Author: Jim in Bavaria

For the longest time, I avoided shopping “out on the economy.” Like many Americans here for the long haul, I restricted my shopping to my post, taking advantage of the Post Exchange (think military Walmart) and Commissary (think of a less than optimal grocery store.)

I’d have to say that was a big mistake on my part. As I ventured out and pushed the edges of my comfort zone, I realized that once you understand some of the differences, shopping “in town” is a pretty good deal. Let’s talk about some of the things you’ll encounter in the order you’ll see them.

1. Parking.
   
   I’ve found that parking can be challenging for us visitors. When you have cities and even villages that are 2-3 times as old as our towns and cities, there may not be much space left. Be prepared to work your vehicle in a smaller than normal parking lot.
   
   
2. Shopping Carts.
   
   Most stores have shopping carts available for your use. You’ll find them in the parking lots in “cart corrals.” You’ll also find that they’re chained together and to have one release for your use, you’ll need either a 50 cent or 1 € coin to slide into a slot to release the cart from the next one in the chain. Don’t worry, this isn’t a “fee” it’s more a way for them to spend less time with shopping cart wranglers having to store the carts. When you return the cart to the “corral” you’ll slip the locking device back into the handle and get your “deposit” back.
   
   For those of you who will be staying for awhile, you’ll eventually get something the Germans call a “chip” to take money out of play with a plastic washer to use.
   
   While this is a little different, it seems to work and you’ll likely have easy access to shopping carts. Just remember, need to grab one in the parking lot as you’ll not find them inside the door like you do at Walmart.
   
   
3. The store layouts.
   
   If there’s a standard layout, I haven’t quite found it. Even from chain to chain, each store might look and feel a little different. Roll with it. Nothing you can change. If you’re here for the longer haul, you’ll get used to each store you visit.
   
   One thing that seems to follow our American way of thinking, if you start at the front of the store and work towards the back, you’ll wind up picking up refrigerated or frozen items last. Then you can return to the “Kasse” or cash registers to check out.
   
   
4. Getting in Line.
   
   This is likely to be where you feel a little pressure. Don’t. Everything will be okay.
   
   It’s going to be obvious to everyone in the vicinity that you’re “not from around here” and they’ll cut you more slack than you need. While you’re waiting to get your things on the conveyor belt, pay attention to what you see in front of you. A “Monkey see, monkey do” approach will take you a long way.
   
   When it’s your turn to load up the conveyor belt, grab a little “item separator” and place it behind the last person’s things, then empty your cart onto the belt or shopping basket.
   
   It will make the cashier’s job a little easier if you keep like items together, so do your best to make that happen.
   
   If you’ve bought a case or “Kasten” of soft drinks or beer, you can just pull a single bottle out. When the cashier gets to that, just let them know you’ve bought a Kasten and they’ll charge you accordingly. No need to lift the entire rack of 20 bottles and put it on the belt.
   
   NOTE – It’s probably a good place to mention this. Germany has a very robust recycling philosophy. In order to make it work, they tie it to a consumer’s pocketbook. When you buy a drink in a bottle or can, there’s a deposit paid up front. That’s called a Pfand (pronounced “Fah-nd.”)
   
   For drinks delivered in bottles and cans, you can expect an additional deposit charge of from .08 to .25 per bottle/can. So, when you pick up a rack of beer, you’ll pay the price displayed for the beer, plus 20 x .08 Euro cents for the bottles and then about 1.50 € for the rack. If the beer costs 16€, the deposit on the bottle will add 1.60 €, with an additional deposit for the rack for a total of 19.10 € for your 20 bottles of beer.
   
   After you make your first purchase of drinks…the Pfand will roll over with each visit. You can add a step to this list…to return your empties at the very front of the store. It should be pretty obvious where this “Pfandautomat” or Deposit Machine is located. Chances are you’ll be following someone with a cartful of empty bottles in racks into the store. Let them go first and they can help you as you watch what they do. “Monkey see, monkey do” again. For “loose” bottles without a rack, you’ll see a hole in the center of the machine and you can place the loose bottles there.
   
   For those items that came in a Kasten (Rack) you can slip the rack into a slot at the bottom of the machine that will pull it into the machine on a conveyor belt. Don’t sweat always having a rack full of empties. The machine will “count” how many you’re returning automatically.
   
   Another special note, you’ might want to restrict your drink shopping to one or two locations. Try to return your bottles/racks for deposit where you bought them. I have run into problems by trying to return things to a store that doesn’t sell that brand. In the end, it will just make things easier.
   
   The last step, before you leave the Pfandautomat is to grab your receipt to present to the cashier. It doesn’t have to be used to buy drinks, but you don’t want to lose it anymore than you’d want to lose a 10€ bill.
   
   Once you get used to this system, it will make sense. It certainly made me a recycler. More on that in a later post about the Yellow Bag.
   
   
5. Bagging Your Own.
   
   Another reminder of Germany’s recycling/waste management system is the fact that bags aren’t free at most stores. Underneath the conveyor belt at most stores, you’ll find a selection of both paper and plastic bags to place your items in if you haven’t brought your own. (Yes, it’s highly encouraged.) Grab what you need and place them on top of your items for the cashier to scan. Then they’ll be available for the next step…bagging your own groceries, because they’re not going to bag themselves and the cashier won’t do it for you.
   
   BONUS Content – David Letterman would do well at a German store.
   

The first few times you’ll feel like you’re in a race with the cashier. They’ll be scanning items as fast as they possibly can while you’re doing your level best to get all your things bagged or even just into your shopping cart. I’ve been known to bag my groceries in the parking lot, taking my chances with angry people looking for a place to park while I get my purchases situated for the ride home. Until you get the hang of things, just think about this as providing our hosts a little entertainment and frustration a the same time.

6. Present your form of payment, I’d recommend cash until you figure out if your American credit or debit card (chipped only please) will work at your local stores. Paying exact change is always preferred, but it’s something I don’t sweat too hard.

7. Say “Danke” and “Tschuss” when you leave the cashier. This may go a long way towards you becoming a known quantity and a good ambassador. You may learn other ways to respond, but for now this will work.