Claiming they had no euro coins available, a number of outlets gave out change in Maltese currency on the first day of business following the euro changeover yesterday.

Many sales assistants seem to have been faced with Lm10 and Lm20 notes, even for coffees, soft drinks and inexpensive items sold at the open air market in Valletta.

Otherwise, it was more the fact that the adoption of the euro coincided with the sales that caused an element of stress, if any, in the shops yesterday - the first real taste of trading in the European currency, following the public holiday the day before.

Any confusion was more a result of the flooded shops and the queues to pay - the introduction of the euro did not seem to have put anyone off sniffing out a bargain. Neither did the fact that they had probably just burnt a hole in their pockets over Christmas hold them back.

Most shop owners and assistants - those who had the time and presence of mind to offer a comment to The Times in between punching in prices and controlling queues - said the changeover was proceeding "normally" and that it was "no big deal".

Many could be seen taking their time to explain exactly what change they were giving and why, some with a calculator in hand, being the first day.

"It makes sense to do that," said a salesman in a Valletta pharmacy, in Republic Street. His items were not marked "Sale" but the same procedure was also being carried out in other busier retail outlets, where discounts were on offer.

In general, it was the lira that was being used for purchases - even more than credit cards, according to certain outlets. And in some cases, it was even being given back as change.

At The Strand, in Sliema, a group of teenagers said they were given change in liri, as did a woman from Mosta at a grocer and a confectionery.

The fact that some cash registers were geared up to display prices and change in both euros and lira was a help. Marks and Spencer staff, for example, felt their lives had not changed due to the systems they had in place.

Sales assistants made an almost automatic switch to quoting prices in euros yesterday but admitted that, in most cases, they had to repeat them in liri.

Natasha Puglisevich, manager at Things*, raised her eyebrows when asked how the day was proceeding. The sales, combined with the adoption of the euro, meant the shop was busy. But like most other retail outlets, she was assisted by her cash register, which listed prices and change in both currencies, facilitating matters.

Next door, at Peacocks, the queue carried on down the stairs to the lower level and three cash points were open instead of the usual one or two. Consumers wanted to know the cost in both currencies, so confusion was directed at the cashiers - until they got used to it, shop manager Steve Triganza, said.

That seems to have been most time-consuming for the shops, confirmed the manager at P. Muscat Opticians, Joseph Farrugia. "I have noticed that consumers still want to know the price in liri, while we are already thinking in euros - the only way it can work - but we have to keep on converting and re-converting," he said.

At Options, the plan was not to answer the telephone in order to be able to serve customers.

"They are doing the complete opposite and paying in liri rather than using their credit cards, as has been recommended," manageress Rita Borg reported.

She was feeling the pressure but heaved a sigh of relief when someone paid in euros, making her life that bit easier and things slightly faster.

At Arcobaleno, no problems were experienced, although it would have been better for both shop owner and consumers if the latter paid in euros. Some elderly persons wanted their change in lira but accepted that it could not happen.

The salesgirl at Promod said she was not facing any problems and had expected worse: Most of her customers were paying in euros!

Looking at their gleaming coins in Mexx, a couple from Fgura said it would be difficult to get used to them at first and they counted their change carefully.

"Then again, when we travel, we use euros and when we go to the UK we use sterling... Maybe we'll gain a euro or lose one at the beginning, due to a mistake," Anton Zammit said, laughing it off.

Rose Khutri from Mosta said she had her doubts as to whether she was being given the correct change and had already experienced a mistake of a few cents in another shop but admitted she was unable to check it. "I am not saying it was the sales assistant's fault but they are not equipped," she was quick to point out. "I suppose we'll get used to it, but not the elderly," she said, queuing up to take advantage of the discounts. "I have to look for bargains: I have four children to clothe," she said.

"You cannot go wrong with a cash register with a dual display and a receipt that shows both prices," a young man from Fgura counteracted. "Anyway, I am using credit cards to avoid any problems and that is the solution! We get used to everything; it will only take a month," he said.

Queues at Mango were typically long despite the shop's attempt to mitigate the onset of customers on the day of the euro adoption, kicking off sales a week earlier.

"It is no problem for us," said the owner of a clothes shop. "We can take our time to make our calculations; it is more the catering establishments that will be hassled, selling one espresso after another and trading mostly in small change."

One of the larger catering establishments in Valletta, in fact, said it had run out of coins, despite starting off with a hefty amount on January 1.

Customers were paying for a coffee with a Lm10 note, being "too lazy" to go to the bank and the establishment was forced to give out change in the Maltese currency.

"We serve thousands of customers a day, so the cash register is working non-stop but, really, the changeover has made no difference: 25 per cent of our business over the last two years has been from cruise liners and, therefore, in euros."

A couple from Sliema, eating at McDonald's, said they had paid for their meal in liri but, being in business, they were completely unfazed by the euro.

"In our catering business, we deal with euros and dollars and also when we travel," the husband, Charles Mejlak, said, quick to bite into his burger.

The euro was the topic of conversation in the queues at banks and elsewhere. As they waited, one woman commented about the confusion of coins in her purse and the fact that retailers would be rounding off prices in their favour.

"The man selling date-filled pasties charged me the equivalent of 9c in euros but when I said I was paying in Maltese liri he charged me 8c. One cent here and there does not make a difference but it will add up for him!"