Thought we'd cracked getting shot of all our Euro change ... but ...😒 (1 Viewer)

[Minxy]

We've gathered up quite a large amount of Euro & cent coins over the years mainly due to hubby never wanting to lug them around instead just using notes and getting change. I totted them up and they came to over €10 plus the €1 and €2 coins, making around €35 in total so decided to bring them on holiday to see if I could get shot of most of them.

I managed to use some paying at manned (womanned?) checkouts in Lidl and Aldi but obviously couldn't inundate them with loads so it was taking ages. We then visited a small Auchan in France and lo and behold the answer was right there in front of me, they'd installed some self-service checkouts which took coins! Yay.

We'd got some bags of chewy dog food for Tazzy costing €7.86 so fed it with €2.86 in coins, mainly 1c and 2c and a €5 note much to the amusement of a member of staff and a shopper.

It was good fun just dropping the coins in and listening to them drop until we got to the right amount, better than the coin games at the seaside. . In fact we thought it was such a good way to spend the coins that we decided to get some more from the MH and went back for 2 more bags and fed the machine again.

As we return to the UK tomorrow and still had around €15 in change we decided to spend it today at LeClerc in Boulogne buying a few bits to take home ... unfortunately that backfired though.

Despite it being a big store they didn't have any self-service checkouts, not a single one, which was a surprise. Consequently we're still stuck with the ruddy things until we go to Euroland again ... Hope we have sufficient payload!

The moral of the story is if you have a load of coins don't leave it until your last day to spend them at LeClerc in Boulogne!!!

 

[Stroppy Bird]

Quite a few of the places that we stayed at on our last trip away didn't have a bakers but did have the bread dispensers. They didn't take 1c or 2c but we did find them useful to get rid of quite a bit of our other change.

 

[L' Hobo]

If it's anything like in the UK, why not try any market stall-holders, they are always crying out for change?

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[DuxDeluxe]

We've gathered up quite a large amount of Euro & cent coins over the years mainly due to hubby never wanting to lug them around instead just using notes and getting change. I totted them up and they came to over €10 plus the €1 and €2 coins, making around €35 in total so decided to bring them on holiday to see if I could get shot of most of them.

I managed to use some paying at manned (womanned?) checkouts in Lidl and Aldi but obviously couldn't inundate them with loads so it was taking ages. We then visited a small Auchan in France and lo and behold the answer was right there in front of me, they'd installed some self-service checkouts which took coins! Yay.

We'd got some bags of chewy dog food for Tazzy costing €7.86 so fed it with €2.86 in coins, mainly 1c and 2c and a €5 note much to the amusement of a member of staff and a shopper.

It was good fun just dropping the coins in and listening to them drop until we got to the right amount, better than the coin games at the seaside. . In fact we thought it was such a good way to spend the coins that we decided to get some more from the MH and went back for 2 more bags and fed the machine again.

As we return to the UK tomorrow and still had around €15 in change we decided to spend it today at LeClerc in Boulogne buying a few bits to take home ... unfortunately that backfired though.

Despite it being a big store they didn't have any self-service checkouts, not a single one, which was a surprise. Consequently we're still stuck with the ruddy things until we go to Euroland again ... Hope we have sufficient payload!

The moral of the story is if you have a load of coins don't leave it until your last day to spend them at LeClerc in Boulogne!!!

Sorry…. Could not resist…. Definitely first world problem…. Welcome back, we have missed you*

*but taking target practice

 

[Lenny HB]

Lots of boulanger's have machines you put cash in to, get rid of ours on the morning baguette & croissant run.

 

[Minxy]

Too late now as we're off to the ferry shortly as I've been woken early by a call from mum's care home to say she's had a fall, no injury as such but she's got a chest infection and her oxygen saturation is low so they've taken her to hospital. Can't get an earlier ferry but will at least be checked in ready to board.

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[scousebird]

Some years ago, long story, we came into possession of €70 worth of Irish 20c pieces, mostly we used them to pay for parking/aires in France and we managed to fill the machine at Le Crotoy. It took us some time to use them all.

 

[jumartoo]

Some of the larger supermarkets in Spain have coin change machines. Our "Cat Lady" uses one to change all the small coin donations into notes.

 

[The Wino]

Some of the larger supermarkets in Spain have coin change machines. Our "Cat Lady" uses one to change all the small coin donations into notes.

Probably the same as the ones here though and take a commission

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[eurajohn]

Super and Hyper U supermarkets usually have a machine to put coins in, you feed it with your loose change it counts it and gives you a bonne achat (receipt) which you use at checkout.

 

[Geoff185]

You can of course put into any charity box in UK, they get banks to change them and they also check for any collectible coins and get specialist to buy them.

 

[Roby2008]

Got the reverse problem, I always end up with some of those pesky British coins ..........

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[L' Hobo]

You can of course put into any charity box in UK, they get banks to change them and they also check for any collectible coins and get specialist to buy them.

I was once told that they didn't like foreign coins, has that policy changed?

 

[L' Hobo]

Got the reverse problem, I always end up with some of those pesky British coins ..........

I have the same problem, I much prefer the notes.

 

[shawn&emma]

I tried to get rid of about €20 of change in our three local charities, none would take it.

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[Minxy]

Hubby said someone had told him that some Tesco stores have a change conversation machine, obviously with a commission charge, so if you're desperate to get shot you could use one and as a bonus get the 'arcade game' thrill.

 

[Geoff185]

Friend of my daughters works for air ambulance. I was in her office one day when a coin specialist came in to pick up the coins. He took them away for valuation for the charity. He took both old coins and foreign

 

[Lenny HB]

When we had banks there often used to be charity boxes for foreign coins in them.

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[dunnah01]

We just hang on to them for the next trip

 

[Larby]

My wife will constantly use a note in France and ends up with 5 kilos ! of shrapnel. Every so often I count out say 95 cents for the baguette and put in pocket. Then pull all the coins out and hand to the assistant. Sometimes they frown sometimes they are grateful.
Then wife pulls out 5€ note and buys a croissant

 

[cyberyacht]

I used a load of accumulated coin to pay for two bottles of milk at Iceland the other day. I always seem to have about €10-€15 in odds after each holiday. Like dunnah01 I keep it for next time. Much better than when you had about four different currencies.

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[Dart]

On Brittany Ferries there is normally a Lifeboats collection box set into a bulkhead, usually in the reception area so I put my small change in that at the end of the holiday.