1 Cent - Food Stamp Scrip Oak Food Center

American grocery store scrip of this type — issued by individual retailers to facilitate food stamp transactions — emerged from a specific regulatory gap. Federal food stamps were denominated in whole dollars, leaving cashiers unable to make change when a customer's purchase fell short of a full stamp's value. Stores like Oak Food Center issued their own fractional cent scrip to bridge that gap, redeemable only in-store for further food stamp purchases.

The practice was eventually curtailed by tightened USDA regulations in the 1990s.