On the money thing, I think anything that's different than what you grew up with, is going to take time to adjust to. As a USC in the UK, I'm having the exact same problem with UK money. I can't easily identify what the denominations are, and I hate having so many different coins to use!

I've lost count of the times I've stood in line somewhere hastily thumbing through my notes trying to figure out which is a $1 and which are more!! or counting exact money at the gas station only to get to the register and forget you have to add sales tax!

The first time I ever came to Houston for work I bought some stuff at the mall and argued with them over the price at the register...
I was like but it says it's $50.00 (or whatever it was), how can it say it's $50.00 but really be $54.13?! Why doesn't it just say $54.13?!

It's not exactly hard to read the numbers on the front of the notes.

Doesn't everyone keep their money in their wallets in size order, smallest at the front to biggest at the back? I rarely carry cash but it takes me five seconds to find the notes I need when I do.

Plus, coins are easy, there are only four of them for christ sake

Honestly, it's not rocket science, is it? This is why we don't have an empire anymore, you know.

I don't understand that. I've lived/travelled other places that have similar systems (denomination noted on the coin, different size and color on the paper)and it takes no time at all to learn. I can sort of see your point on the coins, but how can it be harder to differentiate notes that vary in size and color, than a wallet full of notes all the same size and color My nephew is blind in one eye, and only has very marginal vision in the other...he has managed currency in UK, Oz, various European countries with no problem, but came here and he was helpless. That was before the eyenote app, which may help, but is going to slow transactions quite a bit.

Maybe the Bureau of Engraving and printing are recognizing this with the redesign of the $100 bill(not the 20 as I guessed earlier). Hopefully a sign of more changes down te line.

My point exactly!

Sure, I can tell the difference in note values, but even still it's easy to hand the wrong note to someone. If I had limited - or no - sight, it would be virtually impossible without some kind of help.

Not so easy for folk with restricted vision...and it's not just the UK that does it....I couldn't think of any other country anywhere in the world that has such a lack of differentiation between the different denomination banknotes

Coins are just a hassle I can do without. Plus, it's like a tip.



Paper money is easy enough but I rarely carry more than a tenner anyway, preferring to do everything with plastic.

The numbers are big enough, it's a non-issue for me.

Six, but nobody really uses 50c and $1.00 coins that often. I see more $2.00 bills than either of them.

I think Greggs is cheap crap for the most part, don't really miss it at all. I do miss Waitrose very much, however.

Why dosen't that surprise me

If wasn't for places like Greggs, your wife would have less people to push and be out of a job.

Waitrose is a huge miss for me. Whole Foods is overpriced crap that is marketing over substance, and refuses to price match other cheaper stores (ala Waitrose). Roche Bros is pretty good, but it's still not up there with the big W.

We had a Waitrose in my home town until someone torched the place, never went there though.