Question !!!!!!!coin changer in supermarket

[Cluzo]

In our local Sainsburys back in the UK . There is a machine in the lobby that folk seem to chuck bags and bags of loose change in .   I think they get a voucher or something for the value ( less a small percentage) I expect.

My question is   Does any one know ifsuch a thing exsist in France  ???????????as I dont remember seeing one anywhere - and I have been looking out for one for over a year.

Ive got a pot of schrapnel on the bookcase (as have most of my friends)    and I feel guilty when I realise that loads of it is freshly minted and that there are those horrible open cast mines ( madigascar) for some reason springs to mind that can be seen from the moon ( alegedley )

Or!!!!!!  any one know of any charity boxes I can empty them into???? .    I cant say I have seen any of them around in France either.

In previous years Ive passed them on to a friend who has taken them to his church fellowship - but he is now perminantly back in th UK

Sorry to have gone on a bit  --------But i would really like to find a home for all the bits .

[Clair]

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1366563/ShowPost.aspx

[Cluzo]

Thanks for the swift reply Claire .

 I did search but despite being directed to some very interesting threads which took me  over an hour and 2 cups of tea !!to read unfortunatly they have absolutly nothing to do with my search !!!   But never mind I think Ive missed the sun in the garden now as i was going to have a sneaky sitdown with a good book .

[Pickles]

[quote user="Cluzo"]In our local Sainsburys back in the UK . There is a machine in the lobby that folk seem to chuck bags and bags of loose change in .   I think they get a voucher or something for the value ( less a small percentage) I expect. [/quote]

According to the Coinstar site, in the UK, for every £1 these machines take in they give you 92.1p credit. Having seen people queuing up to use these machines I have come to realise that once again I have missed a trick. SEVEN POINT NINE PER CENT COMMISSION!!!!

In Ireland, it's 9.4% commission. For doing nothing.

Regards

Pickles

[Iceni]

Where do these people find all this shrapnel ? I spend mine, paying no commission whilst receiving the smiles and thanks of shops and stall holders.

John

[Nell]

L'eclerc in Trelissac has such a machine - gives you vouchers to spend in the store, but they are dated (I think you have about a month to spend them !!)

Can only assume all large L'eclerc stores provide the same service. Someone else on here mentioned something about getting "short-changed [Www] " by this machine, but when I used it it was fine. I had counted it all first and then dropped in about 10 euros worth at a time. I does take a while and you can hear the cents trundle down inside... I changed about 90 euro no problem (except carrying it into the store [:D] )

[Chancer]

La Poste in most medium sized towns will have the machine that you are looking for.

Iceni. Like you I am bemused that people should hve this problem where they need to pay 7 or 9 % commision to get rid of unwanted change, one day I hope to have problems like that! For the moment all my change goes to the boulangerie for one of lifes essenntials.

Mind you I saved up the deposit for my first house (which I still own) by saving coins, I would only spend notes and put everything else into a large whisky bottle, it came to over £13k (yes I did have to take the bottle to the bank several times) when I bought the house back in the days when one had to have 25% deposit, none of the younger generation in the UK will believe this, the French see it as normal.

[Nell]

No commission in L'eclerc - you just have to spend the money there ![:-))]

[Russethouse]

 Don't they sell coin counters in France? My son has one here and just uses it to bag up change and take it to the bank. Rather than lose 7% it may be worth buying one.

 Our loose change goes in a big bottle and when charity collectors come to the door we give them a handful or so, so far no complaints (there is silver in the jar too so its not as mean as it sounds)

[Cluzo]

Thanks for the  tip about la poste  and leclerc -

Its funny but i did think leclecrc was  a likely contender - but searched amonst the photo boots to no avail - and have certainly never heard the distinctive clunking sound.  Do  they all have them  ? - we shop at Challon in the Vendee

I dont know where it all comes from -  but my purse is very small and I use my plastic a lot .

If I think about it I sometimes take a plastic bag of copper for the market ladies to have a rootle through when I go to the market or hand my purse over  - !  but our one will be back to twice a week when we get back .

[Cluzo]

Update on this -

My daughter has just returned from a month at our place in the vendee and seemingly we dont have a problem anymore as she has spent most of it at least all the gold colour stuff .

Solution  -pay cash at supermarket and go through self pay -self serve checkout and pay by puttting lots of coins in their machine .

Seemingly in the Uk there are prototype machines being tested in some stores with a shute !!!! .