Buying things

So one interesting cultural nicety here is that there are little plastic rectangles and circles (in basic colors, usually blue) wherever you see a counter with a cash register.  It was very strange to go into a bank and try to set up an account, and the teller would place things like pens and forms on top of the small rectangle instead of passing them to me directly.  I learned from a friend that you don't just hand things (especially money) to people here.  When paying for groceries, you place the money in the small (and shallow) bin, and then the cashier will pick up the money and give you your change, though not necessarily in that order.
It was very strange at first, but it very easily became habit, and cuts out some potentially awkward human contact.  I hadn't really realized that I had gotten used to the system until I went into a small convenience store that didn't have the small bins, so I placed the money directly into the cashier's hand and felt very weird about it...  Odd, isn't it?  Just imagine what it'll be like when I get back to the US, lol.