EuroBillTracker

Aaron wrote:I wonder why the nominal value of euro was set so low at the beginning - it could have been at least twice or preferrably even five times as big. Of course there are countries in which they want to use coins with smaller value as well but they could have made a half-cent coin especially designed for those countries.

then we would pay with mils, like in Malta

So, how about the experiences in the Netherlands now after a few months - how does the rounding work and feel?

It feels bad, you don't get 1 and 2c coins back.
I think 99% of the shops gifs as lows coin 5c back.

No problem, it's like the situation before the euro: the lowest coin was also 5ct. I don't want the 1 and 2ct back .

It's too bad that the value of the Euro wasn't set higher from the beginning. Now we're dropping 1c and 2c coins. With continuous inflation, in five or ten years we'll start getting rid of 5c cions and so on...

On another note, there is a nice idea that got popular in Canada and the USA in the last few years: the "take a penny / leave a penny" basket. Basically, in a lot of stores they have a little basket at the cash where people leave small change (mostly 1c coins but also 5c) for other people to take if they're short. I've never seen that in Europe yet... but it's a nice idea!

Greetings

micdab wrote:Basically, in a lot of stores they have a little basket at the cash where people leave small change (mostly 1c coins but also 5c) for other people to take if they're short. I've never seen that in Europe yet... but it's a nice idea!

We have had that in Finland for years, already during markka times... (not in every shop of course, but some anyway).

micdab wrote:On another note, there is a nice idea that got popular in Canada and the USA in the last few years: the "take a penny / leave a penny" basket. Basically, in a lot of stores they have a little basket at the cash where people leave small change (mostly 1c coins but also 5c) for other people to take if they're short. I've never seen that in Europe yet... but it's a nice idea!

They have that in a lot of places in Ireland too. They're usually empty though, more taking than leaving going on!

I don't think that the basket idea would work here in Portugal... I have the feeling that as soon as someone left something there, the next second someone would have taken it... (Even without needing it, of course)

I don't think the basket would work in Holland aswell.
But with the rounding at 5 ct there is a strange thing.
I work sometimes in a shop. and when I hand customers their return money, in 1 or 2 cents so they can pay the exact amount in another shop, wich is stilla allowed, they refuse.
The usual reason is that it is to heavy to carry in their wallit.
I weighed it, we are talking about 10 grammes!

I like the 1c and 2c too. They shouldn't be abolished. I also liked the 50c in BEF time. It was the oldest coin still used in Belgium. (since the fifties, I believe)
In Belgium, I know some shops (mostly bakeries, I don't know why), where there is a little pot, for all your copper dribble. The content is for a good cause, mostly. Or the money pig for the black money .

those are too tiny coins. but just keep those because i need holland 2cent coin

Ciaran wrote:

micdab wrote:On another note, there is a nice idea that got popular in Canada and the USA in the last few years: the "take a penny / leave a penny" basket. Basically, in a lot of stores they have a little basket at the cash where people leave small change (mostly 1c coins but also 5c) for other people to take if they're short. I've never seen that in Europe yet... but it's a nice idea!

They have that in a lot of places in Ireland too. They're usually empty though, more taking than leaving going on!

Yep - you're right! I blame the little kids. They're usually full in Superquinn, but that's because the staff fill them up themselves!

Craft wrote:

micdab wrote:Basically, in a lot of stores they have a little basket at the cash where people leave small change (mostly 1c coins but also 5c) for other people to take if they're short. I've never seen that in Europe yet... but it's a nice idea!

We have had that in Finland for years, already during markka times... (not in every shop of course, but some anyway).

And we have it nowdays too. Funny thing happened a few times ago when i was buing coffee at cafeteria which price was 1,85e. I gave 20e and told that put those 10 and 5 cents to basket, but salesperson told me that basket is full and those coins won't fit there anymore

Yes, ok for supermarket, but in France, we don't buy bread on supermaket, but in bakeries, and if 0,77€ become 0,80, finally,You lose money! For students, it's not negigible

vive la bretagne wrote:and if 0,77€ become 0,80, finally,You lose money!

When rounding to closest 5 cent units 0.77€ is rounded down to 0.75€, whereas 0.78 € is rounded up to 0.80€. On average, you end up paing the same in both systems. The use of 1 and 2 cent coins (and all other cash money) is costly for shops and financial institutions.