SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A program at Macy's that lets customers donate their change could mean big bucks for schools all across San Diego County.
The "Make Good Cents" program asks customers to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar when they check out. All money collected goes to the school district nearest the store.
For example, a customer whose purchase is $73.21 could round up their total to $74 and donate the 79 cents to local schools.
Macy's has 11 stores across San Diego County, covering just about every school district.
"The fact that the money stays local, I think that's been a big incentive for people to take part," said Macy's employee Miguel Garcia.
Garcia said he's seen a great response from customers to the program.
It runs through July 31, meaning shoppers only have one more weekend to take advantage.
According to research by Deloitte, families spend an average of $501 per child on back to school shopping. 57% of that money will be spent in store, compared with 21% on line. Macy's hopes their "Make Good Cents" program encourages more people to come in the stores.
The research company also says the vast majority of back to school shopping (71%) takes place between early July and late August.
You can see more of Deloitte's findings here.
This is the second year that Macy's has done the "Makes Good Sense" campaign.
Schools around San Diego will find out how much money they'll get in the coming months. 10News heard from Chula Vista Elementary School District, who says they plan to use the money on their Visual and Performing Arts programs.
