Most large retailers reopened on January 2, after trading on New Year’s Day was largely limited to small local shops. The switch to the euro has so far been orderly. Within a day of Bulgaria joining the Eurozone, banks had restored most online and mobile services, and many cash machines were already dispensing euro notes.
Both the euro and the lev are circulating during the transition. Shops are expected to give change in euros, though levs may still be returned when necessary, prompting light hearted jokes about leftover coins becoming souvenirs. Shoppers have remained calm, and many continue to pay in levs. Till systems now calculate change automatically. A few problems have been reported. In Sofia, a cashier declined a large lev banknote for a small purchase, citing a lack of euro change.
Banks report a sharp rise in deposits, with more than one billion levs collected in recent days. In Varna, customers describe a smooth changeover and quick service. Bulgaria’s euro coins feature national symbols, including the Madonna of Vitosha, alongside EU required designs.
