I don't really find it strange, to be honest. For instance, I just came back from Ireland and even tapping a physical card didn't seem to happen nearly as often as tapping a phone or other device. While a lot of the latter is likely due to being able to bypass the (EU-wide) €50 contactless limit, I'm sure there are a fair number of users who think that biometric authentication is better than PIN too.

Speaking of which, I suspect that limit is why you're being forced to insert at grocery stores. Though even then, I would have expected the chip to work and not force you to swipe.