If you ask for free water in a restaurant where you ordered something, they HAVE to give it to you, it's a law. But you're right, it's important to ask for the "carafe" and not a bottle
No so. They will usually give you tap water free, if asked but, they absolutely can charge you for it. There is no law here that requires them to give it away.
@@PhilJonesIII "Les établissement de restauration et débits de boissons sont tenus d'indiquer de manière visible sur leur carte ou sur un espace d'affichage la possibilités pour les consommateurs de demander de l'eau potable gratuite"
water is always free in France, it's even forbidden to a restaurant to seel the public water, after if it's special water in bottle yes it's not free, but "l'eau du robinet" is always free
I would go even further. It's illegal for every places distributing water or being equipped for to refuse serving "tap water" in France. They hate when you ask for water in nightclubs or festivals, but they are legally obliged to. Always have to insist tho :/
To be fair, this is only since January 2022. Before that, free water was only due if you ordered a meal. Since 2022 it's due as soon as you order anything.
I learned quickly to ask for a carafe d’eau. However, I recently visited the Netherlands and all restaurants, hotels, river cruiser, etc. made known to all tourists that tap water was the default for environmental reasons. They were proud of the fact that their tap water tasted so good (it did).
Thank you for this. I just wanted to add that I spent two months in Paris (March, April 2023) and used the free restrooms in all of the museums I visited. Like in restaurants, you’re paying to be there, so they probably have to offer restrooms as a part of the fee. Bonus: the restrooms are usually clean and attractive.
Restrooms are indeed almost anytime free of extra charges in places you must pay to be (museum, theater, etc.). As a French citizen I may have seen the opposite only once or two (and it’s a shame in this case!)
There's been an enoumous change in this front sibce we moved to France in 1996. The Restroom Ladies are à thing of the past. Only in train stations does one have to pay for the toilets anymore.
Grocery stores in the US are changing plastic and paper bag policies, to comply with municipal rules. Some communities in New England are banning plastic bags. You either bring your own bags or buy paper bags @ 10 cents each.
That's the way it is in france in most places, hence the no free bag policy. We used to have the free plastic bags not so long ago, but in an effort to reduce waste, the regular bag is now paper and you pay for it. (I guess you do too, when she says you get sometimes a discount for bringing your own bag, it's not free money out of courtesy, it's just that the cost of the "free" bag is spread across the goods, and you get a "discount" for having one already. Nothing is free, it's just charged differently).
I manage a wine shop in France and we provide free plastic bags - small businesses are still allowed to, supermarkets can't - but we sometimes are considering charging for them when we see how some people treat it as en entitlement. Plenty will ask for a bag only to then put it in another bag, like "if it's free I have to take it even if I don't need it!". Back in the days there were free paper napkins disposals at McDonalds in France, but people were taking so many of them only to then throw them away that they are now given to you at the counter. That being said, the time interval between two orders of bags to our supplier tends to increase, which shows that more and more people are using reusable bags.
French here, from Paris. The 1st time I visited the US, upstate NY, i was SHOCKED at how cheap everything was compared to back home. Then on my second trip i went to California and was shocked the other way around. Prices in SF are no joke.
Upstate NY is not NY city in fact mostly rural. ! All Americans feel the same going to Commifornia ! SF is now dirtier than Paris, has at least twice the density of homeless, drug addicts, crimes, corrupt incompetent politicians. The Bart is now a sewer but for people. Socialism does that to a country.
I just ❤your videos. We moved from Denver to Bordeaux two years ago and I had a good amount of problems getting used to France. However, the goodness and quality of our life and community are superb compared to the USA. I love my neighborhood, my children’s school and the food that is such high quality. Everyday I’m so impressed with the kindness and curiosity that I am shown by the French. ❤❤❤❤
carafe d'eau (tap water) is mandatory to be offered at no cost in France, unless you are at the top of a mountain, or very remote place where they have no city water.
In France, we diffrentiate between eating a meal or "débit de boissons". In restaurants ir cafes and bars and stuff, if you're eating a meal, both water and bread are to be served free. You shouldn't have to ask, they HAVE to give it. It literally is in the law. If you're just out for a drink or a little goûter and not having a meal, then they can charge tap water IF they have written the price both inside and outside. And it's actually really rare
Yeah well, it is in the law that tap water and bread as well as salt and pepper are free if you're eating a meal but we don't HAVE to give it when customers sit at the table. However it certainly may be an indicator of the quality of the restaurant, avoiding to scam you with water is a good sign that you're not in a tourist trap. Also since 2022 every restaurant must show explicitly that tap water is free to avoid the classic water scam of the video.
Tap water is free by law but you have to ask it (generally the waiter will offer water and that's your cue to ask for "une carafe" implying you want the free tap water and not the paid water bottle). As for bread i don't think it's mandatory by law, just customary in most restaurant. Not in cheaper "fast food style" places.
In New York State it's been mandatory to bring your own bags for a few years now. You can usually buy a bag if needed but they're not given out free now. So when I visit France I'm already in the habit. 🙂
The code thing in restaurants for restrooms is not really a thing in most places, funny enough it's mostly to be seen in US street food outlets (McDonalds, Starbucks, etc). Most french restaurants and pubs don't have the code lock for the restroom, but yes it's still usually a customer only service (which as a french don't feel like it's fair at all but we roll with it). The common courtesy is to ask first if you can use the restroom while not a customer, and if your told it's for customer only I ask for a espresso that I'll take on my way out of the restroom.
Also, in an international fast food brand, if you ask nicely the code to any customer you'll get it and 99.9% of the time, no one will care if you use the bathroom without buying anything. On the contrary, in a small establishment you are expected to buy something and people will notice because those are famously less profitable and the french care about supporting such places.
They had all those amenities n the restrooms of the high end Las Vegas casinos as well. Ans also a shoe shine stand. But the only cost was whatever tip you left.
Bags are not free in NYC, and plastic ones not available at all. More and more people carry reusable bags. Whole Foods still now gives 10 cents per bag, if you bring your own.
4:12 to clarify this point, there was so many complain in France about the "paying while waiting" that there is a law about that now, you are no more charged until someones pick up the phone. That's still not free but there is no more abuse like there used to be...
@@OuiInFrance I totally agree, and we are millions in France who complained about that. Thanksfully, it's past now! (well, it's still possible to find some "bad company" who still doesn't apply the law, but it's less and less frequent!)
In France, tap water is free, but you may have to ask ( _une carafe, svp_ ), in many European countries it's not. In some regions, it's not standard, because people consider tap water not good and they never drink it. Disposable plastic bags were unknown before the eighties or nineties, we always had a bag for shopping.
5:15 My humble opinion with banking fees in France is they exist due to the different business practices than in the US: - EU Regulation 2015/751 placed a cap on debit/credit card interchange fee of 0.2% and 0.3% of the transaction, respectively. To put this in perspective, in the US, typical interchange rate span from 1.5% to 3.5%. I guess the yearly/monthly fee scheme enables the card networks to compensate for the loss of profit. Even before that regulation was passed, the national interchange network (GIE Carte Bancaires, a merger from a variety of smaller networks) was mainly used to process banking card transactions. - Similarly, credit and debt are approached in a very different way in France: banking cards with built-in revolving credits are heavily regulated to protect consumers from getting to excessive debt and banks from consumer insolvency. Positive credit reporting and credit bureau don't exist over there, so assessing risk is harder from the banks perspective and usually requires sharing income slips with your bank to demonstrate your solvency. - Privacy protection laws prohibits the share certain personal data (including before GDPR was enforced), so banks can't turn a profit on that point.
I'm an American who has lived in Germany for over 60 years. I've had a german bank account since 1989 (Deutsche Bank). This year I switched banks, because they would provide even less services than before (not cashing Treasury checks and American checks in general, not allowing money to be set aside for a certain time to make more interest, and the like). Now I opened an account with Santander, the Spanish international banking conglomerate, and not only is my online banking account free, but I have access to all the services a European would have, be it enhanced interest rates, international check cashing or stocks and bonds trading. So far I'm happy.
On bags in stores, it's the law, and not just in France but throughout the EU, that stores are not allowed to give away free plastic bags. The EU issued a directive in 2017, which all countries then had to adopt to their own legal systems, obliging stores to charge for single-use bags at a nationally set rate (usually around 10 euro cents) but the stores do not keep the money, it is supposed to go to fund environmental protection activities. There are a few exceptions and exemptions but by and large if you don't bring your own bag you need to pay (in the past, some places had systems to give discounts to shoppers who brought their own bags but that was determined to be too cumbersome). The environmental effects of single-use plastics have been slashed as a result. In the UK, for instance, it is now very difficult to find single use bags at all, and bigger stores only sell much stronger "bags for life" which they will usually replace for free if damaged. As an alternative, when I was in Morocco a couple of years ago, I discovered they have tackled the environmental issue a very different way, by allowing stores to give away all the bags they want as long as they are biodegradable, and I discovered amazing bags made from woven cellulose which are even stronger than regular single-use plastic bags and much more useful than paper ones.
I think that bank fees compared to the United States are due to the difference in the use of bank loans and credit scores. in France, debt is monitored and banks will not authorize additional payments even in multiple payments and they will not be able to take out a loan for a large purchase like a house or a car. French banks limit overconsumption and even private agency loans are monitored by the bank which gives its agreement in relation to the salary and current payments, compare to American consumption which encourages overconsumption. I think that's why bank fees are higher in France compared to the United States where banks are more financed by repayments of much more numerous and less restrictive loans.
@@goku445 I googled and Motley Fool says $100 to $2500, with most closer to the lower end. Some years back Bank of America offered me I think $100 to open an account with $500, and I had to maintain a minimum $500 balance to not incur fees.
Having worked for the customer service of software editor, I can tell you: the phone calls not being free isn't so much about making money, but to reduce the number of calls and discourage frivolous ones. We offered mail and e-mail services at no extra cost, and most often it was simpler to resolve problems this way.
About the water, you definitely shouldn't have been charged for. Since january 2022, every french restaurant, pub, etc... is required to serve tap water (it must be either fresh or tempered) for free to all customers asking for it. This was already something common before 2022, but now it is mandatory due to law. As a side-note : bottled water is not concerned, they can charge you for it; to be sure you are not getting charged, you can specify you want tap water ("eau du robinet").
As always, a super informative video! The whole water 'thing' is one aspect I make sure I explain to my students when I take them to France. I always tell them, "Je voudrais une carafe d'eau s'il vous plaît." Great point to highlight!!
Another great video! In Oregon, they have been charging for bags at grocery stores and clothing stores for several years now, usually 5 or ten cents per bag. And these are paper bags, no plastic bags. The exception is in the produce departments of grocery stores, there are still free plastic bags available for the produce.
About your 2nd point: Since 2009, businesses must provide a toll-free number for customer support. That only concerns customer support though, so if you're trying to reach sales and get advice for what to purchase, there's no guarantee that that will be free.
Actually, grocery bags used to be free 15 years ago, but France decided to get rid of disposable plastic bags for ecological reasons . Also, restaurants will make you pay for water when you seat because terraces are for customers. So, if you take a seat, even for a simple break, you need to consume and pay.
It's still quite rare to make pay for tap water, even in a bar. As for restaurants, they can't charge it. Of course it you take a seat in a restaurant, that means you're gonna pay for a meal, but in that case, bread and water are free.
I'm left to wonder what sort of people sit down at a café or restaurant and don't expect to order anything. That's quite rude. You order a drink if nothing else, and you leave a tip for the server where appropriate. I'm sorry but I can't imagine just taking a seat somewhere, even if outdoors.
Our Chase bank account in the USA costs $6 per month unless you have a credit of $1500, whereas my credit Agricole Britline account is €6. Per year per card. And I've never been charged for tap water in France 🤷🤷🤷
I'm in Australia and when you open a savings account, there will often be a small monthly fee, which will usually be waived if your salary is paid into that account. I've never paid a fee for having a debit card though. Also we used to have free plastic bags at grocery stores but I think most states have banned them now. I'm okay with that though. Water is free just like in restaurants, unless you ask for bottled water. I still remember in London, being charged 4 pounds for "still" water which would have been free here (maybe because I didn't specify tap water).
You were definitely targeted as a tourist in London! Legally in the UK anywhere that's connected to the mains supply (including private residences) have to provide free tap water to anyone that asks for it. Basically, they sold you bottled water because you didn't specify tap water.
Actually by law in France, banks must offer one free payment method. This is the reason why checks still exists in France : obviously most banks will offer your the payment method that people uses less... Exceptions are mostly for "online" banks that emit no checks; those usually either offer the debit card or wire transferts for free. And it's also one reason why wire/money transferts (until recently) are very unpopular : banks made them VERY cumbersome to do; 10 years ago, in many banks, you had to get an appointment with your financial advisor to make a wire transfert! Needless to say, people only did this for large sums such as buying a car; but would never use them for anything smaller. Recently most banks allow to make wire transfert easily via their bank apps, but there is still a delay of 24 hours to have it "approved" so more often than not Paypal and similar money transfert sites fill the gap.
There are places here where if you ask for water they point you their refrigerated case of bottles. Not Evian but similar price to the soft drinks in the same fridge.
Hi, I’m French, I was born here and lived here most of my life. But it never felt like home to me, somehow Your channel brings an interesting perspective to me
The thing is - in the states stores like Michael's, Joann Fabrics, Big Lots - all have public restrooms. Here in Poland, good luck if you have a sudden need and you aren't in a huge place like Carrefour or Castorama or a fast food restaurant. They just aren't there anywhere. I wish they had them at Biedronka or Lidl.
In Croatia charging for plastic shopping bags is _mandatory_ in order to discourage plastic waste. The exception are very thin produce bags. Paper bags are usually free, even large, sturdy ones.
Hi, about the water, this is deffo happening in spain / italy / portugal more commonly, but in France you can always ask for tap water, you need to say it when ordering
Some of these things are not exclusive to France. They charge to use the bathroom in Germany, & charge for water in Costa Rica. In CR, if you ask for water in restaurants, they will give you bottled water unless you tell them that you want tap water. Bags in NY state are no longer free. It's actually against the law for consumers to provide free bags.
@@b.w.9244 Il's illegal. They are obliged to serve you water. To be polite to the restaurant, if you pass by and just want a glass of water, order a coffee. That's how we generally do it.
@@martinquessandier3282 note that water is only due to customers. Until you order something, you are not a customer. So ordering that coffee is not courtesy, it's required. Now, many restaurants would hand out water to non-customers if politely asked. They're doing them a favor though.
@@etherstrip C'était bien le sens de ma remarque. Je donnais juste un petit tip, en tant que français, pour éviter les regards en biais que peuvent avoir certains serveurs dans les restaurants. Mais je vous remercie de votre commentaire
In 🇦🇺 we’ve brought our own cloth bags (or reusable) to supermarkets etc. for ages now. Feel much happier about the environment. Thx for this great vid. Just got back from 🇫🇷 and *loved* my holiday.
OMG, the tap water story is just scandalous (from a french point of view), the garçon de café had scammed you. In France, (tap) water AND bread are ALWAYS free. Even if you're not having a lunch in a restaurant, there is a law that forces them to serve you tap water simply on demand, even if you're not a customer and just passing by being thirsty. So, I think that waiter just thought "hey, let's charge those tourists a little bit more" (that often is the case in Paris, where the service is commonly known to be very bad and the waiters very rude ; this is not the case in other places in smaller cities where bartenders are mostly pretty kind) French language tip : ask for "carafe" or "eau municipale (city water"), just to make clear you want tap water and not some fancy Evian or Badoit or stuff like that !
I learnt this at school a long time ago. But the law changed. If you want free tap water and bread, you actually must be a customer, so you must order something and pay for it. I'm sure when I was a child it was different, and I often asked tap water for free in bars when I was doing bike at summer.
the tourist don't know it's in the law so touristic area take advantage of it 🙄or maybe they was in belgium and not in france, here no free water at all
Or ask for "l'eau de la pompe". I often see people come into bar and ask for a glass of water and they are served. Often, but not always, school age. That is neighborhood bars. Maybe tourist locations don't do that.
for customers in a restaurant, (not a debit de nourriture/ boissons; only in restaurants) water, bread, salt, pepper, mustard must be provided for free, by law
A tip not very well known but you can try in Paris is if you must go to restrooms (for a child for exemple), kindly asking (with “Bonjour” 😉) to a café, a shop, may work! Even in metro stations (all of them have staff only restrooms). But it depends on staff kindness.
Well it really depends on said shop location. I manage a shop in Nice on the Côte d'Azur and if we started granting that kind of request we would have to employ one guy full time to deal with it.
@@branlotin and I fully understand. It is, as always, a question of logic. Furthermore, I suppose their is plenty of cafés, and even some public restrooms around your shop.
I've seen many people (both French natives and foreign tourists) asking and being refused in no uncertain terms... I guess it does depend on the staff and their mood, but I'd say being allowed to use the restroom without being a customer in a restaurant would be the exception. And I've never heard of anyone using staff ones in metro stations...
My French friend said you can walk into any McDonald's and use the bathroom for free. And when I was in a small town in the Pyrenees, there was a public restroom in town that was free as well. So not all restrooms charge money.
Most restaurants don't serve water automatically anymore anywhere I have eaten. They are happy to supply one if you ask. They stopped automatically bringing them when I was a kid.
I love the paid restrooms in France and Italy. They are generally attended and well kept. I especially love the street ones in Paris, though not nice, but super convenient. Try finding a paid or free toilet in Manhattan (not that they are totally non existent just lacking). PS NY is no plastic bags period and most stores charge 5¢ for paper.
Waiting time is never charged. Only when they really pick up yout call. Plus, every company MUST provide a free customer service number. Most of the time it is hidden in fine prints, while the website shows the surtaxed one.
Charges for plastic grocery bags were introduced in the EU about 15 years ago as an environmental measure. It is now the norm for customers to bring their own reusable bags.
When i visited in Paris in 1977, i was surprised that water was not brought to the table in restaurants unless asked, and then it was as expensive as the tea or coffee or soft drinks, etc. Loved France, would love to live there. Thanks, Diane👏 i enjoy your channel, great content ⚜️🇨🇵
@@annab9994 if they think you're a foreign tourist and they can get away with it, they'll bring you mineral water without asking and charge you for it. It's unfortunately a thing.
@@goku445 Yes, we all take that for granted, as we we should. freeloaders aren't welcome even now. pay a coffee to poop.Then, water comes with it. Not on terrasse not if you're entitled. waiters don't spend their day jogging to please idiots. Ask water WITh your coffee, it's free; ask it later, it's One euro per little glass. or command a bottle. either way, get smart and respect people OR pay. Diane calls it a faux-pas. it's an insult. Typical thing that can get blown out of proportions in France. You're miffed, that's jolly ggod because you're unwanted for good, don't come back ever, we're serious. I couldn't be more clear about "you're not the boss of uS0
I remember when I was in Assisi, Italy two years ago, I had to pay for the public bathroom and I’ll tell you this, the restroom was a lot cleaning then the public bathrooms that are here in the states.
I honestly don’t think Parisians use the bathroom because I can hardly ever find one! I don’t mind paying. Just give us more restrooms please. 🤣 I’m coming back to France for vacation after 4 long years. Dang pandemic! Thank you for all of your wonderful videos! ❤️
To be honest, (most) Parisians don't really use public toilets (seriously) - I mean the ones in the street - because they have a reputation of being used by the homeless and prostitutes. I only ever see tourists queuing up for those. I'd say they don't really need to use them if they're commuting from home to work, but otherwise they use the ones in cafés, restaurants, department stores...
As a Parisian, I use the toilets of the place I pay a visit. Museums (usually quite clean), bars, restaurants and movie theaters. Or I wait to went back home. But I already had to go to a cafe, ask for an expresso (the cheapest thing you could find), don't even drink it and use the restroom. I also find problematic the fact they aren't enought public restroom, but it's not only a parisian's problem. I also saw it everybody in France, but at least when you live in a little city, you don't have to wait 1hour in public transportation to go back to your place.
As a rural American, I HATE plastic bags. People throw them out, they blow around, and get sucked up into the farm equipment causing downtime and significant expense. Not to mention that they are horrible for the environment. I've traveled for years with my reusable bags in Europe. I even take them to flea markets and the sellers are always appreciative. Regarding water, it depends on where you are. I generally avoid the tourist areas in Paris. When I ask for water, they bring a carafe of free tap water. Paying to use the bathroom is the best thing ever since those bathrooms are usually very clean, have paper in the stalls, and are well maintained. I would happily pay for a clean bathroom in the US.
As a french person, I think that paying to go to the bathroom is OUTRAGEOUS. well I'm from the countryside so the toilet are almost always free but the first Time I went to Paris and i had to PAY to use the toilet I said to my dad "Nah i'll go outside". Maybe it's because I live in the middle of nowhere but 1 euro to use bathroom is just stealing. (even tho the toilet you pay are clean I admit)
Some grocery stores like Whole Foods in Seattle and Honolulu still give the discounts if your brought your own bag. Safeway in Honolulu charges for paper grocery bags.
Banking: In North America, outstanding credit card balances, loans and mortgages are where banks make the bulk of their revenue. However, in much of the rest of the world, paying up front in cash for everything is more common, so there is less revenue from that side. In Poland, accounts are free, but a debit card costs money (but only 7 zł - about 1.50 euro per month). Water: I have explicitly asked for TAP WATER in restaurants and it isn't usually a problem if I'm ordering a plate of food. But a lot of people across Europe refuse to drink tap water for reasons I cannot comprehend...
Bonjour Diane! (thank goodness I edited the Bonjour in - otherwise you would think I was being rude) On your 1st topic about toilets, I guess it's probably where the English expression "to spend a penny" comes from.
In Spain we avoid paying for restrooms but we dont expect them to be free either. When we have to go to the loo, we go into a bar order a bottle of water and go to the toilet. The water may be too expensive but at least you get something in exchange and drinking water is good for your health.
Diane, I'm also with Crédit Agricole - with those same fees! - but in Paris the branches stay open in the afternoon (they close one hour earlier than on weekdays). I DID NOT SEE LINKS TO ANY VIDEOS WHEN YOU GESTURED ABOVE !!!
Online banks are a normal thing already in Finland and I was a little bit surprised when my student dormitory's welcome office's worker told me in March that I have to pay my rent by bank card in the welcome office in each month. In Finland you can pay your rent easily via the online bank even when you have rented an apartment via the student housing organization. We have also a plastic bag culture in Finland and I was shocked when I didn't find any plastic bags from the food store in the beginning of my university exchange in January.😄
Tap water and bread is always free, it comes with the meal. As for banks, you end up paying bank fees too in the US, for instance when you get cash from an ATM, while it’s free in France, or you have to keep $1500 on your account otherwise they charge you fees… For the bathrooms, that’s very rare.
A lot of US big cities passed a bag ordinance - but in Texas our charming state government passed a law to override the city regulations - most Austinites still bring their reusable bags to the grocery store though
Customer service is free now but is wortless both in France (help desk are in North Africa) and the US (located in India). In California, to save water you have to ask for your glass of water. (crazy isnt ?). To wire money from your US bank to an other US bank account is expensive and not as easy so you send a check !!! You must have a certain balance in your account to wave the fees. Tax plus tips add 20 , 30 % to your restaurant bill.
Thanks for a very informative video! Just to let you know, Giant Food Stores in Maryland, USA did a one time give you 5 cents of your reusable bag. However, a few years ago they stopped doing that.
I lived Oregon for twenty-six years. The last few years I lived there, plastic bags were forbidden. The grocery stores would sell you a paper bag for a dime. They would have reusable totes available for a dollar or so.
There are places in the US with pay toilets and attendant restrooms. During covid, some chain stores wouldn't let you bring your potentially covid-ridden bags for them to, ugh, handle. I think that isn't the case anymore. It's possible to get a bank account or card that costs a fee in the US, especially if you have bad credit or no credit history and want a bank card. In some areas, they don't want American Express cards because the business is charged a much larger fee than with Visa or Mastercard, so notice which cards are listed on the sign. In areas of the US with a prolonged drought, they might have stopped automatically giving water at restaurants. I guess the takeaway with the US is how many normal things are much more local than the media would have us believe. The US isn't homogenous.
In fact, you "can" change the pin of your card. But it is highly discouraged by the banks. You can do that from the bank ATM (but only the one of *your* bank). It is not possible online. Grocery bags are charged because there is a European directive about that. The purpose is to reduce the wastes (mostly disposable plastic). Bring your owns !
1:56 It’s a private society who’s exploiting the public toilets- no longer the SNCF -and nowadays they are clean and well maintained, that was not the case before ! 4:02 You don’t have to pay for the time you’re on hold in the waiting line- just when you are actually with someone, mostly local call tariffs.
In my part of France, all the supermarkets have free restrooms. The only restaurant requesting a code is Mc Donald's as far as I know. It's a good idea to buy cheap bottle water in a supermarket if you are in a touristy area. Carafe d'eau is always free for customers. I don't know of many people walking into a café, asking for just a glass of water.
Some shopping centres in France like Westfield Lille Europe and The Centre Commercial at Villeneuf D'Ascq do have free toilets. Another tip is use the toilet on the train 20 minutes before arrival. SNCF toilets are very clean nowadays.
One of the Westfields in Paris charges 70 centimes :) On the other hand, some other malls have free toilets (Beaugrenelle, Créteil Soleil for instance)
Hi---Yes indeed I remember the water thing very well. I lived in France for a year and the first time out to a restaurant got pretty pricey....we quickly learned "une carafe d'eau" . I find your other examples of differences interesting as well
Over the course of my life, banking in America has changed a lot. When I first interacted with banks back in the 1970s and 1980s, banks would compete with each other by things like giving out a toaster for opening an account. Every account had a monthly charge, and there wasn't anything like overdraft protection. The banks themselves were open from 9 AM to 3 PM. OTOH, interest on savings was non-trivial,
All of the points you’ve listed are exactly the same over here in Germany. Maybe the “water at a restaurant” situation is a bit different as over here one doesn’t get a free glass of water aside when ordering a coffee. And most restaurants won’t offer tap water anyway as it is kind of common sense that when ordering “…a water please” one means a glass of mineral water, so the only question a waiter would ask is “still or with gas/bubbles?”…..and if the waiter is well trained, he would suggest a big bottle for the whole table to share if several guests are ordering ‘a glass of water’. But we’ve got a law here in Germany that says ‘a glass/bottle of water has to be the cheapest item on the beverage menu’ (except for the real fancy restaurants where one could chose from a variety of mineral waters and some are really expensive). That law is kind of a health prevention, as for several decades beer was the cheapest drink on most beverage menus and people claimed, they had to drink beer as they couldn’t afford water/non-alcoholic beverages.
I was in Berlin 2 weeks ago, I think beer is still cheaper. But the glasses are so small, 20 cL, it’s not the right size. I lived in Bavaria years ago, and the regular glass was a pint, and then it was the Maß! And Coke or mineral water were definitely more expensive.
@@Redgethechemist You are right, the glass sizes of different drinks variates a lot. A usual glass of beer is about 0,3 Liter but in Bavaria one get's a Maß which is almost 1 Liter but in Cologne they serve a beer called Kölsch and that is served in small but tall 0,2 Liter glasses called Stange (=peg or stake). Anyway, as I said, there is a German law that says, at least one non-alcoholic drink has to be the cheapest drink on the beverage menu and most likely it is mineral water but I suppose there are some innkeepers who bend the law to their liking, so they mark an unpopular non-alcoholic drink as the cheapest to make some extra money, I guess.
There are some nuances at play when you ask for water in France. If you're a foreign tourist and ask "Pourrais-je avoir de l'eau s'il vous plaît", in many cases you'll get a nice bottle of (overpriced) Evian or Vichy. On the other hand, never ask for "de l'eau du robinet": it sounds cheap, and you may get a glass of lukewarm water, right from the tap. The best thing, ask for "une carafe d'eau", it's tap water, sure, but they generally keep these jugs in the fridge, so they're nice and fresh. It should be noted lastly that in most places, tap water is good, and that it's always highly controlled and safe.
if you need to go the bathroom at a train station, remember we have bathroom in the train wich are free, most of the time in order, think about it if you are departing or arriving
If you ask for free water in a restaurant where you ordered something, they HAVE to give it to you, it's a law. But you're right, it's important to ask for the "carafe" and not a bottle
Tourist traps...
No so. They will usually give you tap water free, if asked but, they absolutely can charge you for it. There is no law here that requires them to give it away.
@@PhilJonesIII "Les établissement de restauration et débits de boissons sont tenus d'indiquer de manière visible sur leur carte ou sur un espace d'affichage la possibilités pour les consommateurs de demander de l'eau potable gratuite"
@@goku445 "les consommateurs de demander de l'eau potable gratuite." Il s'agit de clients payants.
@@PhilJonesIII Who said they were not paying clients here?
water is always free in France, it's even forbidden to a restaurant to seel the public water, after if it's special water in bottle yes it's not free, but "l'eau du robinet" is always free
L'eau du champlure. 😊
Yup, but sometimes tourists don't know they can ask for it. Always a great option though!
I would go even further. It's illegal for every places distributing water or being equipped for to refuse serving "tap water" in France. They hate when you ask for water in nightclubs or festivals, but they are legally obliged to. Always have to insist tho :/
To be fair, this is only since January 2022. Before that, free water was only due if you ordered a meal. Since 2022 it's due as soon as you order anything.
@@etherstripit has always been free. Just as the toilets, you had to be a customer of the place to be served, which was still illegal.
I actually liked the paid toilets. When they were nice, I was happy to see my money was going to keep the restroom nice and clean.
I learned quickly to ask for a carafe d’eau. However, I recently visited the Netherlands and all restaurants, hotels, river cruiser, etc. made known to all tourists that tap water was the default for environmental reasons. They were proud of the fact that their tap water tasted so good (it did).
Yes, it did taste good. However, while dining in Loen, I was charged for tap water, which I thought was ridiculous.
Thank you for this. I just wanted to add that I spent two months in Paris (March, April 2023) and used the free restrooms in all of the museums I visited. Like in restaurants, you’re paying to be there, so they probably have to offer restrooms as a part of the fee. Bonus: the restrooms are usually clean and attractive.
Restrooms are indeed almost anytime free of extra charges in places you must pay to be (museum, theater, etc.). As a French citizen I may have seen the opposite only once or two (and it’s a shame in this case!)
There's been an enoumous change in this front sibce we moved to France in 1996. The Restroom Ladies are à thing of the past. Only in train stations does one have to pay for the toilets anymore.
@@LauraMorlandDon't go to Nevers station, there's only one toilet and if it's out of order you're stuck until your train arrives.
In USA refill on coffee , cola, iced tea lemonade are free you pay once for it . Water is always free.
Grocery stores in the US are changing plastic and paper bag policies,
to comply with municipal rules. Some communities in New England are banning plastic bags. You either bring your own bags or buy paper bags @ 10 cents each.
That's the way it is in france in most places, hence the no free bag policy. We used to have the free plastic bags not so long ago, but in an effort to reduce waste, the regular bag is now paper and you pay for it. (I guess you do too, when she says you get sometimes a discount for bringing your own bag, it's not free money out of courtesy, it's just that the cost of the "free" bag is spread across the goods, and you get a "discount" for having one already. Nothing is free, it's just charged differently).
Yes, all of Connecticut has that bag rule!
In Chicago they charge a small amount per bag too. You have to list how many bags you are taking.
I manage a wine shop in France and we provide free plastic bags - small businesses are still allowed to, supermarkets can't - but we sometimes are considering charging for them when we see how some people treat it as en entitlement. Plenty will ask for a bag only to then put it in another bag, like "if it's free I have to take it even if I don't need it!". Back in the days there were free paper napkins disposals at McDonalds in France, but people were taking so many of them only to then throw them away that they are now given to you at the counter.
That being said, the time interval between two orders of bags to our supplier tends to increase, which shows that more and more people are using reusable bags.
It's the same in California.
When I visited France a couple months ago. I was shocked at how surprisingly cheap, affordable France is compared to my home city in California.
@Noël Jacquerey California is pretty adorable for sure.
French here, from Paris. The 1st time I visited the US, upstate NY, i was SHOCKED at how cheap everything was compared to back home. Then on my second trip i went to California and was shocked the other way around. Prices in SF are no joke.
Cheap for you but not for french people. Average monthly salary here is about 2k euros (net income).
Upstate NY is not NY city in fact mostly rural. ! All Americans feel the same going to Commifornia ! SF is now dirtier than Paris, has at least twice the density of homeless, drug addicts, crimes, corrupt incompetent politicians. The Bart is now a sewer but for people. Socialism does that to a country.
@@jpcaretta8847 lol. Maybe it's because the whole country is crap that people tend to gather there...
I just ❤your videos. We moved from Denver to Bordeaux two years ago and I had a good amount of problems getting used to France. However, the goodness and quality of our life and community are superb compared to the USA. I love my neighborhood, my children’s school and the food that is such high quality. Everyday I’m so impressed with the kindness and curiosity that I am shown by the French. ❤❤❤❤
carafe d'eau (tap water) is mandatory to be offered at no cost in France, unless you are at the top of a mountain, or very remote place where they have no city water.
In France, we diffrentiate between eating a meal or "débit de boissons". In restaurants ir cafes and bars and stuff, if you're eating a meal, both water and bread are to be served free. You shouldn't have to ask, they HAVE to give it. It literally is in the law. If you're just out for a drink or a little goûter and not having a meal, then they can charge tap water IF they have written the price both inside and outside. And it's actually really rare
Yeah well, it is in the law that tap water and bread as well as salt and pepper are free if you're eating a meal but we don't HAVE to give it when customers sit at the table. However it certainly may be an indicator of the quality of the restaurant, avoiding to scam you with water is a good sign that you're not in a tourist trap. Also since 2022 every restaurant must show explicitly that tap water is free to avoid the classic water scam of the video.
Good luck trying.
I would not expect bread unless I ordered dinner. Of course, I'd never miss a chance at bread in France.
They do not have to. They may, it's a custom, but it is by no mean mandatory.
Tap water is free by law but you have to ask it (generally the waiter will offer water and that's your cue to ask for "une carafe" implying you want the free tap water and not the paid water bottle).
As for bread i don't think it's mandatory by law, just customary in most restaurant. Not in cheaper "fast food style" places.
In New York State it's been mandatory to bring your own bags for a few years now. You can usually buy a bag if needed but they're not given out free now. So when I visit France I'm already in the habit. 🙂
The code thing in restaurants for restrooms is not really a thing in most places, funny enough it's mostly to be seen in US street food outlets (McDonalds, Starbucks, etc). Most french restaurants and pubs don't have the code lock for the restroom, but yes it's still usually a customer only service (which as a french don't feel like it's fair at all but we roll with it). The common courtesy is to ask first if you can use the restroom while not a customer, and if your told it's for customer only I ask for a espresso that I'll take on my way out of the restroom.
Also, in an international fast food brand, if you ask nicely the code to any customer you'll get it and 99.9% of the time, no one will care if you use the bathroom without buying anything. On the contrary, in a small establishment you are expected to buy something and people will notice because those are famously less profitable and the french care about supporting such places.
They had all those amenities n the restrooms of the high end Las Vegas casinos as well. Ans also a shoe shine stand. But the only cost was whatever tip you left.
Bags are not free in NYC, and plastic ones not available at all. More and more people carry reusable bags. Whole Foods still now gives 10 cents per bag, if you bring your own.
4:12 to clarify this point, there was so many complain in France about the "paying while waiting" that there is a law about that now, you are no more charged until someones pick up the phone. That's still not free but there is no more abuse like there used to be...
yea it was really bad when I first moved to France. It would cost 15 euros to call Bouygues to fix a problem
@@OuiInFrance I totally agree, and we are millions in France who complained about that. Thanksfully, it's past now! (well, it's still possible to find some "bad company" who still doesn't apply the law, but it's less and less frequent!)
@@OuiInFrance Shopping carts going rogue 😂😂🛒🛒
In France, tap water is free, but you may have to ask ( _une carafe, svp_ ), in many European countries it's not. In some regions, it's not standard, because people consider tap water not good and they never drink it. Disposable plastic bags were unknown before the eighties or nineties, we always had a bag for shopping.
5:15 My humble opinion with banking fees in France is they exist due to the different business practices than in the US:
- EU Regulation 2015/751 placed a cap on debit/credit card interchange fee of 0.2% and 0.3% of the transaction, respectively. To put this in perspective, in the US, typical interchange rate span from 1.5% to 3.5%. I guess the yearly/monthly fee scheme enables the card networks to compensate for the loss of profit. Even before that regulation was passed, the national interchange network (GIE Carte Bancaires, a merger from a variety of smaller networks) was mainly used to process banking card transactions.
- Similarly, credit and debt are approached in a very different way in France: banking cards with built-in revolving credits are heavily regulated to protect consumers from getting to excessive debt and banks from consumer insolvency. Positive credit reporting and credit bureau don't exist over there, so assessing risk is harder from the banks perspective and usually requires sharing income slips with your bank to demonstrate your solvency.
- Privacy protection laws prohibits the share certain personal data (including before GDPR was enforced), so banks can't turn a profit on that point.
Très intéressant, vos comparaisons !
I'm an American who has lived in Germany for over 60 years. I've had a german bank account since 1989 (Deutsche Bank). This year I switched banks, because they would provide even less services than before (not cashing Treasury checks and American checks in general, not allowing money to be set aside for a certain time to make more interest, and the like). Now I opened an account with Santander, the Spanish international banking conglomerate, and not only is my online banking account free, but I have access to all the services a European would have, be it enhanced interest rates, international check cashing or stocks and bonds trading. So far I'm happy.
I am currently on vacation in London and will be visiting Paris Thursday (so excited)! Thanks for your tips!
Oooh fun, have a great trip and glad you enjoyed the video!
On bags in stores, it's the law, and not just in France but throughout the EU, that stores are not allowed to give away free plastic bags. The EU issued a directive in 2017, which all countries then had to adopt to their own legal systems, obliging stores to charge for single-use bags at a nationally set rate (usually around 10 euro cents) but the stores do not keep the money, it is supposed to go to fund environmental protection activities. There are a few exceptions and exemptions but by and large if you don't bring your own bag you need to pay (in the past, some places had systems to give discounts to shoppers who brought their own bags but that was determined to be too cumbersome). The environmental effects of single-use plastics have been slashed as a result. In the UK, for instance, it is now very difficult to find single use bags at all, and bigger stores only sell much stronger "bags for life" which they will usually replace for free if damaged. As an alternative, when I was in Morocco a couple of years ago, I discovered they have tackled the environmental issue a very different way, by allowing stores to give away all the bags they want as long as they are biodegradable, and I discovered amazing bags made from woven cellulose which are even stronger than regular single-use plastic bags and much more useful than paper ones.
I think that bank fees compared to the United States are due to the difference in the use of bank loans and credit scores. in France, debt is monitored and banks will not authorize additional payments even in multiple payments and they will not be able to take out a loan for a large purchase like a house or a car. French banks limit overconsumption and even private agency loans are monitored by the bank which gives its agreement in relation to the salary and current payments, compare to American consumption which encourages overconsumption. I think that's why bank fees are higher in France compared to the United States where banks are more financed by repayments of much more numerous and less restrictive loans.
I think alot of American banks charge Maintenace fees if you don’t carry a high enough balance.
TD bank and Santander did. Don't they weren't primary accounts for me, I dropped them and stuck with Wells Fargo
You can cancel it and as long as you use your card 3 times in a month you won't get charged
Major banks yes, mid range or smaller banks don't do that as much
Please describe high enough balance?
@@goku445 I googled and Motley Fool says $100 to $2500, with most closer to the lower end. Some years back Bank of America offered me I think $100 to open an account with $500, and I had to maintain a minimum $500 balance to not incur fees.
Having worked for the customer service of software editor, I can tell you: the phone calls not being free isn't so much about making money, but to reduce the number of calls and discourage frivolous ones. We offered mail and e-mail services at no extra cost, and most often it was simpler to resolve problems this way.
I confirm in Italy and Spain there is no tap water at restaurants only expensive bottles
About the water, you definitely shouldn't have been charged for. Since january 2022, every french restaurant, pub, etc... is required to serve tap water (it must be either fresh or tempered) for free to all customers asking for it. This was already something common before 2022, but now it is mandatory due to law. As a side-note : bottled water is not concerned, they can charge you for it; to be sure you are not getting charged, you can specify you want tap water ("eau du robinet").
As always, a super informative video! The whole water 'thing' is one aspect I make sure I explain to my students when I take them to France. I always tell them, "Je voudrais une carafe d'eau s'il vous plaît." Great point to highlight!!
Another great video! In Oregon, they have been charging for bags at grocery stores and clothing stores for several years now, usually 5 or ten cents per bag. And these are paper bags, no plastic bags. The exception is in the produce departments of grocery stores, there are still free plastic bags available for the produce.
About your 2nd point: Since 2009, businesses must provide a toll-free number for customer support. That only concerns customer support though, so if you're trying to reach sales and get advice for what to purchase, there's no guarantee that that will be free.
More and more stores in the US charge a bag fee and have stopped using plastic. My county mandates it i think. Thanks as always, Diane,
I agree, I don't know of a bank that doesn't.
You're very welcome!
Thanks for another great video.
It's reassuring to hear you talk about these things and to hear that I'm not alone in noticing them myself.
Actually, grocery bags used to be free 15 years ago, but France decided to get rid of disposable plastic bags for ecological reasons . Also, restaurants will make you pay for water when you seat because terraces are for customers. So, if you take a seat, even for a simple break, you need to consume and pay.
It's still quite rare to make pay for tap water, even in a bar. As for restaurants, they can't charge it. Of course it you take a seat in a restaurant, that means you're gonna pay for a meal, but in that case, bread and water are free.
I'm left to wonder what sort of people sit down at a café or restaurant and don't expect to order anything. That's quite rude. You order a drink if nothing else, and you leave a tip for the server where appropriate. I'm sorry but I can't imagine just taking a seat somewhere, even if outdoors.
Well sometimes it takes so long for the waiter to come that you can actually take a break and then get up and leave, I did this in Germany as well 😂
Some virtual bank accounts online in France are free, so long as you make at least one monthly card transaction.
Our Chase bank account in the USA costs $6 per month unless you have a credit of $1500, whereas my credit Agricole Britline account is €6. Per year per card. And I've never been charged for tap water in France 🤷🤷🤷
I have no problem paying for a toilet if the area is clean, safe and well maintained. That is a bargain in my mind.
The freewater that’s important to remember of how to say it correctly so you don’t get expensive bottle water.
I'm in Australia and when you open a savings account, there will often be a small monthly fee, which will usually be waived if your salary is paid into that account. I've never paid a fee for having a debit card though.
Also we used to have free plastic bags at grocery stores but I think most states have banned them now. I'm okay with that though.
Water is free just like in restaurants, unless you ask for bottled water. I still remember in London, being charged 4 pounds for "still" water which would have been free here (maybe because I didn't specify tap water).
You were definitely targeted as a tourist in London! Legally in the UK anywhere that's connected to the mains supply (including private residences) have to provide free tap water to anyone that asks for it.
Basically, they sold you bottled water because you didn't specify tap water.
Actually by law in France, banks must offer one free payment method. This is the reason why checks still exists in France : obviously most banks will offer your the payment method that people uses less... Exceptions are mostly for "online" banks that emit no checks; those usually either offer the debit card or wire transferts for free.
And it's also one reason why wire/money transferts (until recently) are very unpopular : banks made them VERY cumbersome to do; 10 years ago, in many banks, you had to get an appointment with your financial advisor to make a wire transfert! Needless to say, people only did this for large sums such as buying a car; but would never use them for anything smaller.
Recently most banks allow to make wire transfert easily via their bank apps, but there is still a delay of 24 hours to have it "approved" so more often than not Paypal and similar money transfert sites fill the gap.
There are places here where if you ask for water they point you their refrigerated case of bottles. Not Evian but similar price to the soft drinks in the same fridge.
Hi, I’m French, I was born here and lived here most of my life.
But it never felt like home to me, somehow
Your channel brings an interesting perspective to me
ouch
About the toilets: in France if a place serves drinks they are required to offer toilets to their customers. I don't think it is the case in the US
The thing is - in the states stores like Michael's, Joann Fabrics, Big Lots - all have public restrooms. Here in Poland, good luck if you have a sudden need and you aren't in a huge place like Carrefour or Castorama or a fast food restaurant. They just aren't there anywhere. I wish they had them at Biedronka or Lidl.
In Croatia charging for plastic shopping bags is _mandatory_ in order to discourage plastic waste. The exception are very thin produce bags. Paper bags are usually free, even large, sturdy ones.
This is a good thing.
the very thin produce plastic bags here in Italy cost 1 cent. I think it's illegal to give them for free.
@@solaccursio Makes sense. Biodegradable bags are appearing everywhere now.
@@solaccursio in france they are free in supermarkets. you have rolls of free starch based plastic bags available to pack your vegetables.
@@goku445 same bags here but not free, 1 cent each (so people don't waste them)
In Austria there's also no free bags at supermarkets. It's to avoid waste. And no plastic bags.
Hi, about the water, this is deffo happening in spain / italy / portugal more commonly, but in France you can always ask for tap water, you need to say it when ordering
For the customer service numbers, it usually is written next to the phone number with a special little thing to know if you pay & how many
Most people don't realize that Evian reversed spells "Naive".
God spelt in reverse is dog....so be nice to doggies ok...
OH WOW, I never noticed that before!! 😂
That's in the movie Reality Bites :)
American banks are "free", but cards charge merchants about 3% for every transactions. Guess who ends up paying that in the final breakdown?
Merchants are charged in France as well
Some of these things are not exclusive to France. They charge to use the bathroom in Germany, & charge for water in Costa Rica. In CR, if you ask for water in restaurants, they will give you bottled water unless you tell them that you want tap water. Bags in NY state are no longer free. It's actually against the law for consumers to provide free bags.
The most funny thing is that public toilets are actually free in France 😆
I live in France and water is clearly free in every restaurant... You just ask a carafe and get one, which is just normal!
The prick waiter in Nice wouldnt bring us water.
@@b.w.9244 Il's illegal. They are obliged to serve you water. To be polite to the restaurant, if you pass by and just want a glass of water, order a coffee. That's how we generally do it.
Yup, agreed! I said it was free at the 09:25 mark ;-)
@@martinquessandier3282 note that water is only due to customers. Until you order something, you are not a customer. So ordering that coffee is not courtesy, it's required. Now, many restaurants would hand out water to non-customers if politely asked. They're doing them a favor though.
@@etherstrip C'était bien le sens de ma remarque. Je donnais juste un petit tip, en tant que français, pour éviter les regards en biais que peuvent avoir certains serveurs dans les restaurants. Mais je vous remercie de votre commentaire
In 🇦🇺 we’ve brought our own cloth bags (or reusable) to supermarkets etc. for ages now. Feel much happier about the environment. Thx for this great vid. Just got back from 🇫🇷 and *loved* my holiday.
So glad you had a nice trip, Anne! Thank you ;-)
Bags can last 10 years easily. No point in giving away petroleum plastic bags that will end up killing animals in the wild.
@@goku445 Oh shut up with that crap
Regarding the payment for toilets, it's where the expression "To spend a penny" comes from way back in the 1800's in the UK
Makes sense!
You get it.
Colorado not longer has free grocery bags. You can't even get plastic, paper only.
OMG, the tap water story is just scandalous (from a french point of view), the garçon de café had scammed you. In France, (tap) water AND bread are ALWAYS free. Even if you're not having a lunch in a restaurant, there is a law that forces them to serve you tap water simply on demand, even if you're not a customer and just passing by being thirsty. So, I think that waiter just thought "hey, let's charge those tourists a little bit more" (that often is the case in Paris, where the service is commonly known to be very bad and the waiters very rude ; this is not the case in other places in smaller cities where bartenders are mostly pretty kind)
French language tip : ask for "carafe" or "eau municipale (city water"), just to make clear you want tap water and not some fancy Evian or Badoit or stuff like that !
I learnt this at school a long time ago. But the law changed. If you want free tap water and bread, you actually must be a customer, so you must order something and pay for it. I'm sure when I was a child it was different, and I often asked tap water for free in bars when I was doing bike at summer.
the tourist don't know it's in the law so touristic area take advantage of it 🙄or maybe they was in belgium and not in france, here no free water at all
Or ask for "l'eau de la pompe". I often see people come into bar and ask for a glass of water and they are served. Often, but not always, school age. That is neighborhood bars. Maybe tourist locations don't do that.
for customers in a restaurant, (not a debit de nourriture/ boissons; only in restaurants) water, bread, salt, pepper, mustard must be provided for free, by law
In New York there are no more reusable grocery bags or discounts. If you don't have a bag you have to buy a reusable one.
A tip not very well known but you can try in Paris is if you must go to restrooms (for a child for exemple), kindly asking (with “Bonjour” 😉) to a café, a shop, may work! Even in metro stations (all of them have staff only restrooms). But it depends on staff kindness.
Well it really depends on said shop location. I manage a shop in Nice on the Côte d'Azur and if we started granting that kind of request we would have to employ one guy full time to deal with it.
@@branlotin and I fully understand. It is, as always, a question of logic. Furthermore, I suppose their is plenty of cafés, and even some public restrooms around your shop.
I've seen many people (both French natives and foreign tourists) asking and being refused in no uncertain terms... I guess it does depend on the staff and their mood, but I'd say being allowed to use the restroom without being a customer in a restaurant would be the exception. And I've never heard of anyone using staff ones in metro stations...
@@mgparis Didn't even know they had one in metro stations. I go sometimes in Starbucks to sht because they are a crap company.
My French friend said you can walk into any McDonald's and use the bathroom for free. And when I was in a small town in the Pyrenees, there was a public restroom in town that was free as well. So not all restrooms charge money.
Most restaurants don't serve water automatically anymore anywhere I have eaten. They are happy to supply one if you ask. They stopped automatically bringing them when I was a kid.
You’re right, you don’t ask for tap water in Italy. I think some of it has to do with the quality of drinking water.
I remember it was the case 30 years ago. Tap water had a reputation of giving you the runs.
I love the paid restrooms in France and Italy. They are generally attended and well kept. I especially love the street ones in Paris, though not nice, but super convenient. Try finding a paid or free toilet in Manhattan (not that they are totally non existent just lacking). PS NY is no plastic bags period and most stores charge 5¢ for paper.
Waiting time is never charged. Only when they really pick up yout call. Plus, every company MUST provide a free customer service number. Most of the time it is hidden in fine prints, while the website shows the surtaxed one.
Charges for plastic grocery bags were introduced in the EU about 15 years ago as an environmental measure. It is now the norm for customers to bring their own reusable bags.
When i visited in Paris in 1977, i was surprised that water was not brought to the table in restaurants unless asked, and then it was as expensive as the tea or coffee or soft drinks, etc. Loved France, would love to live there. Thanks, Diane👏 i enjoy your channel, great content ⚜️🇨🇵
Sadly, that's restaurants abusing tourists. French people know you can get free tap water, it's apparently a law.
Well, I do not want to challenge your memories about a trip 50 years ago, but water is free in France. Unless it is bottled and marketed (Evian, etc).
@@annab9994 No, wasn't citing that antique experience as current. Was merely saying that was the case then.
@@annab9994 if they think you're a foreign tourist and they can get away with it, they'll bring you mineral water without asking and charge you for it. It's unfortunately a thing.
@@goku445 Yes, we all take that for granted, as we we should. freeloaders aren't welcome even now. pay a coffee to poop.Then, water comes with it. Not on terrasse not if you're entitled. waiters don't spend their day jogging to please idiots. Ask water WITh your coffee, it's free; ask it later, it's One euro per little glass. or command a bottle. either way, get smart and respect people OR pay.
Diane calls it a faux-pas. it's an insult. Typical thing that can get blown out of proportions in France. You're miffed, that's jolly ggod because you're unwanted for good, don't come back ever, we're serious. I couldn't be more clear about "you're not the boss of uS0
I remember when I was in Assisi, Italy two years ago, I had to pay for the public bathroom and I’ll tell you this, the restroom was a lot cleaning then the public bathrooms that are here in the states.
I honestly don’t think Parisians use the bathroom because I can hardly ever find one! I don’t mind paying. Just give us more restrooms please. 🤣
I’m coming back to France for vacation after 4 long years. Dang pandemic!
Thank you for all of your wonderful videos! ❤️
there are automatic toilet in Paris at no cost, about 350 in all of Paris. no enough to be at every street corner..
To be honest, (most) Parisians don't really use public toilets (seriously) - I mean the ones in the street - because they have a reputation of being used by the homeless and prostitutes. I only ever see tourists queuing up for those.
I'd say they don't really need to use them if they're commuting from home to work, but otherwise they use the ones in cafés, restaurants, department stores...
As a Parisian, I use the toilets of the place I pay a visit. Museums (usually quite clean), bars, restaurants and movie theaters. Or I wait to went back home. But I already had to go to a cafe, ask for an expresso (the cheapest thing you could find), don't even drink it and use the restroom. I also find problematic the fact they aren't enought public restroom, but it's not only a parisian's problem. I also saw it everybody in France, but at least when you live in a little city, you don't have to wait 1hour in public transportation to go back to your place.
@@BB-un2ts Tu as essayé de donner 50 centimes/ 1 euros plutôt que de gâcher un café?
As a rural American, I HATE plastic bags. People throw them out, they blow around, and get sucked up into the farm equipment causing downtime and significant expense. Not to mention that they are horrible for the environment. I've traveled for years with my reusable bags in Europe. I even take them to flea markets and the sellers are always appreciative.
Regarding water, it depends on where you are. I generally avoid the tourist areas in Paris. When I ask for water, they bring a carafe of free tap water.
Paying to use the bathroom is the best thing ever since those bathrooms are usually very clean, have paper in the stalls, and are well maintained. I would happily pay for a clean bathroom in the US.
As a french person, I think that paying to go to the bathroom is OUTRAGEOUS. well I'm from the countryside so the toilet are almost always free but the first Time I went to Paris and i had to PAY to use the toilet I said to my dad "Nah i'll go outside". Maybe it's because I live in the middle of nowhere but 1 euro to use bathroom is just stealing. (even tho the toilet you pay are clean I admit)
They are free in the US but often filthy and gross.
Donc vous avez pissé sur la voie publique, ce qui est une infraction, bravo....
Plastic bags used to be free in France, but something like 20 years ago it stopped being free to avoid people from using non reused plastic bags.
Some grocery stores like Whole Foods in Seattle and Honolulu still give the discounts if your brought your own bag. Safeway in Honolulu charges for paper grocery bags.
Banking: In North America, outstanding credit card balances, loans and mortgages are where banks make the bulk of their revenue. However, in much of the rest of the world, paying up front in cash for everything is more common, so there is less revenue from that side. In Poland, accounts are free, but a debit card costs money (but only 7 zł - about 1.50 euro per month).
Water: I have explicitly asked for TAP WATER in restaurants and it isn't usually a problem if I'm ordering a plate of food. But a lot of people across Europe refuse to drink tap water for reasons I cannot comprehend...
Bonjour Diane! (thank goodness I edited the Bonjour in - otherwise you would think I was being rude) On your 1st topic about toilets, I guess it's probably where the English expression "to spend a penny" comes from.
I appreciate the info (and the bonjour!)
In Spain we avoid paying for restrooms but we dont expect them to be free either. When we have to go to the loo, we go into a bar order a bottle of water and go to the toilet. The water may be too expensive but at least you get something in exchange and drinking water is good for your health.
Diane, I'm also with Crédit Agricole - with those same fees! - but in Paris the branches stay open in the afternoon (they close one hour earlier than on weekdays).
I DID NOT SEE LINKS TO ANY VIDEOS WHEN YOU GESTURED ABOVE !!!
In some US cities, the local government sets the price for a store shopping bag. Having your own bags is worth it. I also have mesh bags for produce.
Online banks are a normal thing already in Finland and I was a little bit surprised when my student dormitory's welcome office's worker told me in March that I have to pay my rent by bank card in the welcome office in each month. In Finland you can pay your rent easily via the online bank even when you have rented an apartment via the student housing organization. We have also a plastic bag culture in Finland and I was shocked when I didn't find any plastic bags from the food store in the beginning of my university exchange in January.😄
Yes at Jimbos in SoCal they give you a 5 cent piece if you bring your own bag.
Tap water and bread is always free, it comes with the meal.
As for banks, you end up paying bank fees too in the US, for instance when you get cash from an ATM, while it’s free in France, or you have to keep $1500 on your account otherwise they charge you fees…
For the bathrooms, that’s very rare.
A lot of US big cities passed a bag ordinance - but in Texas our charming state government passed a law to override the city regulations - most Austinites still bring their reusable bags to the grocery store though
Texas, facepalm.
Thank God for states like Texas and Florida.
Holiday Foods in Indiana has paper bags and for each bag you bring back to resues they take off 5 cents per bag .
I've visited some restaurants and cafes in France which serve their carafes or bottles of tap water marked l'eau municipale. Tres posh! 🤣
I'll have to keep an eye out for that! I've always gotten unlabeled ones
Customer service is free now but is wortless both in France (help desk are in North Africa) and the US (located in India). In California, to save water you have to ask for your glass of water. (crazy isnt ?). To wire money from your US bank to an other US bank account is expensive and not as easy so you send a check !!! You must have a certain balance in your account to wave the fees. Tax plus tips add 20 , 30 % to your restaurant bill.
I work at a grocery store in Canada. If you have a carte de magasin. we give you 10 points per bag you bring.
In most states, they have banned plastic grocery bags, and we have to pay for reuseable ones. I'm in NY.
Thanks for a very informative video! Just to let you know, Giant Food Stores in Maryland, USA did a one time give you 5 cents of your reusable bag. However, a few years ago they stopped doing that.
I lived Oregon for twenty-six years. The last few years I lived there, plastic bags were forbidden. The grocery stores would sell you a paper bag for a dime. They would have reusable totes available for a dollar or so.
There are places in the US with pay toilets and attendant restrooms. During covid, some chain stores wouldn't let you bring your potentially covid-ridden bags for them to, ugh, handle. I think that isn't the case anymore. It's possible to get a bank account or card that costs a fee in the US, especially if you have bad credit or no credit history and want a bank card. In some areas, they don't want American Express cards because the business is charged a much larger fee than with Visa or Mastercard, so notice which cards are listed on the sign. In areas of the US with a prolonged drought, they might have stopped automatically giving water at restaurants. I guess the takeaway with the US is how many normal things are much more local than the media would have us believe. The US isn't homogenous.
When I was a kid in the 1960s, the ladies room stalls cost $. That was in Philadelphia
In Canada you have to bring your own bags now as well. You will be charged for bags that are recyclable.
In Philadelphia they don’t give out plastic bags anymore. You can get free paper bags but they’re usually a little flimsy.
9:15 I'm a 36 years old French, and I have never had to pay for water in restaurants.
In fact, you "can" change the pin of your card. But it is highly discouraged by the banks. You can do that from the bank ATM (but only the one of *your* bank). It is not possible online.
Grocery bags are charged because there is a European directive about that. The purpose is to reduce the wastes (mostly disposable plastic). Bring your owns !
1:56 It’s a private society who’s exploiting the public toilets- no longer the SNCF -and nowadays they are clean and well maintained, that was not the case before !
4:02 You don’t have to pay for the time you’re on hold in the waiting line- just when you are actually with someone, mostly local call tariffs.
In my part of France, all the supermarkets have free restrooms. The only restaurant requesting a code is Mc Donald's as far as I know.
It's a good idea to buy cheap bottle water in a supermarket if you are in a touristy area.
Carafe d'eau is always free for customers. I don't know of many people walking into a café, asking for just a glass of water.
Some shopping centres in France like Westfield Lille Europe and The Centre Commercial at Villeneuf D'Ascq do have free toilets. Another tip is use the toilet on the train 20 minutes before arrival. SNCF toilets are very clean nowadays.
One of the Westfields in Paris charges 70 centimes :)
On the other hand, some other malls have free toilets (Beaugrenelle, Créteil Soleil for instance)
I never had a problem with water in a restaurant here in Grenoble. Maybe not so where you are. I agree with your other points. Thanks for the video!
Hi---Yes indeed I remember the water thing very well. I lived in France for a year and the first time out to a restaurant got pretty pricey....we quickly learned "une carafe d'eau" . I find your other examples of differences interesting as well
Colorado now charges 10 cents per plastic bag. If you bring your own, you don't get a discount, you just don't get charged.
Over the course of my life, banking in America has changed a lot. When I first interacted with banks back in the 1970s and 1980s, banks would compete with each other by things like giving out a toaster for opening an account. Every account had a monthly charge, and there wasn't anything like overdraft protection. The banks themselves were open from 9 AM to 3 PM. OTOH, interest on savings was non-trivial,
All of the points you’ve listed are exactly the same over here in Germany.
Maybe the “water at a restaurant” situation is a bit different as over here one doesn’t get a free glass of water aside when ordering a coffee. And most restaurants won’t offer tap water anyway as it is kind of common sense that when ordering “…a water please” one means a glass of mineral water, so the only question a waiter would ask is “still or with gas/bubbles?”…..and if the waiter is well trained, he would suggest a big bottle for the whole table to share if several guests are ordering ‘a glass of water’.
But we’ve got a law here in Germany that says ‘a glass/bottle of water has to be the cheapest item on the beverage menu’ (except for the real fancy restaurants where one could chose from a variety of mineral waters and some are really expensive). That law is kind of a health prevention, as for several decades beer was the cheapest drink on most beverage menus and people claimed, they had to drink beer as they couldn’t afford water/non-alcoholic beverages.
I was in Berlin 2 weeks ago, I think beer is still cheaper. But the glasses are so small, 20 cL, it’s not the right size. I lived in Bavaria years ago, and the regular glass was a pint, and then it was the Maß! And Coke or mineral water were definitely more expensive.
@@Redgethechemist You are right, the glass sizes of different drinks variates a lot. A usual glass of beer is about 0,3 Liter but in Bavaria one get's a Maß which is almost 1 Liter but in Cologne they serve a beer called Kölsch and that is served in small but tall 0,2 Liter glasses called Stange (=peg or stake).
Anyway, as I said, there is a German law that says, at least one non-alcoholic drink has to be the cheapest drink on the beverage menu and most likely it is mineral water but I suppose there are some innkeepers who bend the law to their liking, so they mark an unpopular non-alcoholic drink as the cheapest to make some extra money, I guess.
There are some nuances at play when you ask for water in France. If you're a foreign tourist and ask "Pourrais-je avoir de l'eau s'il vous plaît", in many cases you'll get a nice bottle of (overpriced) Evian or Vichy. On the other hand, never ask for "de l'eau du robinet": it sounds cheap, and you may get a glass of lukewarm water, right from the tap. The best thing, ask for "une carafe d'eau", it's tap water, sure, but they generally keep these jugs in the fridge, so they're nice and fresh. It should be noted lastly that in most places, tap water is good, and that it's always highly controlled and safe.
if you need to go the bathroom at a train station, remember we have bathroom in the train wich are free, most of the time in order, think about it if you are departing or arriving
Although in Italy, you do get free tap water when you order coffee at the bar.
I was in Milan and i always asked for tap water. I didn't get a look🤷