
Tobacco advertising
Tobacco advertising is the advertising of tobacco products or use by the tobacco industry through a variety of media including sponsorship, particularly of sporting events. It is now one of the most highly regulated forms of marketing...
, with text advising the customer to take a penny or leave a penny.
It is not uncommon to occasionally see nickels, dimes, and even quarters in a penny dish; a cashier short on pennies but nearing the end of his or her shift may swap one of the higher denomination coins for the equivalent number of pennies, especially if a large number of pennies are present in the dish.