Our twin town got a rare mention in a British national newspaper on the 1st January. The "Independent" ran a small article about the introduction of the euro into Europe and cited some experiences from Thury-Harcourt which are reproduced below. The only greengrocers I can remember on the market square is shown below in a photo from our archives taken in 2004 , so perhaps that is the shop in question . The resolution is not enough to blow up the price tags clearly, but there does seem only to be the one price. Pity the article was less specific about the nearby shop of Marie-Elizabeth
(thanks to our members Richard and Sandra Worthington for flagging this article up)
(thanks to our members Richard and Sandra Worthington for flagging this article up)
Catherine, a green-grocer in a small Norman town, has all her prices neatly marked in euros and nothing but euros. Ten years after the creation of a single European currency, seven years after the appearance of euro notes and coins, large French shops and most restaurants and cafes still defy Brussels and list their prices in two currencies.
In Catherine’s small shop on the market square of Thury Harcourt, the prices are exclusively chalked up in euros and euro-centimes. Does this mean that she is a fan of the euro, which is ten years old tomorrow?
“No, not all. The euro has been a calamity for ordinary people. Inflation has been higher, whatever the politicians say. The gap between rich and poor has grown. In France, there are no in-between people left any more. Either you rich or you are struggling.”
Marie-Elisabeth, a shop-keeper in the next street, is more positive – sort of. “Most customers think only in euros now. It is just the very old ones who like everything to be converted into francs. And yet there is no real affection for the euro yet, not like we had for the franc. The franc was like our mum. The euro is like our step-mother.”
In Catherine’s small shop on the market square of Thury Harcourt, the prices are exclusively chalked up in euros and euro-centimes. Does this mean that she is a fan of the euro, which is ten years old tomorrow?
“No, not all. The euro has been a calamity for ordinary people. Inflation has been higher, whatever the politicians say. The gap between rich and poor has grown. In France, there are no in-between people left any more. Either you rich or you are struggling.”
Marie-Elisabeth, a shop-keeper in the next street, is more positive – sort of. “Most customers think only in euros now. It is just the very old ones who like everything to be converted into francs. And yet there is no real affection for the euro yet, not like we had for the franc. The franc was like our mum. The euro is like our step-mother.”
