They are also in use in Germany and it never occurred to me that they may not be used all over the world. They are called [Zahl|Wechselgeld][teller|schale] [1] which translates to [paying|change] [plate|bowl]. They can not be found in every shop but probably in the majority. Some people use them, some don't. And it is more common to present the change in them than the payment. The obvious purpose is of course to easily be able to see that the amount is correct while avoiding escaping coins. They also often show ads, nowadays on displays. And nobody moves them around in Germany, they just sit on top of the counter.
I live in the Netherlands, only a few kilometers from Germany, but I've never seen any. Is it everywhere in Germany, or only certain regions?
The only similar thing I've ever seen is at things like amusement parks or where ferry tickets are sold: the cashier is behind glass and talks to you through a microphone (and you to them). Exchange of tickets and money goes through a rotating tray sort of thing that is below the glass and is moved by the person behind the glass. I find it very impersonal and not a nice way of doing business. Surely we can talk like normal human beings?
Of course that is different from change trays, there is no glass or microphones involved there, but it's the closest thing I can think of.
As an aside, I can see why it might be more common in Germany than in the Netherlands: you guys pay almost always by cash (taking forever when the cashier goes "do you perhaps have 23 cents with that?" to make the change round) whereas here bank card, and especially the quick wireless option is more and more prevalent.
I think it is not a local thing but I never really paid attention. Try gas stations or small lottery or tobacco stores, they tend to have the ones with displays showing the jackpot sum or cigarette ads. On the other hand you usually won't see them say in super markets with cash registers with conveyor belts. But even there is, at least sometimes, a small pit build right into one of the surfaces. Solutions similar to the one in the amusement park are also used at gas stations during the night hours, mainly at gas stations with low customer frequency.
Probably contrary to the Japanese custom as described in the article I personally always feel slightly self-conscious when using them (to hand someone the money). It feels distant and maybe a bit impolite to me, though I don’t know how shared that feeling is. (Please note that I’m not claiming that using the tray is somehow inherently impolite or distant. When it comes to etiquette the concept of universal truth is even more problematic than it otherwise already is.)
My usual approach is to hand over the money directly if there is little time and the cashier is already looking at me, expecting the money, and to put it on the tray if the cashier is currently still doing something else and I have a bit of time to properly prepare the money while the cashier is looking elsewhere. (It basically gives me a proper place to put the money when the cashier cannot yet directly take it.) I’m not sure how shared my feeling and my approach on this are among others.
Also, in my experience cashiers differ wildly in how they will use those trays to hand you your change. Some will use them, some just won’t. I never payed any attention as to whether there’s any pattern to that, though. I mean, is the proper use of that tray part of the instructions when starting somewhere? Is it just personal preference?
Used in France too, in a variety of sizes and shapes, from a rubber mat on a counter, to a small plastic bowly thing with a clip (securing the bill, or banknotes) in restaurants (in which case the back and forth protocol for change operates as described in the article).
That may of course also play a role especially when handling unpackaged food but then again the money goes through both hands anyway. Most of the time I see people counting the money when they place it there coin by coin. And it makes putting the change back into the wallet easier because you don't end up with a hand full of bills and coins.
[1] http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahlteller