BettyBee wrote: ↑Sat Sep 18, 2021 12:59 amoh - there is one thing i like - when you meet a nice staff member at the checkouts.
Oh, it's not all bad! I was treated to a delightful bit of theatre at Lidl yesterday. Large gentleman of the Britannic persuasion in front of me at the check-out tried to use contactless payment to settle up. Card refused.
"Ca n'est pas passé, Monsieur," said the hôtesse
"It
has to work - it's a brand new card," said Monsieur l'Anglais. Tried again, refused again. "Bloody hell, it must be your machine. It's a brand new card."
"Désolé, Monsieur, mais elle ne passe pas en sans-contact. Essayez avec votre code."
Monsieur l'Anglais tries contactless again, and yet again, repeating more loudly each time that there can't be any problem, because it's a
new card. Probably getting on for five minutes of this now, and not a word of French has passed his lips (nor, for that matter, has a word of English passed the lips of the check-out girl, but then she's on her home turf)
A Lidl colleague arrives
"Qu'est qui se passe?" she asks.
Monsieur l'Anglais explains "There can't be any problem with the account - it's a brand new card!"
"Ah, d'accord. Si c'est un New Card il faut tapper le code, Monsieur."
"But it's a brand new card," insists Monsieur.
"Oui, Monsieur, c'est parce que c'est un New Card qu'il vous faut tappez le code."
Monsieur tries contactless one more time.
"Non, Monsieur, mettez-la dans la machine et tapper le code."
Monsieur finally consents to a chip-and-pin transaction, which is approved in a flash. He removes his card and (I think) squeezed out a begrudging "murrsy" as he took his receipt.
The Lidl colleague heads back into the aisles, apologising as she passes the queue for "les conneries des Anglais."
That was a great day! 
