Now I work retail and handle money all day long so maybe I'm biased or something? If someone hands me a bunch of Canadian bills I know immediately how much they've handed me, no matter how crumpled up or messy they are. From the colour alone you immediately know a 5, 10, or 20 dollar bill. It's the same for most countries currencies actually and I could easily see getting used to telling part different Euro notes etc... Not so with American bills. They look far to alike to me. Not that it's really difficult but hand me a bunch of crumpled up American bills and I have to examine them quickly to tell what's what. Your 1, 5, 10 and 20s look so much alike at first glance. No colour differences, no large design differences, no size differences. OK so Canadian bills only really differ by colour but still it makes it much easier. And I know that they are introducing some colour differences the new American 50s are pinkish.
And while I'm on it, on the flip side of the coin why the hell can't you Americans tell apart out Canadian nickel, dimes and quarters? Every time I get an American tourist in my store they hand out a bunch of change and say "you pick it out I can't tell them apart". Or even worse handing my a handful of dimes or quarters they ask me "what are these?, ahh ok.. and what are these?... and these?" I just want to slap them and say "that's a nickel you know the coin that's the same shape, colour, alloy, denomination, and size as your nickel!!!". How can you not tell them apart?? Maybe it's because we Canadians use American nickels, dimes and quarters interchangeably with our own all the time and you guys don't vice versa. But still when you go reach for some change it's not like you have to look at the heads of each coin to know what it is!?
edit: this is supposed to be a friendly rant by the way I'm not really being 100% serious or angry.
And while I'm on it, on the flip side of the coin why the hell can't you Americans tell apart out Canadian nickel, dimes and quarters? Every time I get an American tourist in my store they hand out a bunch of change and say "you pick it out I can't tell them apart". Or even worse handing my a handful of dimes or quarters they ask me "what are these?, ahh ok.. and what are these?... and these?" I just want to slap them and say "that's a nickel you know the coin that's the same shape, colour, alloy, denomination, and size as your nickel!!!". How can you not tell them apart?? Maybe it's because we Canadians use American nickels, dimes and quarters interchangeably with our own all the time and you guys don't vice versa. But still when you go reach for some change it's not like you have to look at the heads of each coin to know what it is!?
edit: this is supposed to be a friendly rant by the way I'm not really being 100% serious or angry.