Night Owls

OffByOne · OffByOne, as of 1 Jan 2002 at 06:20 GMT

Actually, the tactile intaglio print and the foil elements were engineered specifically so that a cashier does not need prior muscle memory to detect them. The raised ink on the front produces a distinct rough texture against paper that is completely absent on standard photocopied or offset counterfeits. Furthermore, the notion that counterfeiters could already flood the market with indistinguishable replicas on day one ignores basic production logistics. Replicating the embedded iridescent stripes, varying watermark shades, and registration marks requires industrial machinery, not an overnight sprint. Taking three seconds to tilt a note towards the light is entirely standard practice, not a vulnerability.

kookaburra99 · kookaburra99, as of 1 Jan 2002 at 06:57 GMT

exactly, feeling the rough ink and tilting it takes two seconds, so queues will be totally fine.

OffByOne · OffByOne, as of 1 Jan 2002 at 07:40 GMT

kookaburra99 wrote:

exactly, feeling the rough ink and tilting it takes two seconds, so queues will be totally fine.

Small correction: one should not assume lines will vanish instantaneously, as brief administrative queues are entirely expected during any major monetary changeover. In 1971, Britain managed precisely such temporary transaction delays during decimalisation without commercial breakdown, as Punchcard noted.

Moreover, the vast majority of daily transactions do not require cashiers to calculate complex exchange rates in their heads. In the Netherlands, as elsewhere, point-of-sale terminals and cash registers were updated well in advance to compute dual totals automatically. Even where cashiers rely on printed conversion cards, verifying change takes mere seconds. Ordinary trade has accommodated new coinages for centuries; retail systems simply do not collapse over routine arithmetic.

PintOfMild · PintOfMild, as of 1 Jan 2002 at 08:31 GMT

Spot on. Anyone who has ever stood behind a till knows you just get on with it! A slightly slower queue for a couple of days isn't the end of civilization, it's just folks waiting their turn while the cashier gets the hang of the new fivers. Most people are decent enough to have a laugh about it anyway. As long as the pub can figure out how many cents buy a proper pint, nobody is going to riot! Speaking of which, quasistatic, still on for that pint in Leeds next Thursday? First round's on me, paid in good old solid sterling! Cheers

kookaburra99 · kookaburra99, as of 1 Jan 2002 at 08:37 GMT

OffByOne wrote:

point-of-sale terminals and cash registers were updated well in advance to compute dual totals automatically.

Yeah, automated registers doing the sums means no one needs to do tricky mental maths anyway.

OffByOne · OffByOne, as of 1 Jan 2002 at 09:48 GMT

Indeed. Furthermore, having collected my own euro notes from the cash machine shortly after midnight here in Rotterdam, I can attest that the dispensing software operated without any fault whatsoever. The mechanical and electronic distribution networks are behaving exactly according to specification. Regular daily commerce will manage quite satisfactorily.

kookaburra99 · kookaburra99, as of 1 Jan 2002 at 10:00 GMT

totally, normal shops and cashiers are easily going to manage a couple of tiny lines.

Sysop_Kev · Sysop_Kev, as of 1 Jan 2002 at 11:35 GMT

Machines are working grand in Dublin too, so keep the wild panic off the board. -- Kev (mod)

quasistatic · quasistatic, as of 1 Jan 2002 at 12:05 GMT

The early reports from both Rotterdam and Dublin are very encouraging, and entirely consistent with what sensible planning leads one to expect. When automated distribution networks operate cleanly, the rest of the system has room to absorb minor delays.

A few seconds added to a cash transaction or a short wait outside a branch is not a structural breakdown. It is merely the expected friction of human beings familiarising themselves with new denominations and checking notes for the first time. The mechanical backbone is sound, the fallback procedures are in place, and commerce will proceed as normal.

And yes, PintOfMild, I am very much looking forward to that pint in Leeds next Thursday.

PintOfMild · PintOfMild, as of 1 Jan 2002 at 12:48 GMT

Brilliant news, quasistatic! I will get the crisps in too. Good to hear Dublin is sorted, Kev - makes my trip at the end of the month a proper breeze. Just hope the bar staff over there don't charge me euro prices for a pint of mild! Cheers

kookaburra99 · kookaburra99, as of 1 Jan 2002 at 12:56 GMT

quasistatic wrote:

The mechanical backbone is sound, the fallback procedures are in place, and commerce will proceed as normal.

Hearing straight from Kev and OffByOne that cash machines worked with zero hassle is grand. Once shoppers get used to pulling out the new notes, those little waits will fade out fast. So keen to see the coins myself later this year

Punchcard · Punchcard, as of 1 Jan 2002 at 13:23 GMT

It is very encouraging to hear these direct accounts from Rotterdam and Dublin this morning. When the dispensers perform their duties without a hiccup, the public gains confidence immediately. Most folks just want to know their card will work and that proper change comes back across the counter.

I dare say Wednesday will show us that ordinary folk are far more capable than the pessimists give them credit for. A customer might pause for a moment to study the watermark on a ten-euro bill, or a cashier might double-check the coin tray before counting it out, but that is simply sensible caution. It does not stop trade from getting done.

Now that the machinery has proven itself sound on day one, the shops will find their footing quite naturally. A brief queue at the corner store while someone sorts through a few unfamiliar cents is nothing to fret over. We shall see regular daily business carry on in fine style.

quasistatic · quasistatic, as of 1 Jan 2002 at 14:04 GMT

Punchcard wrote:

It does not stop trade from getting done.

Quite right. Even here in Britain, the news reports that a toddler bought Smarties with euros in Newcastle this morning without any fuss. If an airport shop counter can handle the currency on day one, ordinary retail will take it in stride.

PintOfMild · PintOfMild, as of 1 Jan 2002 at 14:11 GMT

quasistatic wrote:

Even here in Britain, the news reports that a toddler bought Smarties with euros in Newcastle this morning without any fuss.

Haha, buying Smarties with them already! Talk about sweetening the deal! If a three-year-old can manage it at an airport WH Smith, shopkeepers over on the continent will be laughing. Sounds like all the fuss was about nothing and everyone's just getting on with their day. Cheers

quasistatic · quasistatic, as of 1 Jan 2002 at 14:51 GMT

Precisely. The official reports from Brussels and Dublin are uniformly positive today, with roughly eighty per cent of Irish cash dispensers expected to be switched over by tonight. When the underlying banking infrastructure operates this cleanly, ordinary over-the-counter retail adapts with minimal difficulty.