Some shops, restaurants and banks in the eurozone have already begun to display prices in both the national currency and in euros. More and more will join during the next couple of years. Familiarity They have a chance to get used to how much things cost in euros. Italians for example are used to large lira sums and will learn to juggle smaller sums of money. Transparency Price differences across the eurozone will become transparent, and experts say this will drive down prices.
Cars are a typical example.
In Italy they are much cheaper than in the Netherlands or Germany. Priced in euros consumers will know the exact difference - and can buy accordingly. Once shoppers know how the price in euros of a liter of milk or portable radio, tricksters will find it more difficult to hide price increases during the introduction of euro coins and notes. In some countries, however, dual pricing can cause confusion. And there is still the danger of hidden price increases.