pls make the experiment with the cash and the card ^-^ I think when you use cash you will buy less, because you see the money and you have more control over the money
Sorry for asking here, but I just watched your new driver's license video, and wrote a lengthy commentary....but when I tried to send the commentary, the video had been taken off line, and now I can't find the video any more...did you take it down again? ....or was it banned for some reason, maybe just in Germany?
Kelly - In the UK, and I expect in the USA, our credit cards and debit cards have a chip which let's you pay up to £30.00 by just touching the card against the till card reader in pubs, shops, everywhere; so quick! Also, purchases made by credit card in the UK (maybe other countries as well) make the bank equally responsible for the goods as well as the seller. So, if you pay by card for something and (for example) the seller goes out of business or you are in dispute you can claim your money back from the bank.
I'm Austrian too, and I do have some emergency cash in my pocket, but I usually pay everything with my Smartphone where it is possible. I do that since more than 1.5 years now and just this week I've been told by the cashier, that she didn't ever see someone doing that. Last year I heard this on a daily basis, so it's more common now. I've never seen anyone else using his smartphone or another device. Most customers do not even use the wireless (NFC) option of their cards.
@@JuttaandWolly Maybe someone was hurt? A joke is less likely than someone being smashed by a cow dropping out of a plane ;o) Or maybe he/she wasn't german?
If a German says the food tastes good, very often he/she honestly means it. An American would think he/she doesn't actually like the taste. An American probably wants to hear "It was super delicious." or "The best ever." even when it was only "good". The first world problem to run out of "superlatives" when you overuse and misuse them. It distorts their true meaning. It's probably one of the reasons Germans think that Americans seem "fake". I think Germans are more reserved and therefore honest in that regard. Probably one of the reason that Americans think that Germans are "cold and distant" and perhaps "grumpy".
Fun fact: The difference in coffee culture actually caused the first Starbucks in Germany to fail miserably. They tried again several years later and it was received way better and ever since Starbucks became a normality in Germany as well.
@@Kellydoesherthing Polish girl here :) It's the same in our country. I hate the taste of these to-go mugs. It completely changes the taste of my coffee. also what is with those funny sticks? How am I suppose to stir my coffee with it? It's uneffective! :) I need real teaspoon! :D I am also completely unable to drink while walking, I have to stop to take a sip :P In Poland Starbucks is also critisized because of asking people their names and calling people directly by their names- some people find it rude- you should use more formal form when you talk to people, you don't know.
This is only slightly related to this topic, but: if you ever are bored google for articles about how Walmart tried to get into the German market and failed, it's actually hilserious :D
The whole point of Starbucks was you take a coffee to go, you can sit down there and have a cookie or cheesecake now or some kind of sandwich. However it's still to go food&drink, just like at domino's pizza.
What I find funny is that Americans always speak so loud. When I watch your videos for instance I have the feeling that you're shouting at me ;-) Sorry, no offense intended, just saying. I wonder how it feels for Americans when they're in Germany. Do you have the feeling that everybody is whispering?
Yes. I found a great explanation in another youtube video that because the US is more spread out instead of "constricted" that is why we talk "louder". At the least, it made me think...
@@elizaiv indeed! talking and talking without even breathing and her voice isn't exactly the sweetest voice on earth so I had to mute her after 5 minutes, I simply couldn't stand it anymore ...
I'm British, and I can identify very closely with Misha's ways. So much of what bothers Misha would bother me too. He sounds like a very sensible person to me. Americans have some very strange habits and ways.
WTF? :D I'm livin' in europe, east side, but never seen any car without a cup holder. Most useless thing here, I can admit that, but regardless, your argument is wrong. Even a 10-15 years old VW Golf has a "push to open" cup holder above the radio. You push it, a 2 sided cup holder slides out. :D Most of the cars has at least one behind the shift or built inside the glove-box.
@@ZaiKoo90 Maybe 1-2 cupholders, true. But a 20 year old US car usually has Usually 3-4 Cupholders in the front and also in the rear at least one for each seat.
@@eberbacher007 You forgot the 4-5 cup holders built into the door and the row of ten or so on the back window ledge. And let's not go into how many are found in trunk. The motto in America is: Stay Hydrated.
I think one major reason why ppl in Germany don't really eat in their cars is the whole stick shift thing. I started eating in my car the moment I drove automatic. Also, Germans are really meticulous about their cars. I can relate to that. If you want to get under a German's skin, eat fries loaded to the brim with ketchup and hold the whole thing at an angle.
I think you’ve hit a major point there. Driving stick makes it difficult to do a lot unless you’re able to keep a steady pace on the highway. And that’s a good tip for me to bug misha 😂
808Fee Besides, the matter of eating and drinking while driving in Germany is a pointless discussion. Germans use public transportation all the time. The question is, do they eat and drink while riding in their trains?
i HATE smalltalk. i'm bad at it, i don't see the point in it. i have no interest in doing it. germans do smalltalk too, for example when they go to a party where they don't know alot of the people, they usually do smalltalk. its what i call "forced conversation". if you're done with that forced conversation you maybe get a good talk with a person you didn't know earlier, maybe not. but i'd never have a smalltalk with a cashier, or a random person on the street. to me as an introvert this is just something i'm incapable of doing
I hate it too, and I'm pretty outrovert. But I only love to talk with friends, with people I know very good and know what conversation to expect. I hate to talk to strangers. You never know which strange topics will surface. Most time, people talk stupid shit about completely unnecessary things. No, thanks.
it's just a way of speech, like every language has. The learned school version is always different from the actual version, it also differs region to region, social group to social group.
This American finds that a bit fake, too. Of course, I'm a 6th generation German-American, and have three years in combat zones. I haven't found much to get that excited about in some time, aside from family weddings and childbirths.
I cannot stand the "starving" one. Grrrrr. You're not starving, I can literally guarantee it. There are millions of starving people in the world; however anyone who tells me they are starving are not one of them.
I feel like by paying with card it's easier to spend more than you intend to. Lets say you draw $200 and that's your monthly allowance to spend on groceries. You'll immediately notice when you have spent too much - probably on little things like coffee that accumulate to bigger sums fast
I have it all sync up with my phone and use an open banking app so I can categorise my spending and see how much I have spent in each category. If I used cash money just disappears for me I have no clue what I spent it on 😏
there is truth in that, as teenager i spended more then i realized, and for a couple of months i only used cash , to have to realization when i had to get more cash of, how long ago i gotten the same amount, were did I spend it on? .. But after that learning faze , I'd say , the cash only really helps at festivals or so to keep my spending, elsewere I do , i DO take in account it goes of my account, but I almost only use debit card, almost never credit card! so it goes right of my debit account, i could easely wire a saving to my saving account to re-put the pressure of only being able to spend as much as available on my debit account by that trick..
"I like that I can review my bank statements and see every single purchase that I've made." Yeah, and so can the bank, and the 15+ companies the bank is selling that info to. Or anyone that happens to have access to either the bank's IT or your account, really. 1984 anyone? Doesn't that creep you out even a bit?
In the EU, they can't legally sell all those data without my permission. And I don't think any government agencies would be interested in my grocery shopping... if they do, have fun with it, there's nothing interesting in there. I don't get telemarketing phone calls just because I bought something with my card. So, yes, a bit creepy, but nothing serious, at least in the EU. If you have nothing to hide, they won't hunt you down, or harass you because of your spendings. And it's not like you're going to buy bombs with your credit card anyway...
Bank data can bite you i you for some independent reason are in the minus andhave to justify it before lets say a potential landlord or lady. The data shuldnt be out there accesable to companies, that are not obligated to keep them secret to third oaties without allowence..
In my experience in America, I’ve noticed that Americans like to use card to see their payments, out of need to be able to see things. :0 I think they get stolen/mugged from, especially in big cities.
Your bank knows almost everything about you, where you work, how much you earn, where you live, how much rent you pay and to whom, it knows about all payments you make via debit order, it knows how much debt you have and how much savings, if you apply for a mortgage it will want to know even more. I don’t think it matters much whether the bank knows that you’ve paid for an occasional meal at a restaurant or that you bought some groceries or an item of clothing. I don’t think one needs to purchase every single item with a card, but the fear of using your card because the bank might know where you ate a meal or that you bought something at Karstadt is just paranoid. Banks in the eu are also not allowed to sell customers data. I would worry a lot more about using the payback points card, used by many Germans. Every single grocery purchase or any other purchase using the payback card is definitely tracked, whether you use cash or not, and not by a bank that is bound by rules and regulations.
And it's true, a doctor would tell you the same thing, German or not. I think the American on-the-go way of life is not well received in Europe in general.
And if you dont go while eating you can enjoy it better.There are exceptions of course but its a goodrule. If its coffee, drinking and going can be messy.There are many reasons.Thejapanese are even morestrict
Well, there's one German word for those who are provoking road rages: "Sonntagsfahrer" which literaly means Sunday-driver (elderly pensioners having their cars parked during the week, but snail-cruising with it over the weekend without knowing exactly where to go - and that right in front of me ... AAAAARRRRRRRRRGHHHHHH "Du Sonntagsfahrer, verpiss dich aus meinem Leben!!!" :ox
@@anthonykaiser974 In Poland we also call them Sunday-drivers (niedzielni kierowcy). They mostly drive to the nearest graveyard to visit relatives' graves.
IMHO this video talks about differences between capitalist and capitalism-sceptic societies (German-French model Europe). 1. A coffee to stay is not about the drink, but about the time spent without purpose, you're private enjoyment, freedom. With a coffee to go, your teat (your pleasure) becomes subordinate to it's utilitarian value. 3. Spending cash will always immediately remind you of your budget (try overspending with an empty wallet). Checking your account afterwards is futile. The money is already spent; too late darling. On a side note: Just look a t the consumer debt of credit card USA and cash Germany for example and it should be clear who's overspending. 4. There is a word for it in English too: unethical driving. Act as if the principle behind your action, could be imposed as a general rule (Kant, Categorical Imperative) Can passive-aggressive retribution be a general rule for traffic? No it can't. Stop it, you're endangering some one. If the driver next to you is an asshole or not, you still can't foster an deathly accident because of spite.
trust me, i've tried. and tried...and tried...and tried some more haha he doesn't want to be in the videos and i can't convince him otherwise. i will show him your comment though :)
I grew up in CA and small talk is treated differently there. It’s fine to talk to people if you’re waiting in line or waiting for public transit, but it’s rude to try to small talk cashiers or waitstaff. It’s like you are wasting their time and the time of other customers. If a waitress is stuck at your table because you won’t quit talking then she can’t go to the other tables. I lived 2 years in the south and it drove me crazy that waitstaff or cashiers would try to initiate small talk. It was embarrassing! It’s so ingrained in me that it’s rude and burdensome to hold up staff that I couldn’t get over it.
TJ G My Family is from California. California is different than most of the country. I LOVE the South! They are so friendly and helpful. Everyone helps everyone. Californians are considered rude and I do not blame people for thinking it. I do not think it is right to put work before people.
TJ G Well the key word is small. Some people like to stretch it which isn't good. But I think it humanizes the situation. People in the service industry aren't just robots to do our bidding. I'm southern by the way.
Hyperbolizing is indeed typical US American. For many Europeans this looks dishonest and overselling, like car salesmen. However, any US citizen would not have trouble to identify the intensity of an expression. Therefore, this is only a typical inter-cultural misunderstanding. Also most of my English is derived from US movies and media, which resulted in using starving in the UK. That caused some interesting comments, including you do not look like starving to me (which is true). Furthermore, I should not use bullshit and crap rather use rubbish.
Hahaha I’ve worked with a few Brits in the past and I noticed that they were far more articulate than my American coworkers and were quick to call me out on some things I said, similar to your starving comment haha
In Australia we feel that the exaggerated speech of Americans and Canadians is like being hit with a blast from a flame thrower. When my Canadian flatmate talked about things he saw that were "Awesome" it made me think that either I was missing something because when I saw the same thing it looked "ordinary" to me, or perhaps Canada is so boring that anything is "awesome" in comparison.
@@Kellydoesherthing the "haha" thing at the end of your comments is an american thing too. Here in europe hardly anybody writes it. Americans write it quit often to symbolice "what I'm saying is meant light / funny / not bad". And we europeans think "he will sort it out and if need be I appologize".
The haha thing is just mean in most situations. And i dont like the not clever but mean humor, unless there is really an unredeemable jerk that deserves it. Or politicans, you can always make fun of politicans and public personas, like the queen of england, and terrible bosses and managers. Basically all unsympathic upper class or rank persons. But behind their back. Unsurprisingly apologizing isnt always meant to be that big of a gesture, its just to show you didnt mean any harm, if its honest, that is. I literally die of laugher when i see when i see how much hyperbolic american media can be to the point that it looks like a parody.
@@Seelenschmiede We do that? I thought that was just something that some folks do irrespective of nationality. I don´t know, I always thought it was a bit smarmy seeming from people who usually mean well.
I’m an auto technician in America. I can almost always tell the sex of the owner by the amount of schmutz in the car. Guys cars are typically MUCH cleaner.
No. 6, When people use exaggeration regularly, for me, it feels like everything they say are exaggeration so we should take it lightly... So, their words lose credibility...
I read FB regularly but I rarly post anything, too. I don't think it's a privacy thing rather it could go along the same line as the small talk. I'll post if I have something to post but I do not "spam" for the sake of posting. :)
I would be very interested in a video on how your payment behavior changes when you pay by cash or by card. By the way, I love your videos, please keep going :-D
@@Kellydoesherthing i would be very interested too, because my experience, like many of my friends are too is that you are more aware of how much you are spending, when you have that 50€ bill in your pocket that is getting less and less; in my case as a student for food and beer; when i have cash with me i ceep track of what i have spent and what i have available for the night
Me too. Honestly after hearing about your way of paying and having all your purchases listed online I'm starting to think it might even be easier to keep check on your spendings. While paying with cash you often forget all the small thinks you've bought. However I'm still a paranoid German that doesn't trust anything or anyone and just blocked contactless payment in fear of people stealing your money from your bank account by holding some device next to your bag. Actually drove people in Scotland crazy when I needed to enter my pin to pay. 🙈😂
The Dutch are not that likely to use a credit card but are using the card from their bank. For small amounts, you can pay by holding your card at the machine. For larger amounts, you need to use your pin. A good second is to use cash. Cash is seen as a good way to keep your budget. You see the money you spend and have left.
i tried to say "Card" the whole time as to not differentiate between credit card and debit cards. i really only use my debit card (which is what is linked to my apple pay) and only use my credit card for specific reasons like if i'm buying a flight and my credit card offers 5x points for using it to purchase flights.
Alex de Kruijff many Americans use their credit cards and earn benefits AND pay off the balances every month thereby not having to pay any interest. By not doing this you are losing money.
I'm from Austria and cash is king here, too. But I've never seen cash as a good way to track my budget since I've left school. I'm much more comfortable to use my debit card / paying app.
Imagining getting a hot coffee to go in the car, in the cup holder, flying down the Autobahn at astronomical speed, and having to suddenly brake and slow down. Yikes.
My wife's wallet was stolen in Paris years ago. Someone later used her credit card in Romania. But she reported the card as stolen, and she was not responsible for any of those charges. It made me glad she didn't have much cash in her wallet.
Exactly. My bank is really great with cancelling any fraudulent charges (only happened once but was $3k) and they call me if they detect suspicious activity. Cash would be gone forever with no hope of getting it back
That's why most germans wouldn't carry more than a hundret Euros with them. Personally I rarely Take more than 70 euros with me. If I buy something expansive, I do use my card or Order it online. The Problem with the Card getting stolen is, that you're litterally pennyless, or am I wrong? My parents taught me to always hide a little bit of cash (for a Cab,...) In my pocket ^^ Your comment just shows, how much trust you put in your banks. P.s. I am german anderen appologize for all grammar mistakes (german automatic spelling correction isn't helping either) ^^'
Totally agree with the last topic!!! Just made new US friends on Facebook while visiting Florida and now my feed is literally flooded by the many things they post throughout a day 😆
If your driving 6-8 hours in one day, you just want to get on the road. It's not unusual for people in the US to drive that far to see family for the weekend or holidays. Vacations sometimes you drive a couple of days to get there. The longer you take at stops, the less time you have to spendwith family or on vacation.
@@kristenheuer5676 I see. In germany i always take the train for trips like this. But i know that the train system in the US is mostly sh*t (no offense). So maybe i just say that because i never sit in a car for such a long time.
No offence taken. Trains here only go to larger cities and long distances. By long distances, I mean 2 or 3 states before you stop again. They can also be expencive. There are some places that have trains for shorter distance, but you are limited to where they go. Thats mainly Im the east coast and between mountain mining towns.
1. Eating on the go: I think the eating on the go is reflective of the value the society places on food. Germany is not even very strict on this. While in Germany from an American perspective it may seen as though eating on the go is not the norm, to most Germans this is not nearly as important as to the average French or Italian. From my (raised and living in Germany) perspective the decline in appreciation for good meals and eating as a social activity is quite visible and worrying because to me this appreciation is a very valuable cultural thing. And it is proven to be more healthy. Not only because when you eat on the go, you usually buy prepared or even heavily processed foods instead of cooking with fresh produce, but also because you take less time for your meal, eating in a hurry and often being not relaxed while eating. All of that is detrimental to your digestion. This is one major reason why Americans are so unhealthy on average, while French and Italians are among the longest living people. 2. Small talk I'm somewhat split on this one. On the one hand, it is quite hard to find friends in Germany, when you are new somewhere, because people are not all that open. So it is usually a good idea to join some sort of group activity like a sports club, a theater group, a choir, or whatever you enjoy to get to know people while doing something together. The more open culture in the US makes this a lot easier but on the other hand relationships tend to be less commited. In Germany it is harder to make friends, but usually those will be reliable friends you can count on for many years or even a lifetime. Surely this does exist in the US as well, but my impression is, it is not as common and people have more overall but fewer strong relationships. 3. Cash vs. Card Germans compared to many other people are fairly concerned about data safety. Every transaction that is done using cash has no record that is connected to the customer. So if I'm buying everything with cash, no one can possibly find out all the personal things that my purcheses might tell about me. Ironically though, in Germany so called "payback"-cards are quite common, primarily for grocery stores. They are personalized and grant small refunds based on how much you buy using the card. There is no money on it, you will pay cash or with your usual card and simply have the cashier register your card. So some people buy cash but still hand over their data :D While this sounds a bit stupid, it is actually less stupid than always paying via card, because payback cards at least grant you a refund for supplying your data. Simply paying without cash doesnot have any compensation. And lastly, maybe using social media less might free up time for cooking? :D Nah, just kidding. I appreciate your videos :)
People that get cash at an ATM instead of using card payments are more suspicious. Banks and authorities keeps eyes on those people more than on people using cards.
@@dutchgamer842 sure, if you withdraw $10,000 over a very short time, but for the average Joe pulling $2-300 here and there with a normal pattern, it largely goes unnoticed. I have family in banking.
@Anthony Kaiser, nope you're always suspicious if you always withdraw money and never use a card for payment, no matter the amount. It just means you're up to no good.
No, Dutch Gamer. Not in Germany. That applies to countries where everyone pays with card all the time. In Germany, many people just prefer using cash, especially older people, hence they always withdraw money. It doesn't mean that they are up to no good.
I'm a defender of small talk. It's not about the topic, it's about the people. Talking to people shows 1) that you're not hostile and 2) that you have respect for the stranger.
"Hyperbolize"... I just learned a new word. 😮 I had never heard it before. In my time in the States it struck me that a lot of people do hyperbolize. They are not disappointed, but devastated. They are not amused, but they are ROFL their butts off. They are not laughing about something, they are dead or done. They are not just good at something, they slay. It never bothered me, but I found it interesting.
Hahaha it’s so true. I probably could’ve elaborated even more but I knew it was already making me sound a little crazy and dramatic haha but your examples are perfect :) I’m happy I could teach you a word to label this
I think hyperbole is one of the defining characteristics of American English. Another example: You're "shocked" when in reality you're just surprised or bewildered. Like all those so-called "culture shocks".
In country in the U.K., strangers will say Good morning which may result in a conversation, whereas in UK cities if someone speaks to you, you assume they are either disturbed or getting ready to steal from you. When I've been in the US, to me everyone is in country mode and not city mode.
I do not like when people call Americans superficial because of small talk. It is not superficial to be kind to others. I think it is part of our culture to look out for others. A smile and a hello can cheer someone up.
I think the same. I am a German woman and I like to talk to strangers - just to be friendly, give them a smile and brighten their day up. Perhaps it's a question of personality differences...
It is very strange to us scandinavians but I don't feel it's superficial. "How are you" as a "hi" feels weird, but what is "natural" or "superficial"? It's just culture. And I have been to the USA. The small talk never felt superficial. They genuinely wanted to talk WITH me about completely random stuff. I kinda like it, and I learn a lot more than I have when I have been in european countries where getting people to open up can be... a chore. ;)
I just think i someone does that always, it doesnt mean much. Its good if you genuinly are a cheery kind person, but people are different, some people just make a small smile when they are happy. I would say, just do it if you have the intrinsic desire to do so, not an extrinsic factor like a cultural standard. Its not that germans for example never smile or are nice, but not to any random stranger. Only strangers you are genuinly interested as person. Or be yourself, if you are a loud cheery big fluffy bundle of joy, do that, but no one is a big bundle of joy all the time. The best service you can do to troubled person is to encourage then careful to say that, and listen. With self care of course, but that is what troubled people really need, someone who genuinly cares and listens that they know they arent alone in the world.
I am a German living in Germany, and I, too, do not usually carry any cash on me. Thankfully Lidl and Aldi now changed their POS Terminals and you can actually pay with credit cards now :-D And yes, the tendency for lots of shops to only accept cash is infuriating me.
I’m Swedish and I would say that Swedes use cash even less than you Americans do. At many cafes, shops and bars in Sweden you can not even pay with cash. I have not had Swedish cash in my hand for at least five years. Not even once. And i live here. When I'm in the US, I always have some cash on me because it's convenient when giving tip. But maybe it's because I'm a tourist. Like your channel 👍🏽
1. About card payments 2. Small story about cash 1. The cashiers I talked to told me that most stores don't have Internet and they use some sort of dial up connection. You can pay contactless here too. Just hold it to the cardmashine. No clue about apple pay tho. 2. I personally got a budget plan too and just take the reciete home with me and enter the amount into my excel table. I did Buy a Bag of Chips for 0,99€ in my local Kupsch (german store) and payed with my EC card despite the minimum requred amount of something like 10€. You can do it, and it's a gamble. But I don't tend to have cash on me since the next Bank where I can get cash from an ATM without paying crazy fees is a few km away :D. But you are right we Germans love our cash and most will just withdrawl most of their money after a payday.
valid question and the famous american obesity is often attributed to this (fast food being the primary type of restaurant). i will admit that it's taken a bit of a toll on my physique over the past few months and i need to scale back but i usually try to eat salads or at least leaner meats that come with veggies to compensate but they're still not ideal.
Easy. Eat salads and use fat free dressings or just use balsamic vinegar, there are vegan restaurants, open your mouth and ask how something is prepared. If you dont like it and its fattening ask if they could do it another way, when getting 2 sides go with 2 vegetables rather than fried, restaurants usually have low fat menu section, and box 1/2 of your entree when it first comes out. I had to spend 2 months eating out for work and I didn't gain 1 kilo. I actually exercised less than I did when I was at home. You havea choice in what you put into your mouth.
@@johnp139 That's what most people don't know ... fat is not the enemy, sugar is ... Still have to shudder thinking about breakfast-cinnamon-rolls for breakfast :)
I have a VERY German last name, because I married a man with a Very German last name. He doesn't actually happen to be German, but was adopted into a German family. They immigrated here 2 generations ago, his grandfather a WWI veteran was born in Germany immigrated to WI. His father was 1st to get out of a farming life into a more urban world. My husband's heritage happens to be Native American. The odd thing is, his habits are THESE German habits you are discussing and my habits are THESE American habits you are discussing. He has only been to Germany once or twice for business in real life. His employer has a German Co. as business partner. He was just in Germany a few months ago. They show some more respect to him with the German name, but he has no accent and no German like features. He knows only the basic of German language. It's true what you are saying. He is Constantly checking his wallet before he gets in the car and before he goes into a store for his cash. It's 100% always there. He just HAS to be SURE he has cash. We have so many, many coins he's bringing in from his lunch. After knowing him for 39yrs, I don't think there's any hope for getting any more German habits to change to American habits. I guess it's nurture over nature??? Good to know other people see things the same! German vs American. Although he was my neighbor, he was raised that his family was 'a little better' and that has stuck too. Good luck with your man. He is probably a 'little better' too? Lol. The never drinking in a 'to go' from Styrofoam, minimally coffee in a mug, maybe rarely paper...it goes on and on. And dinner is served AT The Table, not in your lap. I'm so proud of him, last week he sat at the kitchen bar and ate dinner for the 1st time in 18mo, almost 2 yrs because we were playing cards and he got home late. Old dog - New tricks! Winning...lol.
hahaha i'm happy to see that our experiences are shared :) and i hope to do future videos where i talk about habits he and i have both changed because of being with each other. his list is shorter than mine, just as you're describing hahaha thanks for watching and for sharing this comment :)
"Although he was my neighbor, he was raised that his family was 'a little better' and that has stuck too. Good luck with your man. He is probably a 'little better' too? Lol. " What complete bull. Most Germans find people who consider themselves 'a little better' rude and stuck up. I always found that AMERICANS are the ones who seem to think they are 'a little better'.
I just noticed that ever since I studied in the US, I do most things the American way. The small talk thing I miss the most. I feel isolated and lonely in my own country. I wanna move back asap. Oh yeah and I'm one of those Germans who doesn't like to date other Germans. 🤣
@@CaL-76 They are not circumcised. Jk, I'm not that superficial. I just feel like I hardly ever click with Germans. They take life too seriously for my taste. I don't want to generalize here, but it's just a certain vibe. Americans are just a lot more positive in the face of adversity. Also, I noticed that I mostly respond to "US-humor". Ppl, especially from the northern part of Germany tell me jokes and a year later I still haven't got the punch line. There is none. It's just not funny. God, I'm lonely here! 🤣😅
@@CaL-76 Yeah, we are know for making things complicated. Behold a German high school text book! It's not to teach a student, but for the author to show off to his peers. I found college text books in the US so much more coherent and logical.
808Fee hey quick question, is it common for German’s to stop talking for long periods of time while at university? I’ve been chatting with a German(she) on and off every few months, but I’m really confused as to why she really bothers talking to me after those long pauses. It’s really uncommon here to do that unless you liked them. Idk sorry for the dumb question 😕
I share the eat and drink on the go habit, but I have been trying to curb that habit lately. Eating and drinking in cars does count as distracted driving. It is true that this activity isn't yet listed as an infraction in many jurisdictions, but it is starting to appear in some regulations. Eating while driving does lead to an increase in accident rates. When I worked in Europe, I did get a chance to question many habits of mine. Some were worth sharing and others were worth re-examining.
that experiment sounds very interesting, but I don't think 1 week only would be enough to really notice a big difference. Maybe a month would be better...
@@johnp139 Maybe that's an advantage with the German system of using cash all the time. They can donate the change they receive to poor homeless people whom they would otherwise walk past without stopping.
As a Norwegian this is fun to observe. Here about 95 % of all transactions is done by card. I pay everything with a card. It is also well known Norwegians don’t small talk, they sit on the bus and don’t talk to each other. With the exception, when they are drunk.
I think seeing this, card vs. cash experiment would be very interesting to see. I also think, that someone spends less money by using cash due to the fact as you see how the money leaves you and how fast your wallet gets lighter and lighter after every shoping you do. For the overview over your money just write a journal, a small book where you note down every single dollar you spent the day and for what you spent it and on the other hand also note down how much money came in. After this get rid of your collected receipts. After I started doing so I changed my relationship to money and now I spend less money than before.
Kelly, PLEASE do the card vs cash!!! My daughter uses her card for everything and it makes me crazy! I tell her to keep a little cash for small purchases....she never does. I would love to see the outcome of a week long cash trial!
@@Andreas.Weller I for me personally rechecked me and I saw that I overspend waaaay to hard when I only used the card. Overspend with an empty wallet!?
Most Germans don't drink or eat while driving. We're used to taking a break when we want to drink or eat. That's why you'll never find cup holders or stuff like that in old German cars (like before 2000). It holds up your concentration on the traffic which is kind of necessary when you're allowed to drive drastically more than 130 km/h. That's one part of the story. The second one is, that we value our cars more than most other people around the globe. We're a nation of drivers and love our cars, that's why we don't want to ruin the seats with ketchup, mustard, jam or whatever you might think of. Those habits have worn out a bit for younger generations. Still, for a lot of Germans the very own car is like some kind of family member. It's your good comrade, that normally stays with you for a lot of time (in average we keep them like 7 years while we drive cars with like 9 years of age). Often your car stays with you longer than your partner. And that's why a lot of us don't treat their cars like things. We also give them names or nicknames sometimes. Those traditions start to fade a way more and more, though.
Card payments in Germany take longer because the system actually checks with your bank if you have the money to pay the asked amount / or credit in case of a credit card.
i feel like ours do that too? there are so many movie/tv shows showing people getting their card rejected in the US because they ran out of money in their account of they ran out of credit. i've only seen it happen in real life twice, but it definitely happens
@@Kellydoesherthing they do. There are basically two types of transactions: offline and online. In Germany and the US translations are generally online, which means the balance is checked before the transaction is approved, in other countries offline transactions are standard, where the balance isn't checked, but the transaction is basically instant. The reason for it being slow is supposedly the girocard (formerly EC) payment scheme. Apparently the software for the terminals has to be different, which is why most of the times it's not optimized well enough to be fast. There are some fast terminals though like for example in Aldi Süd.
I have a question. Here in Europe I have seen varying degrees of coffee shops trying to decrease paper coffee cups and encouraging people to bring their own reusable ones to create less waste. So depending on the shop/chain you go to there might be a ten to twenty-five cents discount on the order filled into the reusable cup or sometimes even a free coffee if you'd buy a reusable cup in the shop. And since Americans are kings of coffee to go...does that exist over there?
A lot of smaller buisnesses will do things like that. They save money when people bring their own, so they pass that savings on. Grocery stores will sometimes give discounts if you bring your own bag too.
@@kristenheuer5676 oh really? That's interesting. However here they'd do it the other way round and charge you for a bag if you didn't bring your own. Funny
@@kristenheuer5676 Here in Germany almost every shop charges you for the bags. First were the big shops like Karstadt or C&A, then mor and more shops got this habit.
my theory: germans don't like small talk with strangers, because it feels like an invasion to your privacy. from minimum 1933 to 1990 (east germany) if someone knows specific details about you, like if you have expensive things, in wich country you make your vacation, did you hear US/UK or later west germany radio channels or watch tv channels from west germany or if you have an other opinion against the government that its possible to end in jail.
@@Kellydoesherthing I do not know a ex-west German personatly to discuss that. The expiriance was the same up to 1961, after that in east Germany was it still bad. In the past everybody had to be an open book for the authorities (include family tree) and for the west germans and after the fall of the Berlin wall for the east germans they have now the freedom to hold everything in private.
Kelly does her Thing +@@Redjac1701 please do not forget Germany had up until 1918 an Emperor, only about 15 years a democracy until 1933 the dictatorship took over, after 1948 the west Germans slowly learned to speak their mind but not to total strangers.
I think you are into something here. It also explains the privacy argument related to the cash only. I would understand why trust to the government is hard. As a Norwegian we have had a trusty government since 1945, many Germans have only had it since 1990.
@@Kellydoesherthing As a "western" German I don't see a big cultural difference in this regard. I think this desire for privacy has much deeper cultural roots.
I live in Germany, and I pay with my EC card 99% of the time. Rarely do I get into a situation where I do need cash. So I carry around only little cash with me. I also have credit cards, but I use them only as spares and for some online purchases. I can view all of my bank transactions online, that's one of the reasons for me to pay cashless whenever possible. I usually don't eat or drink on the go, except occasionally when I want to carry it with me. I was surprised too about the amount of smalltalk in the US when I visited there. People in Germany do it too, just not that frequently.
Yeah, me too. But in my small social circle I‘m famous for being without cash and that tends to be a problem because a lot of smaller places like bakeries only accept cash. At the moment we can still pay with our student ID on campus but they are trying to take that away because of DSGVO.... 😤
I guess, you're either living in a very big city or do not eat something like Döner or similar things. ;) I've once had no cash a few months ago because I had forgotten to draw a bit money (usually only little amounts of 10 or 20 Euro once or twice a week - a very good option to control your spendings in my opinion) but wanted to eat a Döner NEAR the TRAIN station before I would go home by train. The store looked extremely modern, so I thought they will definitely have a card system, but - guess what - they didn't. My next choice didn't either, and I was so annoyed that I finally went to Burger King- where they of course always take card as they follow American habits. The next day I had still forgotten to draw money and so I was again lost while trying to get something to eat that wasn't super mega expensive McDonald's or Burger King. Actually, the city I am talking about is Mannheim. It is absolutely crapped with various colourful stores and restaurants at every corner, but they're usually led by Turkish people and do not take card - which you wouldn't think as there should be quite a few tourists or at least international buisness people (Mannheim isn't known to be beautiful... but historically and scientifically interesting). I guess, international people that go to Mannheim will know that they need cash. Yet, although I pretty much never use card for "entertaining things" (Germans consider eating out - even just on the street - a rather special occasion), I was very disappointed that in such a large city, paying with card was so difficult or impossible. To add that, over the last years I got into the habit to pay my groceries with card as they might go a little over the 20 Euros in my wallet ;) and as you can see anything you've bought and what made your purchase a bit more expensive directly on the receipt. Yet, I never really perfectly like it and rather regret my laziness, when I once again gave away 40 Euros although I only had planned sth. like 25 Euros. If I only would have had 25 Euros in my wallet, I would have taken way more care on the things I bought. ;) A side effect might be that in the end I might produce less waste by throwing food away that doesn't taste or wasn't directly needed just because it had been priced down.
We, as in "we as a couple", rarely take food on the go our go to a restaurant, because it is far more expensive than cooking at home or just making coffee at home. When I was in the US and Canada it seemed pretty normal for the people to always go out and I didn't get how people can afford this. A simple Pizza was like $14, about double the price here in Germany and the salary was not higher. So I'm still wondering how you can spend so much money going out all the time, buying cars, houses... Additionally coffee on the go or several other otg food stuff is just not good for the environment. Smalltalk is also so strange concept. I talk to people if I'm really interested in them and not just because for the sake of having a meaningless conversation. The typical "how are you" and expecting a positive answer like "fine" although one is not fine at all felt like being fake all the time. Not saying Americans are always fake, but for me as a German it felt like it. Because you never seem to get a truthful answer to these smalltalk questions, they just seem to spread positive vibes all the time although nothing might be positive at all. I think that's one of the biggest cultural differences, that Americans get educated in such a way to always be positive. For example when in school and you are supposed to judge on a presentation, you are supposed to give positive feedback although the presentation was crap. Just so that a bit of criticism doesn't come out to harsh, whereas in Germany you're kinda expected to be honest. At least that's what I was being told.
Agressively verbally attacking other drivers who cant hear you in germany is referred to " Auto Tourette " Auto standing for Car and tourette obviously for the condition that forces you to say things involuntarily. Its a casual term and usually meant in an almost jokingly way, people will generally understand and very much relate to it xD
My mother can't really speak English. However, she speaks enough English to imitate Americans. She just screams in a high voice: "OH MY GOD! That's amazing! I love it!"
But then, the definition of "friend" is different in the US and Germany, too! For Germans, friends are people you have known for a quite an amount of time and have met regularly. Your friends often know your family or other friends of yours and you tell them very personal things about yourself. You would never consider anyone a friend you just talked to for the first time. I don't know how it is in Sweden, but I think it may be similar. In the US, I think you can say "Oh, I've just found a friend" after chatting with someone who was a complete stranger before. I don't think any German would do this.
@hkistreet I did neither mean to say that American friendship is no real friendship nor judge Americans and American culture. I just wanted to point out that the concept of "friendship" may be different in different cultures.
When I lived in Germany as a French student, I shared my place with an American. She, like you, said that Germans barely ever eat on the go. I always felt they did that a lot. When I moved to the US, I realized we were both right - German people eat and drink on the go a lot less than Americans, but a lot more than French people (as far as I can tell, that is).
Small talk: I - as a (German) man agree with Misha. For me it's a little bit of hard to start a conversation - especially when I was younger. That time when I met my girlfriend worked in another town. When she traveled to me by train sh always told me about new contacts to people in the train, what was a little strange to me - just talking with random people in the train, what I would have done that time never. For me your statement may be a little bit wrong - other Germans would act much more like you. Payment: I have to appreciate Misha's point. I remember the 70th when we first got the Eurocheck and then payment by Eurocheck Card. That time many people (from lower education) were proud of their card - and finally got into deep financial trouble. I think not everybody is able like you a) to keep track on spendings and b) not 'taking' everything they see not regarding their budget (which could easily be spent on an evening shopping - but the month lasts much longer).
As an American...I hate small talk, and talking to strangers. My mother is like you, and will talk to everyone (even if they clearly would rather not, she doesn't notice) but I hate it.
Yes, I'm on the side your boyfriend here, obviously, because I'm German. I watched the video and smiled here and there, everything fine and then you talk about the last two habits..... I would go crazy about both of these things as a German if I need to experience it in my dailie life. About Facebook: I don't even have half as much as friends there as your boyfriend does, but I have family in the US and one person is an my friendlist. Gosh, after a few weeks I had to block her posts from my newsfeed (I don't blocked her, I just don't ever want to see a post from her again) also not one thing she posted was from interrest at all. And I'm not the only one, I think my whole family blocked her completely from their news feed. Not to imagine 10 people of this kind! But until now I thought just she might be a bit crazy, but maybe she really is just a very normal US American.... It's true that hyperboles and worse, permanent overexaggerating, are things that not just only annoy me but, outside of youtube, I really struggle to get how the person is feeling or what someone really tells me and if it's important, because everything is as dramatic as possible. I even have subscribed to some US youtubers I really like, but I just watch them with 0 volume and captions most of the time, because half of Americans with these habit also seem to yell all the time and I still feel as if someone is shouting at me and it's hurting my ears (yes, it really hurts!) if the volume is on minimum. I decrease the volume for US videos around 80%-90% upfront just to be safe and rarely need to turn it up. But Kelly, let me tell you, you are not one of these youtubers! Yes, you do hyperbole but not too bad, compared with many other I see and hear. Also you do it mostly just in the language and not also in gesture, volume and everything. I even have my volume turned on for your videos and *drum-roll* - on a normal level!! In my eyes you are close to deserve a medal for that!
i read your entire comment to my boyfriend and you had both of us smiling and laughing :) most of my American friends regularly post on facebook but i do have a few that i have also needed to block because their posts were WAY too frequent and were also completely uninteresting to me or expressed very strong opinions that just became annoying to me after awhile. i'm not sure where your American family member would fall on that spectrum but just as you wrote, she might be normal haha there are some american you tubers i also struggled to watch for the same reasons you've listed. part of me is is impressed with how animated they are able to be in front of just a camera because i don't think i could ever do that, even if i were drunk hahaha i really appreciate your compliment :) thank you for that!
hahaha, I just couldn't hold it anymore :D and honestly I feel sorry for Micha (or Misha? how is his name spelled?), stay strong, you'll get used to it! I'm sure.. probably.. maybe.. in a decade.. or two... :D But it's true before she was on my friendlist, I didn't even know that you can ban someone from your newsfeed but after just 1 week I searched for this option.
Thank you for this bemusing video! I've just realized, that as a German, I seem to have more American habits than German ones. I HATE paying in cash, I ALWAYS eat and drink on my way to work, I am constantly getting into full conversations with people (but I also must admit that I do get strange looks/reactions too, as most Germans are quite grumpy/weird when it comes to socializing with strangers), and I LOVE LOVE LOVE air conditioning, I even got an AC at my apartment here in Berlin. Thanks again for making me realize that I should consider moving to the states in the near future. Keep it up, Kelly. You rock!
Appreciate your video!!! About the small-talk and hyperbolism: Always, when I (Belgian) meet an American for the first time, I put myself in a higher alert mode, because often the person is so enthusiastic and intimate and willing to become my best friend ever possible (nearly love declaration). And after, you never hear or see him or her again. It is not the small-talk but the intimacy and "language of extremes" that makes these meetings so confusing to me. In that context, if I were your boyfriend, I would have difficult with the aspect of my partner making "intimate love declarations" to other people.
There are so many countries who are moving to more electronic payments but it seems that Germans are very insistent on keeping cash as the dominant payment method. i hadn't heard about getting rid of cash altogether yet. thanks for the comment :)
With every payment there is someone or more then one who takes a fee for this transaction. And not forget the government takes taxes from this who gets the fee. So your money looses his value with every electronic payment. This will be a long therm evolution.
Not having cash comes at a price and you guys will accept it like meek sheep because "SOOO convenient" Yes, it's so convenient to have no more cash. Because you won't have any more parents saving money for their kids in a lockbox, money that would be untaxed when passed on. Without cash, this is all electronic and the government takes the bulk off your kids' hands. YAY! The government will know exactly how much money you get, how much you spent and what you spent it on. I personally don't want them to know this much about me. In a no cash society, they will check your openings/accounts whenever they please. Want student aid? Whoops, daddy bought a new car this year, he needs to sell that to pay for your school. Sounds lovely, eh?
Hey Kelly, I'm German and definitely share some of your habits(paying by card, eating on the go) and wouldn't be mad about any of it 😊 your reasons for your habits seem very reasonable to me. Have you tried grocery delivery or hello fresh(delivery of ingredients for recipes)for me its a huge relief. Card payments in Europe take so long because they are done via the internet data lines. Some lines are old and quickly overwhelmed, when many people make purchases. So fun to watch your videos.
I'm sorry, but I am an American, and I am going to have to take the side of your BF on nearly all of these. I think it's time to heed his good advice. For example, Americans eat on the go, a lot more than Germans do, and Americans are also, on average, a lot fatter than Germans - coincidence? - I think not!
of course it isn't a coincidence. there are tons of studies out there proving that american obesity rates are largely caused by our propensity to eat out (along with some other factors) but i'm also in the opinion that i, meaning me specifically, understand this and am able to take mitigating measures to avoid gaining weight.
I'm sorry, but the obesity in the US has absolutely nothing to do with Americans "eating out" a lot. It has to do with the food itself, even the food you cook at home. It is all "contaminated" with chemicals and additives and all sorts of other poisons that the FDA allow, simply because it is bad for the population. Germany and Austria (where I live at the moment, I am American by the way) are the few places in Europe I know of that don't have quite the tip top standard of food either sold or consumed. The food isn't perfect in these places either, there are simply fewer chemicals in the food- which is why Germans and Austrians aren't as fat. Although, by all rights they should be when you see the amounts of bread they eat and the beers they drink every day. Just my piece on this one sided topic.
I would like to add that the average BMI in the states is higher than here in Germany, yes. However, it was my observation in the US that although many eat too much and move too little, others eat pretty healthy and spend a lot of time in the gym. In Germany there are less extremes. I myself am overweight but not obese (yet). The distribution is of BMI values is very different. For me, the main reason is that Americans use their cars for everything and noone walks anywhere and not the eating habbits...
@@icetruck3420 A comment on Americans not walking anywhere: if you walk in America, chances are you won't arrive at the place you want to get to. The distances are so much greater.
I'm from Poland and we are here similar with Germans about the cash. Personally I think you learn to "respect" money you have when you use cash. For example, I know how much I have on my account and I take out (that's how you say it?) some of it and this amount needs to suffice for, let's say, a week. It really opens your eyes how much do you spend. When I use card I don't remember how much money left in bank. I know you can check on your phone but you need internet for that and not a lot of places have *free* wi-fi here and phone data can be expensive.
Yeah I guess I check my bank account daily, and usually multiple times a day, via my bank’s apps on my phone so at any given point, I know exactly how much money I have in my account and I track transactions like a hawk
It seems like a _lot_ of people on social media hyperbolize, nowadays. Nothing's ever "meh" anymore. Every single thing is either _"absolutely awesome"_ or _"total crap!"_
@ Yes, the British always tell us Americans how much better their version is because, well, just because. And Americans never produce any quality language based culture. Except of course literature, music, poetry, film, etc. But then, no other countries in the world enjoy any of that, do they?
Cause of the media, a part of Europe that doesn't dub movies and tv shows, grow up with American English mostly. So it's normal for that part of Europe(also the non EU part not just EU) Which makes British sound just weird, the other part of Europe only knows school English and a great percentage on there is British, this makes it a learned language instead of a language with emotions and feelings in it. They don't get jokes other Europeans make in English, which are mostly based on American speech, slang etc
Card payments in Germany are usually online. It just takes longer if the device has to establish a connection to the bank or credit card company and request whether the pin is correct, the card isn't blocked and if the card or bank account has enough credit on it. In France or the US on the other hand most card payments are offline and therefore faster, but the risk of fraud or uncovered payments is higher.
it depends. for me, i'm also german. i was working "on the street" as a service-person at the customers house to repair computers and printers and stuff like that. The customers usually were companys. But off course, half the day i was on the street driving from a to b and on midday, i'm getting something at the grocery store or Burger King or something... so yeah. i was used to. But i see that others are not.
I am probably American, I am always walking with coffee, my father is vice versa, he can't go with that, he wants drink it fast and go, I hate that. I have to drink it slowly and enjoy it, not kick it to me and go.
Weird American habit: Always using Apple computers, phones etc. even though they a) are outrageously overpriced, b) are very hard or even impossible to repair (or even upgrade), and c) suffer from a severe case of vendor lock-in.
@@Kellydoesherthing i guess its because Apple donated the Equipment for IT-classes in school from the late 80's on. So the last Generations of US-Kids and Teens basicly grown up with Apple-tech only and dont know much other brands. In Germany the most bought brands were Dell and HP. Atleast at my school time, mid/late 90's.
I find this to be not true. None of my friends owns an apple product. None of my family owns an apple product either besides my brother. The only reason my brother has a Mac is because it's the only computer that has professional video editing software and capabilities (he is a cameraman for a news company in Miami). Apple is a piece of poo. My biggest complaint is they don't allow you to transfer music with ease to another product other than Apple.
@@imrehundertwasser7094 cell phones and computers are cheaper in Switzerland than the US so we go with Huawei as a cellphone, and HP as a computer (I don't think they use apple parts). My husband is Swiss and still has family in Switzerland so we're here at least once a year.
One of the reasons why card payment can take more time in germany is, that the card will be checked if you can pay for it etc. If your balance isn't high enough the card will be rejected and you can't pay for it. Also the money will be withdrawn directly and not in 1-3 days. Nowadays many stores like Rewe or Edeka just block the amount on your bank and charge later.
Hi Kelly, I think the experiment of using cash one week and using creditcards the other week would be interesting! I heard, that there is already snow in Washington D.C. Is this true? In Bavaria it will snow next week and it is very cold already.... Looking forward to your next video! Greetings to you and Micha from Munich.
awesome! you're the third one to vote yes for vlogging that video :) thanks for responding. and yes!! it snowed yesterday! i couldn't believe it. the snow here has already melted though whereas up at my parents (4 hour drive north) they have 25 cm! Greetings from DC!
I live in the Netherlands, we use cards here a lot however i wanted to point out that not many places actually accept credit cards, the cards we use here 99% of the time are like bank cards that withdraw directly from your bank account.
i tried to use just the term "card" so as to not differ between credit and debit cards or even the EC cards. the EC cards in germany are more often accepted than others but is slowly getting replaced with more international cards.
@@Kellydoesherthing In terms of international card schemes Germany is actually better of than the Netherlands. Living in Berlin I am used to pay for everything with my Mastercard Debit card. When I went to the Netherlands I wasn't even able to pay with it at a regular supermarket. It's that bad that I'd say having an international card you need more cash in the Netherlands than in Germany. Also EC is called girocard since 2007. EC actually refers to Mastercard Debit, because Mastercard holds the trademark for EC
In Holland people pay with creditcard only old men pay cash. I work with German and I this that are realy have streng habit and german men thing only one way that’s it an this is n’t easy.
Aah the small talk! As a Brit J missed the random conversations when I lived in Denmark (although sometimes found an American to chat with on the train or similar - somehow Americans are quite loud so you can find them more easily than say fellow Brits). Just the other day I got in a chat with a woman at the bus stop about charity shops, has a chat today with a woman about our shopping in the queue at Aldi and yesterday I went to a free community clothes swap and got a lift home from someone I chatted to there (Sunday buses are not good!). I must say in Germany I have found people more interested in engaging in conversation due to wanting to practice their English, where in Denmark nearly everyone's English is very good and they don't wish to practice. I am also with you on card payments, I use Google pay or contactless card and a budgeting app to monitor spending which pulls in data with Open Banking (new European thing from January this year) and trying to swap to a mobile app based bank. I definitely think I have more of a clue where I spent my money if I buy by card. I think where I live in the UK it isn't common for my peers in their 20's and 30's to drive loads (even those who have or share cars use bikes, public transport, liftshare or walk to work at least part of the time) so when they drive they often ask passengers to be quiet so they can concentrate. One of the funny things to us Brits is how much Americans say awesome for normal things, for us awesome is something that genuinely inspires awe. Like amazing sunsets or mountain top views. With social media use I went to an international college in Denmark and I would say my American former classmates post much more than nearly all my other former classmates, but I would say their usage is similar to many of my British Facebook friends. One of my best friends who is German posted alot when she lived in UK and Australia, but now she is in Berlin, not so much.
In the USA i felt vulnerable because I knew if my credit card was lost or stolen, anybody could use it and plunder my account. In contrast if I want to use the credit card in Europe I have to enter my Pin Code for every single transaction
@@eberbacher007 If someone steals your credit card in the USA, you just report it and don't have to pay anything. Even if they go on a spending spree with it.
My friend was shocked after realizing that I paid the 10SEK (€1) toilet entrance fee with my card in Sweden :-))) unfortunately the Apply Pay is still unavailable in Germany.
As a US expat living in the Philippines, I am back in the states for a couple of weeks every two or three years. Each time I note that the use of debit cards is more pervasive. When I lived in the States, I would often hit up the ATM for what was laughingly called 'yuppie food stamps' (twenty-dollar bills). At the Safeway (supermarket, you may use Krogers, or Vonns, or Wegmans, or King Kullen...) folks would use debit cards or cash depending on how small the purchase was. But if it was small the cash would appear. When someone started writing a check, I think we all rolled our eyes at the loss of time. But this last trip, about 18 months ago, I saw almost no cash used. Two trips ago, a number of times as I used the card I was asked for my email address. That was a bit weird. There are pluses and minuses to this. There is the loss of personal privacy that goes with this, but it is also harder to hide corruption. Yes we eat on the go. Yup, sure do, and have done so for decades. But then, the US is a car culture far more than folks in the EU. Got my driver learner's permit at age 15 and my license at 16. It's a different world. They have great train systems. We have our cars and the Interstate. When was the first drive through in Germany? When was the first place you and separately he walked up to and ordered a shake, burger and fries at a place that had no chairs, but you had to drive to just to get to? For me it as the 1950s and the burgers were 19 cents. When was the first restaurant than served you in your car with waitresses on roller skates? That was in the 1950s for me. We had drive up liquor, drive up pharmacy, and then there was the Drive-In. How many children were conceived in those? The USA is a car culture... so yes we eat on the go. Small talk. In cultures that are not egalitarian, small talk means you are talking to someone above your station in life or allowing some from a lower station to waste your time. In my America, we meet on the level. When I meet you on the street, we are equal. We are Americans. That is enough. So, how's it going for ya' today, Pal? Talking to the cars? Why not? If that bozo ahead doesn't know how to handle a four-way stop, I have every right to wonder out loud if he got his driver's license from Sears.
Coffee on the go is pretty common in parts of Europe and others it not, Germany is more aboot traditions, In the Netherlands cards are normal, German tourist make this weird gesture when stores or restaurants have card only registers and don't accept cash at all at those registers, since you can even pay just a few cents with a card. Soon we have less ATMs in the Netherlands as well, just like we don't use 1 and 2 cent coins and Germans do. I usually have take out food, microwave meals, oven meals, or something to just add water.You're word choice is normal, it's not weird at all. Dunno what's weird about it
Yeah I think you're right, which is totally awkward, since Germany and the Netherlands are both part of the EU and border union states, while the US and the Netherlands are miles apart and even a complete ocean between it. Most Dutch don't even speak German, a great chunk of the Dutch speaks (US) English, can read it, understand it, joke in it, use sarcasm in it, fool around and play with words, which only makes sense for English speakers, the Dutch or bilingual people, but not to people that only use English learned at school.
When I was 18 I moved from the US to Germany, and what I've noticed is there is less time being wasted on small talk in Germany, so they have enough spare time to sit down to eat and/or drink. ;)
idk, your guy doesn't sound like someone I'd like to spend time with. Maybe you should do a video once where you describe what's so wonderful about him that you fell in love :D
I live in Belgium and love it that I can pay almost everywhere with the card, we even have a shop with bio and vegetarian foods that has a sign at the entry that says: "NO CASH" because it makes it much safer for them too (no hold ups possible) (although that is actually against the law, because a Belgian is supposed to be able to pay with cash if he/she wants to ) but that's beside the point. The difference with a slow card machine in Germany and the fast ones, is that some of them work with WIFI and others work with a fixed connection through cable. We have both in Belgium.
6:30 you actually get a receipt even if you pay with cash and as a good german you have a book where you will make a note of your spendings and of course you will organise your receipt so you can always track down your payments.
Few comments: #6: Would this explain Trump always talking in superlatives? It’s one thing why nobody in Europe takes this man seriously. He‘s fully digital! Bad / tremendous or 1/0. # Cash: Don’t forget to mention that using cards everywhere opens you up to profiling of your shopping habits by the bank. Cash is just more anonymous. # finally: You seem to be talking about US-Americans only, not all Americans. Using a Pars pro toto sounds a bit like US exceptionalism (although many done mean it like that). What are the common habits/values on the other hand?
People that get cash outta there bank account are suspicious, they should be monitored if they go to the ATM. They must be up to no good, they have something to hide.
@@demil3618 call it what you want, frankly nobody is confused if you simply refer to US persons by their demonym "Americans," as all the other nations in the Americas have their OWN demonym, such as, say, Canadians, Mexicans, Guatemalana, Columbians, Peruvians, etc. This childish obsession with "American" by some people is just annoying. We've been called "Americans" since we were colonies of Great Britain.
I am German and I love doing small talk just like you and I also take food and drinks to go in the car and the reason why we usually avoid paying with c-cards is because the bank charges huge fees for each and every transaction/payment. Of course when I went to the US or South Africa, England or elsewhere, then I checked the fees in advance and organized finances during the stay in a way so that I could use cc most of the time. Not every german is like that. Depends on how open and flexible a person is.
I use my card more than cash for the same reasons. My mother used to say "There's no such thing as a stranger, just friends you haven't met yet!" I think that sums up the American mindset. I post on social media (Facebook) because I have so many friends and I may not see them for weeks or even years. America is a big place and people don't think anything about moving from one state to another and still keeping up with their friendships "back home." The older I get (I was 70 this month) the less I want to cook, clean up the kitchen, or grocery shop. (Have you walked through WalMart lately, it's a hike.) It's so much easier to drive through a restaurant.
I 100% agree with that being he mindset a lot of Americans have. Everyone who is your friend was once a stranger to you :) I’m also a big fan of posting on Facebook and looking at my feed because it’s such an easy way to keep up with my friends who are so spread out at this point. As always, thanks for watching and commenting, Sue! :)
American here. Cash is my preferred payment method because I end up spending so much more when I always have all of my money on me, as opposed to setting my daily budget by putting a certain amount in my wallet. That, and my usual food places are cash only.
I am German and spent a week in Amsterdam (Netherlands). I warned my buddy that there is a lot more to pay by card and often no cash is accepted (eg if you want to buy a bus ticket or visit a "to go" supermarket). His bank charges fees for every card payment and even withdrawing money abroad would not have been free of charge. I am a customer at another bank and was able to conveniently pay for everything with my VISA card without any fees. I've brought more than half of my cash back home so I'll get a very long billing next month: D I prefer card payments since I've had an account (1999) and I find that much more practical. Unfortunately, Germany is still too focused on cash. My parents are over sixty and my dad hates paying by card. My mother started it only two years ago. Try to pay outside of a city with Apple / Google Pay. This is almost impossible here. I love coffee to go!! Dunno why most of the German want to stay in a busy, noisy coffeeshop (unless you meet up friends/family there), pffft! ;-) It is also possible to learn Smalltalk. In Germany, spontaneous small talk is seldom reciprocated and I often notice immediately that the respective person wants to have his rest or feels uncomfortable. That's just our culture, especially in northern Germany.
As a German living in Sweden since 1996 I am so used to paying by card that I get irritated every time I go to Germany and they won’t let me pay by card 😳 Here in Sweden the tendency is going towards more and more stores not even accepting cash anymore. Not being able to pay by card for a taxi trip in Germany unless you book a taxi that will accept cards just baffles me.
I don't make enough money to get a free card and I refuse to pay for one when I can pay with cash at no extra expense here in Germany. Now I'm afraid to go on vacation because who knows if I'll have to starve because I don't see why I should pay for a card solely for vacation when I do fine without at home.
@@mchobbit2951 Oh for sure, let me make this 100% clear: You can NOT any more get by with "only cash" in Sweden. And if you come waving those monopoly-looking "EURO" nonsense, you'll be laughed out of the building immediatly. You will be completely fine with only card, though. I had to touch cash by accident a few weeks ago but before that, it was probably a couple of years since I touched any. As a matter of fact, I couldn't tell you how the current Swedish cash looks any more, since we recently changed their appearance.
Thanks for watching! And don’t forget to share this video with your friends :)
pls make the experiment with the cash and the card ^-^ I think when you use cash you will buy less, because you see the money and you have more control over the money
Sorry for asking here, but I just watched your new driver's license video, and wrote a lengthy commentary....but when I tried to send the commentary, the video had been taken off line, and now I can't find the video any more...did you take it down again? ....or was it banned for some reason, maybe just in Germany?
I prefer pay with cash because i have more overview with cash over my finiancel
Kelly - In the UK, and I expect in the USA, our credit cards and debit cards have a chip which let's you pay up to £30.00 by just touching the card against the till card reader in pubs, shops, everywhere; so quick! Also, purchases made by credit card in the UK (maybe other countries as well) make the bank equally responsible for the goods as well as the seller. So, if you pay by card for something and (for example) the seller goes out of business or you are in dispute you can claim your money back from the bank.
outt of curiousity did you manage to work on your hyperbolizing over the last two month?
"Trust their banks more" ... because that went so well in 2008 and many occasions before that
It's all insured
@@jakeshaw3454 Maybe in your dreams
@@jakeshaw3454 hahahhahahhahahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahha You are so cute
I only trust in trustworthy banks, and that doesnt mean i have to trust any business with my card data.
It's happening again.
I'm Austrian and pay everything in cash. Never seen anyone use Apple pay in my life, not even sure if that is a thing here.
I'm Czech living in England and in both countries people also prefer cash over card.
I'm Austrian too, and I do have some emergency cash in my pocket, but I usually pay everything with my Smartphone where it is possible.
I do that since more than 1.5 years now and just this week I've been told by the cashier, that she didn't ever see someone doing that.
Last year I heard this on a daily basis, so it's more common now. I've never seen anyone else using his smartphone or another device. Most customers do not even use the wireless (NFC) option of their cards.
You do realize cards are always wireless? Even cards without NFC
@@dutchgamer842 contactless.. Oh boy
Sad
Germans don't do smalltalk, b/c it's lowering the work efficiency!
Just kidding............
No I'm not, Germans don't joke!
hahahahahaha!
Not true, just last month I heard someone laugh on the bus.
@@JuttaandWolly Maybe someone was hurt? A joke is less likely than someone being smashed by a cow dropping out of a plane ;o)
Or maybe he/she wasn't german?
Gerald : the latter being more likely. It is dangerous though, that seldom heard sound might scare someone......
I laughed after reading this comment. But then I realized that I am a German so am confused now
If a German says the food tastes good, very often he/she honestly means it. An American would think he/she doesn't actually like the taste.
An American probably wants to hear "It was super delicious." or "The best ever." even when it was only "good".
The first world problem to run out of "superlatives" when you overuse and misuse them. It distorts their true meaning. It's probably one of the reasons Germans think that Americans seem "fake".
I think Germans are more reserved and therefore honest in that regard. Probably one of the reason that Americans think that Germans are "cold and distant" and perhaps "grumpy".
Wow, this comment is amazing!! Thank you SO MUCH!!! You are awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@LisaBeergutHolst Well, I think his comment was ok.
@@Musikpunx Just OK?? It's super INCREDIBLE!!! 🤗🤗🤗
German, all psyched up: "This comment was not bad."
Germans from the North: Jo
Fun fact: The difference in coffee culture actually caused the first Starbucks in Germany to fail miserably.
They tried again several years later and it was received way better and ever since Starbucks became a normality in Germany as well.
I can 100% blindly believe that and I now understand why the first time I saw a real coffee mug in a Starbucks was in Germany
@@Kellydoesherthing Polish girl here :) It's the same in our country. I hate the taste of these to-go mugs. It completely changes the taste of my coffee. also what is with those funny sticks? How am I suppose to stir my coffee with it? It's uneffective! :) I need real teaspoon! :D I am also completely unable to drink while walking, I have to stop to take a sip :P In Poland Starbucks is also critisized because of asking people their names and calling people directly by their names- some people find it rude- you should use more formal form when you talk to people, you don't know.
This is only slightly related to this topic, but: if you ever are bored google for articles about how Walmart tried to get into the German market and failed, it's actually hilserious :D
@@dominikapietrzykowska4785 Also, that coffee-to-go creates so much trash
The whole point of Starbucks was you take a coffee to go, you can sit down there and have a cookie or cheesecake now or some kind of sandwich. However it's still to go food&drink, just like at domino's pizza.
What I find funny is that Americans always speak so loud. When I watch your videos for instance I have the feeling that you're shouting at me ;-) Sorry, no offense intended, just saying. I wonder how it feels for Americans when they're in Germany. Do you have the feeling that everybody is whispering?
Mumbling
Yes. I found a great explanation in another youtube video that because the US is more spread out instead of "constricted" that is why we talk "louder". At the least, it made me think...
Loud and A LOT!!! I can't believe she did a 14 minutes long video for a list of 5 things!!!
I am German and I am deaf...😉
@@elizaiv indeed! talking and talking without even breathing and her voice isn't exactly the sweetest voice on earth so I had to mute her after 5 minutes, I simply couldn't stand it anymore ...
I'm British, and I can identify very closely with Misha's ways. So much of what bothers Misha would bother me too. He sounds like a very sensible person to me. Americans have some very strange habits and ways.
@Bobby Brady who cares, just dont answer him
There is a reason why German cars had no cup holders.
lol exactly
WTF? :D I'm livin' in europe, east side, but never seen any car without a cup holder. Most useless thing here, I can admit that, but regardless, your argument is wrong. Even a 10-15 years old VW Golf has a "push to open" cup holder above the radio. You push it, a 2 sided cup holder slides out. :D Most of the cars has at least one behind the shift or built inside the glove-box.
@@ZaiKoo90 You do understand that "had" means the past? "had no cup holders" NOT "have no cup holders".
@@ZaiKoo90 Maybe 1-2 cupholders, true.
But a 20 year old US car usually has Usually 3-4 Cupholders in the front and also in the rear at least one for each seat.
@@eberbacher007 You forgot the 4-5 cup holders built into the door and the row of ten or so on the back window ledge. And let's not go into how many are found in trunk. The motto in America is: Stay Hydrated.
I think one major reason why ppl in Germany don't really eat in their cars is the whole stick shift thing. I started eating in my car the moment I drove automatic. Also, Germans are really meticulous about their cars. I can relate to that. If you want to get under a German's skin, eat fries loaded to the brim with ketchup and hold the whole thing at an angle.
I think you’ve hit a major point there. Driving stick makes it difficult to do a lot unless you’re able to keep a steady pace on the highway. And that’s a good tip for me to bug misha 😂
I’ve never had a problem eating and driving a stick shift. You don’t need your hands on the wheel at all times.
I'm German and I would never drink my coffee at the gas station 🤔
@@johnp139 I'm a really crappy multitasker to boot. 😆
808Fee Besides, the matter of eating and drinking while driving in Germany is a pointless discussion. Germans use public transportation all the time. The question is, do they eat and drink while riding in their trains?
You should see the French and the Spanish. They sit around for half a day eating and drinking.Compared to that Germans are much more efficient.
Arno Schmidt and they could be even more efficient if they got their coffee to go!
@@johnp139 Which collides with german eco friendlyness and their dislike of disposable mugs.
@@johnp139 Also, drinking coffee or eating while driving is nearly as (or even more) dangerous as talking on the phone.
@@jur4x ...especially when you drive more than 100 mph on the autobahn.
@@ArnoSchmidt70 Bring your own re-usable mug :) Contigo cups are wonderful for that! That's what I do.
i HATE smalltalk. i'm bad at it, i don't see the point in it. i have no interest in doing it. germans do smalltalk too, for example when they go to a party where they don't know alot of the people, they usually do smalltalk. its what i call "forced conversation". if you're done with that forced conversation you maybe get a good talk with a person you didn't know earlier, maybe not. but i'd never have a smalltalk with a cashier, or a random person on the street. to me as an introvert this is just something i'm incapable of doing
I hate it too, and I'm pretty outrovert. But I only love to talk with friends, with people I know very good and know what conversation to expect. I hate to talk to strangers. You never know which strange topics will surface. Most time, people talk stupid shit about completely unnecessary things. No, thanks.
@@Seelenschmiede *extrovert
Seelenschneide, i think you are an ambivert.
How do you make friends? With an app? ;) Just saying. I am dutch and I love small talk!
Marjan Pel small talk is stupid. No offense. But it helps your org nothing.
Number 6 is probably the thing I dislike most about Americans.. They're always "so excited" or "so stoked" or "absolutely amazed"..
Haha yeah I can see how it would be annoying if you’re not used to it/from that culture
it's just a way of speech, like every language has. The learned school version is always different from the actual version, it also differs region to region, social group to social group.
Darkbase ....and they ALLWAYS WORK HARD :)
This American finds that a bit fake, too. Of course, I'm a 6th generation German-American, and have three years in combat zones. I haven't found much to get that excited about in some time, aside from family weddings and childbirths.
I cannot stand the "starving" one. Grrrrr. You're not starving, I can literally guarantee it. There are millions of starving people in the world; however anyone who tells me they are starving are not one of them.
I feel like by paying with card it's easier to spend more than you intend to. Lets say you draw $200 and that's your monthly allowance to spend on groceries. You'll immediately notice when you have spent too much - probably on little things like coffee that accumulate to bigger sums fast
I have it all sync up with my phone and use an open banking app so I can categorise my spending and see how much I have spent in each category. If I used cash money just disappears for me I have no clue what I spent it on 😏
there is truth in that, as teenager i spended more then i realized, and for a couple of months i only used cash , to have to realization when i had to get more cash of, how long ago i gotten the same amount, were did I spend it on? ..
But after that learning faze , I'd say , the cash only really helps at festivals or so to keep my spending, elsewere I do , i DO take in account it goes of my account,
but I almost only use debit card, almost never credit card! so it goes right of my debit account, i could easely wire a saving to my saving account to re-put the pressure of only being able to spend as much as available on my debit account by that trick..
"I like that I can review my bank statements and see every single purchase that I've made."
Yeah, and so can the bank, and the 15+ companies the bank is selling that info to. Or anyone that happens to have access to either the bank's IT or your account, really. 1984 anyone? Doesn't that creep you out even a bit?
In the EU, they can't legally sell all those data without my permission. And I don't think any government agencies would be interested in my grocery shopping... if they do, have fun with it, there's nothing interesting in there.
I don't get telemarketing phone calls just because I bought something with my card.
So, yes, a bit creepy, but nothing serious, at least in the EU. If you have nothing to hide, they won't hunt you down, or harass you because of your spendings. And it's not like you're going to buy bombs with your credit card anyway...
Bank data can bite you i you for some independent reason are in the minus andhave to justify it before lets say a potential landlord or lady. The data shuldnt be out there accesable to companies, that are not obligated to keep them secret to third oaties without allowence..
In my experience in America, I’ve noticed that Americans like to use card to see their payments, out of need to be able to see things.
:0 I think they get stolen/mugged from, especially in big cities.
Your bank knows almost everything about you, where you work, how much you earn, where you live, how much rent you pay and to whom, it knows about all payments you make via debit order, it knows how much debt you have and how much savings, if you apply for a mortgage it will want to know even more. I don’t think it matters much whether the bank knows that you’ve paid for an occasional meal at a restaurant or that you bought some groceries or an item of clothing. I don’t think one needs to purchase every single item with a card, but the fear of using your card because the bank might know where you ate a meal or that you bought something at Karstadt is just paranoid. Banks in the eu are also not allowed to sell customers data. I would worry a lot more about using the payback points card, used by many Germans. Every single grocery purchase or any other purchase using the payback card is definitely tracked, whether you use cash or not, and not by a bank that is bound by rules and regulations.
MetalTrabant soy pi think they give a slight fuck of what they are legally allowed to do and not? So naive
In Germany the kids are told “eating while staying or walking is not good for ur health“, take ur time for eating.
And it's true, a doctor would tell you the same thing, German or not. I think the American on-the-go way of life is not well received in Europe in general.
And if you dont go while eating you can enjoy it better.There are exceptions of course but its a goodrule.
If its coffee, drinking and going can be messy.There are many reasons.Thejapanese are even morestrict
Well, there's one German word for those who are provoking road rages: "Sonntagsfahrer"
which literaly means Sunday-driver (elderly pensioners having their cars parked during the week, but snail-cruising with it over the weekend without knowing exactly where to go - and that right in front of me ... AAAAARRRRRRRRRGHHHHHH "Du Sonntagsfahrer, verpiss dich aus meinem Leben!!!"
:ox
It's the same in English (American for sure, probably British too) - Sunday driver.
@@anthonykaiser974 In Poland we also call them Sunday-drivers (niedzielni kierowcy). They mostly drive to the nearest graveyard to visit relatives' graves.
haha 😂
@@joannab-k3542 ... and they drive at a speed which makes you think they probably will stay there themselves and not make it back home...
Auto-Tourette
IMHO this video talks about differences between capitalist and capitalism-sceptic societies (German-French model Europe).
1. A coffee to stay is not about the drink, but about the time spent without purpose, you're private enjoyment, freedom.
With a coffee to go, your teat (your pleasure) becomes subordinate to it's utilitarian value.
3. Spending cash will always immediately remind you of your budget (try overspending with an empty wallet). Checking your account afterwards is futile. The money is already spent; too late darling.
On a side note: Just look a t the consumer debt of credit card USA and cash Germany for example and it should be clear who's overspending.
4. There is a word for it in English too: unethical driving.
Act as if the principle behind your action, could be imposed as a general rule (Kant, Categorical Imperative)
Can passive-aggressive retribution be a general rule for traffic? No it can't. Stop it, you're endangering some one. If the driver next to you is an asshole or not, you still can't foster an deathly accident because of spite.
You didn't count correctly. 😜
@@0000-z4z the account name is perfect for this comment
Why don't you bring your boyfriend Into this conversation. He surely want to speaks his mind
trust me, i've tried. and tried...and tried...and tried some more haha he doesn't want to be in the videos and i can't convince him otherwise. i will show him your comment though :)
@@Kellydoesherthing Maybe he would do it like Mr German Man th-cam.com/video/3-LF-vJv23Q/w-d-xo.html
@@ernestm.4388 lol! I hadn't seen that yet. maybe it will work ;)
@@Kellydoesherthing if he has a carreer he might not want to have his face online talking maybe about stupid or funny stuff
Kelly does her thing have him talk as a shadow with a modified voice 😀
I grew up in CA and small talk is treated differently there. It’s fine to talk to people if you’re waiting in line or waiting for public transit, but it’s rude to try to small talk cashiers or waitstaff. It’s like you are wasting their time and the time of other customers. If a waitress is stuck at your table because you won’t quit talking then she can’t go to the other tables. I lived 2 years in the south and it drove me crazy that waitstaff or cashiers would try to initiate small talk. It was embarrassing! It’s so ingrained in me that it’s rude and burdensome to hold up staff that I couldn’t get over it.
TJ G My Family is from California. California is different than most of the country. I LOVE the South! They are so friendly and helpful. Everyone helps everyone. Californians are considered rude and I do not blame people for thinking it. I do not think it is right to put work before people.
Finally, someone like you says something that makes sense about how small talks are annoying in some situations such as with cashiers and waiters.
rtgtx Yeah, small talk is fine but it needs to be within the context of the situation. If it’s holding things up it’s not ok.
TJ G Well the key word is small. Some people like to stretch it which isn't good. But I think it humanizes the situation. People in the service industry aren't just robots to do our bidding. I'm southern by the way.
Hyperbolizing is indeed typical US American. For many Europeans this looks dishonest and overselling, like car salesmen. However, any US citizen would not have trouble to identify the intensity of an expression. Therefore, this is only a typical inter-cultural misunderstanding. Also most of my English is derived from US movies and media, which resulted in using starving in the UK. That caused some interesting comments, including you do not look like starving to me (which is true). Furthermore, I should not use bullshit and crap rather use rubbish.
Hahaha I’ve worked with a few Brits in the past and I noticed that they were far more articulate than my American coworkers and were quick to call me out on some things I said, similar to your starving comment haha
In Australia we feel that the exaggerated speech of Americans and Canadians is like being hit with a blast from a flame thrower. When my Canadian flatmate talked about things he saw that were "Awesome" it made me think that either I was missing something because when I saw the same thing it looked "ordinary" to me, or perhaps Canada is so boring that anything is "awesome" in comparison.
@@Kellydoesherthing the "haha" thing at the end of your comments is an american thing too. Here in europe hardly anybody writes it. Americans write it quit often to symbolice "what I'm saying is meant light / funny / not bad". And we europeans think "he will sort it out and if need be I appologize".
The haha thing is just mean in most situations. And i dont like the not clever but mean humor, unless there is really an unredeemable jerk that deserves it. Or politicans, you can always make fun of politicans and public personas, like the queen of england, and terrible bosses and managers. Basically all unsympathic upper class or rank persons. But behind their back.
Unsurprisingly apologizing isnt always meant to be that big of a gesture, its just to show you didnt mean any harm, if its honest, that is.
I literally die of laugher when i see when i see how much hyperbolic american media can be to the point that it looks like a parody.
@@Seelenschmiede We do that? I thought that was just something that some folks do irrespective of nationality. I don´t know, I always thought it was a bit smarmy seeming from people who usually mean well.
Many germans love their cars. Most men keep their cars cleaner than their houses. :D
I’m an auto technician in America. I can almost always tell the sex of the owner by the amount of schmutz in the car. Guys cars are typically MUCH cleaner.
If a man holds open the door, one thing is new, either the car or the woman!
No. 6, When people use exaggeration regularly, for me, it feels like everything they say are exaggeration so we should take it lightly... So, their words lose credibility...
I read FB regularly but I rarly post anything, too. I don't think it's a privacy thing rather it could go along the same line as the small talk. I'll post if I have something to post but I do not "spam" for the sake of posting. :)
haha that's a good point and i can definitely understand it. i will bring that up to Misha :)
I would be very interested in a video on how your payment behavior changes when you pay by cash or by card. By the way, I love your videos, please keep going :-D
Aw thank you! You are the 5th yes vote for that vlog :) I will probably end up doing it. Thanks for watching!
That would be interesting. But you'd have to keep track of your cash expenditures so you can make a reasonable comparison.
@@Kellydoesherthing i would be very interested too, because my experience, like many of my friends are too is that you are more aware of how much you are spending, when you have that 50€ bill in your pocket that is getting less and less; in my case as a student for food and beer; when i have cash with me i ceep track of what i have spent and what i have available for the night
Me too. Honestly after hearing about your way of paying and having all your purchases listed online I'm starting to think it might even be easier to keep check on your spendings. While paying with cash you often forget all the small thinks you've bought.
However I'm still a paranoid German that doesn't trust anything or anyone and just blocked contactless payment in fear of people stealing your money from your bank account by holding some device next to your bag. Actually drove people in Scotland crazy when I needed to enter my pin to pay. 🙈😂
@@Kellydoesherthing Great idea (I'm exaggerating, too). Go for it.
The Dutch are not that likely to use a credit card but are using the card from their bank. For small amounts, you can pay by holding your card at the machine. For larger amounts, you need to use your pin. A good second is to use cash. Cash is seen as a good way to keep your budget. You see the money you spend and have left.
i tried to say "Card" the whole time as to not differentiate between credit card and debit cards. i really only use my debit card (which is what is linked to my apple pay) and only use my credit card for specific reasons like if i'm buying a flight and my credit card offers 5x points for using it to purchase flights.
I guess it is my bias to think that Americans use their credit card a lot. I stand corrected. ;)
Alex de Kruijff many Americans use their credit cards and earn benefits AND pay off the balances every month thereby not having to pay any interest. By not doing this you are losing money.
I'm from Austria and cash is king here, too. But I've never seen cash as a good way to track my budget since I've left school.
I'm much more comfortable to use my debit card / paying app.
Imagining getting a hot coffee to go in the car, in the cup holder, flying down the Autobahn at astronomical speed, and having to suddenly brake and slow down. Yikes.
Ever heard of lids?
My wife's wallet was stolen in Paris years ago. Someone later used her credit card in Romania. But she reported the card as stolen, and she was not responsible for any of those charges. It made me glad she didn't have much cash in her wallet.
Exactly. My bank is really great with cancelling any fraudulent charges (only happened once but was $3k) and they call me if they detect suspicious activity. Cash would be gone forever with no hope of getting it back
That's why most germans wouldn't carry more than a hundret Euros with them. Personally I rarely Take more than 70 euros with me. If I buy something expansive, I do use my card or Order it online.
The Problem with the Card getting stolen is, that you're litterally pennyless, or am I wrong? My parents taught me to always hide a little bit of cash (for a Cab,...) In my pocket ^^
Your comment just shows, how much trust you put in your banks.
P.s. I am german anderen appologize for all grammar mistakes (german automatic spelling correction isn't helping either) ^^'
Totally agree with the last topic!!! Just made new US friends on Facebook while visiting Florida and now my feed is literally flooded by the many things they post throughout a day 😆
10:57 "I hyperbolize ALL THE TIME [...]" Do I have to say more?
Exactly hahaha
I mean after all, german cafes are much nicer than american, so why don't just stay there and enjoy your coffee ;)
because i went to get to the city we're driving to and enjoy drinking a coffee at a cafe there!! lol :)
Some people have other things to do.
If your driving 6-8 hours in one day, you just want to get on the road. It's not unusual for people in the US to drive that far to see family for the weekend or holidays. Vacations sometimes you drive a couple of days to get there. The longer you take at stops, the less time you have to spendwith family or on vacation.
@@kristenheuer5676 I see. In germany i always take the train for trips like this. But i know that the train system in the US is mostly sh*t (no offense). So maybe i just say that because i never sit in a car for such a long time.
No offence taken. Trains here only go to larger cities and long distances. By long distances, I mean 2 or 3 states before you stop again. They can also be expencive. There are some places that have trains for shorter distance, but you are limited to where they go. Thats mainly Im the east coast and between mountain mining towns.
1. Eating on the go:
I think the eating on the go is reflective of the value the society places on food. Germany is not even very strict on this. While in Germany from an American perspective it may seen as though eating on the go is not the norm, to most Germans this is not nearly as important as to the average French or Italian.
From my (raised and living in Germany) perspective the decline in appreciation for good meals and eating as a social activity is quite visible and worrying because to me this appreciation is a very valuable cultural thing. And it is proven to be more healthy. Not only because when you eat on the go, you usually buy prepared or even heavily processed foods instead of cooking with fresh produce, but also because you take less time for your meal, eating in a hurry and often being not relaxed while eating. All of that is detrimental to your digestion. This is one major reason why Americans are so unhealthy on average, while French and Italians are among the longest living people.
2. Small talk
I'm somewhat split on this one. On the one hand, it is quite hard to find friends in Germany, when you are new somewhere, because people are not all that open. So it is usually a good idea to join some sort of group activity like a sports club, a theater group, a choir, or whatever you enjoy to get to know people while doing something together.
The more open culture in the US makes this a lot easier but on the other hand relationships tend to be less commited. In Germany it is harder to make friends, but usually those will be reliable friends you can count on for many years or even a lifetime. Surely this does exist in the US as well, but my impression is, it is not as common and people have more overall but fewer strong relationships.
3. Cash vs. Card
Germans compared to many other people are fairly concerned about data safety. Every transaction that is done using cash has no record that is connected to the customer. So if I'm buying everything with cash, no one can possibly find out all the personal things that my purcheses might tell about me. Ironically though, in Germany so called "payback"-cards are quite common, primarily for grocery stores. They are personalized and grant small refunds based on how much you buy using the card. There is no money on it, you will pay cash or with your usual card and simply have the cashier register your card. So some people buy cash but still hand over their data :D
While this sounds a bit stupid, it is actually less stupid than always paying via card, because payback cards at least grant you a refund for supplying your data. Simply paying without cash doesnot have any compensation.
And lastly, maybe using social media less might free up time for cooking? :D
Nah, just kidding. I appreciate your videos :)
People that get cash at an ATM instead of using card payments are more suspicious. Banks and authorities keeps eyes on those people more than on people using cards.
"People that get cash at an ATM instead of using card payments are more suspicious. " Not in a country where literally everyone does it.
@@dutchgamer842 sure, if you withdraw $10,000 over a very short time, but for the average Joe pulling $2-300 here and there with a normal pattern, it largely goes unnoticed. I have family in banking.
@Anthony Kaiser, nope you're always suspicious if you always withdraw money and never use a card for payment, no matter the amount. It just means you're up to no good.
No, Dutch Gamer. Not in Germany. That applies to countries where everyone pays with card all the time. In Germany, many people just prefer using cash, especially older people, hence they always withdraw money. It doesn't mean that they are up to no good.
I'm a defender of small talk. It's not about the topic, it's about the people. Talking to people shows 1) that you're not hostile and 2) that you have respect for the stranger.
"Hyperbolize"... I just learned a new word. 😮 I had never heard it before.
In my time in the States it struck me that a lot of people do hyperbolize. They are not disappointed, but devastated. They are not amused, but they are ROFL their butts off. They are not laughing about something, they are dead or done. They are not just good at something, they slay.
It never bothered me, but I found it interesting.
Hahaha it’s so true. I probably could’ve elaborated even more but I knew it was already making me sound a little crazy and dramatic haha but your examples are perfect :) I’m happy I could teach you a word to label this
I think hyperbole is one of the defining characteristics of American English. Another example: You're "shocked" when in reality you're just surprised or bewildered. Like all those so-called "culture shocks".
Sabine, you don't "find it interesting." You are FASCINATED by it!
Sabine How are you today? I think you're back in Germany, right? In time for Weihnacht.
And everything is A W E S O M E 😁
In country in the U.K., strangers will say Good morning which may result in a conversation, whereas in UK cities if someone speaks to you, you assume they are either disturbed or getting ready to steal from you.
When I've been in the US, to me everyone is in country mode and not city mode.
I _literally_ hyperbolize a MILLION times a second" and it's AWESOME to hear.
I do not like when people call Americans superficial because of small talk. It is not superficial to be kind to others. I think it is part of our culture to look out for others. A smile and a hello can cheer someone up.
i completely agree!
I think the same. I am a German woman and I like to talk to strangers - just to be friendly, give them a smile and brighten their day up. Perhaps it's a question of personality differences...
As a German I think it seems like a lot of fun!
...But then I‘m also very antisocial so I think it would be exhausting for me personally
It is very strange to us scandinavians but I don't feel it's superficial. "How are you" as a "hi" feels weird, but what is "natural" or "superficial"? It's just culture. And I have been to the USA. The small talk never felt superficial. They genuinely wanted to talk WITH me about completely random stuff. I kinda like it, and I learn a lot more than I have when I have been in european countries where getting people to open up can be... a chore. ;)
I just think i someone does that always, it doesnt mean much. Its good if you genuinly are a cheery kind person, but people are different, some people just make a small smile when they are happy. I would say, just do it if you have the intrinsic desire to do so, not an extrinsic factor like a cultural standard. Its not that germans for example never smile or are nice, but not to any random stranger. Only strangers you are genuinly interested as person. Or be yourself, if you are a loud cheery big fluffy bundle of joy, do that, but no one is a big bundle of joy all the time.
The best service you can do to troubled person is to encourage then careful to say that, and listen. With self care of course, but that is what troubled people really need, someone who genuinly cares and listens that they know they arent alone in the world.
I am a German living in Germany, and I, too, do not usually carry any cash on me. Thankfully Lidl and Aldi now changed their POS Terminals and you can actually pay with credit cards now :-D And yes, the tendency for lots of shops to only accept cash is infuriating me.
I’m Swedish and I would say that Swedes use cash even less than you Americans do. At many cafes, shops and bars in Sweden you can not even pay with cash. I have not had Swedish cash in my hand for at least five years. Not even once. And i live here.
When I'm in the US, I always have some cash on me because it's convenient when giving tip.
But maybe it's because I'm a tourist.
Like your channel 👍🏽
Appen Zeller Well, i will be dead in a few years so I don't care.
@@jimmystrom6651 Maybe Hitler thought the same...
1. About card payments
2. Small story about cash
1. The cashiers I talked to told me that most stores don't have Internet and they use some sort of dial up connection. You can pay contactless here too. Just hold it to the cardmashine. No clue about apple pay tho.
2. I personally got a budget plan too and just take the reciete home with me and enter the amount into my excel table.
I did Buy a Bag of Chips for 0,99€ in my local Kupsch (german store) and payed with my EC card despite the minimum requred amount of something like 10€. You can do it, and it's a gamble. But I don't tend to have cash on me since the next Bank where I can get cash from an ATM without paying crazy fees is a few km away :D.
But you are right we Germans love our cash and most will just withdrawl most of their money after a payday.
Just wondering how anyone could live healthy when eating out daily.
valid question and the famous american obesity is often attributed to this (fast food being the primary type of restaurant). i will admit that it's taken a bit of a toll on my physique over the past few months and i need to scale back but i usually try to eat salads or at least leaner meats that come with veggies to compensate but they're still not ideal.
Easy. Eat salads and use fat free dressings or just use balsamic vinegar, there are vegan restaurants, open your mouth and ask how something is prepared. If you dont like it and its fattening ask if they could do it another way, when getting 2 sides go with 2 vegetables rather than fried, restaurants usually have low fat menu section, and box 1/2 of your entree when it first comes out. I had to spend 2 months eating out for work and I didn't gain 1 kilo. I actually exercised less than I did when I was at home.
You havea choice in what you put into your mouth.
I actually ate healthier when I was living in the US. The choice of healthy food option is tremendous, especially in bigger cities.
Jessica Ely it’s not the fat, it’s the sugar.
@@johnp139 That's what most people don't know ... fat is not the enemy, sugar is ... Still have to shudder thinking about breakfast-cinnamon-rolls for breakfast :)
I have a VERY German last name, because I married a man with a Very German last name. He doesn't actually happen to be German, but was adopted into a German family. They immigrated here 2 generations ago, his grandfather a WWI veteran was born in Germany immigrated to WI. His father was 1st to get out of a farming life into a more urban world. My husband's heritage happens to be Native American. The odd thing is, his habits are THESE German habits you are discussing and my habits are THESE American habits you are discussing. He has only been to Germany once or twice for business in real life. His employer has a German Co. as business partner. He was just in Germany a few months ago. They show some more respect to him with the German name, but he has no accent and no German like features. He knows only the basic of German language. It's true what you are saying. He is Constantly checking his wallet before he gets in the car and before he goes into a store for his cash. It's 100% always there. He just HAS to be SURE he has cash. We have so many, many coins he's bringing in from his lunch. After knowing him for 39yrs, I don't think there's any hope for getting any more German habits to change to American habits. I guess it's nurture over nature??? Good to know other people see things the same! German vs American. Although he was my neighbor, he was raised that his family was 'a little better' and that has stuck too. Good luck with your man. He is probably a 'little better' too? Lol. The never drinking in a 'to go' from Styrofoam, minimally coffee in a mug, maybe rarely paper...it goes on and on. And dinner is served AT The Table, not in your lap. I'm so proud of him, last week he sat at the kitchen bar and ate dinner for the 1st time in 18mo, almost 2 yrs because we were playing cards and he got home late. Old dog - New tricks! Winning...lol.
hahaha i'm happy to see that our experiences are shared :) and i hope to do future videos where i talk about habits he and i have both changed because of being with each other. his list is shorter than mine, just as you're describing hahaha thanks for watching and for sharing this comment :)
@@Kellydoesherthing Well, he moved to the US for you, that's a pretty big step :)
roesi1985 and something I’m thankful for every day :)
"Although he was my neighbor, he was raised that his family was 'a little better' and that has stuck too. Good luck with your man. He is probably a 'little better' too? Lol. "
What complete bull. Most Germans find people who consider themselves 'a little better' rude and stuck up. I always found that AMERICANS are the ones who seem to think they are 'a little better'.
I just noticed that ever since I studied in the US, I do most things the American way. The small talk thing I miss the most. I feel isolated and lonely in my own country. I wanna move back asap. Oh yeah and I'm one of those Germans who doesn't like to date other Germans. 🤣
808Fee why do you not date Germans? American asking.
@@CaL-76 They are not circumcised. Jk, I'm not that superficial. I just feel like I hardly ever click with Germans. They take life too seriously for my taste. I don't want to generalize here, but it's just a certain vibe. Americans are just a lot more positive in the face of adversity. Also, I noticed that I mostly respond to "US-humor". Ppl, especially from the northern part of Germany tell me jokes and a year later I still haven't got the punch line. There is none. It's just not funny. God, I'm lonely here! 🤣😅
808Fee haha right to the point, how German of you 🤣
In the USA, we have a joke for everyone; for Germans it’s the classic light bulb one.
@@CaL-76 Yeah, we are know for making things complicated. Behold a German high school text book! It's not to teach a student, but for the author to show off to his peers. I found college text books in the US so much more coherent and logical.
808Fee hey quick question, is it common for German’s to stop talking for long periods of time while at university? I’ve been chatting with a German(she) on and off every few months, but I’m really confused as to why she really bothers talking to me after those long pauses. It’s really uncommon here to do that unless you liked them. Idk sorry for the dumb question 😕
I share the eat and drink on the go habit, but I have been trying to curb that habit lately. Eating and drinking in cars does count as distracted driving. It is true that this activity isn't yet listed as an infraction in many jurisdictions, but it is starting to appear in some regulations. Eating while driving does lead to an increase in accident rates.
When I worked in Europe, I did get a chance to question many habits of mine. Some were worth sharing and others were worth re-examining.
that experiment sounds very interesting, but I don't think 1 week only would be enough to really notice a big difference. Maybe a month would be better...
that's a good point.....but such a big commitment hahaha could be worth it though.
Silkwesir After reading your comment, I agree. A week isn't long enough for a true test.
I doubt that there would be much difference, except for the annoyance in getting cash all the time.
@@johnp139 Maybe that's an advantage with the German system of using cash all the time. They can donate the change they receive to poor homeless people whom they would otherwise walk past without stopping.
@@mojojim6458 In the UK especially in the city's. Mainly buskers but some homeless have card readers for donations.
As a Norwegian this is fun to observe. Here about 95 % of all transactions is done by card. I pay everything with a card.
It is also well known Norwegians don’t small talk, they sit on the bus and don’t talk to each other. With the exception, when they are drunk.
Hi Kelly,
I always like your videos, they're very informative.
Thank you!! :)
I think seeing this, card vs. cash experiment would be very interesting to see. I also think, that someone spends less money by using cash due to the fact as you see how the money leaves you and how fast your wallet gets lighter and lighter after every shoping you do. For the overview over your money just write a journal, a small book where you note down every single dollar you spent the day and for what you spent it and on the other hand also note down how much money came in. After this get rid of your collected receipts. After I started doing so I changed my relationship to money and now I spend less money than before.
i'm curious to see how it will turn out :) i just have to figure out how exactly i'm going to do it haha thanks for the comment :)
Kelly, PLEASE do the card vs cash!!! My daughter uses her card for everything and it makes me crazy! I tell her to keep a little cash for small purchases....she never does. I would love to see the outcome of a week long cash trial!
Becky M lol :) I think I will do it, it’s just a matter of when. I’m very curious as to what the results will be
@@Andreas.Weller I for me personally rechecked me and I saw that I overspend waaaay to hard when I only used the card. Overspend with an empty wallet!?
Most Germans don't drink or eat while driving. We're used to taking a break when we want to drink or eat. That's why you'll never find cup holders or stuff like that in old German cars (like before 2000). It holds up your concentration on the traffic which is kind of necessary when you're allowed to drive drastically more than 130 km/h. That's one part of the story. The second one is, that we value our cars more than most other people around the globe. We're a nation of drivers and love our cars, that's why we don't want to ruin the seats with ketchup, mustard, jam or whatever you might think of. Those habits have worn out a bit for younger generations.
Still, for a lot of Germans the very own car is like some kind of family member. It's your good comrade, that normally stays with you for a lot of time (in average we keep them like 7 years while we drive cars with like 9 years of age). Often your car stays with you longer than your partner. And that's why a lot of us don't treat their cars like things. We also give them names or nicknames sometimes. Those traditions start to fade a way more and more, though.
Love your videos. They are so honest
aw thank you!! :)
Card payments in Germany take longer because the system actually checks with your bank if you have the money to pay the asked amount / or credit in case of a credit card.
i feel like ours do that too? there are so many movie/tv shows showing people getting their card rejected in the US because they ran out of money in their account of they ran out of credit. i've only seen it happen in real life twice, but it definitely happens
@@Kellydoesherthing they do.
There are basically two types of transactions: offline and online. In Germany and the US translations are generally online, which means the balance is checked before the transaction is approved, in other countries offline transactions are standard, where the balance isn't checked, but the transaction is basically instant. The reason for it being slow is supposedly the girocard (formerly EC) payment scheme. Apparently the software for the terminals has to be different, which is why most of the times it's not optimized well enough to be fast. There are some fast terminals though like for example in Aldi Süd.
I thought Germany had this fancy thing called computers? This is instant in Sweden.
06:06 Its slower cause in germany there is atleast one more security stepp in card payment verification with the banking net.
1:30 Taking a pause from driving does more for your alertness than the coffee.
I have a question. Here in Europe I have seen varying degrees of coffee shops trying to decrease paper coffee cups and encouraging people to bring their own reusable ones to create less waste. So depending on the shop/chain you go to there might be a ten to twenty-five cents discount on the order filled into the reusable cup or sometimes even a free coffee if you'd buy a reusable cup in the shop. And since Americans are kings of coffee to go...does that exist over there?
We have the same thing in certain coffee shops to include Starbucks :) I really like that
A lot of smaller buisnesses will do things like that. They save money when people bring their own, so they pass that savings on. Grocery stores will sometimes give discounts if you bring your own bag too.
@@kristenheuer5676 oh really? That's interesting. However here they'd do it the other way round and charge you for a bag if you didn't bring your own. Funny
The only store I know of that charges for bags here is Aldi...lol. Go figure.
@@kristenheuer5676 Here in Germany almost every shop charges you for the bags. First were the big shops like Karstadt or C&A, then mor and more shops got this habit.
my theory: germans don't like small talk with strangers, because it feels like an invasion to your privacy. from minimum 1933 to 1990 (east germany) if someone knows specific details about you, like if you have expensive things, in wich country you make your vacation, did you hear US/UK or later west germany radio channels or watch tv channels from west germany or if you have an other opinion against the government that its possible to end in jail.
that could definitely explain it. do you think that the experience of east germans in this regard would influence the whole country?
@@Kellydoesherthing I do not know a ex-west German personatly to discuss that. The expiriance was the same up to 1961, after that in east Germany was it still bad. In the past everybody had to be an open book for the authorities (include family tree) and for the west germans and after the fall of the Berlin wall for the east germans they have now the freedom to hold everything in private.
Kelly does her Thing +@@Redjac1701 please do not forget Germany had up until 1918 an Emperor, only about 15 years a democracy until 1933 the dictatorship took over, after 1948 the west Germans slowly learned to speak their mind but not to total strangers.
I think you are into something here. It also explains the privacy argument related to the cash only. I would understand why trust to the government is hard. As a Norwegian we have had a trusty government since 1945, many Germans have only had it since 1990.
@@Kellydoesherthing As a "western" German I don't see a big cultural difference in this regard. I think this desire for privacy has much deeper cultural roots.
I live in Germany, and I pay with my EC card 99% of the time. Rarely do I get into a situation where I do need cash. So I carry around only little cash with me. I also have credit cards, but I use them only as spares and for some online purchases. I can view all of my bank transactions online, that's one of the reasons for me to pay cashless whenever possible. I usually don't eat or drink on the go, except occasionally when I want to carry it with me. I was surprised too about the amount of smalltalk in the US when I visited there. People in Germany do it too, just not that frequently.
Yeah, me too. But in my small social circle I‘m famous for being without cash and that tends to be a problem because a lot of smaller places like bakeries only accept cash. At the moment we can still pay with our student ID on campus but they are trying to take that away because of DSGVO.... 😤
@@sweetswidy How does GDPR affect paying with the student ID?
I guess, you're either living in a very big city or do not eat something like Döner or similar things. ;) I've once had no cash a few months ago because I had forgotten to draw a bit money (usually only little amounts of 10 or 20 Euro once or twice a week - a very good option to control your spendings in my opinion) but wanted to eat a Döner NEAR the TRAIN station before I would go home by train. The store looked extremely modern, so I thought they will definitely have a card system, but - guess what - they didn't. My next choice didn't either, and I was so annoyed that I finally went to Burger King- where they of course always take card as they follow American habits. The next day I had still forgotten to draw money and so I was again lost while trying to get something to eat that wasn't super mega expensive McDonald's or Burger King.
Actually, the city I am talking about is Mannheim. It is absolutely crapped with various colourful stores and restaurants at every corner, but they're usually led by Turkish people and do not take card - which you wouldn't think as there should be quite a few tourists or at least international buisness people (Mannheim isn't known to be beautiful... but historically and scientifically interesting). I guess, international people that go to Mannheim will know that they need cash. Yet, although I pretty much never use card for "entertaining things" (Germans consider eating out - even just on the street - a rather special occasion), I was very disappointed that in such a large city, paying with card was so difficult or impossible.
To add that, over the last years I got into the habit to pay my groceries with card as they might go a little over the 20 Euros in my wallet ;) and as you can see anything you've bought and what made your purchase a bit more expensive directly on the receipt. Yet, I never really perfectly like it and rather regret my laziness, when I once again gave away 40 Euros although I only had planned sth. like 25 Euros. If I only would have had 25 Euros in my wallet, I would have taken way more care on the things I bought. ;) A side effect might be that in the end I might produce less waste by throwing food away that doesn't taste or wasn't directly needed just because it had been priced down.
We, as in "we as a couple", rarely take food on the go our go to a restaurant, because it is far more expensive than cooking at home or just making coffee at home. When I was in the US and Canada it seemed pretty normal for the people to always go out and I didn't get how people can afford this. A simple Pizza was like $14, about double the price here in Germany and the salary was not higher. So I'm still wondering how you can spend so much money going out all the time, buying cars, houses...
Additionally coffee on the go or several other otg food stuff is just not good for the environment.
Smalltalk is also so strange concept. I talk to people if I'm really interested in them and not just because for the sake of having a meaningless conversation. The typical "how are you" and expecting a positive answer like "fine" although one is not fine at all felt like being fake all the time. Not saying Americans are always fake, but for me as a German it felt like it. Because you never seem to get a truthful answer to these smalltalk questions, they just seem to spread positive vibes all the time although nothing might be positive at all.
I think that's one of the biggest cultural differences, that Americans get educated in such a way to always be positive. For example when in school and you are supposed to judge on a presentation, you are supposed to give positive feedback although the presentation was crap. Just so that a bit of criticism doesn't come out to harsh, whereas in Germany you're kinda expected to be honest. At least that's what I was being told.
Agressively verbally attacking other drivers who cant hear you in germany is referred to " Auto Tourette " Auto standing for Car and tourette obviously for the condition that forces you to say things involuntarily. Its a casual term and usually meant in an almost jokingly way, people will generally understand and very much relate to it xD
My mother can't really speak English. However, she speaks enough English to imitate Americans. She just screams in a high voice: "OH MY GOD! That's amazing! I love it!"
She sounds fun 😂😂
Well strangers are just the friends you haven't made yet. That's what I always tell the Swedes who are much worse than the Germans in this regard.
that's exactly how i feel!! everyone who is your friend was once just a stranger :)
Michael I think you've summed up the American outlook very neatly.
But then, the definition of "friend" is different in the US and Germany, too! For Germans, friends are people you have known for a quite an amount of time and have met regularly. Your friends often know your family or other friends of yours and you tell them very personal things about yourself. You would never consider anyone a friend you just talked to for the first time. I don't know how it is in Sweden, but I think it may be similar. In the US, I think you can say "Oh, I've just found a friend" after chatting with someone who was a complete stranger before. I don't think any German would do this.
@@roesi1985 True. A friend is someone that you can call at 3am, others are just People 😁
//Sweden
@hkistreet I did neither mean to say that American friendship is no real friendship nor judge Americans and American culture. I just wanted to point out that the concept of "friendship" may be different in different cultures.
When I lived in Germany as a French student, I shared my place with an American. She, like you, said that Germans barely ever eat on the go. I always felt they did that a lot. When I moved to the US, I realized we were both right - German people eat and drink on the go a lot less than Americans, but a lot more than French people (as far as I can tell, that is).
Yes, we germans have times for efficient eating (on the go) and for cultural eating (sitting down).
Small talk: I - as a (German) man agree with Misha. For me it's a little bit of hard to start a conversation - especially when I was younger. That time when I met my girlfriend worked in another town. When she traveled to me by train sh always told me about new contacts to people in the train, what was a little strange to me - just talking with random people in the train, what I would have done that time never. For me your statement may be a little bit wrong - other Germans would act much more like you.
Payment: I have to appreciate Misha's point. I remember the 70th when we first got the Eurocheck and then payment by Eurocheck Card. That time many people (from lower education) were proud of their card - and finally got into deep financial trouble. I think not everybody is able like you a) to keep track on spendings and b) not 'taking' everything they see not regarding their budget (which could easily be spent on an evening shopping - but the month lasts much longer).
thanks for sharing :)
As an American...I hate small talk, and talking to strangers. My mother is like you, and will talk to everyone (even if they clearly would rather not, she doesn't notice) but I hate it.
Yes, I'm on the side your boyfriend here, obviously, because I'm German. I watched the video and smiled here and there, everything fine and then you talk about the last two habits..... I would go crazy about both of these things as a German if I need to experience it in my dailie life.
About Facebook: I don't even have half as much as friends there as your boyfriend does, but I have family in the US and one person is an my friendlist. Gosh, after a few weeks I had to block her posts from my newsfeed (I don't blocked her, I just don't ever want to see a post from her again) also not one thing she posted was from interrest at all. And I'm not the only one, I think my whole family blocked her completely from their news feed.
Not to imagine 10 people of this kind! But until now I thought just she might be a bit crazy, but maybe she really is just a very normal US American....
It's true that hyperboles and worse, permanent overexaggerating, are things that not just only annoy me but, outside of youtube, I really struggle to get how the person is feeling or what someone really tells me and if it's important, because everything is as dramatic as possible. I even have subscribed to some US youtubers I really like, but I just watch them with 0 volume and captions most of the time, because half of Americans with these habit also seem to yell all the time and I still feel as if someone is shouting at me and it's hurting my ears (yes, it really hurts!) if the volume is on minimum. I decrease the volume for US videos around 80%-90% upfront just to be safe and rarely need to turn it up.
But Kelly, let me tell you, you are not one of these youtubers! Yes, you do hyperbole but not too bad, compared with many other I see and hear. Also you do it mostly just in the language and not also in gesture, volume and everything. I even have my volume turned on for your videos and *drum-roll* - on a normal level!! In my eyes you are close to deserve a medal for that!
i read your entire comment to my boyfriend and you had both of us smiling and laughing :) most of my American friends regularly post on facebook but i do have a few that i have also needed to block because their posts were WAY too frequent and were also completely uninteresting to me or expressed very strong opinions that just became annoying to me after awhile. i'm not sure where your American family member would fall on that spectrum but just as you wrote, she might be normal haha
there are some american you tubers i also struggled to watch for the same reasons you've listed. part of me is is impressed with how animated they are able to be in front of just a camera because i don't think i could ever do that, even if i were drunk hahaha
i really appreciate your compliment :) thank you for that!
hahaha, I just couldn't hold it anymore :D and honestly I feel sorry for Micha (or Misha? how is his name spelled?), stay strong, you'll get used to it! I'm sure.. probably.. maybe.. in a decade.. or two... :D
But it's true before she was on my friendlist, I didn't even know that you can ban someone from your newsfeed but after just 1 week I searched for this option.
Thank you for this bemusing video! I've just realized, that as a German, I seem to have more American habits than German ones. I HATE paying in cash, I ALWAYS eat and drink on my way to work, I am constantly getting into full conversations with people (but I also must admit that I do get strange looks/reactions too, as most Germans are quite grumpy/weird when it comes to socializing with strangers), and I LOVE LOVE LOVE air conditioning, I even got an AC at my apartment here in Berlin. Thanks again for making me realize that I should consider moving to the states in the near future. Keep it up, Kelly. You rock!
"I hyperbolize ALL. THE. TIME." 😂
Exactly 😂😂😂😂
Appreciate your video!!!
About the small-talk and hyperbolism:
Always, when I (Belgian) meet an American for the first time, I put myself in a higher alert mode, because often the person is so enthusiastic and intimate and willing to become my best friend ever possible (nearly love declaration). And after, you never hear or see him or her again. It is not the small-talk but the intimacy and "language of extremes" that makes these meetings so confusing to me.
In that context, if I were your boyfriend, I would have difficult with the aspect of my partner making "intimate love declarations" to other people.
I’m from Norway and last time I used cash was in Germany in July. And the government is thinking about dropping cash all together.
There are so many countries who are moving to more electronic payments but it seems that Germans are very insistent on keeping cash as the dominant payment method. i hadn't heard about getting rid of cash altogether yet. thanks for the comment :)
With every payment there is someone or more then one who takes a fee for this transaction. And not forget the government takes taxes from this who gets the fee. So your money looses his value with every electronic payment. This will be a long therm evolution.
@@an-an also cash costs money for the store. Cash is in Germany the most expensive pay method, because every pays in cash.
Not having cash comes at a price and you guys will accept it like meek sheep because "SOOO convenient"
Yes, it's so convenient to have no more cash. Because you won't have any more parents saving money for their kids in a lockbox, money that would be untaxed when passed on. Without cash, this is all electronic and the government takes the bulk off your kids' hands. YAY! The government will know exactly how much money you get, how much you spent and what you spent it on. I personally don't want them to know this much about me. In a no cash society, they will check your openings/accounts whenever they please. Want student aid? Whoops, daddy bought a new car this year, he needs to sell that to pay for your school. Sounds lovely, eh?
@@mchobbit2951 But why? Why do you give a shit if "they" know you bought something?
Hey Kelly,
I'm German and definitely share some of your habits(paying by card, eating on the go) and wouldn't be mad about any of it 😊 your reasons for your habits seem very reasonable to me.
Have you tried grocery delivery or hello fresh(delivery of ingredients for recipes)for me its a huge relief.
Card payments in Europe take so long because they are done via the internet data lines. Some lines are old and quickly overwhelmed, when many people make purchases.
So fun to watch your videos.
I'm sorry, but I am an American, and I am going to have to take the side of your BF on nearly all of these. I think it's time to heed his good advice. For example, Americans eat on the go, a lot more than Germans do, and Americans are also, on average, a lot fatter than Germans - coincidence? - I think not!
of course it isn't a coincidence. there are tons of studies out there proving that american obesity rates are largely caused by our propensity to eat out (along with some other factors) but i'm also in the opinion that i, meaning me specifically, understand this and am able to take mitigating measures to avoid gaining weight.
Black coffee with Stevia on the go. Zero-ish calories and all the time savings!
I'm sorry, but the obesity in the US has absolutely nothing to do with Americans "eating out" a lot. It has to do with the food itself, even the food you cook at home. It is all "contaminated" with chemicals and additives and all sorts of other poisons that the FDA allow, simply because it is bad for the population. Germany and Austria (where I live at the moment, I am American by the way) are the few places in Europe I know of that don't have quite the tip top standard of food either sold or consumed. The food isn't perfect in these places either, there are simply fewer chemicals in the food- which is why Germans and Austrians aren't as fat. Although, by all rights they should be when you see the amounts of bread they eat and the beers they drink every day. Just my piece on this one sided topic.
I would like to add that the average BMI in the states is higher than here in Germany, yes. However, it was my observation in the US that although many eat too much and move too little, others eat pretty healthy and spend a lot of time in the gym. In Germany there are less extremes. I myself am overweight but not obese (yet). The distribution is of BMI values is very different. For me, the main reason is that Americans use their cars for everything and noone walks anywhere and not the eating habbits...
@@icetruck3420 A comment on Americans not walking anywhere: if you walk in America, chances are you won't arrive at the place you want to get to. The distances are so much greater.
I'm from Poland and we are here similar with Germans about the cash. Personally I think you learn to "respect" money you have when you use cash. For example, I know how much I have on my account and I take out (that's how you say it?) some of it and this amount needs to suffice for, let's say, a week. It really opens your eyes how much do you spend. When I use card I don't remember how much money left in bank. I know you can check on your phone but you need internet for that and not a lot of places have *free* wi-fi here and phone data can be expensive.
Yeah I guess I check my bank account daily, and usually multiple times a day, via my bank’s apps on my phone so at any given point, I know exactly how much money I have in my account and I track transactions like a hawk
It seems like a _lot_ of people on social media hyperbolize, nowadays. Nothing's ever "meh" anymore. Every single thing is either _"absolutely awesome"_ or _"total crap!"_
even the president. SAD! lol
@ Yes, the British always tell us Americans how much better their version is because, well, just because. And Americans never produce any quality language based culture. Except of course literature, music, poetry, film, etc. But then, no other countries in the world enjoy any of that, do they?
Cause of the media, a part of Europe that doesn't dub movies and tv shows, grow up with American English mostly. So it's normal for that part of Europe(also the non EU part not just EU) Which makes British sound just weird, the other part of Europe only knows school English and a great percentage on there is British, this makes it a learned language instead of a language with emotions and feelings in it. They don't get jokes other Europeans make in English, which are mostly based on American speech, slang etc
@sean jared There is nothing wrong with American English at all, you're discriminating a whole country
Card payments in Germany are usually online. It just takes longer if the device has to establish a connection to the bank or credit card company and request whether the pin is correct, the card isn't blocked and if the card or bank account has enough credit on it. In France or the US on the other hand most card payments are offline and therefore faster, but the risk of fraud or uncovered payments is higher.
you have a weird boy friend. i am german, and eating and drinking on the go or in the car is absolutely normal in germany.
it depends. for me, i'm also german. i was working "on the street" as a service-person at the customers house to repair computers and printers and stuff like that. The customers usually were companys. But off course, half the day i was on the street driving from a to b and on midday, i'm getting something at the grocery store or Burger King or something... so yeah. i was used to. But i see that others are not.
having a cup of coffee is a time to relax, to sit down and watch people.
I am probably American, I am always walking with coffee, my father is vice versa, he can't go with that, he wants drink it fast and go, I hate that. I have to drink it slowly and enjoy it, not kick it to me and go.
Weird American habit: Always using Apple computers, phones etc. even though they a) are outrageously overpriced, b) are very hard or even impossible to repair (or even upgrade), and c) suffer from a severe case of vendor lock-in.
omg yes!! that's a good one and something misha and i talk about a lot hahaha i will have to bring this up in a future video :)
@@Kellydoesherthing i guess its because Apple donated the Equipment for IT-classes in school from the late 80's on. So the last Generations of US-Kids and Teens basicly grown up with Apple-tech only and dont know much other brands. In Germany the most bought brands were Dell and HP. Atleast at my school time, mid/late 90's.
I find this to be not true. None of my friends owns an apple product. None of my family owns an apple product either besides my brother. The only reason my brother has a Mac is because it's the only computer that has professional video editing software and capabilities (he is a cameraman for a news company in Miami). Apple is a piece of poo. My biggest complaint is they don't allow you to transfer music with ease to another product other than Apple.
@@jessicaely2521 Are you sure you and your friends and family are American? ;-) Just kidding - what kind of computers / smartphones *do* you use?
@@imrehundertwasser7094 cell phones and computers are cheaper in Switzerland than the US so we go with Huawei as a cellphone, and HP as a computer (I don't think they use apple parts). My husband is Swiss and still has family in Switzerland so we're here at least once a year.
One of the reasons why card payment can take more time in germany is, that the card will be checked if you can pay for it etc.
If your balance isn't high enough the card will be rejected and you can't pay for it. Also the money will be withdrawn directly and not in 1-3 days.
Nowadays many stores like Rewe or Edeka just block the amount on your bank and charge later.
Hi Kelly, I think the experiment of using cash one week and using creditcards the other week would be interesting! I heard, that there is already snow in Washington D.C. Is this true? In Bavaria it will snow next week and it is very cold already.... Looking forward to your next video! Greetings to you and Micha from Munich.
awesome! you're the third one to vote yes for vlogging that video :) thanks for responding. and yes!! it snowed yesterday! i couldn't believe it. the snow here has already melted though whereas up at my parents (4 hour drive north) they have 25 cm! Greetings from DC!
@@Kellydoesherthing But, Kelly, how much snow did your parents REALLY get? Don't give us some funny-bunny number.
@@mojojim6458 Okay for all you weirdo Americans, that's 0.1367 fathoms of snow :-P
@@ZorbaTheDutch Good one. Thanks for making me smile.
I live in the Netherlands, we use cards here a lot however i wanted to point out that not many places actually accept credit cards, the cards we use here 99% of the time are like bank cards that withdraw directly from your bank account.
i tried to use just the term "card" so as to not differ between credit and debit cards or even the EC cards. the EC cards in germany are more often accepted than others but is slowly getting replaced with more international cards.
@@Kellydoesherthing In terms of international card schemes Germany is actually better of than the Netherlands. Living in Berlin I am used to pay for everything with my Mastercard Debit card. When I went to the Netherlands I wasn't even able to pay with it at a regular supermarket. It's that bad that I'd say having an international card you need more cash in the Netherlands than in Germany.
Also EC is called girocard since 2007. EC actually refers to Mastercard Debit, because Mastercard holds the trademark for EC
In Holland people pay with creditcard only old men pay cash. I work with German and I this that are realy have streng habit and german men thing only one way that’s it an this is n’t easy.
Aah the small talk! As a Brit J missed the random conversations when I lived in Denmark (although sometimes found an American to chat with on the train or similar - somehow Americans are quite loud so you can find them more easily than say fellow Brits). Just the other day I got in a chat with a woman at the bus stop about charity shops, has a chat today with a woman about our shopping in the queue at Aldi and yesterday I went to a free community clothes swap and got a lift home from someone I chatted to there (Sunday buses are not good!). I must say in Germany I have found people more interested in engaging in conversation due to wanting to practice their English, where in Denmark nearly everyone's English is very good and they don't wish to practice.
I am also with you on card payments, I use Google pay or contactless card and a budgeting app to monitor spending which pulls in data with Open Banking (new European thing from January this year) and trying to swap to a mobile app based bank. I definitely think I have more of a clue where I spent my money if I buy by card.
I think where I live in the UK it isn't common for my peers in their 20's and 30's to drive loads (even those who have or share cars use bikes, public transport, liftshare or walk to work at least part of the time) so when they drive they often ask passengers to be quiet so they can concentrate.
One of the funny things to us Brits is how much Americans say awesome for normal things, for us awesome is something that genuinely inspires awe. Like amazing sunsets or mountain top views.
With social media use I went to an international college in Denmark and I would say my American former classmates post much more than nearly all my other former classmates, but I would say their usage is similar to many of my British Facebook friends. One of my best friends who is German posted alot when she lived in UK and Australia, but now she is in Berlin, not so much.
thanks for sharing the UK perspective :) and i heard the UK is leading the world on contactless card payments
I would feel to vulnerable having a lot of cash on me in the US.
9StickNate Us Germans feel vulnerable if we pay by card and expose our whole spent to authorities or firms that don’t respect data privacy.
In the USA i felt vulnerable because I knew if my credit card was lost or stolen, anybody could use it and plunder my account.
In contrast if I want to use the credit card in Europe I have to enter my Pin Code for every single transaction
louismart PARANOID!
eberbacher007 I can and have easily disputed charges and not had to pay for ANY fraudulent charges. EVER.
@@eberbacher007 If someone steals your credit card in the USA, you just report it and don't have to pay anything. Even if they go on a spending spree with it.
In China, people don't carry cash anymore. They just scan with their phones. It's actually sometimes slower than cash.
You reduced the use of the word ,like‘ so you were very easy to listen to. Apart from that: a good and informative video!
Thank you :) I’m trying haha
+Kelly does her thing since I criticized it the first time, I thought it only fair to you to
complement the change. 😊
My friend was shocked after realizing that I paid the 10SEK (€1) toilet entrance fee with my card in Sweden :-))) unfortunately the Apply Pay is still unavailable in Germany.
06:03 because Germany has the lamest and at the same time the most expensive internet of all European countries
As a US expat living in the Philippines, I am back in the states for a couple of weeks every two or three years. Each time I note that the use of debit cards is more pervasive. When I lived in the States, I would often hit up the ATM for what was laughingly called 'yuppie food stamps' (twenty-dollar bills). At the Safeway (supermarket, you may use Krogers, or Vonns, or Wegmans, or King Kullen...) folks would use debit cards or cash depending on how small the purchase was. But if it was small the cash would appear. When someone started writing a check, I think we all rolled our eyes at the loss of time. But this last trip, about 18 months ago, I saw almost no cash used. Two trips ago, a number of times as I used the card I was asked for my email address. That was a bit weird. There are pluses and minuses to this. There is the loss of personal privacy that goes with this, but it is also harder to hide corruption.
Yes we eat on the go. Yup, sure do, and have done so for decades. But then, the US is a car culture far more than folks in the EU. Got my driver learner's permit at age 15 and my license at 16. It's a different world. They have great train systems. We have our cars and the Interstate. When was the first drive through in Germany? When was the first place you and separately he walked up to and ordered a shake, burger and fries at a place that had no chairs, but you had to drive to just to get to? For me it as the 1950s and the burgers were 19 cents. When was the first restaurant than served you in your car with waitresses on roller skates? That was in the 1950s for me. We had drive up liquor, drive up pharmacy, and then there was the Drive-In. How many children were conceived in those? The USA is a car culture... so yes we eat on the go.
Small talk. In cultures that are not egalitarian, small talk means you are talking to someone above your station in life or allowing some from a lower station to waste your time. In my America, we meet on the level. When I meet you on the street, we are equal. We are Americans. That is enough. So, how's it going for ya' today, Pal?
Talking to the cars? Why not? If that bozo ahead doesn't know how to handle a four-way stop, I have every right to wonder out loud if he got his driver's license from Sears.
Coffee on the go is pretty common in parts of Europe and others it not, Germany is more aboot traditions, In the Netherlands cards are normal, German tourist make this weird gesture when stores or restaurants have card only registers and don't accept cash at all at those registers, since you can even pay just a few cents with a card. Soon we have less ATMs in the Netherlands as well, just like we don't use 1 and 2 cent coins and Germans do. I usually have take out food, microwave meals, oven meals, or something to just add water.You're word choice is normal, it's not weird at all. Dunno what's weird about it
Thanks for the comment :) I think the Netherlands and the US might have more in common that the Netherlands and Germany haha
Yeah I think you're right, which is totally awkward, since Germany and the Netherlands are both part of the EU and border union states, while the US and the Netherlands are miles apart and even a complete ocean between it. Most Dutch don't even speak German, a great chunk of the Dutch speaks (US) English, can read it, understand it, joke in it, use sarcasm in it, fool around and play with words, which only makes sense for English speakers, the Dutch or bilingual people, but not to people that only use English learned at school.
When I was 18 I moved from the US to Germany, and what I've noticed is there is less time being wasted on small talk in Germany, so they have enough spare time to sit down to eat and/or drink. ;)
idk, your guy doesn't sound like someone I'd like to spend time with. Maybe you should do a video once where you describe what's so wonderful about him that you fell in love :D
oh hahaha really? maybe i should do a video like that lol he's a wonderful guy and i feel really lucky for meeting him for so many different reasons
It sounds like they learn and respect each other’s differences. Sounds awesome to me.
I'd rather spend time with him than with a constantly smiling, credit card obsessed, loud, small talking American...
I live in Belgium and love it that I can pay almost everywhere with the card, we even have a shop with bio and vegetarian foods that has a sign at the entry that says: "NO CASH" because it makes it much safer for them too (no hold ups possible) (although that is actually against the law, because a Belgian is supposed to be able to pay with cash if he/she wants to ) but that's beside the point. The difference with a slow card machine in Germany and the fast ones, is that some of them work with WIFI and others work with a fixed connection through cable. We have both in Belgium.
A German motto is only cash is true (Nur Bares ist wahres)
6:30 you actually get a receipt even if you pay with cash and as a good german you have a book where you will make a note of your spendings and of course you will organise your receipt so you can always track down your payments.
Few comments:
#6: Would this explain Trump always talking in superlatives? It’s one thing why nobody in Europe takes this man seriously. He‘s fully digital! Bad / tremendous or 1/0.
# Cash: Don’t forget to mention that using cards everywhere opens you up to profiling of your shopping habits by the bank. Cash is just more anonymous.
# finally: You seem to be talking about US-Americans only, not all Americans.
Using a Pars pro toto sounds a bit like US exceptionalism (although many done mean it like that).
What are the common habits/values on the other hand?
People that get cash outta there bank account are suspicious, they should be monitored if they go to the ATM. They must be up to no good, they have something to hide.
American as in nationality, not people from the Western Hemisphere. There are 35 countries in The Americas, of which, ONE has a demonym "American."
That’s US-American then.
😬 we all have something to hide.
It’s just private, not criminal.
Hence most people close the door behind them if they use the bathroom
@@demil3618 call it what you want, frankly nobody is confused if you simply refer to US persons by their demonym "Americans," as all the other nations in the Americas have their OWN demonym, such as, say, Canadians, Mexicans, Guatemalana, Columbians, Peruvians, etc. This childish obsession with "American" by some people is just annoying. We've been called "Americans" since we were colonies of Great Britain.
I am German and I love doing small talk just like you and I also take food and drinks to go in the car and the reason why we usually avoid paying with c-cards is because the bank charges huge fees for each and every transaction/payment. Of course when I went to the US or South Africa, England or elsewhere, then I checked the fees in advance and organized finances during the stay in a way so that I could use cc most of the time. Not every german is like that. Depends on how open and flexible a person is.
I use my card more than cash for the same reasons.
My mother used to say "There's no such thing as a stranger, just friends you haven't met yet!" I think that sums up the American mindset.
I post on social media (Facebook) because I have so many friends and I may not see them for weeks or even years. America is a big place and people don't think anything about moving from one state to another and still keeping up with their friendships "back home."
The older I get (I was 70 this month) the less I want to cook, clean up the kitchen, or grocery shop. (Have you walked through WalMart lately, it's a hike.) It's so much easier to drive through a restaurant.
I 100% agree with that being he mindset a lot of Americans have. Everyone who is your friend was once a stranger to you :) I’m also a big fan of posting on Facebook and looking at my feed because it’s such an easy way to keep up with my friends who are so spread out at this point. As always, thanks for watching and commenting, Sue! :)
American here.
Cash is my preferred payment method because I end up spending so much more when I always have all of my money on me, as opposed to setting my daily budget by putting a certain amount in my wallet.
That, and my usual food places are cash only.
I am German and spent a week in Amsterdam (Netherlands). I warned my buddy that there is a lot more to pay by card and often no cash is accepted (eg if you want to buy a bus ticket or visit a "to go" supermarket). His bank charges fees for every card payment and even withdrawing money abroad would not have been free of charge. I am a customer at another bank and was able to conveniently pay for everything with my VISA card without any fees. I've brought more than half of my cash back home so I'll get a very long billing next month: D I prefer card payments since I've had an account (1999) and I find that much more practical. Unfortunately, Germany is still too focused on cash. My parents are over sixty and my dad hates paying by card. My mother started it only two years ago. Try to pay outside of a city with Apple / Google Pay. This is almost impossible here.
I love coffee to go!! Dunno why most of the German want to stay in a busy, noisy coffeeshop (unless you meet up friends/family there), pffft! ;-)
It is also possible to learn Smalltalk. In Germany, spontaneous small talk is seldom reciprocated and I often notice immediately that the respective person wants to have his rest or feels uncomfortable. That's just our culture, especially in northern Germany.
As a German living in Sweden since 1996 I am so used to paying by card that I get irritated every time I go to Germany and they won’t let me pay by card 😳 Here in Sweden the tendency is going towards more and more stores not even accepting cash anymore. Not being able to pay by card for a taxi trip in Germany unless you book a taxi that will accept cards just baffles me.
I don't make enough money to get a free card and I refuse to pay for one when I can pay with cash at no extra expense here in Germany. Now I'm afraid to go on vacation because who knows if I'll have to starve because I don't see why I should pay for a card solely for vacation when I do fine without at home.
@@mchobbit2951 Oh for sure, let me make this 100% clear: You can NOT any more get by with "only cash" in Sweden. And if you come waving those monopoly-looking "EURO" nonsense, you'll be laughed out of the building immediatly. You will be completely fine with only card, though. I had to touch cash by accident a few weeks ago but before that, it was probably a couple of years since I touched any. As a matter of fact, I couldn't tell you how the current Swedish cash looks any more, since we recently changed their appearance.