I always say that most customer service in Germany is what I would call: "Cold Professionalism". They will always be accomodating, always be polite, but not always be warm and friendly. Personally I prefer this kind over the pampering and overly friendly attittude of what I see in America, but this is probably preference. And, like with all Germans, ofc you can engage in conversation, but they wont treat you like a friend at first because, well, you aren't their friend. ;)
because in germany we dont use the "customer is always right" bullshit... if u as a customer turn out to be wrong... they correct u or ignore the stupid statement entirely
@@Orici_Vintarion I wouldn't deal with that well, if anyone ' corrected ' me when serving me I would let them know about it, even if the customer isn't always right it's better service to treat them well and at least making them think they are right.
@@iggyblitz8739 It is not better service. You are mistaking servility with service. When you are in another country you should be prepared to live by that country's rules and not by your own imported foreigner's rules.
customer service may seem rude for americans, but it's not like the waiters are unfriendly, germans just don't like the "fake friendliness" that they do in america. But ofc you can talk to them, they're just humas as well.
ds ist richtig, aber es gibt auch erschreckend viele, die wirklich genervt wirken, wenn der Kunde etwas möchte. Sehr authentisch :D aber nicht wenige sollten einfach nicht im Service arbeiten, vorallem wenn sie es nicht mögen.
Kundenservice in Deutschland ist nicht existent zu mindestens nicht im Einzelhandel. Du kannst froh sein wenn du mal eine Frage hast und nicht angezickt wirst oder einen genervten Blick kassierst.
Sometimes they're genuinely rude though. Some literally *roll their eyes* and let out a loooong sigh when you walk into the store (bakeries are notorious for this, in my experience). They might not even greet you or say goodbye, and they're extremely annoyed that you dare bother them.
I was born in America (Arizona), but I've been living all my life in Germany. Up until now, I've only been to America once (that I can remember). In 2018 I visited New York and had alot of fun. Although, when you said that everybody complains about customer service in germany, I had to say something: In comparison, I like customer service in Germany better. The waiters are honest and don't have to constantly fear for their job / suck up to every customer. Here they are respected. I had the feeling that in America, every waiter was "super" friendly. Too friendly! I got annoyed by the constant questions like "is everything okay?", while I was eating. And most of all the sheer pressure to pay tips, even for BAD service, was exhausting! In germany, tips are almost always optional and so you don't feel like an ass if you really can't tip sometimes. And when you are eating/drinking, you don't have an annoying fairy hovering around you and asking you mid-bite how it is going o.- Sometimes it really is annoying when you have to wait longer for someone to come to your table. We just have to sometimes get up and go to them. No big deal, if you have legs and patience :) I just like that, in Germany, waiters are almost on the same level as their customers. It's more like a real transaction between two parties. And not like servants hovering around you. So you get more honest and interesting conversations with them. Which then makes you WANT to give tips.
I agree with that. As a German, i feel bad if the servant act like a slave. I think you can also very polite without overacting. And i even enjoy it if they are little bit cheeky. Maybe because I was born and live in Berlin, where everything is a little bit rougher. Berlin ist, wenn es härter klingt als es gemeint ist. (Berlin is when it sounds harder than it is meant to be)
Also in many stores you can use a bathroom for free. Often though the bathroom isn't easy to find, but it doesn't hurt to ask a clerk if they have a bathroom you may use. I didn't try in stores that sell food, but clothes stores or hardware stores and stores like that usually have a bathroom somewhere.
Very often you get that 50 cent or 1 € back when you buy something at the gas station (you usually get a receipt from the bathroom that you can use as a coupon at the cashier)
As long as you are a customer of the restaurant. If you aren't you might have to pay for using the toilet. I have seen signs for 50 cents/1€ in multiple places.
@@fourleaf4208 I think the original definition assumed an ideal sphere so it does not really matter (~40.008km through the poles to ~40.075km on the equator)
J-Walking. There is an unwritten rule that you don't walk when children are nearby, so they don't learn from your bad habit. Otherwise, if there are no children...
I think is has to do with what you're used to too. Even if the imperial system also worked with powers of 10 the conversion factor might still let it seem complicated to you. If you're really used to calculating in fractions in your head it might still be kinda complicated to switch to decimals all of a sudden.
@@generalsaufenberg4931 There are stupid units in the imperial system, yes. Most not really used today, some are. The same could be asked the other way around. The numbers will be ugly no matter what way you convert. It really depends on what you grew up with is all I'm saying. Adding 7/8 and 5/16 seems way easier than adding 0.875 and 0.3125 for example, even to someone who grew up in metric like myself. I still think the metric system is easier overall but there are pros and cons to everything.
@@Bassalicious Well, looking into erverything I don't follow. Your example obviously is right. But what about squares and cubics, what about units like Newton? It is defined by kg and meter. And it is almost only the US, that uses the imperial system and there are reasons, why it's been dropped everywhere else.
@@nicklenz7030 Yup. Science has a reason to have gone with SI units and they're awesome. There are some incidences where imperial has got something going for it though. I was just trying to rationalize why someone familiar with the imperial system might think metric was complicated at first glance. First and foremost because they're thinking about conversions and not the actual system. You have to be somewhat fluent in a system to get to that point.
Wisst ihr eigentlich das die DB die statistik sogar schönt? DB: Naja ein Zug den wir ausfallen lassen, der kann doch auch nicht zu spät kommen, das tun nur die Leute die sich auf den Zug verlassen haben.
@@MrDoreius Ja, Züge, die bis max. 5:59min später ankommen, gelten noch als pünktlich. In Japan würden die Verantwortlichen der Bahn für sowas Seppuku begehen ;-)
Nope you won’t. I worked at a gas station here in Germany and you get notified because they think you just forgot to pay (can happen to anybody) but you get a fee added (about 20€). But no ANZEIGE.
The thing with red lights in Germany is, that there is one main rule: Do not pass a red light, when there are kids that can see you, so you do not teach them bad. But you shouldn't pass a red light if the aren't kids there too.
In fact - if the police or Ordnungsamt see you jaywalking they can indeed make you pay a fee and give you points in Flensburg. As well driving your bike drunk can lead you to losing your drivers license
You gotta remember that gas may be more expensive in Germany but the distances between places are much shorter too so you basically need less gas to go somewhere :)
Two things that come to my mind: Drinking in Germany in public is fine, but in case it isn't obvious: It's part of social life. The goal isn't to get drunk. If you don't know your limits and get wasted you're going to make a big fool of yourself. In respect to customer service I guess it's all about your expectation. If you expect fake smiles and someone hovering on top you all the time, telling you what they think you want to hear in order to make some sales then yes, customer service is bad in Germany. E.g. a waitress or waiter will leave you in peace to enjoy your meal and the time with your company. The staff in an outlet store is hired to keep the store clean and fold the clothes the customers tried out but didn't buy, not to tell you your belly isn't really as fat as you think it is. In front of the grocery store there won't be a person telling you how life changing it is for them to see you shop for your cucumbers in their shop. ;-) That said, if you actually do need some service, if you're friendly and straight up with pretty much any person, they'll respond in kind.
My experience is if you want good customer service you have to go to the "Einzelhandel" that are specialized to one product kind or in one direction. There you get good customer service and the staff usually knows a lot and can help you with nearly every issue. And once I was in an restaurant and got asked the fifth time if I want a fresh drink and I refused every time it was just completely impolite for me...
That's not really a matter of weird, its a matterof security. If you pull out or push a plug into the outlet in the Us, you can easily touch the metal contacts while the plug is still connected and under voltage. In Germany we have the Autobahn for peole killing themself, so our Plugs and Outlets are designed in a way that you can never touch the metal contact while its still under voltage.
The cash culture actually changed during the Covid situation so don’t worry, you can pay almost in every larger city/grocerystore with ur phone or creditcard.
Because I was curious I asked the cashier at Aldi the other day. She said there are still many people who pay with cash. That's only one but I think it is the case for many people.
@@V100-e5q I've expected that. For many people it is normal to pay cash all the time. But in the past you did not have the opportunity to pay otherwise, if you have to pay less than five euros (this was the most common limit I experienced). But now you can pay a pretzel at the bakery with your card or phone.
@@V100-e5q Aldi was very late with card paying. 15 years ago it was still the case that they would only accept cash or specifically only EC-card, no visa, no Amex, nothing else. Even here in the Saar region where there is a lot of pressure coming from French customers who pay everything with their carte bleue (VISA generally) since the early 90s.
You have to taste Kölsch a Beer, whats popular at Cologne. They have different Varieties of kölsch. The best of them are „Reissdorf“ „Gaffel“ and „Gaffel Wiess“
German customer service is not rude, at least in my experience. Maybe there is a difference between big cities (I think the girl in the reaction is from Munich) and smaller town (like me). American customer service can be a bit over the top, seems to be fake. Everything is amazing and great. But that is ok and didn't bother me. It is just a bit weird at the beginning. It's the same when you come from the USA to Germany, just the opposite :)
Some American customer service is fake. As a bus boy, I tried to help the diners out & give them a good time, for my own helpfulness and to help my waiter. Stereotypes about different kinds of white people used to be more widely circulated in the States.
Re: the friendliness thing: It's my hypothesis that privacy and private space is a huge thing to Germans, so by giving others space and not forcing a conversation, a visit, etc. unto them shows them that you respect their privacy and they will perceive you as polite.
@@MarvinMusicGermany Respecting someone elses personal space is NOT the opposite to being open and friendly. It just means you don't force your presence onto others.
Funny thing: When I watched the show "2 Broke Girls" I didn't get what was so rude about Max because she is not too far from German customer service :D
Vor allem kann man sich mit den amerikanischen Steckern nen Stromschlag holen, geht bei den deutschen schwerer. Korea hat übrigens die selben Stecker..
Did you know about tilting windows? Do not be surprised if you turn the handle all the way and the window seems to fall out of the upper angles. It will stop after a few inches. But you might want press your hand against it so it doesn't come down too hard. If you want to open it all the way, turn the handle sideways.
@@gamerslobyt6680 musst halt trotzdem immer noch beachten, dass Krankenkasse und Steuern bei unserem Lohn nicht direkt abgezogen werden, sondern dass man dies auf die Seite legen muss😅
@@iggyblitz8739 Fitted kitchens often remain in the apartment. These were often installed by previous tenants. Before moving in, the old tenants clarify with the new tenants whether the kitchen can/should remain in the apartment and, for example, the purchase price for the kitchen and permanently installed appliances. There are already fully furnished apartments, but many have sofas, beds, cupboards, etc. which they take with them from their old apartment (furnishings they bought themselves). Many apartments are often almost empty when you move into them. With the possible exception of the kitchenette. I myself don't necessarily want to take the furniture that someone else already had, especially the bed. I also have furniture that I like myself and would like to keep.
@@sylviarohge4204 Ok, in Australia you have the option of renting fully furnished with all appliances, not furnished but with kitchen/possibly laundry appliances, or not furnished with minimal essential appliances, but a kitchen will always be there. Yes well I have slept in a fully furnished rented house and made sure the sheets were new and clean with my own mattress protector
@@iggyblitz8739 Actually, there are some furnished apartments to find here and there, but they are mostly rented by persons staying for a defined (short) period of time, like half a year or monthly or something like that. And I think they are likely much more expensive than unfurnished ones.
True, but in my experience you always make good friends while drinking with strangers, doing it all the time at music festivals :D but yeah, if you ever visit Kassel I'm joining in for some drinks
3:50 US outlets are dangerous, because you can touch a live prong when you put a plug in. The prongs in a German plug are always covered and the last disconnected is the safety contact.
Yes, that the socket is in a hole, is a safety feature, because you cant touch the metal pins from the side, even with a nail, when the pins already touch the metal in the socket
They are not necessarily safer overall. While the construction is safer, the current of 240V is much more dangerous than the American 120V if you touch it. 240V has other benefits obviously. So: Yay to more power. :D
@@wolfvonversweber1109 you can die from both. And if you can't touch any metal with a voltage, this is safer than if you can touch metal with less but still lerhal voltage
19:53 For me this is one of the bigger differences especially the kind of small talk! In Germany and also in Austria we never speak just for the sake of speaking! For example smalltalk about the Weather: For us there is no need to talk about the weather because everyone can see what the weather is like! Or: "How are you?...... I´m Fine thanks......We should meet for a beer sometime......" When we ask in Germany: How are you? Then it's no small talk, we really want to know how you are! And when we say: let's meet for a beer, then we really want to do it, it's not just small talk!
Couple hundred euros should be fine. Its usually just small payments you need to do in cash, like she said. Restaurants, hotels and bigger stores usually take credit card.
But keep in mind, that you could pay converting fees eventide you pay with your credit card (a problem i had in japan) so check that beforehand with your banks customers service
the thing with the restaurants in Germany: its not the "typical" time. some are open in the morning for Breakfast/Lunch and some dont, some opened the whole day from 10 to 10. It depends on where you live. in big cities the most restaurants have open the whole day, in smaller cities they got different times to open
The Restaurant stuff depends on the restaurant, and thus, mostly on customer density. There are many that are open the whole day, especially Fast Food restaurants, Dönerbuden etc., but some close during the early afternoon because they'd have to hire more staff to cover all hours if they open the whole day. And metric system is easy. It's a "times 10" or "times 1000" system, and you can usually see what it is by the prefix. Just memorize Inch = approx 2.5 centimeters, approx 3 feet = 1 meter, 1 mile = approx. 1.6 kilometers. Yeah, the gas prices are the reason we usually just don't hop over to Berlin from Aachen for a weekend by car. Plus, the Autobahn will be a nightmare on the big city knots. Phone hotlines are awful, yes. But usually, if you have a face-to-face customer service in a story, if you are friendly, they are, too. Might just be that Americans and Germans define "friendly" differently :D There is a German song called "Aurelie" by the pop-rock band "Wir sind Helden" that addresses a french girl that is astonished how difficult German men are to flirt to. The song nails it. Here's the audio version: th-cam.com/video/dA6qYYwkyJk/w-d-xo.html No closets, because no friggin' 1000 miles to the next neighbor ^^ We gotta make space as effective as possible, because we gotta fit 80.000.000 people in a state the size of Montana.
German Power Outlets: Much safier, than US Outlets. German Restaurants: It depends on the Restaurant. In my Town, most Restaurants are open from 5pm to 12pm, expect sundays (1130am- 2pm and then 5pm to 12pm). But there are also Restaurants opening 11am - 2pm and then 5pm - 12pm. Fact ist: There is ever a break after lunch (except Fastfood Restaurants or Restaurants in Malls ore stuff like that). Money: Check the fees of your credit card to get Money from a ATM. Do not carry much money in your purse. The most things (Hotel etc.) can be paid by card, but small amounts must be paid cash. GAS: You pay 1,40€ per LITER gas. Thats almost a 1/4 of a gallon (1 gallon = 3,785 liter). So you have to pay 5,29€ per gallon.... or 6,37$. But you have to compare: The most german cars using lessh gas as an american Vehicle. Sure, there are some people try to scam the "pump first and pay afterwards", but all cars are filmed during pumping and so the police can identify you by the license plate. Restaurant Part II: Tipping is NOT as common as in the US. Mostly the costumer rouns up the bill. (from 33,90€ to 35€ for example), that's the tip. Jaywalking: Of course, some germans also jaywalks.... BUT: It is not recommended - because it's pretty dangerous. Dubbing: Most PAY TV Stations broadcast theirs shows with both languages (Dubbed and original). Free TV do it sometimes. Housing: The reason for empty apartments or houses is pretty simple: We do not move as much as americans do and we like to choose our own furniture and even our own kitchen - because, we want to arrange everything by our taste. In my case, i moved three times in my live (i am 50 yrs old) ... 1.) Parents Home I to Parents Home II 2.) Parents Home II to my Granny 3.) From my Granny to my own apartment. One of the reasons is, that Germans didn't change their work place as much as americans do ... and if they change the job, they try to get a job nearby their homes. To move for a job is pretty rare. Where do want to go, when you visit Germany?
@@sveamartens9192 You are allowed to drive faster on the right lane, but you are not allowed to chance from left to right, take over and go back to left lane.
@@namewithoutmeaning1096 No. The only exception on the highway is, when its so full, that just going with the flow means you are a bit faster on the right lane, AND everyone is driving less than 60 km/h.
As someone who works in costumer service: we don't want to come of as rude, we just value your time. If you ask us a question we will answer it and be on our way so that you can as well :)
customer service is not bad, it is just different. They will not ask if everything is OK every 2 minutes and they will not start a random chat, but they will be friendly, help you understand the menu, and do the job in a professional way and keep in the background.
Hab schon länger kein Video mehr von dir gesehen James und ich muss sagen: Damn your german really evolved. Du machst großartige Fortschritte. Bleib wie du bist und vor allem bleib gesund. Have a nice day!
concerning the restaurant opening hours: it depends, some restaurants find that it's not lucrative to open for lunch so they'll do breakfast and dinner as they make the most money there and close for the afternoon to save money on staff, etc. But there are restaurants that will be open all day. (we do love ourselves a Mittagspause though).
Hello^^ i just wanted to let you know that "Schuh des Manitu" and "Traumschiff Surprise" would be pretty iconic german movies which might be worth to check out^^ love your content
with the restaurant opening hours, there is no actual rule... when i first started working as a chef, we had a lunch break every day. the second one didnt. it greatly depends on quality and location and whether or not its possible to have business during lunch time. so most restaurants in larger cities will be open during lunch, you might want to check that beforehand though. especially higher class or michelin rated restaurants might even open just for dinner service, that can happen to smaller restaurants in the outskirts of any city or in villages too. but its impossible to not find any open restaurant during the day, especially in city centres.
bathrooms/toilets in restaurants are free, cause you usually go and eat there, so they get money from you anyway. But public toilets like in a city center usually cost 50 cent to 1 euro to use, cause there are always people cleaning the toilets, looking for enough soap, toilet paper etc. But positive in that way is, that public toilets are often very clean (not always but often) and so the most germans are okay with the paying system.
also regarding opening hours: it's true that restaurants are usually open on sundays, but that's only because they'll be closed on mondays instead (at least in rural areas)
Restaurant hours are completely individual. 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 10pm is pretty common, but many are also open from 11am to 10pm without break. Some also have uncommon hours, like 5pm till 5am over night. They are usually open on sundays and closed on some other day like monday.
@Zoom ante meridian = Vor Mittag, post meridian = Nach Mittag oder wenn das zu kompliziert ist A ist vor P im Alphabet (Also die ersten 12 Stunden A dann P). Die am pm gewöhnten Menscen haben oft auch ein Problem obwohl es ja einfach ist: Wenn >=12 dann einfach immer 12 Abziehen und pm hinten dran schreiben, ansonsten ein am dran hängen. James dürfte allerdings kein Problem haben, als Militärangehöriger kennt er ja "14-hundred zulu"
Actually in Australia everyone stops at red pedestrian lights too ; you might kill someone, many have red light cameras and big fines, if the police catch you, a big fine, many cars have dashcam and if they are behind you may record your offence and send it to police.
Yeh cos we have high fines as well in Germany and we don't want to teach children the wrong way, so we avoid showing them, we also pass red lightings if we are busy 🤣. But I got caught a few times, when I was younger and it is extremely expensive and if the police catches you, you will have to endure a long statement of them about, what you have done wrong 😳
15:30 yes it’s true, they are not as friendly😂But I have to say as a German I would think it’s weird if they would be as friendly as in the us. Normally I just want my food and then pay and not have a friendly conversation with the worker if you know what I mean😂
Restaurants are normally closed on Mondays to buy groceries. On normal days their often closed after 14:00 till 17:00. I think its for prepping the food for the late business. Some then close at 21:00 and others are open till 23:00. The Restaurants always had their own times wehreever I lived.
We might be kind of reserved, when starting a conversation, especially small talk with someone we don't know. At the beginning we are like "okay, he talks very much and he is very friendly, what does he want from me?" But I promise you, if you keep going, many will check it and they'll surprise you with how warm, open and friendly Germans can be (on a good day and if we want😎) and what amazing small talk skills were have to offer. Few of us are even funny (also on a good day and if we want) 😎 Stumbled over your channel a few weeks ago and your videos are very entertaining! I'm looking forward to your impacts when visiting Germany for the first time. Keep going. By the way, is the Ruhrpott in Northrhine Westphalia a point on your Germany bucket list? Maybe you should add. 😉
Of course gas is more expensive in Germany. That's why we always find it funny, when Americans complain about their high gas prices. :D At the moment you pay about 1.30 Euro per litre (Super), that's almost 5 Euro per gallon. :D
James, concerning your question about opening hours in german restaurants. There are two types: 1) those that don't serve food between lunch and dinner usually close the kitchen between 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm and then reopen between 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm. Often there is still service of beverages and/or coffee and cakes, but some (esp.the smaller venues) close entirely. 2) Some restaurants serve food the whole day and don't have an afternoon break. Both types usually close between 10 pm and midnight. Only what we call “Kneipe“ or “Wirtshaus“ (essentially a pub) are open until 1 am, longer with a special licence (Spätausschankerlaubnis).
To the topic of gas stations. There are cams and every car has a license plate. So the car can be tracked.... so you gonna get in trouble if you steal gas from the station....
Servus James, danke für das nette Video. 👍 Du bist ein sehr sympathischer TH-camr, dich möchte man gern auch mal persönlich kennenlernen. 😊 Viele Grüße aus Deutschland 🇩🇪
Just a little thing. In Villages it is normal that you say Hello to everyone you see, but if you don't know them you greet them anyway but then that's it and people may think you are rude. But if you are in bigger towns or cities and do that you seem weird. (No really, I live in a small Village and I'm used to say hello and think people are rude if they don't but if I sometimes get to bigger towns people look at me like "what is wrong with that girl? Do I know her? Wtf?" )
Ja man, kenne ich. Ich komm von sonem Kuhkaff, und wenn man da Mal nicht gegrüßt hat ist das brühwarm deiner Mama oder Oma erzählt worden, die dich dann ausgeschimpft haben, oft auch noch mit dem Nebensatz "Der/Die ist mit uns verwandt!" 😅 Jetzt wohne ich in einem kleinen Städtchen und die Ommas sind alle ganz verwirrt wenn ich ihnen freundlich zulächle und nicke oder Hallo sage xD
"the metric system is a bit difficult" The metric system: 1km = 1000m Meanwhile a mile = 5280 feet xD Normal store hours for smaler stores usually have a "Mittagspause" which is like an hour break for the employees, but bigger stores usually don't because they have enough staff 1. There is good public transportation 2. You don't usually drive as far as in the us People probably exploit it but we do usually have a ton of security cameras at gas stations Drinking in public isn't allowed at the moment due to corona Most of the restaurants make most of their money with drinks. And no refills because we don't use the sirup for cola we use real cola in restaurants Customer services are efficient. We Germans usually are suspicious of overfriendly/fake friendly people Oh yeah the bathrooms are annoying If you eat at the restaurants never, if you don't usually Some of us jwalk but if the police sees you it cost you 40€ Smalltalk nah.... But just talk about anything directly yeah always xD Cities are dang expensive btw at least where I live. Most apartments have a kitchen you can take over(pay) or get for free but not all. You usually look at the apartment before renting and there you can see what comes with it. Some people leave their lights in there for the next person. Once you have an apartment the price doesn't go up fast, unless they renovate it or you move out and the next person moves in. I pay almost the same price for a 2room apartment as my parents do for a 4 room with double the size. They moved here 12 years ago and the prices basically doubled. In East germany and rural areas you can find a lot of cheap apartments/houses tho if you don't care if you have a good public transportation connection to the next major downtown.
I can recommend travelers cheques. Used them some years ago for a trip to Canada. You can get them beforehand in your home country in the desired currency and they are insured in case they get stolen. You can exchange them at local banks in the visiting country, so you only have the amount of money exchanged and with you that you currently need.
For your question about when a restaurant in Germany opens: No, every restaurant has it's own time when it opens. That depends mostly if it is more fitted for evenings or brunch and more. There are as example restaurants that open at 9am and close at 9pm, some of them just close the kitchen at this time but serve drinks and coffee until 0 or even later. Also some of them have an general lunch break that starts between 12-3pm and ends between 2-6pm. Then there are the restaurants that only open a 5pm but are opened until 2-3am. You see, it is very variated and depends on what people they want to serve and more.
16:43 This is btw an interesting topic since it's factually (in the sense of legally) not true, as every German lawyer can tell you using a toilet/getting access to it is considered a basic human right by German law, legally you could basically in the middle of a walk knock at a random house door and kindly ask to use their toilet and legally they would be obligated to grant you access (several legal cases confirmed it). It's just that in practice nobody does it in that private scenario because it's ofc still strange & rude and at places like restaurants, small shops, etc. it doesn't help you much to argue with the people if you actually have to pee right now and probably won't go through the paperwork of filing a complaint so they get a small fine. You have to remember in most places where you have this "No use of the toilet without buying"-signs it has to do with another topic of the video, drinking alcohol in public, because that is allowed you have especially at public meeting places for hanging out a lot of people having to pee way more, combined with people having less concerns to trouble shop owners just to use a toilet (because of the alcohol they already drank, lol).
The german outlets also called Schuko (Schutzkontakt) Steckdosen, and the reason they look kinda weird is, that the contacts are protected, so the thing is safer. You can also build a Kindersicherung into them, which is a little plastic thingy, thaw requires you to turn the plug to make it more difficult to plug something in, to protect little children (the older ones usually figgure it out xD)...
Cool Video! FYI: the kitchen problem when renting in germany depends. You can find apartments that are partially or fully stocked with furniture, but the latter is pretty rare. You do however come across the ocassional appartment with a fitted kitchen in it. Oh, and we don't have a garbage shredder in the kitchen sink 😅
When I was in Germany I can't remember having any complaints, they were fast, polite and a few were even friendly (I even had a nice chat about music taste with a waitress). I'm Swedish though so my standards are probably different from yours. E.G. if they'd come up to me bothering me when I ate to ask about the food, especially if I were in a conversation- I'd consider that to be both overbearing and rude. If I'm in a store, if I want help I'm going to ask for it, and if I don't I probably want to be left alone looking through the wares. And overly friendly (AKA professionally/false) smiles make me uncomfortable, partly because that's probably how I'd smile to someone I was about to stab.
Open times in Germany : - Groceries stores 7-8 am to 20-22 pm (13-15h) - Malls 9:30-10 am to 20 pm (10h) (Saturday’s in December before christmas we have until 23:30pm so you can go look for gifts longer and on the 24th we open from 10am to 14pm (4h only) and 25th 26th are closed. - Sundays are closed but restaurants, cinemas and cafes are open. It’s a day there you can spent time with family and friends and do activity’s. - restaurants are open from Monday to Sunday (they close on Christmas) sometimes they have a ‚break‘ of couple hours but not always there are some wo are open without breaks they usually close at midnight or 1 hour before midnight. Hope this helps ☺️
To the kitchen problem: It's possible to take the kitchen of the person who lived before in the apartment but it's not usual. You may have to pay the kitchen equipment extra, but it's disclaimed in the apartment description. Then you can say no if you won't have the kitchen equipment and buy yourself another one.
Family-operated/non-chain restaurants especially outside the major cities usually close between breakfast and lunch and/or lunch and dinner. Many of them are also closed on Monday to compensate for opening on Sunday. Also remember that the available menu can change during the day between breakfast, brunch, lunch, coffee/cake and dinner. For tourists, this is especially important on countryside and castle trips.
5:30 Yeah, in smaller Citys its very common, but in Big Citys (Cologne, Dresden, Berlin, Munich… ) most Restaurants have opened all the time from around 10/11 to 11 in the evening.
Here in Germany you can also drink beer and drinks with under 16% alcohol by the age of 16. But teenagers often drink on partys when they’re like 14 or something
I think for the kitchen situation in rented apartments it really depends. The three apartments I moved into all had basic kitchens and blinds and stuff, I feel like that’s the norm in areas where a lot of students/young people live that might move every two to five years. For newer kitchens there is usually a fee included in your rent, which isn’t too bad IMO
Restaurants in germany are usually open 6-7 days a week with the closing day often being monday, because many people like to go eat on sunday (also because the stores are closed). in some areas with a lot of tourists, grocery and other stores can be open 7 days a week as well.
it is true with the customer Service....but like everywhere else in the world... there is also a friendly smile on the part of the customer...breaking down walls
Its usually that restaurants closes at the half day and reopens on the evening. But not only restaurants even Doctors, post offices or offices for the people of their state like the town hall
Hey James, dont be scared cause of the empty houses even by rent because thats only if u rent a house or a apartement when u live there for a long time. For ur purpose of beeing in Germany for one Month u can rent a "Ferienwohnung" (or in English a Hollyday apartement ?) as long as u want to have a temp home. This houses or arpartments are fully installed with all u need, a kitchen a complete bedroom, livingroom and bath. These Houses are espeacialy for people who want to spent theyr Hollidays in a own Home and dont want to have a Hotel or Hostel. The Con is u have to make ur own food and everything.
Hi, Tanja from Germany here. We have restaurants that are open from let's say 10:30 0r 11 am to about 10 0r 11 pm. But there are also restaurants that open for lunch from about 11 am to 2 pm. Then they close for the afternoon, and they re-open at 5 or 5:30 pm for dinner until 10 or 11 pm. As for empty houses and apartments, I think the advantage is that you can buy the furniture, the kitchen, the wardrobe you really want, the color, size, material of your wish, and don't have to take what others already used and you maybe don't really like.
![fellow fellow - พรุ่งนี้ไม่มีใครรู้ feat. INK WARUNTORN [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QP6JyjYx_W0/mqdefault.jpg)
Oh yeah and when you’re angry don’t punch a wall in Germany. Because our walls are real walls not paper so it’s going to hurt very bad😂
😄👌
Jaa😂😂
omg, so true 🙈
Someone clearly has never been to the US then.
@@robbyh.8165 true but its also true that in houses and flats often have drywalls as walls in the inside, what actually isnt the case in germany
I always say that most customer service in Germany is what I would call: "Cold Professionalism". They will always be accomodating, always be polite, but not always be warm and friendly.
Personally I prefer this kind over the pampering and overly friendly attittude of what I see in America, but this is probably preference. And, like with all Germans, ofc you can engage in conversation, but they wont treat you like a friend at first because, well, you aren't their friend. ;)
Facts
because in germany we dont use the "customer is always right" bullshit... if u as a customer turn out to be wrong... they correct u or ignore the stupid statement entirely
@@Orici_Vintarion I wouldn't deal with that well, if anyone ' corrected ' me when serving me I would let them know about it, even if the customer isn't always right it's better service to treat them well and at least making them think they are right.
@@iggyblitz8739 It is not better service. You are mistaking servility with service. When you are in another country you should be prepared to live by that country's rules and not by your own imported foreigner's rules.
They will not say:" shut the fxx up! " they say: "Halt die Fresse! "
customer service may seem rude for americans, but it's not like the waiters are unfriendly, germans just don't like the "fake friendliness" that they do in america.
But ofc you can talk to them, they're just humas as well.
Wie ich Fake Freundlichkeit hasse 😞
@@biker1.088 stimmt diese Scheinheiligkeit nervt extrem
ds ist richtig, aber es gibt auch erschreckend viele, die wirklich genervt wirken, wenn der Kunde etwas möchte. Sehr authentisch :D aber nicht wenige sollten einfach nicht im Service arbeiten, vorallem wenn sie es nicht mögen.
Kundenservice in Deutschland ist nicht existent zu mindestens nicht im Einzelhandel.
Du kannst froh sein wenn du mal eine Frage hast und nicht angezickt wirst oder einen genervten Blick kassierst.
Sometimes they're genuinely rude though. Some literally *roll their eyes* and let out a loooong sigh when you walk into the store (bakeries are notorious for this, in my experience). They might not even greet you or say goodbye, and they're extremely annoyed that you dare bother them.
I was born in America (Arizona), but I've been living all my life in Germany.
Up until now, I've only been to America once (that I can remember). In 2018 I visited New York and had alot of fun.
Although, when you said that everybody complains about customer service in germany, I had to say something:
In comparison, I like customer service in Germany better.
The waiters are honest and don't have to constantly fear for their job / suck up to every customer.
Here they are respected.
I had the feeling that in America, every waiter was "super" friendly. Too friendly!
I got annoyed by the constant questions like "is everything okay?", while I was eating.
And most of all the sheer pressure to pay tips, even for BAD service, was exhausting!
In germany, tips are almost always optional and so you don't feel like an ass if you really can't tip sometimes.
And when you are eating/drinking, you don't have an annoying fairy hovering around you and asking you mid-bite how it is going o.-
Sometimes it really is annoying when you have to wait longer for someone to come to your table.
We just have to sometimes get up and go to them.
No big deal, if you have legs and patience :)
I just like that, in Germany, waiters are almost on the same level as their customers.
It's more like a real transaction between two parties. And not like servants hovering around you.
So you get more honest and interesting conversations with them. Which then makes you WANT to give tips.
I agree with that. As a German, i feel bad if the servant act like a slave. I think you can also very polite without overacting. And i even enjoy it if they are little bit cheeky. Maybe because I was born and live in Berlin, where everything is a little bit rougher.
Berlin ist, wenn es härter klingt als es gemeint ist. (Berlin is when it sounds harder than it is meant to be)
In restaurants you don't have to pay for the bathroom but at gas stations on our highways you have to pay 50 cent or 1€.
Greetings from Germany
Also in many stores you can use a bathroom for free. Often though the bathroom isn't easy to find, but it doesn't hurt to ask a clerk if they have a bathroom you may use. I didn't try in stores that sell food, but clothes stores or hardware stores and stores like that usually have a bathroom somewhere.
Very often you get that 50 cent or 1 € back when you buy something at the gas station (you usually get a receipt from the bathroom that you can use as a coupon at the cashier)
And it's worth it because I have never seen cleaner bathrooms and toilets anywhere in the world so far
As long as you are a customer of the restaurant. If you aren't you might have to pay for using the toilet. I have seen signs for 50 cents/1€ in multiple places.
70 ct Sanifair
Talking about jay walking: You don't do it when kids or cops are watching. Apart from that everybody does it as long it's safe.
5280 Feet are one mile.
1000 Meters are one kilometer.
no offense but that's because the metric system wasn't invented by a high penguin
I heard that one with a drunk mathematician rolling dice ;)
WORD! :D
At least a nautical mile has a root that can be pictured, namely one arcminute (1°/60) on a meridian on the globe...
@@EyMannMachHin are we talking the 1°/60 at the equator or the 1°/60 at the pole?
@@fourleaf4208 I think the original definition assumed an ideal sphere so it does not really matter (~40.008km through the poles to ~40.075km on the equator)
J-Walking. There is an unwritten rule that you don't walk when children are nearby, so they don't learn from your bad habit. Otherwise, if there are no children...
It's also extremely regional. In Saarbrucken, for instance, probably due to the French influence, jaywalking is very common.
the metric system is difficult??? it is as easy as possible. it`s all about 10s. not your made up measurements^^
I think is has to do with what you're used to too. Even if the imperial system also worked with powers of 10 the conversion factor might still let it seem complicated to you.
If you're really used to calculating in fractions in your head it might still be kinda complicated to switch to decimals all of a sudden.
@@Bassalicious really? so how much is a bushel? it`s 36.368.72 Litres, or 35.2391 L, it depends who you ask....
@@generalsaufenberg4931 There are stupid units in the imperial system, yes. Most not really used today, some are.
The same could be asked the other way around. The numbers will be ugly no matter what way you convert.
It really depends on what you grew up with is all I'm saying. Adding 7/8 and 5/16 seems way easier than adding 0.875 and 0.3125 for example, even to someone who grew up in metric like myself.
I still think the metric system is easier overall but there are pros and cons to everything.
@@Bassalicious Well, looking into erverything I don't follow. Your example obviously is right. But what about squares and cubics, what about units like Newton? It is defined by kg and meter. And it is almost only the US, that uses the imperial system and there are reasons, why it's been dropped everywhere else.
@@nicklenz7030 Yup. Science has a reason to have gone with SI units and they're awesome. There are some incidences where imperial has got something going for it though.
I was just trying to rationalize why someone familiar with the imperial system might think metric was complicated at first glance.
First and foremost because they're thinking about conversions and not the actual system. You have to be somewhat fluent in a system to get to that point.
"they have a pretty good train System all over germany"
DB: "laughs in Verspätung"
Laughs in 'Information: RE7 nach Frankfurt, über Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Abfahrt 17:35, fällt heute aus, wir bitten um Verständnis'
Ich lieg vor lachen halb am Boden :'D
Wisst ihr eigentlich das die DB die statistik sogar schönt?
DB: Naja ein Zug den wir ausfallen lassen, der kann doch auch nicht zu spät kommen, das tun nur die Leute die sich auf den Zug verlassen haben.
@@MrDoreius Ja, Züge, die bis max. 5:59min später ankommen, gelten noch als pünktlich. In Japan würden die Verantwortlichen der Bahn für sowas Seppuku begehen ;-)
@@tabletopmika4349 da muss sogar ein schafner durchgehen und allen entschuldigungen für arbeit und schule in die hand drücken, kein witz
11:47 we have like 5 Cameras at a gas station. They are going to to see your license plate, and than you are screwed big time.
only 5? The minimum is 8 or more 😂 They'll catch every single move of you.
No not screwed, they just send the bill to you.
@@MG-yu6do And you get an ANZEIGE
@@trentox6713 richtig
Nope you won’t. I worked at a gas station here in Germany and you get notified because they think you just forgot to pay (can happen to anybody) but you get a fee added (about 20€). But no ANZEIGE.
The thing with red lights in Germany is, that there is one main rule:
Do not pass a red light, when there are kids that can see you, so you do not teach them bad.
But you shouldn't pass a red light if the aren't kids there too.
In fact - if the police or Ordnungsamt see you jaywalking they can indeed make you pay a fee and give you points in Flensburg. As well driving your bike drunk can lead you to losing your drivers license
@@RetroStyle89 dude i fkin lost my drivers license cuz i had 1,7 promille, if i had 1,6 Promille i would have kept it. Welcome to Allemagne
that's my way of spotting Germans abroad... we're (almost) the only ones waiting at crosslights ;)
Who drives through red lights anyway unless you are going for an orange turning red ?, that's just crazy.
Well, as every parent can discuss at length, there are always kids there.
Go to the moon with your spouse, go to kiss here, there's a kid there... ;)
You gotta remember that gas may be more expensive in Germany but the distances between places are much shorter too so you basically need less gas to go somewhere :)
And the average car is smaller and needs less gas for the same distance.
@@jonasc3150 even the big cars needs less gas
Same applies for electricity, so all good... ^^
I would hate to have an apartment that already has closets or furniture that I didn't bring.
Germany isnt expensive. When I was in the US, food and groceries are much more expensive there. As a german I think the US is expensive :)
yeah, I literally spend 40€ a week for food and I do cook a lot. it's super cheap in germany compared to many other countries
Depends on the kinds of food though. Most meats are cheaper in the US for example
@@FlyingBaNana3000 Yeah beef for example
yeah, germany isn't expensive. I guess he thought about switzerland
@@MyvIsLove2 Around 100 Euro a week, but for three persons, and that includes other stuff you buy in the supermarket like toiletpaper aso.
Two things that come to my mind:
Drinking in Germany in public is fine, but in case it isn't obvious: It's part of social life. The goal isn't to get drunk. If you don't know your limits and get wasted you're going to make a big fool of yourself.
In respect to customer service I guess it's all about your expectation. If you expect fake smiles and someone hovering on top you all the time, telling you what they think you want to hear in order to make some sales then yes, customer service is bad in Germany. E.g. a waitress or waiter will leave you in peace to enjoy your meal and the time with your company. The staff in an outlet store is hired to keep the store clean and fold the clothes the customers tried out but didn't buy, not to tell you your belly isn't really as fat as you think it is. In front of the grocery store there won't be a person telling you how life changing it is for them to see you shop for your cucumbers in their shop. ;-) That said, if you actually do need some service, if you're friendly and straight up with pretty much any person, they'll respond in kind.
My experience is if you want good customer service you have to go to the "Einzelhandel" that are specialized to one product kind or in one direction. There you get good customer service and the staff usually knows a lot and can help you with nearly every issue.
And once I was in an restaurant and got asked the fifth time if I want a fresh drink and I refused every time it was just completely impolite for me...
how life changing it is for them to see you... 🤣🤦♂️🤣 made definitely my day!
Newsflash: to a european the american electric plugs are super weird, it's just a matter of being used to something different
Whe I travelled to France I used an adapter for the plugs which could switch to German, French and American. Super useful!
ye. like why do they need 3 metal parts ? the way we use them in germany is just cooler xD
@@eyelessghosttv9203 Actually we in Germany have also 3 metal parts. more precise its even 4 ;-)
True but rude
That's not really a matter of weird, its a matterof security. If you pull out or push a plug into the outlet in the Us, you can easily touch the metal contacts while the plug is still connected and under voltage. In Germany we have the Autobahn for peole killing themself, so our Plugs and Outlets are designed in a way that you can never touch the metal contact while its still under voltage.
The cash culture actually changed during the Covid situation so don’t worry, you can pay almost in every larger city/grocerystore with ur phone or creditcard.
Because I was curious I asked the cashier at Aldi the other day. She said there are still many people who pay with cash. That's only one but I think it is the case for many people.
@@V100-e5q I've expected that. For many people it is normal to pay cash all the time. But in the past you did not have the opportunity to pay otherwise, if you have to pay less than five euros (this was the most common limit I experienced). But now you can pay a pretzel at the bakery with your card or phone.
@@L3ona And this is the goal from the Tech - Industrie.
@@MW-mg3qf Yeah but I'm okay with that ^^
@@V100-e5q Aldi was very late with card paying. 15 years ago it was still the case that they would only accept cash or specifically only EC-card, no visa, no Amex, nothing else. Even here in the Saar region where there is a lot of pressure coming from French customers who pay everything with their carte bleue (VISA generally) since the early 90s.
3:05 "Is my computer gonna blow up if i plug my phone into a wall ?"
Me: What ?
I was confused too
well... let's be german: a phone is also a "computer" ;) :P
But yeah... got me confused too
Laptops have transformers in the cord. They work on any voltage from 100V to 240V. Phones have USB plugs. Use a USB outlet.
Dachte ich auch 😂
You have to taste Kölsch a Beer, whats popular at Cologne. They have different Varieties of kölsch. The best of them are „Reissdorf“ „Gaffel“ and „Gaffel Wiess“
the most restaurants are opened sundays but if you want to go to a backery for example it could be closed
most bakeries are open on Sunday mornings so you can buy rolls for breakfast.
Welcher Bäcker hat denn Sonntags geschlossen? Da kaufen doch die meisten Leute Brötchen.
German customer service is not rude, at least in my experience. Maybe there is a difference between big cities (I think the girl in the reaction is from Munich) and smaller town (like me).
American customer service can be a bit over the top, seems to be fake. Everything is amazing and great. But that is ok and didn't bother me. It is just a bit weird at the beginning. It's the same when you come from the USA to Germany, just the opposite :)
Schon mal bei der Telekom angerufen?
Some American customer service is fake. As a bus boy, I tried to help the diners out & give them a good time, for my own helpfulness and to help my waiter. Stereotypes about different kinds of white people used to be more widely circulated in the States.
Re: the friendliness thing: It's my hypothesis that privacy and private space is a huge thing to Germans, so by giving others space and not forcing a conversation, a visit, etc. unto them shows them that you respect their privacy and they will perceive you as polite.
It depends on the location and the city
There are many open friendly people which loves to get to know some knew people
@@MarvinMusicGermany Respecting someone elses personal space is NOT the opposite to being open and friendly. It just means you don't force your presence onto others.
Funny thing: When I watched the show "2 Broke Girls" I didn't get what was so rude about Max because she is not too far from German customer service :D
3:46 Wenn hier einer komische Stecker hat dann sind das ja wohl die Amis! 🔌😄
Mein Gedanke 🤣
@Zoom ist so, da hängt immer alles schräg raus, als obe s gleich rausfällt, und es hat keine Masse
Ja dachte ich auch
Vor allem kann man sich mit den amerikanischen Steckern nen Stromschlag holen, geht bei den deutschen schwerer. Korea hat übrigens die selben Stecker..
Facts
Did you know about tilting windows? Do not be surprised if you turn the handle all the way and the window seems to fall out of the upper angles. It will stop after a few inches. But you might want press your hand against it so it doesn't come down too hard. If you want to open it all the way, turn the handle sideways.
I was so scared when I did that for the first time😂. I was like "Great. It has been five minutes and I have already broken something".
I wish I knew that😅
If you think Germany is expensive, check out Switzerland! 😅
Schweizer Schokolade uff😂😢
omg jaa😂
@Flex Müller In Zürich ja, sonst eher so 10€, Gruss aus der Schweiz ;-)
Durch den verdienst Lohn der Schweizer, geht der Preis sogar noch Klar
@@gamerslobyt6680 musst halt trotzdem immer noch beachten, dass Krankenkasse und Steuern bei unserem Lohn nicht direkt abgezogen werden, sondern dass man dies auf die Seite legen muss😅
We Germans want to furnish our apartment ourselves, to our liking, since we generally live in the apartment for many years.
Ok, but that's pretty inconvenient, are there apartments that at least have the option of being furnished or with appliances ?, choice is everything.
@@iggyblitz8739
Fitted kitchens often remain in the apartment.
These were often installed by previous tenants.
Before moving in, the old tenants clarify with the new tenants whether the kitchen can/should remain in the apartment and, for example, the purchase price for the kitchen and permanently installed appliances.
There are already fully furnished apartments, but many have sofas, beds, cupboards, etc. which they take with them from their old apartment (furnishings they bought themselves).
Many apartments are often almost empty when you move into them.
With the possible exception of the kitchenette.
I myself don't necessarily want to take the furniture that someone else already had, especially the bed.
I also have furniture that I like myself and would like to keep.
@@sylviarohge4204 Ok, in Australia you have the option of renting fully furnished with all appliances, not furnished but with kitchen/possibly laundry appliances, or not furnished with minimal essential appliances, but a kitchen will always be there. Yes well I have slept in a fully furnished rented house and made sure the sheets were new and clean with my own mattress protector
@@iggyblitz8739 Actually, there are some furnished apartments to find here and there, but they are mostly rented by persons staying for a defined (short) period of time, like half a year or monthly or something like that. And I think they are likely much more expensive than unfurnished ones.
Just ask your German fans if they want to meet you at your trip. you‘ll for sure find some people to join your public drinking experience xD
exactly. Sure that there are enough fans in plenty of cities/regions that are keen to meet you (including me)
Me too. Should be a big fun 😅😅
Lets wait till he ends up drinking on a Ballermann party, wondering what "Finger im Po Mexiko" is about.
Depp, Depp, Depp... Johnny Depp Depp xD
@@stardenver6905 You don't have to exaggerate this. First, he has to get used to real beer...escalate later xD ;-)
True, but in my experience you always make good friends while drinking with strangers, doing it all the time at music festivals :D but yeah, if you ever visit Kassel I'm joining in for some drinks
3:50 US outlets are dangerous, because you can touch a live prong when you put a plug in. The prongs in a German plug are always covered and the last disconnected is the safety contact.
Our sockets are much more safe and not everything falls out by just looking at it ;)
Yes, that the socket is in a hole, is a safety feature, because you cant touch the metal pins from the side, even with a nail, when the pins already touch the metal in the socket
They are not necessarily safer overall. While the construction is safer, the current of 240V is much more dangerous than the American 120V if you touch it.
240V has other benefits obviously. So: Yay to more power. :D
@@wolfvonversweber1109 You can touch a million volts and nothing will happen to you as long as the Amps stay nice and low.
@@wolfvonversweber1109 since when is Current measured in Volts?
@@wolfvonversweber1109 you can die from both. And if you can't touch any metal with a voltage, this is safer than if you can touch metal with less but still lerhal voltage
19:53 For me this is one of the bigger differences especially the kind of small talk! In Germany and also in Austria we never speak just for the sake of speaking! For example smalltalk about the Weather: For us there is no need to talk about the weather because everyone can see what the weather is like!
Or: "How are you?...... I´m Fine thanks......We should meet for a beer sometime......" When we ask in Germany: How are you? Then it's no small talk, we really want to know how you are!
And when we say: let's meet for a beer, then we really want to do it, it's not just small talk!
Couple hundred euros should be fine. Its usually just small payments you need to do in cash, like she said. Restaurants, hotels and bigger stores usually take credit card.
But keep in mind, that you could pay converting fees eventide you pay with your credit card (a problem i had in japan) so check that beforehand with your banks customers service
the thing with the restaurants in Germany: its not the "typical" time. some are open in the morning for Breakfast/Lunch and some dont, some opened the whole day from 10 to 10. It depends on where you live. in big cities the most restaurants have open the whole day, in smaller cities they got different times to open
The Restaurant stuff depends on the restaurant, and thus, mostly on customer density. There are many that are open the whole day, especially Fast Food restaurants, Dönerbuden etc., but some close during the early afternoon because they'd have to hire more staff to cover all hours if they open the whole day.
And metric system is easy. It's a "times 10" or "times 1000" system, and you can usually see what it is by the prefix. Just memorize Inch = approx 2.5 centimeters, approx 3 feet = 1 meter, 1 mile = approx. 1.6 kilometers.
Yeah, the gas prices are the reason we usually just don't hop over to Berlin from Aachen for a weekend by car. Plus, the Autobahn will be a nightmare on the big city knots.
Phone hotlines are awful, yes. But usually, if you have a face-to-face customer service in a story, if you are friendly, they are, too. Might just be that Americans and Germans define "friendly" differently :D
There is a German song called "Aurelie" by the pop-rock band "Wir sind Helden" that addresses a french girl that is astonished how difficult German men are to flirt to. The song nails it. Here's the audio version: th-cam.com/video/dA6qYYwkyJk/w-d-xo.html
No closets, because no friggin' 1000 miles to the next neighbor ^^ We gotta make space as effective as possible, because we gotta fit 80.000.000 people in a state the size of Montana.
German Power Outlets: Much safier, than US Outlets.
German Restaurants: It depends on the Restaurant. In my Town, most Restaurants are open from 5pm to 12pm, expect sundays (1130am- 2pm and then 5pm to 12pm). But there are also Restaurants opening 11am - 2pm and then 5pm - 12pm. Fact ist: There is ever a break after lunch (except Fastfood Restaurants or Restaurants in Malls ore stuff like that).
Money: Check the fees of your credit card to get Money from a ATM. Do not carry much money in your purse. The most things (Hotel etc.) can be paid by card, but small amounts must be paid cash.
GAS: You pay 1,40€ per LITER gas. Thats almost a 1/4 of a gallon (1 gallon = 3,785 liter). So you have to pay 5,29€ per gallon.... or 6,37$. But you have to compare: The most german cars using lessh gas as an american Vehicle. Sure, there are some people try to scam the "pump first and pay afterwards", but all cars are filmed during pumping and so the police can identify you by the license plate.
Restaurant Part II: Tipping is NOT as common as in the US. Mostly the costumer rouns up the bill. (from 33,90€ to 35€ for example), that's the tip.
Jaywalking: Of course, some germans also jaywalks.... BUT: It is not recommended - because it's pretty dangerous.
Dubbing: Most PAY TV Stations broadcast theirs shows with both languages (Dubbed and original). Free TV do it sometimes.
Housing: The reason for empty apartments or houses is pretty simple: We do not move as much as americans do and we like to choose our own furniture and even our own kitchen - because, we want to arrange everything by our taste. In my case, i moved three times in my live (i am 50 yrs old) ... 1.) Parents Home I to Parents Home II 2.) Parents Home II to my Granny 3.) From my Granny to my own apartment. One of the reasons is, that Germans didn't change their work place as much as americans do ... and if they change the job, they try to get a job nearby their homes. To move for a job is pretty rare.
Where do want to go, when you visit Germany?
and for the driving thing, u are NOT allowed to pass someone on their right side
On the highway, yes, but its allowed in cities
@@sveamartens9192 You are allowed to drive faster on the right lane, but you are not allowed to chance from left to right, take over and go back to left lane.
What? No! You must not pass on the right on the motorway.
@@namewithoutmeaning1096 No. The only exception on the highway is, when its so full, that just going with the flow means you are a bit faster on the right lane, AND everyone is driving less than 60 km/h.
As someone who works in costumer service: we don't want to come of as rude, we just value your time. If you ask us a question we will answer it and be on our way so that you can as well :)
When somewone make you angry scream DAT JIBT NE ANZEIGE
RIP Karin!
customer service is not bad, it is just different. They will not ask if everything is OK every 2 minutes and they will not start a random chat, but they will be friendly, help you understand the menu, and do the job in a professional way and keep in the background.
Same situation in Australia...
Hab schon länger kein Video mehr von dir gesehen James und ich muss sagen: Damn your german really evolved. Du machst großartige Fortschritte.
Bleib wie du bist und vor allem bleib gesund. Have a nice day!
concerning the restaurant opening hours: it depends, some restaurants find that it's not lucrative to open for lunch so they'll do breakfast and dinner as they make the most money there and close for the afternoon to save money on staff, etc. But there are restaurants that will be open all day. (we do love ourselves a Mittagspause though).
Hello from Sweden 🇸🇪
Many of those things like stores closing on sundays and the outlets are the same in Sweden.
@Zoom I know a little.
Hello^^ i just wanted to let you know that "Schuh des Manitu" and "Traumschiff Surprise" would be pretty iconic german movies which might be worth to check out^^ love your content
with the restaurant opening hours, there is no actual rule... when i first started working as a chef, we had a lunch break every day. the second one didnt. it greatly depends on quality and location and whether or not its possible to have business during lunch time. so most restaurants in larger cities will be open during lunch, you might want to check that beforehand though. especially higher class or michelin rated restaurants might even open just for dinner service, that can happen to smaller restaurants in the outskirts of any city or in villages too. but its impossible to not find any open restaurant during the day, especially in city centres.
bathrooms/toilets in restaurants are free, cause you usually go and eat there, so they get money from you anyway.
But public toilets like in a city center usually cost 50 cent to 1 euro to use, cause there are always people cleaning the toilets, looking for enough soap, toilet paper etc. But positive in that way is, that public toilets are often very clean (not always but often) and so the most germans are okay with the paying system.
Having Cash with you is actually right. But due to covid atm, many shops and bakeries take cards also. But no "credit" cards.
also regarding opening hours: it's true that restaurants are usually open on sundays, but that's only because they'll be closed on mondays instead (at least in rural areas)
Restaurant hours are completely individual.
11am to 3pm and 5pm to 10pm is pretty common, but many are also open from 11am to 10pm without break. Some also have uncommon hours, like 5pm till 5am over night.
They are usually open on sundays and closed on some other day like monday.
@Zoom ante meridian = Vor Mittag, post meridian = Nach Mittag oder wenn das zu kompliziert ist A ist vor P im Alphabet (Also die ersten 12 Stunden A dann P). Die am pm gewöhnten Menscen haben oft auch ein Problem obwohl es ja einfach ist: Wenn >=12 dann einfach immer 12 Abziehen und pm hinten dran schreiben, ansonsten ein am dran hängen.
James dürfte allerdings kein Problem haben, als Militärangehöriger kennt er ja "14-hundred zulu"
It's so crazy when you're German outside Germany and see someone stopping at a red pedestrian light and you immediately see/know they are German 😂
Actually in Australia everyone stops at red pedestrian lights too ; you might kill someone, many have red light cameras and big fines, if the police catch you, a big fine, many cars have dashcam and if they are behind you may record your offence and send it to police.
Yeh cos we have high fines as well in Germany and we don't want to teach children the wrong way, so we avoid showing them, we also pass red lightings if we are busy 🤣. But I got caught a few times, when I was younger and it is extremely expensive and if the police catches you, you will have to endure a long statement of them about, what you have done wrong 😳
And also the Swiss and here even every car stops at every pedestrian crossings (and if not, you can report them ;-))
15:30 yes it’s true, they are not as friendly😂But I have to say as a German I would think it’s weird if they would be as friendly as in the us. Normally I just want my food and then pay and not have a friendly conversation with the worker if you know what I mean😂
Restaurants are normally closed on Mondays to buy groceries. On normal days their often closed after 14:00 till 17:00. I think its for prepping the food for the late business. Some then close at 21:00 and others are open till 23:00. The Restaurants always had their own times wehreever I lived.
The Restaurants in Germany usally are open from 9am to 11pm and even on sundays, yey :)
James: Die Öffnungszeiten von Restaurants in Deutschland sind sehr unterschiedlich aber viele haben von 10-22 Uhr auf.
Schreib lieber nochmal auf english
If you J walk i cologne you'll get stopped by Komissar Mertens on his Bike XD
We might be kind of reserved, when starting a conversation, especially small talk with someone we don't know.
At the beginning we are like "okay, he talks very much and he is very friendly, what does he want from me?" But I promise you, if you keep going, many will check it and they'll surprise you with how warm, open and friendly Germans can be (on a good day and if we want😎) and what amazing small talk skills were have to offer. Few of us are even funny (also on a good day and if we want) 😎
Stumbled over your channel a few weeks ago and your videos are very entertaining! I'm looking forward to your impacts when visiting Germany for the first time. Keep going.
By the way, is the Ruhrpott in Northrhine Westphalia a point on your Germany bucket list? Maybe you should add. 😉
Of course gas is more expensive in Germany. That's why we always find it funny, when Americans complain about their high gas prices. :D
At the moment you pay about 1.30 Euro per litre (Super), that's almost 5 Euro per gallon. :D
Yeah and at highway gas stations you sometimes literally pay over 1.60€ per litre.
More like 1,40
James, concerning your question about opening hours in german restaurants. There are two types:
1) those that don't serve food between lunch and dinner usually close the kitchen between 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm and then reopen between 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm. Often there is still service of beverages and/or coffee and cakes, but some (esp.the smaller venues) close entirely.
2) Some restaurants serve food the whole day and don't have an afternoon break.
Both types usually close between 10 pm and midnight. Only what we call “Kneipe“ or “Wirtshaus“ (essentially a pub) are open until 1 am, longer with a special licence (Spätausschankerlaubnis).
NUR BARES IST WARES and like you wont get robbed here, this aint america my dude
As long as he doesn't go to Frankfurt, he'll be fine
Just kidding, I don't know if it's actually that bad there.
@Daniel Winter true
@@l0rddr4co35 Grüße gehen raus
@@green90s It really isn’t as bad if you keep your wallet in your pants front pockets. I would not put it in a backpack front pocket
Grüße zurück
To the topic of gas stations. There are cams and every car has a license plate. So the car can be tracked.... so you gonna get in trouble if you steal gas from the station....
When you drive away without paying you will have a visit by the police...Know that out of own experience😅(i just forgot to pay lmao)
Yes, they will have your licence plate on tape
Servus James,
danke für das nette Video. 👍
Du bist ein sehr sympathischer TH-camr, dich möchte man gern auch mal persönlich kennenlernen. 😊
Viele Grüße aus Deutschland 🇩🇪
Just a little thing. In Villages it is normal that you say Hello to everyone you see, but if you don't know them you greet them anyway but then that's it and people may think you are rude. But if you are in bigger towns or cities and do that you seem weird. (No really, I live in a small Village and I'm used to say hello and think people are rude if they don't but if I sometimes get to bigger towns people look at me like "what is wrong with that girl? Do I know her? Wtf?" )
😄 ahhhh...das kenne ich gut. Werde auch immer schräg angeschaut (wohne in einer Großstadt).
Bleib gesund 🙏
Ja man, kenne ich. Ich komm von sonem Kuhkaff, und wenn man da Mal nicht gegrüßt hat ist das brühwarm deiner Mama oder Oma erzählt worden, die dich dann ausgeschimpft haben, oft auch noch mit dem Nebensatz "Der/Die ist mit uns verwandt!" 😅
Jetzt wohne ich in einem kleinen Städtchen und die Ommas sind alle ganz verwirrt wenn ich ihnen freundlich zulächle und nicke oder Hallo sage xD
Ach ja der Klassiker "Grüß Gott" ist jedoch mein Favorit beim Grüßen
"the metric system is a bit difficult"
The metric system: 1km = 1000m
Meanwhile a mile = 5280 feet
xD
Normal store hours for smaler stores usually have a "Mittagspause" which is like an hour break for the employees, but bigger stores usually don't because they have enough staff
1. There is good public transportation
2. You don't usually drive as far as in the us
People probably exploit it but we do usually have a ton of security cameras at gas stations
Drinking in public isn't allowed at the moment due to corona
Most of the restaurants make most of their money with drinks. And no refills because we don't use the sirup for cola we use real cola in restaurants
Customer services are efficient. We Germans usually are suspicious of overfriendly/fake friendly people
Oh yeah the bathrooms are annoying
If you eat at the restaurants never, if you don't usually
Some of us jwalk but if the police sees you it cost you 40€
Smalltalk nah.... But just talk about anything directly yeah always xD
Cities are dang expensive btw at least where I live. Most apartments have a kitchen you can take over(pay) or get for free but not all. You usually look at the apartment before renting and there you can see what comes with it. Some people leave their lights in there for the next person. Once you have an apartment the price doesn't go up fast, unless they renovate it or you move out and the next person moves in. I pay almost the same price for a 2room apartment as my parents do for a 4 room with double the size. They moved here 12 years ago and the prices basically doubled.
In East germany and rural areas you can find a lot of cheap apartments/houses tho if you don't care if you have a good public transportation connection to the next major downtown.
If u ever visit germany, u have to visit the zoo in Leipzig. Thats the biggest zoo in germany and its stunning.
Restaurants are mostly open on the weekends the whole day but have midday breaks (mostly is the break from 2p.m. till 5p.m.) during the week.
5:35 not usually. But sometimes there are breks at somearound 12 am.
*Breaks🙃
I can recommend travelers cheques. Used them some years ago for a trip to Canada. You can get them beforehand in your home country in the desired currency and they are insured in case they get stolen. You can exchange them at local banks in the visiting country, so you only have the amount of money exchanged and with you that you currently need.
You definetly should not approach things alone. Get you a guide, who will tell you the unspoken rules of Germany xD
For your question about when a restaurant in Germany opens:
No, every restaurant has it's own time when it opens. That depends mostly if it is more fitted for evenings or brunch and more.
There are as example restaurants that open at 9am and close at 9pm, some of them just close the kitchen at this time but serve drinks and coffee until 0 or even later. Also some of them have an general lunch break that starts between 12-3pm and ends between 2-6pm.
Then there are the restaurants that only open a 5pm but are opened until 2-3am.
You see, it is very variated and depends on what people they want to serve and more.
16:43 This is btw an interesting topic since it's factually (in the sense of legally) not true, as every German lawyer can tell you using a toilet/getting access to it is considered a basic human right by German law, legally you could basically in the middle of a walk knock at a random house door and kindly ask to use their toilet and legally they would be obligated to grant you access (several legal cases confirmed it). It's just that in practice nobody does it in that private scenario because it's ofc still strange & rude and at places like restaurants, small shops, etc. it doesn't help you much to argue with the people if you actually have to pee right now and probably won't go through the paperwork of filing a complaint so they get a small fine. You have to remember in most places where you have this "No use of the toilet without buying"-signs it has to do with another topic of the video, drinking alcohol in public, because that is allowed you have especially at public meeting places for hanging out a lot of people having to pee way more, combined with people having less concerns to trouble shop owners just to use a toilet (because of the alcohol they already drank, lol).
3:11 Love how you say Scheiße bro. I felt that 100% as a german
The restaurant hours depends on the restaurant... Many of them have the pause but Others don't
The german outlets also called Schuko (Schutzkontakt) Steckdosen, and the reason they look kinda weird is, that the contacts are protected, so the thing is safer. You can also build a Kindersicherung into them, which is a little plastic thingy, thaw requires you to turn the plug to make it more difficult to plug something in, to protect little children (the older ones usually figgure it out xD)...
Dieser Kommentarbereich ist ab sofort Eigentum der Bundesrepublik Deutschland.
A reaction, a video about Gernany, camera died once, some suprised reaction and very good German.
A typical James Bray video 😂, a really good one btw.
Gas stations have camera systems. Your licence plate is on the feed, so if you just drive off, they will know who you are and where you live ;)
Cool Video! FYI: the kitchen problem when renting in germany depends. You can find apartments that are partially or fully stocked with furniture, but the latter is pretty rare. You do however come across the ocassional appartment with a fitted kitchen in it. Oh, and we don't have a garbage shredder in the kitchen sink 😅
When I was in Germany I can't remember having any complaints, they were fast, polite and a few were even friendly (I even had a nice chat about music taste with a waitress). I'm Swedish though so my standards are probably different from yours.
E.G. if they'd come up to me bothering me when I ate to ask about the food, especially if I were in a conversation- I'd consider that to be both overbearing and rude.
If I'm in a store, if I want help I'm going to ask for it, and if I don't I probably want to be left alone looking through the wares.
And overly friendly (AKA professionally/false) smiles make me uncomfortable, partly because that's probably how I'd smile to someone I was about to stab.
Open times in Germany :
- Groceries stores 7-8 am to 20-22 pm (13-15h)
- Malls 9:30-10 am to 20 pm (10h) (Saturday’s in December before christmas we have until 23:30pm so you can go look for gifts longer and on the 24th we open from 10am to 14pm (4h only) and 25th 26th are closed.
- Sundays are closed but restaurants, cinemas and cafes are open. It’s a day there you can spent time with family and friends and do activity’s.
- restaurants are open from Monday to Sunday (they close on Christmas) sometimes they have a ‚break‘ of couple hours but not always there are some wo are open without breaks they usually close at midnight or 1 hour before midnight.
Hope this helps ☺️
To the kitchen problem: It's possible to take the kitchen of the person who lived before in the apartment but it's not usual. You may have to pay the kitchen equipment extra, but it's disclaimed in the apartment description. Then you can say no if you won't have the kitchen equipment and buy yourself another one.
I like to choose my own kitchen furniture and to decide what it looks like and all it's funktions details.
@@janniti5423 it's totally up to you luckily :)
Wuppertal even has the unique suspension railways (Schwebebahn) as a means of transport
The times for the restaurant isn’t normal
It is for many Restaurants, they are making a lunch break in that time. Not all but many.
maybe it isn't normal for big cities, but for smaller cities and villages this is actually very usual.
Open for lunch and dinner times, closed in the afternoon and on Mondays.
Family-operated/non-chain restaurants especially outside the major cities usually close between breakfast and lunch and/or lunch and dinner. Many of them are also closed on Monday to compensate for opening on Sunday. Also remember that the available menu can change during the day between breakfast, brunch, lunch, coffee/cake and dinner. For tourists, this is especially important on countryside and castle trips.
5:30 Yeah, in smaller Citys its very common, but in Big Citys (Cologne, Dresden, Berlin, Munich… ) most Restaurants have opened all the time from around 10/11 to 11 in the evening.
Here in Germany you can also drink beer and drinks with under 16% alcohol by the age of 16.
But teenagers often drink on partys when they’re like 14 or something
I think for the kitchen situation in rented apartments it really depends. The three apartments I moved into all had basic kitchens and blinds and stuff, I feel like that’s the norm in areas where a lot of students/young people live that might move every two to five years. For newer kitchens there is usually a fee included in your rent, which isn’t too bad IMO
Benachrichtigungs Gang check - We lit boiz 💯😂🤔
Your videos always makes me smile. Thanks for that dude. - Deine Vodeos bringen mich immer zum Lächeln. Danke dafür mein Lieber.
normal the schops didn't close in the middle of the day. This ist normal spain with the "Siesta" I think
You seem to be really passionate about our culture. It is such a honor for me ❤️
Immer die Kamera ich feier das schon wie einen Running Gag ^^
Restaurants in germany are usually open 6-7 days a week with the closing day often being monday, because many people like to go eat on sunday (also because the stores are closed).
in some areas with a lot of tourists, grocery and other stores can be open 7 days a week as well.
A German outlet literally is just two holes how is that complicated
it is true with the customer Service....but like everywhere else in the world... there is also a friendly smile on the part of the customer...breaking down walls
In Fürth. In a German city, people just walk around on the street and not all Germans follow the rules. Young people, for example, love to break rules
Its usually that restaurants closes at the half day and reopens on the evening. But not only restaurants even Doctors, post offices or offices for the people of their state like the town hall
The bell gets me every time 😅
Hey James, dont be scared cause of the empty houses even by rent because thats only if u rent a house or a apartement when u live there for a long time. For ur purpose of beeing in Germany for one Month u can rent a "Ferienwohnung" (or in English a Hollyday apartement ?) as long as u want to have a temp home. This houses or arpartments are fully installed with all u need, a kitchen a complete bedroom, livingroom and bath. These Houses are espeacialy for people who want to spent theyr Hollidays in a own Home and dont want to have a Hotel or Hostel. The Con is u have to make ur own food and everything.
Also, due to the pandemic, lately paying with your atm card became a LOT more popular.
Hi, Tanja from Germany here. We have restaurants that are open from let's say 10:30 0r 11 am to about 10 0r 11 pm. But there are also restaurants that open for lunch from about 11 am to 2 pm. Then they close for the afternoon, and they re-open at 5 or 5:30 pm for dinner until 10 or 11 pm. As for empty houses and apartments, I think the advantage is that you can buy the furniture, the kitchen, the wardrobe you really want, the color, size, material of your wish, and don't have to take what others already used and you maybe don't really like.