Also, there has to be an incentive for the consumer to carry out a transaction in euros rather than in his usual currency denomination. Learning to count in euros is a slow and difficult process. Consumers need to memorise a completely new scale of prices for their customary basket of goods and services, and understand the value associated to each price. They need to attribute a value to notes and coins they are using. There is therefore a tremendous need for understanding what the value of notes and coins are.
Initiatives aimed at educating consumers are useful.
However, dual price displays alone will not succeed in reconstructing consumers' price memory and value-scales. However, only practice can lead consumers to make the learning effort. In other terms, consumers will only really start counting when they actually pay in euros. Learning to pay in euros is dependent of the sellers of goods and services willingness to accept euro denominated payments. In the enormous majority of cases, paying in euros is far more complicated than paying in national currencies.