When stores provide shopping carts there is a slot for a 50 cent piece to release the cart for use in the store which you will get back when you return the cart. This probably isn't such a foreign concept to many American as Aldi and Lidl are spreading throughout the States and practice this custom there.
Another reason for keeping these coins is for the lockers at the museums. Most museums do not allow visitors to carry their backpacks around so they provide lockers to hold your items while visiting. Although all the lockers I've used are free, most require a deposit of either €0.50 or €1 which is returned when the locker is unlocked. ***
Lastly... public toilets. If you're out and about and can't hold it until you get to a café then you will need money to use a public toilet. They are generally €1 but I have seen some that are 50 cents. Either way, they're not free and they won't break a €20.
Lastly... public toilets. If you're out and about and can't hold it until you get to a café then you will need money to use a public toilet. They are generally €1 but I have seen some that are 50 cents. Either way, they're not free and they won't break a €20.
*** The Maritime Museum in Amsterdam had the most unique approach to the locker situation. Your ticket is a wristband which has a bar code on it. In the locker room there is a scanner which reads the bar code and releases a locker for use (you can choose whether you want a large or small locker). The reader allows you to either open the locker but not release it if you just want to get something out, or you can release the locker when you're done visiting the museum. I thought this was the most interesting and innovative approach to the locker situation.
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