In Australia, we now have a few "have a chat with the cashier" queues and cashier queues where they are quicker. The slower ones are mostly for older people who like to chat with the person scanning their items. It's a cute idea. Sometimes older people can be a bit lonely and speaking to someone at the supermarket is good for them.
My elderly husband loves to chat and engage with the cashier . Since retirement this is all new to him . I turn a blind eye , just want to get out of there, been doing the shopping by myself for 60 odd years and prefer to waste my time having a coffee while waiting for his nibs to finish his chats . Maybe he gets bored with my conversations , I’ve heard all his jokes again and again and not interested in hearing them once more - which upsets him no end - he seems to need the thrill of having a new audience instead of his unappreciative partner . Good marriage involves give and take I guess.
Sounds like a nice idea.. a little more civilised for the elderly shoppers. Saves the rest of us huffing and puffing when we get stuck behind them with a host of impatient children.. or just wanting to get the shopping done and get home to empty the washing machine.. 😂
I will, for the life of me, never understand how German culture is so orderly save for the complete and utter lack of queuing (forming lines). In the U.S., for all the "me first" stereotypes, we form lines (and take it very seriously) better than even the U.K. Meanwhile, in Germany? It's just a hot mess of animalistic opportunism.
German here... 15 years ago I was in Ireland and visited a Spar market... the cashier was sooo slow for my taste. When it was my turn, she started to chat with me. She realized that I am a foreigner, so she asked where I was from etc. The cashier was also cute, so I enjoyed talking to her ;) But: It took her about as long to scan the 5 items on the conveyor belt as it takes a German colleague to scan the weekend shopping of a family of 6 from 3 shopping carts. I was on vacation in a “foreign” country, so I was very relaxed about this, also because the other customers weren't stressing. In Germany, this would have led to civil war-like scenes in the checkout area ^^
Portuguese living in The Netherlands and working in Germany. Do most of my groceries in Germany (mostly) Aldi and still cannot get used to the the lack of speed at the counter in other countries. German counters look unfriendly, but the speed at which they work is a marvel. On the other hands, the self-check counters in Dutch supermarkets are also quite nice. Especially as they don't require to place the items on a side basket to make sure you did indeed pass the right item.
@@jmsa2760 cashiers in Portugal take their time like everyone else. Whoever visits me here in Portugal, the first thing they do is to complain about how slow the cashiers are. But once you get used to it , you like it
Quite funny seeing a German get customer service. It's such a shock to the system. 😂 I'm also not sure why Germans are proud of how fast the cashiers scan in Germany. "ahhh yes great, all my items have been scanned inside of 30 seconds" completely forgetting that they have been queuing for the cashier for 15 minutes because there is only one checkout open. I'd much rather not have to wait in a queue and have someone not rushing to scan my items than the German version of customer service where you make people wait a long time then scan extra fast. German supermarkets vs the rest of the the world analogy...you want travel somewhere, there are 2 routes. Both take 15 minutes. First route you can take the country roads, a nice scenic route where you can see a nice view, some sheep grazing, horses galloping in fields and arrive at your destination relaxed. The other route is you sit on the Autobahn for 14 minutes in traffic that doesn't move because there is only 1 lane open but the last minute of the journey you can travel at 160kmph. That's the German supermarket model.
in Germany that cashier would have been fired simply... Those do not exist (or not any further than the current week, where his happened) It's like it is at the progaming section: You need to fulfill a special "hits per minute" quote, or you are out if you fail that too often and/or too heavily... But this is still ridiculous, I am good friends with a cashier, who has done that job decades and she is telling me, that this is still a ridiculous quote compared to her experiences, when she was trained in her younger years... and no, she is not from Aldi, but Penny (also a discounter everywhere in Germany) and formerly Plus market.
@@lukemulletSpeed is considered customer service, small talk is not. Waiting in the cashier line is considered the most annoying part of grocery shopping, so speed is key. If it takes too long, people simply are not coming back. Personally, if I see a line at the cashier, and there is no self check out, I don't even go and shop there. I choose a different store, I come back the next day, or I don't shop at all. And if the cashier starts small talk with me, I will avoid that store for at least a year. So it all depends on what you call customer service. We even have a supermarket where you get your groceries free if you are the fifth in line waiting. Of course they make sure that never happens. But that shows how important speed is, to the customer and to the store. It's their main priority.
@@hemus1421 I come from and live in Slovakia. And in the store when shopping, I behave comparably like in the video. So how we behave on the street, in the store, at work, and in general in life is more a matter of upbringing and intellect than nationality.
At the discounter check out : 1. Always get a trolley 2. Put heavy items in first. 3. Separate items that need to be weighed (bananas, ginger, tomatoes, etc.) and place each of these after 3-4 items from other categories. This will give you precious seconds while they are being weighed.
@dutchgamer842 obviously, you pick up the heavy stuff and put on the conveyor belt first at the checkout. You really need common.sense explained to you? Think!
@@hapeheh7855 Yep, and I always bring two bags to keep frozen and cooled stuff separate. So I can put them in my freezer faster (and the stuff keeps the cold better if it's together).
At the dicsounter that tries to rush me: 1. Place your heaviest item on the conveyor. 2. Leave six or 11 inches between that and your second item. 3. Do this with each item you're purchasing. 4. Pack your bag in peace - nobody SAYS anything, they just glare at you!
I live in Ireland and am not German, but this pretty much describes my shopping habits right down to the 'logical order' in presenting purchases at the checkout! And I too am not a fan of self-checkouts!
Yeah, I just dump everything in the trolley again, then take the trolley to my car, and transfer the stuff into crates in my trunk. ( And I'm really careful to *not* do any shopping on Saturdays, since those then to be the most crowded. )
Many supermarkets (especially smaller ones) don't have those stations. Just be prepared, when it's your turn at the cashier. I don't waste my own time to repack it a second time and save other people maybe a few seconds just to waste minutes of my own life. I am attentive, but my primary interest is to my goods and not to the time of anyone.
i lived in berlin for 5 months last year. it was such an experience to learn about their supermarket etiquette. when Michael "forgot something", i just KNEW it was the pfand!!! 😆😆😆 I had such a great time in Berlin. Can't wait to visit Germany again.
I confess, I didn't think it was the Pfand (because I never buy botteld beaverages but I only drink tap water at home. So I usually do not have any pfand bottles or cans), I thought he had forgotten his shopping bags. :)
What's the other word for pfand? A bit longer, but I think easier to pronounce and a bit finer: Leergut (leer = empty, gut = property) Or use it as Leer-goods. That way it is also easy to remember... ;) I hope I remembered you to that, or educated you well for your next visit!
I am used to throwing PET bottles in garbage cans in my home country. Went to Germany for work and did the same, everyone staired at me like I was a crazy person. 😂😂
@@AlexandruHasegan there is an article today in the New York Times about this. The link doesn’t appear to work here, unfortunately. The article’s title is “Germans Combat Climate Change from Their Balconies,” if you want to search for it. Although it probably would take more balconies than there are on earth to combat climate change in this manner; but hey, we can dream.
I’m from the Netherlands, and shopping is the same. Except for that bread, and we also turn in the drinking tins. I shop at the Lidl, it’s behind my apartment building. But I buy bread at the Moroccan bakery across the street, French oriented. A normal supermarket is a 10 minute walk. There is also the pharmacy. And 10 minutes on bike is a large shopping area with all kind of shops. My neighborhood was built in the sixties, when it was mandatory to have shops on walking distance from each house. Old fashioned 15 minute city.
That is so awesome. I married in Canada and I miss so much that way of life in Bavaria where I am from. Nice City-life everything around me and good products. Nothing like that here. Best wishes nach Holland...enjoy your special Life❣ 🌷🌷
No it's not the same at all generally in the Netherlands. We have self checkouts at Lidl and in every grocery store, most people use the self checkout besides you can use cash at self checkout anyways. What's a tin anyway? We only have refund on bottles, cans and beer cases. In most grocery stores the cashier makes smalltalk, Lidl&Aldi aren't supermarkets there discounters, AH&Jumbo, Plus etc the cashier behaves human, isn't acting like a robot and makes smalltalk
Important to note that the voucher for „Pfand“ can be turned into cash again. You don’t have to use the voucher to shop in the store you returned your „Pfand“.
@@vyzantberlin2637Well they pronounced it correctly in English, if everyone pronounced words in the original way, we wouldn't have several languages at all
@@Oleksa-Derevianchenko here in Germany you can. The shop in which you swapped your Pfand for a voucher will cash out the voucher. It is not uncommon for some people to collect Pfand and cash it out to earn some extra money. There are even specifically designed trash cans with a Pfand shelve for people who don’t want/need their Pfand to leave it for other people to cash it out.
@@michellestella7477So chugging down liters of alcohol and getting drunk is considered 'beeing not boring' in your world? This is embarassing, and I am german.
@@nozee77 never heard anyone buying just one beer - especially in Germany.. most people buy a lot more and then have a stock at home but don't drink all at one go .. this is far from irresponsible...seems like the video just wants to send a message - don't have any pleasure in the new world..
As an American, seeing cashiers sitting down was a bit of a culture shock the first time I visited Germany. That said, I like the idea and think companies should allow it in the USA.
When I first went to Trader Joe's, I was a bit shocked by the setup. The cashiers stood the whole time, there were no conveyor belts, and they chatted with me while packing my groceries. It was so different from what I was used to. I felt more comfortable at H-Mart, where the cashiers sat and didn't make small talk, hahah. I felt especially bad for an older man working as a cashier at Trader Joe's. Standing for hours and walking around must be so tiring for him.
Love this. I've only been in Germany for about two months, but Aldi in Australia has prepared me well 😂 I had no idea how perfectly German my shopping technique is!
@@A0111.we have it in Greater Geelong! Hooray. I am sure it’s because part of Geelong was once called German town! (Many other local councils across Melbourne and regional Victoria have implemented it. I loved it when I was in Germany… and when someone was “begging” on the streets, they were often collecting unPfanded bottles! I LOVED grocery shopping in Germany. Yes, I am used to Aldi in Australia (which I hate shopping at) but the variety of sprudelwasser - pear flavoured lightly sparkling water was my fave - and the enormous, multi level ‘regular’ supermarkets and then the eye wateringly huge selection of ‘personal products’ in Rossmann makes Priceline look like a kiosk. And I have been using my own calico bags for groceries since 1987. I even take them overseas with me!
People seemed to have misread the "one beer" - this is a "Wegbier" (walking beer) so he survives from the shop to home. Of course, otherwise he is using a delivery service to get a couple of crates delivered, or more likely: he is living in Berlin on top of a 24-7 corner shop that sells beer.
And in Lidl in the USA the bagging area is divided into 2 lanes so after you've paid and you're still bagging, you're not holding up the next person from completing their transaction.
I actually complimented the Aldi cashiers in the US for having such a leisurely pace because shopping is so relaxing. They looked at me like I was mad. Obviously growing up in Germany my check out speed is not typical for the US.
We now have Aldi here in California. The whole store plan has been moved from Germany including the the sittig cashiers and the packing stations. The Aldi attitude is you people love our cars and you will learn to love our shopping methods.
@@diannebayley4644 Unless you are french. I live in Germany at the french border, and my partner LOVES Volvic water (mineral still water, not sparkly) like his life depends on it. Last year, someone told him that in the next french town, like 20 minutes by car, the Volvic water is dirt cheap. He's going there once a month to buy in bulks, and it really is so much cheaper. Unfortunately, unlike the german Volvic bottles, the french aren't part of the Pfand system. They end up in the plastic trash bin, and our amount of plastic trash has increased 3 times since he's buying them.
@@diannebayley4644 Nobody is forcing you to return the returnable bottles. If you have no sympathy for saving your environment from plastic and glass bottles or drinks cans, you can always throw them out of the window or put them somewhere where people with less money can collect them
If you are keen on "efficient shopping", Saturday won't be your day of choice. It's the day when office workers usually crowd the shops because that's when they have the time. So while many congregate there on Saturdays, it's not exactly by choice.
Here in our area of Northern California our Trader Joe's is like Aldi. All the stores we shop at require reusable shopping bags and items in bottles glass or plastic have a 5¢ 10¢ deposit depending on the size of the container. We also bring our own clean cloth bags for bulk items like produce, nuts, grains. bread. And clean glass jars or glass Pyrex containers for wet items from the deli, or meat section. Milk comes in glass bottles. All of this certainly fits our green lifestyle 🙂
There is a huge difference between Aldi and Trader Joe's. At Trader Joe's the cashiers don't hurriedly push your groceries onto the tiny holding area even causing some of them to fall to the floor without any apology. I love that Trader Joe's emphasizes sustainability, but Aldi's in Germany focus on speed not sustainability.
@@carlosrivera3260 Trader Joe's is a US chain store that was bought by Aldi NORD, former sister (or actually Brother lol) company of Aldi Süd, the later is known worldwide as just ALDI. Aldi Süd expanded into the international market directly with that name and the same rules and attitudes, and Aldi NORD chose to buy up existing chain stores and mostly leave many things as are, to adjust to the local situation.
German check out etiquette - and yes, shown here perfectly. Organized deposit of items to facilitate quick loading into bag. mad dash to a newly opened lane and then politely let someone else go first with one item, unless that person is a Draengler and tried to push to the front - in which they and their one item can wait. Late for the bus or not!
Happened to me, someone behind me asked the person in front of me, could *they could move in front, as if I never existed. Some Germans are cheeky, perhaps it has something to do with the socialist entitlement. Another episode, I had two items the person behind me asked could she could move to the front of me with three. I carefully explained to her the socialism with a no.
@@horserous“socialist entitlement”?!? Asking the customer in front of you was bad manners. Or perhaps he or she simply suspected that your behavior was much worse, as your answer here clearly shows. Good or bad manners have nothing to do with socialism, but with upbringing. Or that person was just an imported Karen or Ken. And isn't this a wonderful invention and export from the USA?
20 to 30 years ago German Aldi did not have scanners at their checkouts, instead the cashiers had to remember 4-digit codes for all the products in store and type them with one hand while handing the purchase with the other hand. They were ridiculously fast even back then but maybe they had problems finding personnel who could both type fast and easily remember hundreds of codes
First thing first. Never start the saturday's shopping in a supermarket But starting with planning meals the friday evening. Then diving in the huge city market in Toulon and coming soon (8h15 max) for choosing the best in fruit, vegetables, fish and bread. Then visiting good butchers. This done, driving to my supermarket and finishing the job. Priority to good products, good food and my local economy.
What I found strange was the lady standing next to a shopper everywhere he would go, commenting his every move. We don't have that over here haha Interesting video. Informative and well presented!
In China, In many supermarkets have self-service payment. You scan the barcode of the product to get the total amount, pay the amount through your mobile phone, and the list will be automatically printed out. You can pack your own items and leave. The whole process is self-service. Of course, you can call help if you need it.
Any German with an ounce of self respect, would a) never buy bread at a discounter and b) not have it precut before consumption. This discounter bread section is clearly here to get some pitchforks raised (and I fell for it!) Great video as usual. Kepp them coming.
I wholeheartedly disagree, when it comes to 0/8/15 bakery products there is literally no difference between a bakery and a discounter in most cases anymore. Both of them get their pre-produced products from a retail supplier, in fact, it's not even uncommon that it's the same one.
I'm Irish and most of that applies to any supermarket experience here also. The only things different are we use cards more to pay, and lots of self service checkouts.
I always put heaviest items first incase someone comes to bag who doesn’t know a thing about bagging. I usually say I’ll bag them myself but sometimes they insist and I would have to be very rude to get them to stop. Usually the cashiers are happy for the help. And I have been bringing my own bags for decades, I now carry 3-4 that pack up very small in my purse for quick grocery stops on the way home.
In Brazil we usually take our take time in the checkout. It was a very stressful experience to me when I had to go to the supermarket in Europe because you have to go really fast.
@@ProjectExMachinathat is exactly what I do in Germany and also try to do it in Spain because it makes me very nervous and stressed to have to pack my groceries fast and badly. I try not to pay before having all my groceries in the bag but it is hard, in Spain sometimes I have had to tell the cashier to slow down.
To me, the goal of checkout is to get out of there! The customer should go at their own pace, but cashier speed is the key. I prefer the US/European pace; sitting in long lines at a Brazil checkout because all the cashiers are chatting and moving slowly is super frustrating.
I place my goods back into the shopping cart every time. I haul groceries home in a small granny cart and they need to be packed a certain. I've carried washable bags everywhere for the last 15-18 years now--long before the 7¢ local bag fee became the norm.
Our cashiers will wait for everything to be on the belt, hopefully in a sensible order, then start scanning. Their hours depend on the IPM score (Items Per Minute). Have your coupons in their hand before they start, if you want to keep the line moving. Then ask if they remembered to scan at the end, if the till screen seems off.
This is surely just a ‘Wegbier’. He must have at least a whole crate of beer at home. For the non-Germans: ‘Wegbier’ is a German expression for a beer that is drunk on the way to another place. Usually when you're on the way to a pub anyway.
In Germany, discounter are usually smaller than supermarkets in the USA, but in large cities you often only have to walk a few hundred meters to the next discounter. You only have to go further for exotic things. Supermarkets/discounter are allowed in residential areas. So yes, you can easily go shopping on foot (in large cities). Because it's so easy, I shop groceries several times a week (2-3 times). Notice while cooking that something is missing? No problem, except on Sundays and public holidays. You have many opportunities to buy beer in particular: supermarkets/discounters, gas stations, beverage shops and small shops (e.g. Spätis in Berlin). So no need to store beer.
@@schnelma605 Yes! Here in Weissensee, I have an Aldi, Netto, Edeka and Lidl all within about 500 metres - and actually the first three of those are within about 200 metres! Spoiled for choice 😁
I could just make a deal with a brewery or a beverage market. They deliver whatever i order to my door and take the empty bottles with them. Plus - there is a place to buy beer around the clock wherever a gas station is!
pro tip if you struggle with German cashier speed. Put the items that need weighing at the end, that will give you a few precious seconds to get out your money.
In Malaysian supershops, cashier would pack items and punch the debit card, then fold the receipt into the bag. They also care about frozen and dry items as well food and non food for packing. Sometimes a small talk. In Bangladesh, we goto Supershops/mini marts or in bazaar, similar experience as above.
In Sweden you pay a 10 cent deposit per soda bottle. Not plastic bottles for olive oil, shampoo and similar. It works very well and it does reduce plastic waste.
I also love putting things in order - first the heaviest and then the lightest! hahahahahah! In Brazil, there is a custom to buy vegetables and fruits at small markets that take place near the neighborhoods, two to three times a week, as, in addition to being closer, they are fresher products! However, large supermarkets also sell it.
Check out would stress me out. No matter how fast I try to be... I'm never fast enough for the cashier. Thank God for self-checkout. Minimal chat and I can go at my pace. I dream of being as grocery efficient as a German. Hoping to visit within the next 6 months.
Several years back, at Aldi tgey did not have scanners but the cashiers put all the prices by memory into the cash desk. And you never were quick enough to store your goods away. The cashiers were incredibly fast at it. It was amazing!
You must place the goods tactically on the checkout belt. Distribute deposit vouchers or goods that have to be weighed by the cashier between the other items. This gives you time to put things away. 😁 If you want a less ‘stressful’ shopping experience, you can go to normal supermarkets. The cashiers there are not quite as fast and the area for the purchases after the checkout is larger. In discount supermarkets, the lack of space after the checkout has been specially designed so that people have to put their goods in their shopping trolleys more quickly. But that's where I'm really German. If I can keep up with putting things away or even have to wait for the cashier, I often think to myself ‘I wonder if that could be done quicker’...😴
Foreigner in Germany. Use the Pfand receipts and the bread packets tactically to slow down the cashiers! Also pay by card because it takes time to confirm sometimes, giving you extra time to pack your things
Australian here. First job I had was working on the checkouts at Coles (Supermarket chain here in Australia). Lasted on the checkouts for around 4 months before they moved me to out the back and stocking shelves due to me constantly crashing the till due to me scanning too fast 😂
I'm not fine with the 2 arguments why self-checkout options are not used in Germany!😂 First it's not allowed to use them, when you have more than about 7 items (I've already been reprimanded for it😅). Then scaning bread-rolls) from the in-store baking shop is a nightmare. Most important, if you buy alcohol. you wait endless for a staff with the age rating card. So with bread and beer I'm therefore 10 times faster at a usual checkout. And this is the most important german lifelesson: don't waste time in the supermarket...while you have to cut your green (cause its saturday!).🎉
There's worlds between Aldi and Edeka checkout speeds/rushing. In Aldi you're rushed to pack. Even already processing the next while you're still packing the rest. In Edeka, not. At least in my experience, my Aldi and Edeka.
Quite similar to Malta, especially as regards carrier bags and deposits on bottles. I like the choice of different thickness of bread slices, which we do not have.
I have lived Germany for 20 years. I moved here from the UK. The problem with German supermarkets is choice. They have the most bland and mundane choice imaginable. When I travel back to the UK you realise somewhere like Waitrose has 10 times the choice and full of treats that you will not find anywhere in Germany. For example, Waitrose or Sainsburys will have an entire section dedicated to Japanese food stuffs or an entire Indian section etc. You will not find this in Germany. I think it is down to the mentality of the Germans. They are simply not interested in trying new foods. They generally tend to stick to what they know. Having said that they do make the best beer - but then again you can now buy their beer in Watrose such as Paulaner, whereas you will be hard pressed to find any foreign beers or Ales in any of their supermarkets.
Yeah, as a native German that is also my pet peeves about the German supermarkets. I'm so glad that I have a stall on my local weekly market for example, that sells french cheese. Much more flavourful and interesting than the standard cheeses you get in supermarkets here. And thankfully there are some Asian supermarkets in the next bigger town over. As for "foreign beers", thankfully my local beverage trader has a rotating selection of foreign and craft beers from all over the world.
I think that's been changing in the last ten years though. I've got two and a half aisles worth of japanese, indian and american products at my edeka by now.
Finally, someone with a sensible comment. I've lived in Germany 3 years now. I went back to the UK 3 weeks ago, I almost dropped to my knees and started crying when I was stood outside Sainsburys. I don't think Germans realise how lacking their Supermarkets are. So little choice and so little convenience. You can walk in Sainsbury's and easily get a weeks worth of shopping without much thought. Items are placed near each other so you can combine them to make meals. There's much more variety and choice. The other thing I enjoy about going back to UK supermarkets is having more than one till open at any time. 15 people in the queue in Germany? "Ahh we don't need to open another checkout" One point I'd like to disagree on though. Belgium makes the best beer 😉
Most countries worldwide it is a struggle to find new foods and drinks. The UK is incredibly cosmopolitan. In France, you have to work hard to find anything that is not French, but never mind, when in Rome.
Well. I am German and lived in the UK and USA. From the German perspective, and this is also represented in the UK supermarkets, their is no British cuisine. But you eat a lot of foreign stuff. Germany has almost no relation to India compete to the UK. But we have a lot of good German food, so we tend to have less foreign food.
4:20 And put things that need to be weighted, like the bananas at the end so you can slow down the cashier for a split second to give you enough time to put the things in your cart. And don't forget to put a separation stick at the end!
In Sweden, we have recycled bottles forever. However, at the checkout, I think we have a much better system: After the cashier, there is an area with two lanes where the goods stacks up after the cashier has ticked them off. Then, (s)he switches to the other lane for the next customer while you pack your stuff. Much more efficient I find.
We've had that too. But as they give the markets a new makeover, the german supermarket planer ration the 2 lanes away. Heck why...maybe we're most times faster than the cashier😉
I loved all of it, nothing weird. I wish I still lived in Germany. The only question I had was on the recycling of the bottles - they had their caps on while being put in the machine. In the US, caps are “verboten” and our bottles will be rejected from recycling. 🙄
We used to have deposits on glass pop bottles in the past, we used to collect them, take them back to the chip shop, either walk away with the money or buy chips
Same, in Australia. Well, South Australia never got rid of it, but other states did. Thankfully, my home state of Victoria is in the process of bringing it back - but I doubt we'll ever see the lovely German tradition of leaving Pfand bottles next to bins for the needy to collect. I see far too many struggling Aussies digging about in public bins for bottles 😿
Decades ago, I used to have to bring the bottles to the fresh meat counter and give it to the lady behind the counter who'll then give me cash in return. Now they have machines for that. 👍👍👍
As an American I’ve always done my grocery shopping on a weekday evening after work because the supermarkets are too crowded on the weekends. Well at least too crowded for my taste. I hate standing in lines.
Have an Aldis in our area. They can scan your items faster than you can do it yourself. Also we got used to bringing our own totes and have and "Aldis quarter" in each car for the shopping carts
I'd love the bread, beer and the prices to transfer. Otherwise it seems very much the same as my shopping in northeast US, including the need to bring my own shopping bags. I recommend this young man bring a knapsack--much easier to tote things.
I live in Serbia and shop like a German, albeit with far less cash and with far fewer discounts. You can imagine my utter frustration at the checkout when people are as slow as they can possibly be.
I think we europeans do not realize how similar we are, we just focus on differences. I am Serbian and everything is almost the same especially "abandon all sense of order" when another checkout opens :D. Only we eat more bread, we buy fresh bread everyday in local shops.
I love this video. It captures the German way of doing shopping in supermarkets. And it is very funny and entertaining. Please make more of these kinds of videos.
So the only difference between Germany and Denmark in this regard is that we still have plastic bags and they don't. And maybe the number of people paying cash, in Denmark it must be less than 10%.
In Sydney Australia, our Pfand is called Return and Earn. The machines are the same, but they are not inside the shop, they are generally in outdoor locations such as carparks, often in odd locations. I think more people would use them if they were inside the supermarket like in Germany.
The return system in NSW is really broken. They have actually removed some really big ones near me that had parking and big bunkers for the empties - now there are 2 tiny machines - about the size of a snack/drink vending machines - hidden behind some garden boxes at the local big shopping center, and they fill up within a few hours of being emptied so you can't use them, no parking either. It seems to just be being used as a way to collect extra revenue because you can't find working return machines.
i really couldn't say that the groceries i typically buy are cheaper at any discounter in my area. the difference that irks me is how short the 'after-cashier-dropzone' is at those dicounters (in my case Aldi-Sued, Norma, Netto). if you buy more than 3 items you'll need a trolley, that can be pushed close & you basically sweep the stuff from the counter into it at a breathtaking speed. also, quite strangelly, in my area, veggies & fruit are typically fresher & come in bigger varieties at the discounters ! what really makes the dicounters stand out is actually the themed weekly offers, like for ex. in late spring they sell little fruit trees & gardening tools for waaaay cheaper than garden centers or DIY supermarkets (also a common occurance here) . other weeks it can be training clothes & shoes (sometimes even name brand stuff) or home decor like curtains, carpets etc. but you forgot to mention how much bottled water is bought here . or maybe you have better tap water in big cities ..? there are special 'drinks supermarkets' all over the place, even though every supermarket has an extensive drinks' sectio, too. and hardly anyone walks out of the 'weekly shopping' without *at least* 1 six-pack of water bottles... but .... a german who buys only *one bottle of beer* ??! nope, never seen that in my 20+ yrs in this country. the minimum is one box (kiste) containing 20 33cl bottles...
Cashiers at supermarkets like Edeka or Rewe are a bit slower than at the discounters. In the North of Germany, Edeka is often the only shop in a village, and there the cashier might sometimes chat with people they know.
Very similar to the Dutch just a lot less expensive. For some reason The Netherlands can be the second largest exporter of food in the world but prices are forever high to the point so many Dutch go to Germany for their shopping it's becoming a problem.
*coughcoughWalmartfailcough Also, we do have specialised and specialty stores. Those are very small and normally concentrate on one country (cause the owners are from that country) or area. And usually you will find not only groceries there, but also books, music, decorations, even clothes. We have turkish, russian, polish, chinese, japanese, brasilian and what not. The bigger the city, the more of them and the greater the variety though. I have a turkish one just around the corner where i often buy baking bananas, next to a japanese one that has my favorite dried sea weed and miso paste. And the sweets and chocolates from the polish store at the other end of the town are just divine.
I like Aldi in the US. It’s similar to what you showed, except for the bread selection and slicing machine. Low prices and no self-service checkout.
หลายเดือนก่อน +14
how is it a cardinal sin to use single use plastic bags, but it's okay to use a single use plastic bag to wrap your bread in after a machine cuts it? make it make sense
Usually brown paper is used to wrap whole loafs of bread. If bread is sliced it will dry out quickly. For that reason it makes more sense to provide a plastic bag in the store. That‘s probably better than to put it in paper and then exchange it for a plastic bag at home.
These bags for the bread are nowadays usually made from compostable plastics. Yes, these exist and are mainly made from corn but don't try to compost them in your garden, they need a special industrial composter for that.
It's pretty close to my shopping experience in America. I've seen no bread slicer here, darn it and the aisles in grocery stores here are narrower than what I saw in this video.
Just returned from 2 weeks in Frankfurt, and visiting the Rewe that was next to the hotel almost daily. After 25 years of living in the USA, still miss my time in Germany, and the shopping experience. Just had our Aldi and Walmart shopping day in the USA and it was not as enjoyable.
In the states, or at least where I am, store employees encourage customers to use the self check out. I personally refuse to because it takes away jobs.
I know two supermarket employees who have worked in that business for 10+ years by now: Both consistently report that the cashier work is the worst part of the job. There's enough work going around in a supermarket, every alleviation is welcome. This is a german perspective, though.
@@KoneSkirata My point is that if the employees are encouraging self check out then eventually the entire store will be self check out and no one would work at the store, or cut the staffing in half. There are a few stores that don't even have butchers anymore because everything is prepackaged. So they literally open up the box and put the meat in the cooler. I miss having a butcher, cheese shop and fish monger.
@@shakes7878 there is also another argument, every company is looking for staff all the time (at least here in germany) and supermarkets don't get enough people. They still have more than enough work in other parts excluding the checkout. I am actually always glad I am vising a supermarket that upgraded to include a self checkout section. Almost always it has a free space and/or not many people are waiting there. Whenever I am in a store that doesn't have self checkout, often only 1 checkout lane is open and a lot of people are waiting there
@@Chris3s in the states as well. However, a lot of times you'll see a very long line waiting for self checkout but then you'll only see two of three people waiting on the regular line. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. You're right about not having enough workers. Ever since the pandemic people were on unemployment and they were getting paid more doing nothing than actually working.
Pro tip: use a shopping cart and line it up with load off area. Do NOT pack things in the bag. Just toss them back in the cart. Pay. Move away. Pack your bags langsam.
It is the same everywhere in the world except items are different......store layout more or less the same too.... checking out, mode and method of payment procedure same as most countries including the Far East and South East Asia......I had a good experience in Koln way back in 1993.....!
Thanks for the video. A comment on the popularity of payment with cash: It has changed and is still changing. In 2023 about 35% of the payments in the retail sector is done with cash. Mostly older customers prefer to with cash. However, cashless payment by Germans is mostly done with debit cards (e.g. girocard) or by phone services such as Apple Pay. Germans rarely pay with credit cards.
I've seen those bread slicing machines in many places in Europe (operated by the customer). We should adopt them here in Australia. I've only seen them in one supermarket in Sydney and it was the newly opened Coles @ St. Leonards. Also the bottle recycling. We get them in rare places in Sydney and the queue is so long, once it took me 40 mins to get a $7 refund. At $10 per hour I stopped using them. I can make more than that.
at the end of the day many people over here may prefer milka chocolate over ritter sport. it is more creamy, more what you would expect from a swiss chocolate.
1:57 You don't use the tong? Just bare hands! That's the Arian race for you. 3:00 Yes, that's why Germans shop on Saturday: First they wait for ~three hours in the discount shop line; As a warm up. Then they do the same thing at the regular shop; As a cool down excersize. 5:11 Whatever you are smoking, it's probably illegal in Germany. The German state: no thrills since 1989 5:20 Shopping goes like this: First the Phoenecians just leave stuff on the beach. Then we swap the things we like for these shiny yellow rocks. To each his own, I guess.
He probably has a plastic glove one, that's what we use in Lidl in Italy. But I've never seen a bread cutting machine here, surely it's not too difficult to slice your own loaf!
![🎤 ไปกันต่อออ! จับฉลากร้องเพลง x P’ #XXSIVK [EP.2] (1/2) เพลงของใครจึ้งสุดน้าา 💓🎤 #MXFRUIT](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/mLI_K0sAS4o/mqdefault.jpg)
In Australia, we now have a few "have a chat with the cashier" queues and cashier queues where they are quicker. The slower ones are mostly for older people who like to chat with the person scanning their items. It's a cute idea. Sometimes older people can be a bit lonely and speaking to someone at the supermarket is good for them.
My elderly husband loves to chat and engage with the cashier . Since retirement this is all new to him . I turn a blind eye , just want to get out of there, been doing the shopping by myself for 60 odd years and prefer to waste my time having a coffee while waiting for his nibs to finish his chats . Maybe he gets bored with my conversations , I’ve heard all his jokes again and again and not interested in hearing them once more - which upsets him no end - he seems to need the thrill of having a new audience instead of his unappreciative partner . Good marriage involves give and take I guess.
Sounds like a nice idea.. a little more civilised for the elderly shoppers. Saves the rest of us huffing and puffing when we get stuck behind them with a host of impatient children.. or just wanting to get the shopping done and get home to empty the washing machine.. 😂
In NL the Jumbo supermarkets ( second largest group ) have the same chat-check outs.
What a sweet idea!
@@tdb7992 I love that idea! Most of our supermarkets in my part of the USA are self scan. I hate self scan!
Jesus, the "abandon all sense of order" when a new cashier is open, it is 100% accurate 😂
"Human Nature"...
I will, for the life of me, never understand how German culture is so orderly save for the complete and utter lack of queuing (forming lines).
In the U.S., for all the "me first" stereotypes, we form lines (and take it very seriously) better than even the U.K.
Meanwhile, in Germany? It's just a hot mess of animalistic opportunism.
In Brazil we also love queues, once I got in a queue just to join another. 😂😂😂
plus the new queue hardly ever moves faster than the original with less people in it, gotta be smart 😉
@Summer99696 Right? In my country, disrespecting the queue will earn you the bombastic side eye and the insults of the people right next to you XD
German here... 15 years ago I was in Ireland and visited a Spar market... the cashier was sooo slow for my taste. When it was my turn, she started to chat with me. She realized that I am a foreigner, so she asked where I was from etc. The cashier was also cute, so I enjoyed talking to her ;)
But: It took her about as long to scan the 5 items on the conveyor belt as it takes a German colleague to scan the weekend shopping of a family of 6 from 3 shopping carts.
I was on vacation in a “foreign” country, so I was very relaxed about this, also because the other customers weren't stressing. In Germany, this would have led to civil war-like scenes in the checkout area ^^
Portuguese living in The Netherlands and working in Germany. Do most of my groceries in Germany (mostly) Aldi and still cannot get used to the the lack of speed at the counter in other countries. German counters look unfriendly, but the speed at which they work is a marvel.
On the other hands, the self-check counters in Dutch supermarkets are also quite nice. Especially as they don't require to place the items on a side basket to make sure you did indeed pass the right item.
@@jmsa2760 cashiers in Portugal take their time like everyone else. Whoever visits me here in Portugal, the first thing they do is to complain about how slow the cashiers are. But once you get used to it , you like it
Quite funny seeing a German get customer service. It's such a shock to the system. 😂
I'm also not sure why Germans are proud of how fast the cashiers scan in Germany. "ahhh yes great, all my items have been scanned inside of 30 seconds" completely forgetting that they have been queuing for the cashier for 15 minutes because there is only one checkout open. I'd much rather not have to wait in a queue and have someone not rushing to scan my items than the German version of customer service where you make people wait a long time then scan extra fast.
German supermarkets vs the rest of the the world analogy...you want travel somewhere, there are 2 routes. Both take 15 minutes. First route you can take the country roads, a nice scenic route where you can see a nice view, some sheep grazing, horses galloping in fields and arrive at your destination relaxed. The other route is you sit on the Autobahn for 14 minutes in traffic that doesn't move because there is only 1 lane open but the last minute of the journey you can travel at 160kmph. That's the German supermarket model.
in Germany that cashier would have been fired simply...
Those do not exist (or not any further than the current week, where his happened)
It's like it is at the progaming section: You need to fulfill a special "hits per minute" quote, or you are out if you fail that too often and/or too heavily...
But this is still ridiculous, I am good friends with a cashier, who has done that job decades and she is telling me, that this is still a ridiculous quote compared to her experiences, when she was trained in her younger years... and no, she is not from Aldi, but Penny (also a discounter everywhere in Germany) and formerly Plus market.
@@lukemulletSpeed is considered customer service, small talk is not. Waiting in the cashier line is considered the most annoying part of grocery shopping, so speed is key. If it takes too long, people simply are not coming back. Personally, if I see a line at the cashier, and there is no self check out, I don't even go and shop there. I choose a different store, I come back the next day, or I don't shop at all. And if the cashier starts small talk with me, I will avoid that store for at least a year. So it all depends on what you call customer service.
We even have a supermarket where you get your groceries free if you are the fifth in line waiting. Of course they make sure that never happens. But that shows how important speed is, to the customer and to the store. It's their main priority.
I think im a german from another country. Everytime I see a Video like this one I realize that they do exactly what I always did my whole life.
Me too… although I was born there.
I'm doing ok. all right
Was about to comment this as a Bulgarian. It’s literally the same experience
@@hemus1421 I come from and live in Slovakia. And in the store when shopping, I behave comparably like in the video. So how we behave on the street, in the store, at work, and in general in life is more a matter of upbringing and intellect than nationality.
@@hemus1421 Eurochad energy
At the discounter check out :
1. Always get a trolley
2. Put heavy items in first.
3. Separate items that need to be weighed (bananas, ginger, tomatoes, etc.) and place each of these after 3-4 items from other categories. This will give you precious seconds while they are being weighed.
A trolley isn't that a tram in San Francisco?
How would you put the heavy stuff 1st, when usually produce or bread is in the 1sr part of the store?
@dutchgamer842 obviously, you pick up the heavy stuff and put on the conveyor belt first at the checkout. You really need common.sense explained to you? Think!
frozen and cooled seperated as well :)
@@hapeheh7855 Yep, and I always bring two bags to keep frozen and cooled stuff separate. So I can put them in my freezer faster (and the stuff keeps the cold better if it's together).
At the dicsounter that tries to rush me:
1. Place your heaviest item on the conveyor.
2. Leave six or 11 inches between that and your second item.
3. Do this with each item you're purchasing.
4. Pack your bag in peace - nobody SAYS anything, they just glare at you!
The whole point of being organized at the checkout is to be FASTER than the cashier. It is my favourite game and I win 7/10 times.
i was just scrolling down to actually write this :D i do play the same game and oftentimes, cashiers say "hey, relax!!" :D
@@kiwi_kirsch😂😂
I hate it and its stressig me Out so much 😭 (and i am german)
I live in Ireland and am not German, but this pretty much describes my shopping habits right down to the 'logical order' in presenting purchases at the checkout! And I too am not a fan of self-checkouts!
Never lost. They are slow in Germany.
Pro Tip - Never try to pack stuff into the bag, always use a trolley/basket and just dump everything in there and pack at the Packing station.
Like in the rest of the world
Exactly! I've always done this and it amazes me to see how few people ever think of or do this.
Yeah, I just dump everything in the trolley again, then take the trolley to my car, and transfer the stuff into crates in my trunk. ( And I'm really careful to *not* do any shopping on Saturdays, since those then to be the most crowded. )
Pro=Tip, up your game.
Many supermarkets (especially smaller ones) don't have those stations. Just be prepared, when it's your turn at the cashier.
I don't waste my own time to repack it a second time and save other people maybe a few seconds just to waste minutes of my own life. I am attentive, but my primary interest is to my goods and not to the time of anyone.
i lived in berlin for 5 months last year. it was such an experience to learn about their supermarket etiquette. when Michael "forgot something", i just KNEW it was the pfand!!! 😆😆😆 I had such a great time in Berlin. Can't wait to visit Germany again.
I confess, I didn't think it was the Pfand (because I never buy botteld beaverages but I only drink tap water at home. So I usually do not have any pfand bottles or cans), I thought he had forgotten his shopping bags. :)
nah I thought he forgot his 1 euro coin (or a plastic token) for the shopping cart
What's the other word for pfand? A bit longer, but I think easier to pronounce and a bit finer:
Leergut (leer = empty, gut = property)
Or use it as Leer-goods.
That way it is also easy to remember... ;)
I hope I remembered you to that, or educated you well for your next visit!
I am used to throwing PET bottles in garbage cans in my home country. Went to Germany for work and did the same, everyone staired at me like I was a crazy person. 😂😂
@@deep.space.12 1 Euro to get the shopping trolley.. and do we get tht 1 euro back at the end of shopping in Germany?
Yes, another Average German video! Love these for the information and the humor.
We’re happy to see you back here 🤗🤗
@@dweuromaxxwait, I just learned that Germans can have their own solar panels that simply plug in to an electric socket! How cool is that?!
@@jdvannoy99 can you elaborate please? You make me curious.
@@AlexandruHasegan there is an article today in the New York Times about this. The link doesn’t appear to work here, unfortunately. The article’s title is “Germans Combat Climate Change from Their Balconies,” if you want to search for it. Although it probably would take more balconies than there are on earth to combat climate change in this manner; but hey, we can dream.
@@jdvannoy99 Nice! I saw the article.
Thank you 👍
I’m from the Netherlands, and shopping is the same. Except for that bread, and we also turn in the drinking tins. I shop at the Lidl, it’s behind my apartment building. But I buy bread at the Moroccan bakery across the street, French oriented. A normal supermarket is a 10 minute walk. There is also the pharmacy. And 10 minutes on bike is a large shopping area with all kind of shops.
My neighborhood was built in the sixties, when it was mandatory to have shops on walking distance from each house. Old fashioned 15 minute city.
That is so awesome. I married in Canada and I miss so much that way of life in Bavaria where I am from. Nice City-life everything around me and good products.
Nothing like that here. Best wishes nach Holland...enjoy your special Life❣ 🌷🌷
Actually, we also have to return the drink cans in Germany.
No it's not the same at all generally in the Netherlands. We have self checkouts at Lidl and in every grocery store, most people use the self checkout besides you can use cash at self checkout anyways. What's a tin anyway? We only have refund on bottles, cans and beer cases.
In most grocery stores the cashier makes smalltalk, Lidl&Aldi aren't supermarkets there discounters, AH&Jumbo, Plus etc the cashier behaves human, isn't acting like a robot and makes smalltalk
Thank you for all the info now I know where you live exactly. Prepare a nice meal this evening, I might show up. 😂😂
Important to note that the voucher for „Pfand“ can be turned into cash again. You don’t have to use the voucher to shop in the store you returned your „Pfand“.
Right. An she can't even pronounce lidl. No mention of rewe, penny or netto. Self check outs are"out". Cash is still king.
@@vyzantberlin2637Well they pronounced it correctly in English, if everyone pronounced words in the original way, we wouldn't have several languages at all
@@vyzantberlin2637 I think it's time for you to change your pills.
Wait... The vouchers can be just cashed out??! 😮
Maybe not in Slovakia, where I've first experienced this kind of a deposit system.
@@Oleksa-Derevianchenko here in Germany you can. The shop in which you swapped your Pfand for a voucher will cash out the voucher. It is not uncommon for some people to collect Pfand and cash it out to earn some extra money. There are even specifically designed trash cans with a Pfand shelve for people who don’t want/need their Pfand to leave it for other people to cash it out.
One beer? Must be a fun Saturday night for him...
Michael is a responsible German
@@dweuromaxx you misspelled boring
That is call a" weg beer". A warm up for the night 😂
@@michellestella7477So chugging down liters of alcohol and getting drunk is considered 'beeing not boring' in your world?
This is embarassing, and I am german.
@@nozee77 never heard anyone buying just one beer - especially in Germany.. most people buy a lot more and then have a stock at home but don't drink all at one go .. this is far from irresponsible...seems like the video just wants to send a message - don't have any pleasure in the new world..
As an American, seeing cashiers sitting down was a bit of a culture shock the first time I visited Germany. That said, I like the idea and think companies should allow it in the USA.
Is there an advantage for the customer if the cashier has to stand the whole time?
The fact that cashiers are allowed to sit down should be a basic human right!
@hansmayer7652 not really tbh
It may help to improve customer service too!
When I first went to Trader Joe's, I was a bit shocked by the setup. The cashiers stood the whole time, there were no conveyor belts, and they chatted with me while packing my groceries. It was so different from what I was used to. I felt more comfortable at H-Mart, where the cashiers sat and didn't make small talk, hahah.
I felt especially bad for an older man working as a cashier at Trader Joe's. Standing for hours and walking around must be so tiring for him.
Love this. I've only been in Germany for about two months, but Aldi in Australia has prepared me well 😂 I had no idea how perfectly German my shopping technique is!
I wish we have bottle recycling machines somewhere near shops here in Australia.
Well that sounds great. Greetings to Down Under, and I award you the first class shopping medal with ribbon for "foreigner efficiancy"! :)
@@Herzschreiber 😂 thanks, I think!
@@MikeStevens yaay I delivered some laughter..... bucket list for today closed.😇
@@A0111.we have it in Greater Geelong! Hooray. I am sure it’s because part of Geelong was once called German town! (Many other local councils across Melbourne and regional Victoria have implemented it.
I loved it when I was in Germany… and when someone was “begging” on the streets, they were often collecting unPfanded bottles!
I LOVED grocery shopping in Germany. Yes, I am used to Aldi in Australia (which I hate shopping at) but the variety of sprudelwasser - pear flavoured lightly sparkling water was my fave - and the enormous, multi level ‘regular’ supermarkets and then the eye wateringly huge selection of ‘personal products’ in Rossmann makes Priceline look like a kiosk.
And I have been using my own calico bags for groceries since 1987. I even take them overseas with me!
People seemed to have misread the "one beer" - this is a "Wegbier" (walking beer) so he survives from the shop to home.
Of course, otherwise he is using a delivery service to get a couple of crates delivered, or more likely: he is living in Berlin on top of a 24-7 corner shop that sells beer.
That was my guess, but thanks for confirming it. Americans definitely don't know about street drinking in Europe unless they've seen it first hand.
Try that most places in the US and you'll be instantly arrested. But a "Weg-Coke" is perfectly OK. (Or, nowadays, bottled water or a sports drink.)
The checkout speed at Aldi in the USA is not joke , they literally throw your items at the basket 😂
And in Lidl in the USA the bagging area is divided into 2 lanes so after you've paid and you're still bagging, you're not holding up the next person from completing their transaction.
@@ryandifrancesco lot of supermarkets in Germany do have these "split bagging areas". So someone can be slower while bagging
Pesky German standards 😂
I actually complimented the Aldi cashiers in the US for having such a leisurely pace because shopping is so relaxing. They looked at me like I was mad. Obviously growing up in Germany my check out speed is not typical for the US.
4:45 Wow! They got Blake Lively for this skit!
The "Pfand" system is so great.
It took a long time to develop that properly. A very long time. Before it was total chaos.
It's always interesting seeing how other people live their lives. That bread cutting machine is awesome!
We now have Aldi here in California. The whole store plan has been moved from Germany including the the sittig cashiers and the packing stations. The Aldi attitude is you people love our cars and you will learn to love our shopping methods.
We have Aldi in Ohio, too.
Aldi in South Carolina and Ohio have added self checkouts. Aldi says it's an experiment.
While Walmart in Germany was a complete failure.
We Germans like our anonymity while shopping, we don't
want to be greeted at the entrance.
I'm with you. I'm not German. I live in the USA and I find it extremely annoying having people greeting me at the Walmart. @@frankfahrenheit9537
Wait, aren’t cashiers in the US normally sitting down? Do they stand up all day?
It's nice to see that the 'let the shopper with 1 or 2 items go ahead of you' kindness is global 😊
The world should adopt the plastic bottle deposit/refund system!
Become part of the EU and you'll be forced to!
@@diannebayley4644 Unless you are french. I live in Germany at the french border, and my partner LOVES Volvic water (mineral still water, not sparkly) like his life depends on it. Last year, someone told him that in the next french town, like 20 minutes by car, the Volvic water is dirt cheap. He's going there once a month to buy in bulks, and it really is so much cheaper.
Unfortunately, unlike the german Volvic bottles, the french aren't part of the Pfand system. They end up in the plastic trash bin, and our amount of plastic trash has increased 3 times since he's buying them.
@@diannebayley4644 Nobody is forcing you to return the returnable bottles. If you have no sympathy for saving your environment from plastic and glass bottles or drinks cans, you can always throw them out of the window or put them somewhere where people with less money can collect them
The world should prohibit plastic bottles and return to re-using standard glass bottles for everything - no fancy Coke bottles, please.
Respect the man for leaving his barber in the midst to film this video
If you are keen on "efficient shopping", Saturday won't be your day of choice. It's the day when office workers usually crowd the shops because that's when they have the time.
So while many congregate there on Saturdays, it's not exactly by choice.
Yep, I'll try to avoid the afternoons of Friday and Thursday, too.
Here in our area of Northern California our Trader Joe's is like Aldi.
All the stores we shop at require reusable shopping bags and items in bottles glass or plastic have a 5¢ 10¢ deposit depending on the size of the container.
We also bring our own clean cloth bags for bulk items like produce, nuts, grains. bread. And clean glass jars or glass Pyrex containers for wet items from the deli, or meat section. Milk comes in glass bottles.
All of this certainly fits our green lifestyle 🙂
Trader Joe's is owned by Aldi
Trader Joe's IS Aldi
There is a huge difference between Aldi and Trader Joe's. At Trader Joe's the cashiers don't hurriedly push your groceries onto the tiny holding area even causing some of them to fall to the floor without any apology. I love that Trader Joe's emphasizes sustainability, but Aldi's in Germany focus on speed not sustainability.
Except three times the price of Aldi!
@@carlosrivera3260 Trader Joe's is a US chain store that was bought by Aldi NORD, former sister (or actually Brother lol) company of Aldi Süd, the later is known worldwide as just ALDI. Aldi Süd expanded into the international market directly with that name and the same rules and attitudes, and Aldi NORD chose to buy up existing chain stores and mostly leave many things as are, to adjust to the local situation.
The way this video made, I love it. Good job. 😊
German check out etiquette - and yes, shown here perfectly. Organized deposit of items to facilitate quick loading into bag. mad dash to a newly opened lane and then politely let someone else go first with one item, unless that person is a Draengler and tried to push to the front - in which they and their one item can wait. Late for the bus or not!
Happened to me, someone behind me asked the person in front of me, could *they could move in front, as if I never existed. Some Germans are cheeky, perhaps it has something to do with the socialist entitlement. Another episode, I had two items the person behind me asked could she could move to the front of me with three. I carefully explained to her the socialism with a no.
@@horserous“socialist entitlement”?!?
Asking the customer in front of you was bad manners. Or perhaps he or she simply suspected that your behavior was much worse, as your answer here clearly shows. Good or bad manners have nothing to do with socialism, but with upbringing.
Or that person was just an imported Karen or Ken. And isn't this a wonderful invention and export from the USA?
@@horserous ´socialist entitlement´? You must be American? Do you even know what socialism means?
Watching this as a German, that has this exact experience every other day
20 to 30 years ago German Aldi did not have scanners at their checkouts, instead the cashiers had to remember 4-digit codes for all the products in store and type them with one hand while handing the purchase with the other hand. They were ridiculously fast even back then but maybe they had problems finding personnel who could both type fast and easily remember hundreds of codes
First thing first. Never start the saturday's shopping in a supermarket But starting with planning meals the friday evening. Then diving in the huge city market in Toulon and coming soon (8h15 max) for choosing the best in fruit, vegetables, fish and bread. Then visiting good butchers. This done, driving to my supermarket and finishing the job. Priority to good products, good food and my local economy.
What I found strange was the lady standing next to a shopper everywhere he would go, commenting his every move. We don't have that over here haha
Interesting video. Informative and well presented!
In China, In many supermarkets have self-service payment. You scan the barcode of the product to get the total amount, pay the amount through your mobile phone, and the list will be automatically printed out. You can pack your own items and leave. The whole process is self-service. Of course, you can call help if you need it.
Any German with an ounce of self respect, would a) never buy bread at a discounter and b) not have it precut before consumption.
This discounter bread section is clearly here to get some pitchforks raised (and I fell for it!)
Great video as usual. Kepp them coming.
I wholeheartedly disagree, when it comes to 0/8/15 bakery products there is literally no difference between a bakery and a discounter in most cases anymore.
Both of them get their pre-produced products from a retail supplier, in fact, it's not even uncommon that it's the same one.
What have I learned from a German. When you buy a prepacked bag - thingy that closes a bag has a production on it. You MUST find the freshest one!
@@mare3515Nein!
@@mare3515people like you will be responsible if one day all bakeries have disappeared 😞
Most people buy bread this way nowadays...
I'm Irish and most of that applies to any supermarket experience here also. The only things different are we use cards more to pay, and lots of self service checkouts.
I always put heaviest items first incase someone comes to bag who doesn’t know a thing about bagging. I usually say I’ll bag them myself but sometimes they insist and I would have to be very rude to get them to stop. Usually the cashiers are happy for the help. And I have been bringing my own bags for decades, I now carry 3-4 that pack up very small in my purse for quick grocery stops on the way home.
In Brazil we usually take our take time in the checkout. It was a very stressful experience to me when I had to go to the supermarket in Europe because you have to go really fast.
You don't. Just do not pack things immidetly. Throw them back into shopping cart, pay, move away, and pack in a relaxed manner.
@@ProjectExMachinathat is exactly what I do in Germany and also try to do it in Spain because it makes me very nervous and stressed to have to pack my groceries fast and badly. I try not to pay before having all my groceries in the bag but it is hard, in Spain sometimes I have had to tell the cashier to slow down.
@@TheHolyActivistif you are such in a hurry do not shop, it is not others fault.
To me, the goal of checkout is to get out of there! The customer should go at their own pace, but cashier speed is the key. I prefer the US/European pace; sitting in long lines at a Brazil checkout because all the cashiers are chatting and moving slowly is super frustrating.
I place my goods back into the shopping cart every time. I haul groceries home in a small granny cart and they need to be packed a certain. I've carried washable bags everywhere for the last 15-18 years now--long before the 7¢ local bag fee became the norm.
Our cashiers will wait for everything to be on the belt, hopefully in a sensible order, then start scanning. Their hours depend on the IPM score (Items Per Minute). Have your coupons in their hand before they start, if you want to keep the line moving. Then ask if they remembered to scan at the end, if the till screen seems off.
One beer only ? Does he go shopping daily ? Without a car he probably goes more often.
This is surely just a ‘Wegbier’. He must have at least a whole crate of beer at home.
For the non-Germans:
‘Wegbier’ is a German expression for a beer that is drunk on the way to another place. Usually when you're on the way to a pub anyway.
In Germany, discounter are usually smaller than supermarkets in the USA, but in large cities you often only have to walk a few hundred meters to the next discounter. You only have to go further for exotic things. Supermarkets/discounter are allowed in residential areas. So yes, you can easily go shopping on foot (in large cities). Because it's so easy, I shop groceries several times a week (2-3 times). Notice while cooking that something is missing? No problem, except on Sundays and public holidays.
You have many opportunities to buy beer in particular: supermarkets/discounters, gas stations, beverage shops and small shops (e.g. Spätis in Berlin). So no need to store beer.
@@schnelma605 Yes! Here in Weissensee, I have an Aldi, Netto, Edeka and Lidl all within about 500 metres - and actually the first three of those are within about 200 metres! Spoiled for choice 😁
@@schnelma605 i was going for buying a box of 20. And to follow the clichee, you need at least 2 per day.
I could just make a deal with a brewery or a beverage market. They deliver whatever i order to my door and take the empty bottles with them. Plus - there is a place to buy beer around the clock wherever a gas station is!
pro tip if you struggle with German cashier speed. Put the items that need weighing at the end, that will give you a few precious seconds to get out your money.
The deposit for plastic bottles needs to come to Asia as well, it'll work so well and reduce so much plastic waste here
In Malaysian supershops, cashier would pack items and punch the debit card, then fold the receipt into the bag. They also care about frozen and dry items as well food and non food for packing. Sometimes a small talk.
In Bangladesh, we goto Supershops/mini marts or in bazaar, similar experience as above.
In Sweden you pay a 10 cent deposit per soda bottle. Not plastic bottles for olive oil, shampoo and similar. It works very well and it does reduce plastic waste.
I also love putting things in order - first the heaviest and then the lightest! hahahahahah!
In Brazil, there is a custom to buy vegetables and fruits at small markets that take place near the neighborhoods, two to three times a week, as, in addition to being closer, they are fresher products! However, large supermarkets also sell it.
Checkout from supermarket is the most stressful touch point 😂
I love shops in Germany and Austria.. I often fly there with empty suitcase for shopping...!
Check out would stress me out. No matter how fast I try to be... I'm never fast enough for the cashier. Thank God for self-checkout. Minimal chat and I can go at my pace.
I dream of being as grocery efficient as a German. Hoping to visit within the next 6 months.
Several years back, at Aldi tgey did not have scanners but the cashiers put all the prices by memory into the cash desk. And you never were quick enough to store your goods away. The cashiers were incredibly fast at it. It was amazing!
You must place the goods tactically on the checkout belt. Distribute deposit vouchers or goods that have to be weighed by the cashier between the other items. This gives you time to put things away. 😁
If you want a less ‘stressful’ shopping experience, you can go to normal supermarkets. The cashiers there are not quite as fast and the area for the purchases after the checkout is larger. In discount supermarkets, the lack of space after the checkout has been specially designed so that people have to put their goods in their shopping trolleys more quickly.
But that's where I'm really German. If I can keep up with putting things away or even have to wait for the cashier, I often think to myself ‘I wonder if that could be done quicker’...😴
Foreigner in Germany. Use the Pfand receipts and the bread packets tactically to slow down the cashiers! Also pay by card because it takes time to confirm sometimes, giving you extra time to pack your things
@@6023barath Good tip. The casier have to Count the Bread Rolls
@@6023barath Mit karte bitte.
Australian here. First job I had was working on the checkouts at Coles (Supermarket chain here in Australia). Lasted on the checkouts for around 4 months before they moved me to out the back and stocking shelves due to me constantly crashing the till due to me scanning too fast 😂
Ah, great, I was looking for this since you said it is comming in your last response. Thanks a lot for it 🤩
Next: The Average German & Hiking? 🙃
ditto!
I'm not fine with the 2 arguments why self-checkout options are not used in Germany!😂
First it's not allowed to use them, when you have more than about 7 items (I've already been reprimanded for it😅). Then scaning bread-rolls) from the in-store baking shop is a nightmare.
Most important, if you buy alcohol. you wait endless for a staff with the age rating card. So with bread and beer I'm therefore 10 times faster at a usual checkout. And this is the most important german lifelesson: don't waste time in the supermarket...while you have to cut your green (cause its saturday!).🎉
I mean, for the alcoholic stuff they could scan an ID - like the cigarette vending machines do.
There's worlds between Aldi and Edeka checkout speeds/rushing. In Aldi you're rushed to pack. Even already processing the next while you're still packing the rest.
In Edeka, not.
At least in my experience, my Aldi and Edeka.
Quite similar to Malta, especially as regards carrier bags and deposits on bottles. I like the choice of different thickness of bread slices, which we do not have.
I have lived Germany for 20 years. I moved here from the UK. The problem with German supermarkets is choice. They have the most bland and mundane choice imaginable. When I travel back to the UK you realise somewhere like Waitrose has 10 times the choice and full of treats that you will not find anywhere in Germany. For example, Waitrose or Sainsburys will have an entire section dedicated to Japanese food stuffs or an entire Indian section etc. You will not find this in Germany. I think it is down to the mentality of the Germans. They are simply not interested in trying new foods. They generally tend to stick to what they know. Having said that they do make the best beer - but then again you can now buy their beer in Watrose such as Paulaner, whereas you will be hard pressed to find any foreign beers or Ales in any of their supermarkets.
Yeah, as a native German that is also my pet peeves about the German supermarkets. I'm so glad that I have a stall on my local weekly market for example, that sells french cheese. Much more flavourful and interesting than the standard cheeses you get in supermarkets here. And thankfully there are some Asian supermarkets in the next bigger town over. As for "foreign beers", thankfully my local beverage trader has a rotating selection of foreign and craft beers from all over the world.
I think that's been changing in the last ten years though. I've got two and a half aisles worth of japanese, indian and american products at my edeka by now.
Finally, someone with a sensible comment. I've lived in Germany 3 years now. I went back to the UK 3 weeks ago, I almost dropped to my knees and started crying when I was stood outside Sainsburys. I don't think Germans realise how lacking their Supermarkets are. So little choice and so little convenience.
You can walk in Sainsbury's and easily get a weeks worth of shopping without much thought. Items are placed near each other so you can combine them to make meals. There's much more variety and choice.
The other thing I enjoy about going back to UK supermarkets is having more than one till open at any time. 15 people in the queue in Germany? "Ahh we don't need to open another checkout"
One point I'd like to disagree on though. Belgium makes the best beer 😉
Most countries worldwide it is a struggle to find new foods and drinks. The UK is incredibly cosmopolitan. In France, you have to work hard to find anything that is not French, but never mind, when in Rome.
Well. I am German and lived in the UK and USA. From the German perspective, and this is also represented in the UK supermarkets, their is no British cuisine. But you eat a lot of foreign stuff. Germany has almost no relation to India compete to the UK. But we have a lot of good German food, so we tend to have less foreign food.
4:20 And put things that need to be weighted, like the bananas at the end so you can slow down the cashier for a split second to give you enough time to put the things in your cart.
And don't forget to put a separation stick at the end!
In Sweden, we have recycled bottles forever. However, at the checkout, I think we have a much better system: After the cashier, there is an area with two lanes where the goods stacks up after the cashier has ticked them off. Then, (s)he switches to the other lane for the next customer while you pack your stuff. Much more efficient I find.
We've had that too. But as they give the markets a new makeover, the german supermarket planer ration the 2 lanes away. Heck why...maybe we're most times faster than the cashier😉
Michael would feel absolutely at home in Ireland - I really can't see any differences
I loved all of it, nothing weird. I wish I still lived in Germany. The only question I had was on the recycling of the bottles - they had their caps on while being put in the machine. In the US, caps are “verboten” and our bottles will be rejected from recycling. 🙄
We used to have deposits on glass pop bottles in the past, we used to collect them, take them back to the chip shop, either walk away with the money or buy chips
Same, in Australia. Well, South Australia never got rid of it, but other states did. Thankfully, my home state of Victoria is in the process of bringing it back - but I doubt we'll ever see the lovely German tradition of leaving Pfand bottles next to bins for the needy to collect. I see far too many struggling Aussies digging about in public bins for bottles 😿
@@MikeStevens All the Nordic have the same system.
Denmark is the pioneer country. It's not German per se. :)
Keep them coming. Love from India 😊 Great work with the Average German series DW.
When the cashier is super fast, I also switch into high gear to see if I can match his speed. It's more like a fun challenge for me.
Decades ago, I used to have to bring the bottles to the fresh meat counter and give it to the lady behind the counter who'll then give me cash in return. Now they have machines for that. 👍👍👍
As an American I’ve always done my grocery shopping on a weekday evening after work because the supermarkets are too crowded on the weekends. Well at least too crowded for my taste. I hate standing in lines.
Isn't the plastic bag he put the bread into considered "single use"? Why not offer a paper sack?
Most of them actually also offer paper bags or allow you to use your own cloth or "bread" bags. 🍞
Very nicely done video
Have an Aldis in our area. They can scan your items faster than you can do it yourself. Also we got used to bringing our own totes and have and "Aldis quarter" in each car for the shopping carts
Aldi quarter 😂
"tote".......means in german "dead woman" or "a dead ......"..........kitchen is a prison..........and gift is poison in german
We have those here in Australia but it's an aldi $2.
I'd love the bread, beer and the prices to transfer. Otherwise it seems very much the same as my shopping in northeast US, including the need to bring my own shopping bags. I recommend this young man bring a knapsack--much easier to tote things.
Germany and the German people are erudite and terribly civilised. I lived there from 75 - 83. I loved everything about it…..🇬🇧
erudite and terribly civilized! the best definition of a German!!i agree.
😆😍❤🇬🇧❤
I went shopping once and found this photo printing machine, so awesome!
They’re pretty common in drugstores :)
That normal since a few years ago in my country in big supermarkets especially auchan
I live in Serbia and shop like a German, albeit with far less cash and with far fewer discounts. You can imagine my utter frustration at the checkout when people are as slow as they can possibly be.
Just like Lidl and Aldi here in the UK. I love the bottle back for credit idea, we could be doing that here.
I think we europeans do not realize how similar we are, we just focus on differences. I am Serbian and everything is almost the same especially "abandon all sense of order" when another checkout opens :D. Only we eat more bread, we buy fresh bread everyday in local shops.
I love this video. It captures the German way of doing shopping in supermarkets. And it is very funny and entertaining. Please make more of these kinds of videos.
Finland 96% the same. The only difference is hardly using cash. Hence, self check-out is utilised for grabbing 1-5 items but never with a cart.
Who knew that Germans are just all the other people in the world. Thanks I am here all week. Cheers from Australia.
So the only difference between Germany and Denmark in this regard is that we still have plastic bags and they don't.
And maybe the number of people paying cash, in Denmark it must be less than 10%.
In Sydney Australia, our Pfand is called Return and Earn. The machines are the same, but they are not inside the shop, they are generally in outdoor locations such as carparks, often in odd locations.
I think more people would use them if they were inside the supermarket like in Germany.
The return system in NSW is really broken. They have actually removed some really big ones near me that had parking and big bunkers for the empties - now there are 2 tiny machines - about the size of a snack/drink vending machines - hidden behind some garden boxes at the local big shopping center, and they fill up within a few hours of being emptied so you can't use them, no parking either. It seems to just be being used as a way to collect extra revenue because you can't find working return machines.
i really couldn't say that the groceries i typically buy are cheaper at any discounter in my area. the difference that irks me is how short the 'after-cashier-dropzone' is at those dicounters (in my case Aldi-Sued, Norma, Netto). if you buy more than 3 items you'll need a trolley, that can be pushed close & you basically sweep the stuff from the counter into it at a breathtaking speed. also, quite strangelly, in my area, veggies & fruit are typically fresher & come in bigger varieties at the discounters !
what really makes the dicounters stand out is actually the themed weekly offers, like for ex. in late spring they sell little fruit trees & gardening tools for waaaay cheaper than garden centers or DIY supermarkets (also a common occurance here) . other weeks it can be training clothes & shoes (sometimes even name brand stuff) or home decor like curtains, carpets etc.
but you forgot to mention how much bottled water is bought here . or maybe you have better tap water in big cities ..? there are special 'drinks supermarkets' all over the place, even though every supermarket has an extensive drinks' sectio, too. and hardly anyone walks out of the 'weekly shopping' without *at least* 1 six-pack of water bottles...
but .... a german who buys only *one bottle of beer* ??! nope, never seen that in my 20+ yrs in this country. the minimum is one box (kiste) containing 20 33cl bottles...
I love Lidl, I'm happy they're expanding in the USA.
To bad Canada does not even have Lidl or Aldi. It would at least remind me a bit of home. 💔🤨
@@sonjagatto9981 Canada still doesn't even have Trader Joe's (owned by Aldi Nord).
My monthly visits to Edeka were the best days of my life.
I needed that laugh, Tack, Thank you, I mean Danke Schoen😂
Austria we say: Zack, I guess even the beeping has regional dialect😀
Cashiers at supermarkets like Edeka or Rewe are a bit slower than at the discounters.
In the North of Germany, Edeka is often the only shop in a village, and there the cashier might sometimes chat with people they know.
Very similar to the Dutch just a lot less expensive. For some reason The Netherlands can be the second largest exporter of food in the world but prices are forever high to the point so many Dutch go to Germany for their shopping it's becoming a problem.
You should go on holiday to Switzerland. When you come home you are happy to see your low prices . 😂
To be fair, this is almost exactly how I shop just outside of Cape Town, South Africa. Just much friendlier.
reading comments here makes me wanna go to Germany to start a supermarket with loads of choices from different parts of the world!
*coughcoughWalmartfailcough
Also, we do have specialised and specialty stores. Those are very small and normally concentrate on one country (cause the owners are from that country) or area. And usually you will find not only groceries there, but also books, music, decorations, even clothes. We have turkish, russian, polish, chinese, japanese, brasilian and what not. The bigger the city, the more of them and the greater the variety though. I have a turkish one just around the corner where i often buy baking bananas, next to a japanese one that has my favorite dried sea weed and miso paste. And the sweets and chocolates from the polish store at the other end of the town are just divine.
I like Aldi in the US. It’s similar to what you showed, except for the bread selection and slicing machine. Low prices and no self-service checkout.
how is it a cardinal sin to use single use plastic bags, but it's okay to use a single use plastic bag to wrap your bread in after a machine cuts it? make it make sense
Hygienic reasons. In this case, a single use bag simply cannot be avoided.
@@mediocreman6323 It can definitely be avoided. You can wrap it in brown paper, for instance, or use paper bags.
Usually brown paper is used to wrap whole loafs of bread. If bread is sliced it will dry out quickly. For that reason it makes more sense to provide a plastic bag in the store. That‘s probably better than to put it in paper and then exchange it for a plastic bag at home.
We called this order in the basket: Waren Tetris
These bags for the bread are nowadays usually made from compostable plastics.
Yes, these exist and are mainly made from corn but don't try to compost them in your garden, they need a special industrial composter for that.
It's pretty close to my shopping experience in America. I've seen no bread slicer here, darn it and the aisles in grocery stores here are narrower than what I saw in this video.
Just returned from 2 weeks in Frankfurt, and visiting the Rewe that was next to the hotel almost daily. After 25 years of living in the USA, still miss my time in Germany, and the shopping experience. Just had our Aldi and Walmart shopping day in the USA and it was not as enjoyable.
All german can’t live without an Aldi store 🙏🏻🇩🇪
In the states, or at least where I am, store employees encourage customers to use the self check out. I personally refuse to because it takes away jobs.
I know two supermarket employees who have worked in that business for 10+ years by now: Both consistently report that the cashier work is the worst part of the job. There's enough work going around in a supermarket, every alleviation is welcome.
This is a german perspective, though.
@@KoneSkirata My point is that if the employees are encouraging self check out then eventually the entire store will be self check out and no one would work at the store, or cut the staffing in half. There are a few stores that don't even have butchers anymore because everything is prepackaged. So they literally open up the box and put the meat in the cooler. I miss having a butcher, cheese shop and fish monger.
@@shakes7878 there is also another argument, every company is looking for staff all the time (at least here in germany) and supermarkets don't get enough people. They still have more than enough work in other parts excluding the checkout. I am actually always glad I am vising a supermarket that upgraded to include a self checkout section. Almost always it has a free space and/or not many people are waiting there. Whenever I am in a store that doesn't have self checkout, often only 1 checkout lane is open and a lot of people are waiting there
@@Chris3s in the states as well. However, a lot of times you'll see a very long line waiting for self checkout but then you'll only see two of three people waiting on the regular line. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. You're right about not having enough workers. Ever since the pandemic people were on unemployment and they were getting paid more doing nothing than actually working.
Nothing weird. Appreciate the environment care. Good manner at checkout is also a model for my country.
Yes the bread cutter machine is common in Europe not in North America. It is also common in Sweden.
That's because the bread is already cut in North America. There's no need for a bread cutter.
Dutch guy here: it's exactly the same as in Germany. I even get most of my stuff at Lidl.
Pro tip: use a shopping cart and line it up with load off area. Do NOT pack things in the bag. Just toss them back in the cart. Pay. Move away. Pack your bags langsam.
... and then check the receipt carefully, because in all the hustle and bustle, cashiers often make mistakes ☝️
@@Nils.MinimalistRubbish
It is the same everywhere in the world except items are different......store layout more or less the same too.... checking out, mode and method of payment procedure same as most countries including the Far East and South East Asia......I had a good experience in Koln way back in 1993.....!
Thanks for the video. A comment on the popularity of payment with cash: It has changed and is still changing. In 2023 about 35% of the payments in the retail sector is done with cash. Mostly older customers prefer to with cash. However, cashless payment by Germans is mostly done with debit cards (e.g. girocard) or by phone services such as Apple Pay. Germans rarely pay with credit cards.
100% the same things in Montreal, Canada. Did not notice anything different. Good video.
love it. does germans still shop at local butchers, bakers,..etc.
They do! Especially bakeries
The ones with just a single store are becoming rare.
dzey aare ouwtlawed
If you are ready to pay 1-2€ per bread roll you go to bakers.
Fully agree.
Brot und Brötchen sind dort viel besser.
I've seen those bread slicing machines in many places in Europe (operated by the customer). We should adopt them here in Australia. I've only seen them in one supermarket in Sydney and it was the newly opened Coles @ St. Leonards.
Also the bottle recycling. We get them in rare places in Sydney and the queue is so long, once it took me 40 mins to get a $7 refund. At $10 per hour I stopped using them. I can make more than that.
Ritter chocolate costs .99 Euro only? Here in Cairo, they cost 3 Euros a piece :( Now that's not fair :(
In Canada also 3 Dollar or more. Everything is way overpriced. Not fair❣
import taxes and shipping.
that was a special offer price. The regular price is approx. 1.70 EUR. 🙂
US same price..$3. At 88 Euro per bar I'd be buying a case of them haha
at the end of the day many people over here may prefer milka chocolate over ritter sport. it is more creamy, more what you would expect from a swiss chocolate.
1:57 You don't use the tong? Just bare hands!
That's the Arian race for you.
3:00
Yes, that's why Germans shop on Saturday:
First they wait for ~three hours in the discount shop line;
As a warm up.
Then they do the same thing at the regular shop;
As a cool down excersize.
5:11
Whatever you are smoking, it's probably illegal in Germany.
The German state: no thrills since 1989
5:20
Shopping goes like this:
First the Phoenecians just leave stuff on the beach.
Then we swap the things we like for these shiny yellow rocks.
To each his own, I guess.
He probably has a plastic glove one, that's what we use in Lidl in Italy. But I've never seen a bread cutting machine here, surely it's not too difficult to slice your own loaf!
@@mirandolina46 Slicing bread evenly takes a lot of practice.
I am Polish but I think I will start identify as German after seeing how you shop. Efficiency is high on my priority list :p