The punt may be legal tender for some weeks yet, but yesterday it seemed as if nobody had told the people of Waterford.
Patience was required as customers queued in large numbers in banks from early morning to exchange their old Irish money for the shiny new euro.
Many were frustrated by the size of the queues and postponed their plans to exchange money. Brisk business can be expected for several more days at least.
Customers emerging from the Bank of Ireland on Merchant's Quay clutching the new currency were aware the punt could still be used in shops until February 9th. Most, however, said they found the dual-currency system confusing and wanted to change to a single currency as soon as possible.
Mr Anthony Power from Kilmeaden, who queued for 40 minutes solely to exchange pounds for euro, said it would be easier to use one currency in the shops. He had prepared for the change and knew exactly how much to expect in return for his pounds. "I think the euro is very nice and down the line people will get to like it," he said.
Mr Seamus McGrath from Mooncoin didn't mind having to queue. "I thought I'd be there all day but it was only about 40 minutes I wanted to get it done with before I'd forget about it. The month would fly and the last thing I wanted was to be stuck with change."
Bank staff, he said, were "up to their necks" but had been very helpful.
Ms Mary Griffin from Doyle Street in Waterford city queued for an hour and a quarter. "It's too much hassle trying to pay in punts and getting change in euro. We just don't know where we are, so I decided to change all of the cash I had." Staff were helpful and appeared to be coping well.
One man who avoided a delay was Diarmuid Timmins, from Sligo, who was able to skip the queue to lodge some Japanese yen into his account at the bank's bureau de change.
"I don't understand why people are queueing, to be quite honest, when you can spend your punts in the shops," he said.
A long queue was also in evidence throughout the day at the city's head post office on the quay, but delays were not quite as long.
People who changed their money at building societies, however, appeared to have fared best of all.
Ms Pat Rohan from Mooncoin changed her money at the Irish Permanent. "There was a small queue but not as bad as here the post office," she said.
