"Employees have to report other employees and get punished along with the person who did it if they don't" They literally tried to install a system that works in the exact same way as the gestapo did in the very country that experienced what the gestapo was like...
As far as I remember, Walmart cashiers in Germany were initially not allowed to sit at the checkout (like in the US) until German authorities intervened. Such treatment is an absolute no-go in Germany.
It's a no go everywhere except the US. Not only cashiers sit but in other type stores, sales associates sit at desks and when a customer comes in they get up and ask if the person needs assistance. They then take the customer back to their desk and process the sale.
@@shersmk90 Yea, I was working in a high end retail store, and the department was empty so I was sort of leaning on a small ledge behind the register. One of my colleagues told me to be careful because if management saw me "sitting" they'd fire me.
Italian here: if an employee starts to act like the Walmart employees are required to, Italians would get suspicious. They would start to think "Are these people trying to scam me, or are they trying to steal my wallet? Oh, maybe they want my watch, or my phone!" That's because over here, when random strangers act way too nicely that's usually what they are trying to do.
German here: This. There's being nice, and then there's being creepily clingy. Wallmart Greeters sound like the later. I really don't want a baby sitter who tries to sell me stuff when I want to buy some potato chips.
@@EskChan19 I mean, all they do is stand near the front door and say "Welcome to Walmart." Its not like they follow you around. I personally don't really get the point of them myself, but you make it seem like they are breathing down your neck the whole time.
@@Plainsburner If you don't know the person on a personal basis, anything beyond being the cashier and saying "good day" and "That'll be" is seen as stepping over personal boundaries. You are in a business relationship. Keep it professional basically.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure the older generation might have been reliving the stasi nightmares if any of them ever worked at walmart. This is why people need to learn at least some world history. Modern world history. Spying and snitching just creates a very toxic environment.
@@Nikita_Akashya They were here from the mid 90s to 2006. Everyone who worked there remembered the time of East Germany. Especially since they were here a few years before the 10th anniversary of reunification Edit: Fixed the formulation at the end a bit
It's the american way. It's like a spoiled entitled kid, that demands to play a game the way it wants it to be, and all the others say, no we play it by the rules we all agreed on befor. Then the spoiled brat cries that he can't win like he wants to, if he plays by the set rules, and runs off.
Australian company Bunnings (hardware and associated stuff, iconic in Aus) learned this when it tried to set up in England. I don't think it would have been trying to stiff the workers as both Aus and England have and expect decent worker protections, but it was certainly down to assumptions that what worked in one place would work in another
I think you are kinda right and kinda wrong for that. Yes of course you have to factor in different cultures, however Aldi is taking off in other countries with their german model, which is really uncommon in the countries they expand to
Actually going into a new market with a different business model is how most of the top thriving companies operated. Going against the grain is a quick way to stand out in a market.
One thing worth mentioning: They tried to impose similar paid leave, parental leave and sick leave standards as the US, aka close to none. But legally they where screwed trying to implement that. They had to provide the leaves and give adequate pay and not keep "part-time employees" at minimum wage with like half an hour less a week then full-time. This wont work in Germany, we know our rights and our worth as workers ;)
Germany is a commie country... "we know our rights"... that's how slave talks, slaves who just want to work in a big company and get paid. No risk, just open the hand and be a money receiver... poor attitude... Walmart fucked it up, but German mentality "we know our right, we want to over regulate everything by law, rights, bills, etc." is just being communist...
They would fail even more here in Austria. They would be slapped with Labour legislation where they’d have to pay 14 full salaries annually, high minimum wage, mandated paid leaves, heavy regulations on pollution and retail safety, Austrian culture of discreetness and professionalism where grinning employees would have freaked customers out, etc. There’s no buying the government on Labour here, Labour rules and government doesn’t want to upset the Labour community so they gladly tell every huge company to comply or buzz off. Even Mcdonald’s fell in line: there is no crap in their food here, beef is pure and locally sourced and there’s no employees smiling at you creepily: they comply to all labour demands and are successful: go into a Mcdonald’s in Vienna, most people are thin. So I’m glad they didn’t try that here cause they would have failed even more.
Another point that wasn't mentioned in the video that the buildings Wal-Mart purchased were these giant stores outside of town were you would have to drive to with a car. As German (and most European ) citys are quite walkable people are more used to visit the smaller Supermarkets(and Discounter) right in their neighbourhood multiple times a week, rather than a big foreign Mega Store you have to drive to once a week or month.
let me add plz that me as a german loves to drive anywhere and esp to grocery stores out of town bc they are way more chilled. not all of us are Iosers who do not like to use cars. remember that germany loved cars ONCE.
It's not about liking to use a car, it's about the need. Let's not forget the very well established public transport system. Especially in bigger towns and cities you can basically get anywhere with it. In rural areas the network is less dense, but that is also not a location Walmart would find enough customers.
In Europe if a store employee follows you while smiling innocently it's probably because they think you'll steal or vandalize the place so I can understand why no one wanted any of that in germany, the Walmartstapo definitely didn't help the matter XD
@@juliamavroidi8601 Oh never had that happen, I got scowled at when entering late and (gently) scolded on the P.A. when I really should be heading for the register but they didn't follow me arond.
7:20 Many sections of that ethics code where outright illegal here in Germany - which is the reason why it was struck down in court. They also should have taken a look at how German stores operate instead of trying their horrible fake business culture on a population that is creeped out by such behaviour. The predatory pricing to crush competitors...that would have worked in the USA and to a certain extend this does exist in Germany as well, however here are regulations in place for stuff like that which protect smaller companies. Walmart violated those regulations and where surprised when the courts ruled against them. However their biggest mistake was their misunderstanding of Unions - what they are, how they operate. A union here in Germany is very, very different from what is called a Union in the USA. VerDi, the Union representing people in the service and retail sectors among others, has about 2.1 million members. Unions are, unlike in the USA, not company specific, they represent entire sectors. IG Metall, the largest union in Germany with 2.3 million members, represents all people in the manufacturing and heavy industry sections for example.
Unions in the US are also industry specific. But in the US they earned, and deserve, a reputation for hurting the day to day operations in the companies where they represent the employees. And that doesn't even begin to cover the rampant corruption in the big unions in the US. The UAW's which cover the automobile industry in the US were (still are?) notorious for their corruption and making jobs that would have been done by 2 guys in an afternoon into jobs that took 2 days and people from 3 or 4 different departments. From what I've been lead to believe, German unions are a lot better in both of those respects.
@@siggyincr7447 Are they really that corrupt or do the corporations that controll the Media want you to believe that is what unions are in the USA? Before believing all the stories about US unions I'd quadruple check the sources because most of the media painting these pictures of the unions in the USA are controlled by the very same people who try to destroy the unions and get rid of all workers rights and protections. In short - it's the big corporations who tell you that unions are bad.
@@HH-hd7nd Nah, I used to work in that industry for about 15 years. It was terrible in the 80's and 90's. I've heard it's got a bit better though. UAW tried to get into a shop I worked for and we voted against them twice because everyone knew what sort of a shit show they would bring with them.
@@siggyincr7447 Still, according to a lot of sources that is exactly what happens in the USA not because the unions are that bad but because the corporate propaganda makes US americans believe that unions are like that.
yeah absolutly, if i remember correctly ive visited a walmart store here in germany at least twice, i can totally relate to the arkward feeling a walmart store gave to me... big stores with wide spaces may be have serious benefits if you re navigating through such a store, like never get "stuck" behind someone at a tight spot between these shelfes. but as already told it felt SERIOUSLY arkward... strange illumination throough the entire store (like these fluorescent tubes, but tinted like icecold white, dunno how to explain that properly... xD) getting permanently annoeyed by various walmart employees ... welp... good to know they were kinda forced to do that back in the days. i seriously thought some ob them were mentally challenged od anything like that. :/ and the last thing was the quality of products they sold generally...the products were cheap, and not only in price! im honestly glad walmart left germany in 2006... :D
From what I read in the newspapers here in the Netherlands, Walmart wanted to pay it's employees below the minimum wages and had the audacity to ask the German govt to lower said minimum wages. Germany flipped 'em the bird on that one, too.
Same in australie apparently. They never opened in australia because labour laws wouldn't be changed for them. Apparently they tried to argue that they can't have lower prices than everyone else if they can't pay their employees lower wages than anyone else, so they wanted a special exception from the minimum wage laws only for them and no other company so they could "stay competitive". Gee I wonder why Australia didn't take them serious.
Reminds me of some reddit post: "I'm planing to branch out to the EU and use mostly unpaid interns, and since I'm a US business owner I feel that it's fair if I pay US minimum wages." I wasn't a 100% certain that it wasn't a troll, but Walmart seems to have had a similar strategy.
It was a hard but important lesson for them to learn. Frankly, I think Walmart's expansion overseas is a form of imperialism. It's like they expected Germany to become American and to adopt America's values" instead of adapting itself to the local culture. Wlamart squandered a golden business opportunity but their ignorance of other cutures simply let them down. I am sure there is an element of this in all store chains that spread internationally but Walmart seemed to have got it wrong bigtime. Aldi on the other hand did the right thing and never tried to enforce German culture on the countries they exported to.
I don't think Walmart would have had much of a chance in Germany even if they had adapted. The competition among German retailers is tight and ruthless. For a newcomer to succeed in that business all the stars would have had to have aligned. Their biggest mistake was coming tp Germany at all. They should have started in another European country and expanded from there, rather than challenging the boss level right away.
@@solar0wind i dont think Aldi really needed to change for the US market. Aldi's speciality is their near perfectly efficient logistics. that is the backbone of their operation and the reason they often can outprize the competition. Also they normally just have one product of a kind and not, let's say 12 different brands of tomato ketchup, just one (mostly with no brand visible). So they can calculate their purchases much more precisely leading to less food waste and therefore lower costs. also the stores are pretty much barebone, offering nothing extra, also lowering the costs of running the stores. that may not be the American way very much, but you will find many people in basically every culture around the world who want medium to high quality food for low prices and these people will just accept a store where they can get more or better food for the same amount of money as long as said store is not creeping them out.
@@solar0wind i'd guess, from what i've heard online from Americans, Aldis System works quite well with how the average american wants to shop. Whilst walmart was just weird to germans. It's the same as if i would Hand you a chocolate cake and you eat the whole thing, because you like it vs if i would expect you to eat it, no matter if you want or not
In Germany, there is a Sunday sales ban. With a few exceptions at petrol stations, train stations and airports, all shops are closed. Walmart wanted to force the court to open on Sundays. They went to court with a busload of star lawyers and failed. They could not understand that the judiciary in Germany is completely independent and only follows the applicable laws. The judges are absolutely uninfluenced by anyone. Not even from the government. In contrast to the USA, this is a cornerstone of a real democracy.
@@T0MT0Mmmmy There are no precedents in Germany. Each crime is tried individually. According to the laws in force at the time of the crime. You can appeal to the next higher authority up to the European Court of Justice.
In essence, Walmart and other similar megacorps just feel like massive scam ventures that do no good for local environments or anyone besides the people who run the place. Even employees tend to be treated poorly in such places - and especially in Europe that approach of corpo first, little guy last, just doesn't sit well with the common cultures here.
They planned to start in the Australian market. But when they were told they had to follow Australian labour laws, walmart didn't happen. Starbucks in Australia also failed. The other week in Woolworth, I saw a stack of Starbucks ceramic mugs going for half price, obviously hard to shift.
@@temperedprobe, I think the only reason people purchased that excuse for coffee was to have the logo on the disposable cup just like an "A-lister". Personally I wouldn't was the car with the stuff.
Funnily enough, Starbucks didn't fail in Germany. Granted, they aren't as omnipresent as in some other countries, but you'll definitely come across a Starbucks quite often here.
As a German, concerning the creepiness factor of just talking to basically every customer, yeah that's *very creepy*. When I worked in a supermarket here, I would only ask the customers if they needed help finding something if I got the impression they were somewhat lost or if I'd seen them wandering around clearly looking for something specific (but not finding it quickly or at all). From the reactions I got back then from the customers, that was about the correct (and sometimes maximum) amount of customer interaction they wanted.
One big problem was Walmart dont understand the culture. Also Walmart dont wanna work with the Union Verdi together. US companies dont like Unions. Unions have a lots of power in Germany.The retail buisness in europe is very brutal. Walmart had also to pay fair salary, of course 4 weeks fully paid vacation, as well all holidays. Walmart had to exept many things in Germany, what in the US not exist. As well when employee getting sick and cant working. The company cant fire the employee and the working place is secure.
They did not account on that unions work different in germany compared to the US. In germany the union is seen as mediator in between worker and owner, so the primary function of the union is (or should be) to make sure the buiseness AND the workers do well. Works more often than not, if it works well ususal comapnies do well. Germans love stability over everything else, so workers will even accept less income if times are tough, companies are expected to pay that back when times are good, rather stay employed at the same place than always ask the highest possible wage, loyalty and so on..
@@pouncepounce7417 That's because a German businessman and an American businessman are two different kind of animals, too. The unions react to what they have to work with, or in the US case, against.
I always liked going to "Aldi" whenever I visit my family in Germany. In Poland we do have "Lidl" and that's probably my go-to when it comes to buying groceries. Acceptable prices, decent quality, just normal. And if anyone in Poland needs something on the spot, there are "Żabka" ("frog" in english) shops EVERYWHERE :).
As someone who is working at a german grocery-store, we also greet our customers, but only offer our help, when customers seem to not find what they are looking for. Also if asked we help packing or assist putting the groceries in the car. Edit: I don't mean someone in the entrance whos only purpose is to greet customers.
ive never seen a person stand at the entrance for hours and just smile and talk to everyone entering a german supermarket... thats what they mean by "greeting". i know i wouldnt go to such a store cause its unnerving
@@avr7120 Ah, no we don't do that, it's like you greet when you cross someone in the store. Like you stock up the shelves and a customer is passing by, you greet them.
And you're good at seeing if customers are searching for something. I remember as a kid when i was looking for something very specific and i was very shy as a kid, but a staff lady helped me. We went around the store a few times because she wasn't sure herself where the thing was but we eventually found it. From then on, I wasn't as scared to ask people for help anymore, thank you staff lady at Rewe
@@avr7120 That sound like a waste of money and skills.. like why would you just let people stand somewhere to greet them, day in day out? like it is more cost effective to delete that kind of 'work' from the store and spend the money on, for example, chairs or a breakroom or so.
when i had a serious leg injury, i needed to go get groceries at my local edeka...the second the vice manager saw me, he called an assistant to help me get my stuff done..all the way till i got everytrhing packed and ready to leave...this is what i call service...i couldn´t even say no....he was like "hey man , i see you are struggling...don´t be a fool, let somebody help you"
I think I often get the impression of the management culture of American companies that they can only make the business run by pushing the man on the floor until he is 5 feet under. I don't think that's a good way to run a business in the long run. Your employees should be something you invest in, so that they get better and thus also contribute to keeping the business competitive in the long term, instead of running them down and throwing them away as waste.
Nailed it spot on. As an American living in Germany, I still work on US posts, I've learned some tactics from the Germans from my neighbors whom I occasionally talk to. It baffles me how my fellow Americans just don't stand up to the nonsense of our work culture, which is corporate speak for ways we can bend you over while you legally can't do anything about it regarding time off, sick time, crazy and usually unannounced constant schedule changes, rewarding the lazy employees by stacking more work on the ones who actually work until as you stated they find themselves 5 feet under. It hurts me so much so I consider a lot frequently moving over to working for a German economy. Just got to add a few more skills to my resume, and talk to my neighbors about such a process and how to do so.
Just look at Elon. He fired half of Twitter's staff and shortly after that Twitter realised, there were many people among them the company needs badly for keep the company running.
I can totally agree on the "aggressive" sales thing. I'm entering the shop because I want to buy something, I know what you sell, don't then jump on me to see if you can "help" If I want help I'll ask because and in one of the few examples I have I just turned around and left the shop, I'll get my trainers elsewhere. Never working front in a retail setting I understand politeness and being approachable but the what I see as jumping on the customer is you have a quota you have to hit and even though I wanted something from here I will go elsewhere for what I want. Fortunately we don't really have that culture in the UK, at least the shops I go.
Totally. I'm glad that in the region where i live the clerks normally say something like "If you need any help, feel free to ask me anytime." when you look around a couple of minutes.
Pretty much. Usually, when I go shopping I know beforehand what I need. I know I want to buy dinner, so I go buy dinner. I don't need a corporate babysitter next to me telling me I could also buy this and that. Obviously stores always want to sell you things because they want to make money, but a good store is where you don't feel that way. A good store is where you go, you buy what you want, of course the employees are helpful when you can't find what you are looking for or something, but that's as far as it goes. When there's someone there drooling over the chance to palm something off on me, I don't feel like a valued customer, I feel like a wallet with legs.
Heard from someone who worked there that the managers Wallmart flew in, had absolutely no idea about local laws/customs/etc. Pfand bottles are a recycling thing where you take the bottle back to the store and get some money back. One manager saw a warehouse full of empty bottles and ordered the employees to throw them out. Didn't even listen when they tried to explain it's *literally* a warehouse full of money they'd just have to cash in...
Unless you live in Belgium, France, Luxemberg, Switzerland, Austria, Tchech Republic, Poland, Denmark and Liechtenstein. Ok, did not anticipate such a long list. Oh, and apologies if I forgot any! Edit: 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️The Netherlands
Hello IWrocker, I'm from Germany and just wanted to let you know that you are an incredibly likeable, open-minded and friendly person. It's always a pleasure to watch your videos. Keep up the great content! Many greetings
Just not come to Europe and treat the employees as they were american. 😂 When McDonalds started operate in Denmark they were strongly against the unions. They got wiser. 😂 It took 7 years of struggle and blockings before McDonalds joined the “Hotel and foodsale employers guild” and the employees got an agreement - and a little raise in the paycheck too.
@Phillip Banes Sure, but there is a European culture, with similar values and traditions. The countries cultures are kind of subcultures of that Megaculture. Just like the US, Europe isnt a Monolith, but there is still a unifying culture. And in this case, its relevant, as workers rights are part of that culture.
@Phillip Banes North America is only two countries by name and agreement. There are MANY cultures across the continent. All the same, there is a distinct set of American and Canadian attitudes. This applies in Europe. It is not equating with country, it is saying that sensibility overall is distinct from other places.
@Phillip Banes North America is a continent, comprised of Canada and the United States of America. Greenland and Iceland are not part of the continent. Central America is nor part of the Continent. South America is not part of the continent. I am rather explicitly referring to Canada and the US when I say that it's two countries by agreement. States and Provinces are closer to allied countries working together under a piece of legislation allowing free travel and trade. Much like the Scandinavian countries.
As some may have already said, the wage/employment issue is one big reason that Walmart hasn't been allowed to set up in Australia either. I would assume what happened in Germany definitely made red flags. Not sure if it is true, but apparently they even applied to try and get an exemption to pay UNDER Australia's minimum wage stating this was their only way of keeping prices low even though other businesses (including fast food and discount retail) are quite capable.
Mostly it takes some brains, which were apparently completely lacking in upper Management of Walmart at the time. They were surprised that they needed to cover 50% of health , unemployment and retirement insurances for every employee. This is what every employer must cover, no matter if the employee is full or part time and no matter on what level the employee is with the company. Those tricks of scheduling only 39 hours per week to avoid paying benefits for a full time employment which was 40 hours per week... that doesnt work here and there is no loophole to get around it without being forced to pay hefty fines to the government if they have to cover any gaps to the minimum income for an employee. They basically barged into the German market thinking they would be too big to fail and the local governments and regulators would bend over backwards to enjoy the honor of having such a "prestigious" company in their country/area. ... only to find out that they had to comply by all the rules just like other companies. Predatory undercutting the competition out of business short term to later raise the prices once the competition had closed down was stopped before the plan worked, costs of employment, laws on minimum required holidays apparently are a thing and those weird forced greetings and smiles creeped out the workers just as much as the customers. I remember going to Walmart as a kid while they were here and those greeters with the permanently red embarrassed faces still come to mind when I picture that particular supermarket.
My mom, while not having shopped at Walmart, said the only good thing she heard about Walmart were the super cheap prices. I told her about the predatory pricing, and she said: "oh, that was it? Yeah, I also wondered what the hell they were thinking, putting their stores at the ass of the world, and assuming every German would have a car while we already have our stores right around the corner where we can pick up our groceries after work."
The only thing i wonder about is how Walmart Managed to stay 9 Years in Germany i think the Germans where trying to be Nice to this US Company by not kicking Walmart out after a couple of Months
It was a similar situation in 2005 with eBay in Poland. They didn't do their homework. They entered the market as if they thought it was empty and the "eBay" brand alone would take care of it. They didn't stand a chance against the local "Allegro" competition.
Something I also read in comments of a different reaction to this video (I'm too young to remember Walmart being here): They usually put their stores in more industrial areas etc simply because they didn't considering different regulations compared to the US and the German HQ was in London with no Germans in the top ranks so absolutely no one who can say "Not a great idea here" who also had influence. And stores like Wertkauf and Interspar are the exception and Interspar especially was a store more for smaller companies, where they could buy large amounts for a cheaper price. And to show the size difference: Walmart stores are averaging between 6400m² and 24200m². Average is 16500m². In Germany, small supermarkets are 400-799m², large 800+m² with an average size of 940m². Yes, you can build 17,5 average German supermarkets in 1 average Walmart
What a ridiculous venture! Why wasn't the HQ in Germany with Germans having a say?! We have Interspar in the UK but it's called Spar and it's really useful
@@sporkfindus4777 No idea. I also have no idea how accurate it was since I read it somewhere else, but it might be related to people not liking people going to the top within a short time, something which took them a long time to reach combined with a loss of influence and probably the risk that the German Walmart officials might push for stuff like unions etc since it is normal
When the 2 german chains were acquired the 2 former ceos were given jobs as aides to the walmart germany ceo to help him navigate the german market and he chose to ignore them. Another honourable mention should be the ceo picking a fight with the main produce seller, demanding better prices and ending up having to buy lower quality stuff at a higher price from elsewhere. There used to be an essay from an university student published online that detailed many of the failings but sadly it seems to have fallen off google.
@@sporkfindus4777 Tax reasons. You fund your HQ in England, fund an daughter in germany and "rent out" the walmart franchise to the german daughter. That has to pay for the franchise rights so it has costs in germany that lower its revenue. The english HQ pays less tax due to the way coorps are taxed in england. If you want to go really cheap you do it like Amazone and pay 1% tax for whole europe buiseness.
@@zippoblackburn3106 Infact that student essay you mean was a doctorate paper. I read it once long ago, but haven't been able to find it again. It was a very entertaining read! 😂
As a german, let me tell you, if someone asks their employees to smile during shift... God no. If they want to smile, sure. But a forced smile is pretty much the worst thing you can do in germany. I know that southern germany tends to be slightly less standoffish, but in Northern germany where I live, the Covid saying was : I hope Covid ends soo, so that I can put my ususal 12 feet between and other people again instead of the mandated 6. If you greet people with more then the word "Moin" you talk to much. Hamburg people especially _hate_ social interaction with a burning passion. We are all natural introverts and hardshells. If you _earn_ our trust, we will be true friends forever, but don't try to smalltalk us or it is _curtains_
One cultural thing is that we tend to want to be left alone and if we want help we ask. Employees that constant sit on our back asking if they can help only annoy us. And it's similar with unions. They and the company work together and don't see each other as enemies. And now Aldi (and Trader Joe's) are quite successful in the US.
Aldi's entire strength is that they just *aggressively* reject most practices of american-style big box stores. Their entire philosophy is to have a small lineup of decent to good quality products and to then obsessively drive down their prices by cutting every cent of overhead they can find and concentrate on long-term stability over short-term profit. And they've spent by now almost 80 years continously maximising and refining that model. Like, for example? Aldi actually pay a premium when building their stores to have them build solidly and with good insulation. Why? Because that means less maintenance cost and less need to use heating/the AC. They're willing to invest up-front to save energy costs in the long run. Aldi's doesn't do quick dashes to profit. They're running a marathon.
There s a grocery chain in the UK called ASDA. WALMART bought it in the 90s to get a foot hold here. But because of the competition from other chains and the domination of TESCO, WALMART gave up and sold ASDA a couple of years ago.
Few months ago I read a study about if people wanna be approached in stores or rather be left to their own. Study actually took place in german shoe stores. While younger people really preferred being left alone, many elderly people went their just for the social interaction. I‘m not from Germany but talking to people from my country (Austria) many older people often complain about not getting any advice or help while shopping. Guess what I‘m trying to say is that age is also a huge factor, not just culture.
I think there is a diff between shoe shopping and grocery shopping, with shoes you want that one or two things, with groceries you do it often and probably have your head full of other things or what is on your list you forgot again, and now that guy really wants to help you ARGGHHH!
You do need support while shopping shoes. Younger people might not be out to buy, but if you really want to, you need someone who takes care of you, bringing you the second shoe aso. Hence not the best venue to ask.
@@TheSarge23 If you go to an outlet or a sale maybe, but in the standard shoe shop, they often put out only the right shoe, and if you like it, you ask if you can try it. Ususally they then bring a pair in a shoe box from storage which you can try, or, if this is the last pair, the second one. It's for practical reasons, because this way they can present more shoes. In any case, a shoe shop is the one place in Germany where it is expected that someone will take care of you - as soon as you give a sign that you require said care instead of just being there to browse.
@@swanpride Seems your shoe shops work very differently to germany. In germany, they show you the shoe on top of the shelf, then under the shelf are boxes with pairs of that shoe, with the size written on it. Almost every shoe shop also has a measurement tool for free use where you can just put your foot on it, put the back of the foot on the frame and then there's a moveable piece that you put at the front of your foot, then the device tells you your shoe size. Then you look for the shoe you want, take one of the boxes with the size the device told you, take that to the register, and that's how you shop for shoes in germany. The only "help" you need is for the cashier to remove the anti-theft tag on the shoes and that's it.
I lived in a town with a Walmart. There was just no benefit to buy at Walmart. But the stores looked cheap and employees were hard to find. Germany is also a very competitive market.
I remember Wal-Mart as a strange and creepy place which I did not like to visit as a child. We do have some big box stores too, but those still felt (and feel) much nicer. I think a major part was also the it felt as if it put the focus on being car friendly, while (nearly) all stores have some kind of bike friendly spot.
I remember it was around the middle of the 2000s, I was looking for a very specific computer game. You couldn't explain to anyone anymore that you used to buy PC games in stores. On my search, I ended up at the Walmart in Hanover (Germany). I didn't find it there either. And I was very happy when I left the store. It was kind of spooky there. Do you know those horror films that begin with someone new coming to a small town? Went to a diner and somehow noticed that people are all acting weird? In this case, overly friendly. That was Walmart Germany. Kind of creepy.
Lidl tried entering Norway and failed as well, around the time Walmart was in Germany. "In 2008, after 4 years in Norway, Lidl gave up on Norway, selling all of its assets to Rema 1000, another discount chain. If you ask Norwegians why Lidl failed in Norway, many will argue that Lidl did not fulfil the Norwegian shoppers' needs and neglected to fit in with their values" So sometimes it's just markets not seeming to mesh well, as I remember not minding Lidl, but that they had a lot of unfamiliar cheap brands of products to us in Norway.
@@VampyrMygg How common is it in Norway for chains to have their own home brands for stuff? That is basically the default in Germany. They also offer the well known big brands, but their in-house ones are cheaper and not worse in quality.
@@VampyrMygg Well, selling items nobody wants to buy is a little different than selling the items below purchasing price which is not fair competition and therefore illegal. But I agree the outcome was the same. 😀
I still remember, there was a Walmart in my hometown (Witten, Northrhine Westfalia) back then, and I went there once, out of curiosity... what a disturbing experience... the Greeters, The "Can I help You"s, the fake smiles... I never went there ever again.
The brand / store chain in Germany that is closest related to Walmart is Kaufland. Not as huge as Walmart but it is very big still and puts out that German vibe.
Kaufland and Lidl are the same group. Dieter Schwarz built both shops from his father's small vegetable and fruit shop and is the sole owner. This has been the Dieter Schwarz Foundation for several years. Since the death of the two Albrecht brothers ( Aldi = Albrecht Discount ), he has been the richest German.
I was once there because my parents had a last minute thing they needed and it was near by. It was so weird and honestly really creepy feeling that i never went there again. I knew someone working there and he basically did quit very quick because he just could not work there.
Its quite common in the USA and Canada for this type of treatment in Wal-Mart, these old retired ppl watching you I don't like it one bit it has caused fights with customers and staff I myself almost had a fight with one old retired "greeters" trying to put a "sticker" on my backpack bag which I objected to, apparently Wal Mart believes most ppl are thieves.
Germany is a highly competitive market for supermarkets. Walmart wasn't the only foreign company to fail. It is interesting that the supermarkets that were sold by Walmart to Metro were now all for sale in 2021. Metro had to give up all of its supermarkets.
Reminds me of some reddit post along the lines of "I'm from Texas and I'll be vacationing in the EU, are they going to respect my right to open carry?" Basically: _"hey, let's just transfer all our US strategies and attitudes to Germany (and ignore some of their laws) and everybody will immediate see how much better the American Way (TM) is!!"_ Nice try, but if you have to hire some scary cheerleader for the staff to notice how great your shop is, it can't be all that amazing. And yes, I'm feeling some lovely warm _Schadenfreude_ about the fact that Aldi managed to get a foot hold in the US just fine. Ätsch-bätsch!
Sadly Cheddars clip contains some inaccuracies and leaves out some important points why Walmart failed in Germany and as a consequence in all EU member countries, incl. the UK as they sold ASDA in 2020 (yes it's an older clip) - poor market research in advance - poorly chosen locations of their stores. Walmart chose to place their stores the "american way", meaning in solely commercial areas (bc they where used to american laws that strictly separate commercial from residential areas, unlike Germany where commercial and residential areas are more mixed), most of them where hardly accessible by public transport or foot, unlike the German stores, who tend to be closer or directly in residential areas, easily accessible without a car. For example, I live in Berlin, an there are 11(!) grocery stores of 9 different brands within a 10 minute walking distance. I also lived in smaller towns and rural areas, but I never had to use a car, as there where always at least 2 grocery stores within walking distance. - communication problems, as the "German headquarter" was based in the UK, without any german employees in the middle and upper management, and mostly US and UK managers that barely spoke german, if any at all. - You can be sure, that Walmarts "ethics code" that "encouraged" the workers to report coworkers for breaking the rules, was not taken well, in a country where 2 authoritarian regimes (first the Nazis and later the east german communists) actively encouraged and forced it's citizens to spy, snitch and denounce their neighbors, coworkers and even their own families. also: the statement that in Germany small retailers are allowed to sell at lower prices than big ones by law is incorrect and misleading. The relevant law stipulates that the goods must not be resold to the end customer below the retailer's purchase price. Simplyfied, if the retailer buys a gallon of milk from the dairy farm for $1, he is not allowed to sell it to the end customer for $0.99. But this "predatory pricing" is exactly what Walmart was doing, and is widely known for. To sell their goods at a calculated loss to force competitors out of business. Also: the shown timetable of the opening hours is just made up BS ... the usual retail hours at the time where monday to saturday from 8am to 7 pm it changed a bit to mostly 6 or 7 am to 9 or 10 pm currently, but sunday is still closed "It has become increasingly clear that in Germany's business environment it would be difficult for us to obtain the scale and results we desire." a.k.a. "We cannot be successful in a market where we cannot bend and break the existing rules and laws to our advantage and our preferences." Walmart also faced similar problems in other countries, like India, Brazil or Japan. a small fun fact at the end: The Aldi-Brothers, Karl and Theo Albrecht already had more than 300 stores running in Germany, when Sam Walton opened his first Walmart in 1962.
Been to a Walmart in Germany only twice and it was strange and kind of creepy to me. The second thing: standard products like milk, butter, fruits were quite expensive compared to other supermarkets. The cheap stuff they sold were american brands and quite unknown to me! The few things I've tried were not my kind of german standard or taste. No! I prefer at a german supermarket. My favourite german supermarket is btw "Edeka". In the very most cases you'll find a nice backery an café inside of Edeka, a butcher and lot of fresh vegetables, too, and of course a large section with beer and alcohol - if you need it. And the prices are quite fair! It's maybe not the cheapest supermarket around, but very affordable. Exspecially compared to the prices in the US. For example: A good bottle of german beer (0.5l) ... 50 cents only! ;)
When I was studying in Germany, I really liked shopping in Edeka. I don't like discounters very much - I especially hate Lidl (I don't know why, but every time I go there I come back with less than half the things I needed because I couldn't find them 😅). But despite that, I was often also in Aldi - because of Moser-Roth chocolate 😍 f*ck Lindt, Moser-Roth is the best! Here in Czech Rep. I usually go to Globus, even if I only want some bread. Their Scan&Go is an amazing invention for us - introverted 😂
@@manzanasrojas6984 As already said: It's a supermarket! Don't compare it with discounters ... As mentionend: it has a nice backery, a café, a real butcher, etc. ... not sure if you'll find that offer in a discount-supermarket?! At least there is no butcher in my local ALDI store...
Close to my place there used to be a Walmart. Now in there are: Edeka (like Aldi or Lidl) Müller (everything from toys, over video games to snacks, perfume etc.) C&A (clothes) A big bakery Two restaurants A drink discounter Another smaller grocery store A copy shop 4 smaller stores Before there were the Walmart and a McDonalds.
I am a german native, being approached by an employee like this feels like being harassed and pressured to buy more, and is therefore hostile and offensive to me.
what i remember, walmart never felt "german" it felt out of touch. also when walmart want a 6-8% margin when other german companies are fine with having 0,5% margin then you are gonna get kicked haaard x
Yeah. Germany is very strongly against singular companies having all the power, while it's a fundamentally american thing that there are one or two mega corporations that own the entire industry. In germany, as long as you make more money than you pay, your company is usually statisfied. That's because america lives the myth that "the free market regulates itself" while germany knows that that's bullshit and leads to anti-consumer (and anti-worker) practices.
These big supermarketcomlex is a typical Northamerican thing. You should drive your "own" car(even its barely 100 meters)to these places. Many of us here in Europe think this is crazy and many of us like our small stores.
Actually, WalMart bought up an existing large supermarkets from a German chain that went bellyup, Wertkauf, and we have plenty of supermarkets that size. They're also quite common in France.
@@ohauss True, but I'd say it's pretty telling that these hypermarket chains all went belly-up at some point while small-store chains stay in business lol
Walmart failed in Germany for one reason, there have been many smaller specialised shops who sold better products cheaper. If some needed a new washing machine or TV he would not go to Walmart, but the the specialised electronics and household appliance stores like Media Markt or Saturn, they also deliverred the goods and took the old. Media Markt is/was nationwide and also made a agressive advertising campaign on print, radio and TV. If some one needed a electic tool like a drill, he bought it in one of the large DIY chains, who also made a lot of advertising and good prices.
The Walmart morning chants reminds me of Microsoft's Steve Ballmer bopping around on a stage like a great ape yelling "I love this company! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!..." with an audience staring at him with glassy eyes not telling whether they were shocked, fascinated or hypnotized (or maybe a combination of them all)... His stunt is still easy to find here on YT and makes still a good meme.
The megastore concept never really worked out in Australia. We had a couple of stores branded as “Hypermarket” where you could get variety items, electrical, homewares, clothing etc as well as groceries all thru the one checkout. (I imagine that’s what Walmart is like?) Those stores lasted maybe 20 years but they always felt like a novelty and they never expanded operations. The established Australian supermarket companies gobbled them up in the end.
Bol locks. They forgot to tell you a couple of things.. that time when Walmart sold old meat (twice), the other time when they add 1 cent for every product you bought. They did it for weeks and said it was an error, bc their registers didn't work properly. Not to mention that at that time the store was practically in front of other big stores/supermarkets...Depending on the city. After a while the quality of vegetables, fruits, etc. was so bad that we started to go to other groceries shops...
There’s a minimum standard in Germany for vacation too. All Germans get at minimum, 20 days of vacation. Given WalMarts reputation, that would never fly in Germany.
That "hey can I help you" thing does happen in some clothes stores here in the Netherlands and I hate it, I don't know what kind of clothes I'm looking for that's why I'm going to a store to figure it out by looking at different options. Actually I think I wouldn't hate it as much in a supermarket because there I know what I want to get
I remember when Lidl came to Sweden and did things their way. It didn't work that great initially, but as far as I know (I usually don't shop there), they actually adapted to our Swedish way of doing things.
The first thing to go where the "german" check out lines, whit a very short "end" where you're ment to pack your items as they're being checked. That didn't work in Sweden where we're used to stand and wait until everything is checked, pay, and then pack. The second was opening hours. They realized that they couldn't close at six when their competitors closed at nine or then, and that they were open on sundays too.
@@darkiee69 I honestly thought that Sweden also would have given them more trouble with their workers rights. Germany does have acceptable workers rights but I have been told by Norwegian and Swedish friends that they feel like Germany could do better in the cathegory.
@@lightbower5826 I haven't heard anything about that, but I feel that there isn't much of a difference between Germany and the Scandinavian countries when it comes to workers rights.
@@darkiee69 wow.. to be fair , as a German that gives me the chills... Letting other people wait while I pack up... Or wait for them🤪 I can totally get behind your way of doing it, but it would need a lot of deprogramming 😜
@@lannik_0 It's wider that what you're using, about twice the width, and split in to two "lanes", so no waiting required. Once one customer is finished the "splitter" is moved over for the next customers items. It can hapen that you have to wait if someone's done their monthly shopping and is slow to pack. But that's a rare occasion.
For one: For a German your attitude towards large store isn't odd at all. We are perfectly happy with two or three choices for something we need, we don't need a whole isle with basically the same stuff under a different brand name. Has the additional peak of keeping the overhead costs down, hence the prices are lower. Two: If there is anyone who doesn't like to much attention while shopping, it's German. They want someone, they can ask, if they need help, but if they don't need help, they just want to browse in peace. Three: Walmart is hardly the only company which run afoul of German worker protection and rules for a fair market (uber is another example), but few did it as spectacular as Walmart. They didn't realise that they shouldn't do predatory pricing (which is their favourite trick, underbidding everyone until the rivals have to give up and then hike the prices), they didn't realise that doing chants with workers would weird everyone out and create some REALLY bad press (remember, in the 1990s, the wall just went down, and the whole forcing workers into activities thing was something the GDR did too), they didn't even realise that an offer of american sized pillow cases would fail since German pillows are simply a different size.
It’s weird to think that such a big company starts such a big project without even doing basic cultural research on the targeted market location. Its like going to war without knowing your enemy.
The biggest mistake American comapnies do when trying to come to Europe is going first to GB and think they know now how the European Market works. GB is very similar to the US, but the rest of Europe isn't. Every country in Europe is special in a way, and you have to cope with the culture. I know that from many IT-companies which tried it that way and then quckly learned that they can't lead Europe business from the UK and need Managers the countries they want to sell to. I had a Walmart nearby in Hamburg and was shopping quiet often there because it was simply easy to reach. But it was not very pleasant. It was just simple and I could find anything I wanted. Gladly no one tried to force help on me. In Hamburg we are super sensitive of strangers approaching us. So good, they learned that fast 🙂
I can pop down to CostCo and get Vegemite and lamingtons but there is no Walmart here in Australia. Walmart would not alter their employment practices to comply with Australian labour laws, so they never even got started here.
I heard that they also ended up in court because their 'fresh goods' were frozen and lorried from elsewhere which in this side of Europe is typically illegal as it's misleading. Another U.S practise. If you make fresh bread it must be french, a.k.a baked in-house. Also that their deliberate geolocation also meant that it was out of range for people so they went somewhere else anyway.
I never went there just like I boycott Amazon now. I want to keep my known local shops and that way, be able to browse through books and anything else I want to buy locally instead of having everything shipped to my door parcel by parcel. It is much more ecologically responsible, it helps local, smaller shops, therefore local employees and prevents one seller of becoming too big to fail.
well brave of you but i guess 99,8% wont boycott amazon. amazon has pros and alot going for them, walmart ... has nothn ... not even prices its just worse then the competition
@@CoL_Drake I guess the same but that is not a reason for me to not even try. When I see how amazon even starts selling items that official vendors on their platform sell but a tiny bit cheaper to make even more profit - for which they will not even pay taxes, I could vomit. I can at least say "not in my name, not supported by me" even if 99.8% keep falling for it.
Fun fact: 30 something years ago, ALDI expanded on the Danish market. Denmark is just across the border from Germany, and even those are two different countries, they is a lot of similarities or shared culture. ALDI had it all - German efficiency and low prices. However, they made one very small but crucial mistake: In their desire to optimize, they supplied their stores with *UHT Milk* with long shelf life of up to 3 months, while at the time Danish milk had between 5-7 days. And it tasted differently to the fresh milk the Danes were used to. Boy, there was outcry about the law quality milk at ALDI and the brand was forever damaged as low-quality discount food supermarket. They never really managed to recovered. Fun fact 2: ALDI announced in 2023 that they will leave the Danish market. Fun fact 3: LIDL brought the same German structure, but they chose to include some key local products (like milk) and they didn't have the same issue as ALDI.
Great thing about Aldi if your household isn't 12 people and you do a little shopping every 1-2 days: - it's cheap even when you don't buy an entire pallet of everything. - things are exactly where they were last time. Even if you go to a different location. - no service unless you ask for it, and if you do, the staff knows exactly where that thing you ask for is. - clean and tidy, there's enough space for 2 carts in an aisle most of the time. No weird on-sale stuff in the middle of the aisles you have to navigate. - shopping can be done in 5 minutes, unless you plan to browse their random limited stock offers.
From a german citizen "why don't the want the service?". It is a matter of privacy. You are on a walk out in the city and in your thoughts. Even if you are in a shop. Someone molesting you with lots of services you did not ask for, intrudes into your very private world, he somehow violates your outside-inside-border. That is why that is usually uncomfortable and rejected. One wants service if one asks for it actively. I live in Sweden and suppose that the mentality is not different here. The german retailers flourish, american companies are virtually not present at the market. The "germanic mindset" is the same.
😀😀Service? They had at least 25 cash registers but only 3 or 4 were open. Every single time! It didn't matter how many customers were waiting in line....
IKEA's first try at the American market as well as their 2 tries on the Japanese market are also very interesting case studies of how you need to take the local culture and situation into account when planning your roll-out into a different market. Not sure if there are RUclips videos about it. We studied it in University.
@@Leviathar Not at first. IKEA tried to be successful with the same things they sold in Europe which didn't work out. Story goes that one day the founder himself saw that most Americans were only buying flower glass vases and when he asked them why they were surprised because they thought it were drinking glasses. Thats when he realized that they couldn't use European sizes in America and they changed to king/queen-sized things as well as going from centimetres to inches on the shields. In Japan they again tried to use what made them successful in Europe which was low prices compared to the "old furniture industry" due to the DIY approach. However Japan was booming at that time so people had money and they wanted to show off with western goods but you cannot brag how rich you are when you buy cheap stuff right? So IKEA even left the japanese market for a while before trying again. If I remember correctly they hit the market when there as a recession so at that time cheaper goods were much more welcomed. At least thats the story the way I remember it.
An interesting thing is that Lidl pretty much faced the same issues when entering the Swedish market. They weren't as silly as Walmart, but they were adamant about doing everything the German way, which caused clashes with unions and authorities, and also rubbed many customers the wrong way. Though they didn't fail, they finally hired a local CEO and gave him free rein to fix the issues. Nowadays, Lidl is a more normal supermarket with a few German quirks, a bit disorganised and chaotic but pretty cheap.
As italian, i find suprising to ear another european (Sweden, right?) call a german thing "disorganised and chaotic". As we say in Italy "C'è sempre qualcuno di migliore"/"There is always anyone better than you".
I now live in Poland, although I am English and some years before I left UK, I would occasionally shop in Way-Mart, yes it was a huge store, but I shopped particularly for, would you believe it, German Suerkraut, which I learned to love as a young soldier in Germany during the 'Cold War' years....the only other places I could get sauerkraut were high end delicatessens where everything was too expensive.
I never knew why we don't have Walmart like you have. But now I do and also it makes totally sense to me. You need to know, from the people I know and I worked with close to none really identified with there company and most were just there to do their job. This hole "Walmart Walmart Walmart" shouting? Most people would have stood there and said heck no!
In Germany there is a coordinated balance of power between the state, employers and unions with employees. Everyone knows where their area ends and where cooperation is successful. That makes everyone happy. Americans call it communism. Telling a German who saw communism on their doorstep is a bad joke. The case of GM with Opel/Vauxhaul also shows that when Americans try to run a German company, American work culture cannot be imposed on the Germans. Now that Opel is managed by French Renault-Citroen PSA, profits are being made again.
It's pretty much failed in the UK too, Mhsin and Zuber Issa and TDR now owns the majority share in Asda along with Wal-Mart who as "an Equity investment"
Let's sum up all my comments on this topic: Walmart failed in Germany because they didn't do market research and wanted to impose the American shopping culture on Germany. Germany is a discount country. Lidl and Aldi are just the two largest, each with around 20,000 branches. There are five large discounter chains in Germany. They are accessible to everyone on foot or by bike. Why would anyone sit in traffic for 1 hour and shop at Walmart across town? Walmart sold the wrong products in the wrong quantities. They had a lot of American products. The USA does not have a metric system and the products do not fit in Europe. They were stupid enough to sell American electronics. We have 230V Europe-wide and the plugs don't fit. Totally useless! I know you ordered two refrigerated containers of turkeys for Thanksgiving in Würzburg. Nobody in Germany knows what Thanksgiving is. Also, they were way too big for German/European ovens and they didn't sell a single one. They have all been disposed of while children in Africa and India are starving. Maybe Americans should think about it! OK ! My comment is long enough now. Americans should respect other cultures and let other people live their lives the way they want. Then mankind would be spared much misery.
Worked at Walmart for 16 years. Was a department manager for 11 of those years till they did a "restructuring" that was their cleaver way to push out the older employees. They told all the department managers that if they wanted to stay they'd have to restart at entry level positions with beginner pay or take a pitiful severance check and leave. A couple of the ladies who were done this way had been with the company 40+ years. Those department manager positions were replaced by near identical jobs under a new job title with mostly people who had only worked there a few months. Its a garbage company. Can't wait till it goes the way of Sears and Kmart.
Personally I prefer out local Edeka over the Aldi which is like 200 meters away (mostly because there are some items I simply cannot buy at Aldi), but if you're living on a budget it is defnietly a good option.
Before Wal-mart even began, an email between Defense Commissary Agency executives, discussing the fact was leaked to its local national employees. Key statement was: "Wal-mart is going to teach the *huns* customer service and how to do business." When confronted about the tone of the email by works council, the (non-) excuse was. "This email wasn't supposed to be read by you." (huns?) So much for decency and diplomacy. Like an elephant in a chinaware store, as the German saying has it. So it is not just Wal-mart....
I'm from Brazil, where Walmart also failed, although over a longer time frame. The reasons were different, and very nuanced and complex, but in the end they all boil down to the same fundamental reason why they failed in Germany: American parochialism and hubris, leading to a lack of understanding or even respect for the local culture and customs. Sears (in its heyday, long before its current decadence) had already failed for the same reasons. Other American corporations, however, were wiser, took a humbler approach, did their homework about local culture, and succeeded. McDonald's, for example, is a national passion (even though it's expensive by local standards --- you can have more and better food elsewhere for less), and it even branded many of its 1,000+ Brazilian stores "Méqui" (the local Portuguese pronunciation of "Mac") to make their Brazilian popular nickname official.
Its a typical thing that happens when US companies purchase german businesses. They think they can operate the same way as they do in the US, regarding employees and customers. Especially with the employees they soon run into trouble, because we have actual work laws and special courts that enforce them. Plus the influence of the trade unions, who are much more integrated into the operation of counpanies (at least of bigger ones) and are not just seen as the communist arch enemy of free enterprise, like in the US. Some US companies have understood that they have to adapt, like McDonalds. Others have not. I know a german company called Wirtgen, world famous for inventing the asphalt grinder and manufactorer of a variety af construction machinery, with 2000 employes. Not long ago the company was sold to the american Deere Corporation. Since, the workers are unhappy, some have even quit their jobs after working there for decades. I'm sure the Deere managers thought they can make more money by using american methods, but things don't work that way.
Greeter? From what I've seen in Lidl, visiting Austria and visiting Germany, employees will be around to answer questions, but they will try to avoid talking to customers unless customers talk to them first. And even then they will try to provide short concise and precise answer and keep the entire talking thing to a minimum.
Wow, that's insane. But Aldi is also quite sketchy when in comes to employee rights. Here in the Netherlands they had a lawsuit because they only allowed for employees to do "personal" things like going to the bathroom etc. for like 5 minutes a day or something,
Lidl's have changed quite lot since they came to Finland, at first they looked like "the back room of the hardware store" and now like any other regular shop..
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
"Employees have to report other employees and get punished along with the person who did it if they don't" They literally tried to install a system that works in the exact same way as the gestapo did in the very country that experienced what the gestapo was like...
More like the Stasi in the GDR
@@TotallyNotAFox both Stasi and Gestapo worked like that.
@@TotallyNotAFox or the Verfassungsschutz (Amt Gehlen)
@@TotallyNotAFox The Stasi didn't start from scratch. They didn't let all the "knowledge" gathered by the Gestapo go to waste.
For real. Isn't it kinda weird that these capitalistic mega-corporations, if left unregulated, tend to do the same stuff as hardcore communists do?
As far as I remember, Walmart cashiers in Germany were initially not allowed to sit at the checkout (like in the US) until German authorities intervened. Such treatment is an absolute no-go in Germany.
Not allowed to sit? That sounds like a big no no in Europe.
@@hnorrstrom And if they sit in the usa, I have heard that management think their workers are lazy... can you imagine that way of thinking?
It's a no go everywhere except the US. Not only cashiers sit but in other type stores, sales associates sit at desks and when a customer comes in they get up and ask if the person needs assistance. They then take the customer back to their desk and process the sale.
@@shersmk90 Yea, I was working in a high end retail store, and the department was empty so I was sort of leaning on a small ledge behind the register. One of my colleagues told me to be careful because if management saw me "sitting" they'd fire me.
@@Meira750 that's an extremely nononono in eu
Italian here: if an employee starts to act like the Walmart employees are required to, Italians would get suspicious. They would start to think "Are these people trying to scam me, or are they trying to steal my wallet? Oh, maybe they want my watch, or my phone!" That's because over here, when random strangers act way too nicely that's usually what they are trying to do.
German here: This. There's being nice, and then there's being creepily clingy. Wallmart Greeters sound like the later. I really don't want a baby sitter who tries to sell me stuff when I want to buy some potato chips.
@@EskChan19 I mean, all they do is stand near the front door and say "Welcome to Walmart." Its not like they follow you around. I personally don't really get the point of them myself, but you make it seem like they are breathing down your neck the whole time.
Swede here: same!
On the east coast of USA there's a store chain called microcenter. Salespeople are on the customers like flies on shit.
@@Plainsburner If you don't know the person on a personal basis, anything beyond being the cashier and saying "good day" and "That'll be" is seen as stepping over personal boundaries. You are in a business relationship. Keep it professional basically.
when you remember german history,group chants and spy on your co-workers has the worst possible connotations.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure the older generation might have been reliving the stasi nightmares if any of them ever worked at walmart. This is why people need to learn at least some world history. Modern world history. Spying and snitching just creates a very toxic environment.
@@Nikita_Akashya They were here from the mid 90s to 2006. Everyone who worked there remembered the time of East Germany. Especially since they were here a few years before the 10th anniversary of reunification
Edit: Fixed the formulation at the end a bit
@@Nikita_Akashya walmart came1997 DDR ended 9 years earlier,not really a far away memory! Stay healthy!
@@emiliajojo5703 Even the memories of the 1930's were still pretty fresh.
@@Meira750 didn't want to make it too complicated for my american friends,but yes!
Going into a foreign market and expecting the market to adept to you rather then you adapting to the market is never going to go over well.
yep, starbucks...
It's the american way. It's like a spoiled entitled kid, that demands to play a game the way it wants it to be, and all the others say, no we play it by the rules we all agreed on befor. Then the spoiled brat cries that he can't win like he wants to, if he plays by the set rules, and runs off.
Australian company Bunnings (hardware and associated stuff, iconic in Aus) learned this when it tried to set up in England. I don't think it would have been trying to stiff the workers as both Aus and England have and expect decent worker protections, but it was certainly down to assumptions that what worked in one place would work in another
I think you are kinda right and kinda wrong for that. Yes of course you have to factor in different cultures, however Aldi is taking off in other countries with their german model, which is really uncommon in the countries they expand to
Actually going into a new market with a different business model is how most of the top thriving companies operated. Going against the grain is a quick way to stand out in a market.
One thing worth mentioning: They tried to impose similar paid leave, parental leave and sick leave standards as the US, aka close to none. But legally they where screwed trying to implement that. They had to provide the leaves and give adequate pay and not keep "part-time employees" at minimum wage with like half an hour less a week then full-time. This wont work in Germany, we know our rights and our worth as workers ;)
Germany is a commie country... "we know our rights"... that's how slave talks, slaves who just want to work in a big company and get paid. No risk, just open the hand and be a money receiver... poor attitude... Walmart fucked it up, but German mentality "we know our right, we want to over regulate everything by law, rights, bills, etc." is just being communist...
And most importantly we know how to get to what we have the right to as workerd
They would fail even more here in Austria. They would be slapped with Labour legislation where they’d have to pay 14 full salaries annually, high minimum wage, mandated paid leaves, heavy regulations on pollution and retail safety, Austrian culture of discreetness and professionalism where grinning employees would have freaked customers out, etc.
There’s no buying the government on Labour here, Labour rules and government doesn’t want to upset the Labour community so they gladly tell every huge company to comply or buzz off. Even Mcdonald’s fell in line: there is no crap in their food here, beef is pure and locally sourced and there’s no employees smiling at you creepily: they comply to all labour demands and are successful: go into a Mcdonald’s in Vienna, most people are thin. So I’m glad they didn’t try that here cause they would have failed even more.
Another point that wasn't mentioned in the video that the buildings Wal-Mart purchased were these giant stores outside of town were you would have to drive to with a car. As German (and most European ) citys are quite walkable people are more used to visit the smaller Supermarkets(and Discounter) right in their neighbourhood multiple times a week, rather than a big foreign Mega Store you have to drive to once a week or month.
let me add plz that me as a german loves to drive anywhere and esp to grocery stores out of town bc they are way more chilled. not all of us are Iosers who do not like to use cars. remember that germany loved cars ONCE.
@@alpha-cf2oi not very alpha of you. Are your legs too weak to walk? Pathetic
It's not about liking to use a car, it's about the need.
Let's not forget the very well established public transport system. Especially in bigger towns and cities you can basically get anywhere with it. In rural areas the network is less dense, but that is also not a location Walmart would find enough customers.
@@HappyBeezerStudios LOL public transport is for Iosers
@@TheHalmkopf pathetic is not having a car. but yeah a peasant wont understand ofc
In Europe if a store employee follows you while smiling innocently it's probably because they think you'll steal or vandalize the place so I can understand why no one wanted any of that in germany, the Walmartstapo definitely didn't help the matter XD
Customers in USA should learn from this and drive walmart out of business in USA too. I do my bit, I NEVER shop there.
That is kind of true. The question "Can I help you?" is sometimes just "I see you. Don't try to grab something!" in Polite-ish. 🙃
either that or bc the store is closing in 10 minutes and they want you out asap
@@juliamavroidi8601 Oh never had that happen, I got scowled at when entering late and (gently) scolded on the P.A. when I really should be heading for the register but they didn't follow me arond.
@Phillip Banes enough stories online. And one time experiences probably told them what they needed to know about walmart.
7:20 Many sections of that ethics code where outright illegal here in Germany - which is the reason why it was struck down in court. They also should have taken a look at how German stores operate instead of trying their horrible fake business culture on a population that is creeped out by such behaviour.
The predatory pricing to crush competitors...that would have worked in the USA and to a certain extend this does exist in Germany as well, however here are regulations in place for stuff like that which protect smaller companies. Walmart violated those regulations and where surprised when the courts ruled against them.
However their biggest mistake was their misunderstanding of Unions - what they are, how they operate. A union here in Germany is very, very different from what is called a Union in the USA. VerDi, the Union representing people in the service and retail sectors among others, has about 2.1 million members. Unions are, unlike in the USA, not company specific, they represent entire sectors. IG Metall, the largest union in Germany with 2.3 million members, represents all people in the manufacturing and heavy industry sections for example.
Also what is a worker council (Betriebsrat) in a company. They basically ignored every labour security law
Unions in the US are also industry specific. But in the US they earned, and deserve, a reputation for hurting the day to day operations in the companies where they represent the employees. And that doesn't even begin to cover the rampant corruption in the big unions in the US. The UAW's which cover the automobile industry in the US were (still are?) notorious for their corruption and making jobs that would have been done by 2 guys in an afternoon into jobs that took 2 days and people from 3 or 4 different departments. From what I've been lead to believe, German unions are a lot better in both of those respects.
@@siggyincr7447 Are they really that corrupt or do the corporations that controll the Media want you to believe that is what unions are in the USA?
Before believing all the stories about US unions I'd quadruple check the sources because most of the media painting these pictures of the unions in the USA are controlled by the very same people who try to destroy the unions and get rid of all workers rights and protections. In short - it's the big corporations who tell you that unions are bad.
@@HH-hd7nd Nah, I used to work in that industry for about 15 years. It was terrible in the 80's and 90's. I've heard it's got a bit better though. UAW tried to get into a shop I worked for and we voted against them twice because everyone knew what sort of a shit show they would bring with them.
@@siggyincr7447 Still, according to a lot of sources that is exactly what happens in the USA not because the unions are that bad but because the corporate propaganda makes US americans believe that unions are like that.
Short Version: To us Walmart feels just as creepy.
Quasi ☺️
To many of us! 😆
yeah absolutly, if i remember correctly ive visited a walmart store here in germany at least twice, i can totally relate to the arkward feeling a walmart store gave to me... big stores with wide spaces may be have serious benefits if you re navigating through such a store, like never get "stuck" behind someone at a tight spot between these shelfes. but as already told it felt SERIOUSLY arkward... strange illumination throough the entire store (like these fluorescent tubes, but tinted like icecold white, dunno how to explain that properly... xD) getting permanently annoeyed by various walmart employees ... welp... good to know they were kinda forced to do that back in the days. i seriously thought some ob them were mentally challenged od anything like that. :/ and the last thing was the quality of products they sold generally...the products were cheap, and not only in price! im honestly glad walmart left germany in 2006... :D
slavery is no longer allowed in europe, so walmart can't work here...
From what I read in the newspapers here in the Netherlands, Walmart wanted to pay it's employees below the minimum wages and had the audacity to ask the German govt to lower said minimum wages. Germany flipped 'em the bird on that one, too.
Same in australie apparently. They never opened in australia because labour laws wouldn't be changed for them. Apparently they tried to argue that they can't have lower prices than everyone else if they can't pay their employees lower wages than anyone else, so they wanted a special exception from the minimum wage laws only for them and no other company so they could "stay competitive". Gee I wonder why Australia didn't take them serious.
Reminds me of some reddit post: "I'm planing to branch out to the EU and use mostly unpaid interns, and since I'm a US business owner I feel that it's fair if I pay US minimum wages."
I wasn't a 100% certain that it wasn't a troll, but Walmart seems to have had a similar strategy.
It was a hard but important lesson for them to learn. Frankly, I think Walmart's expansion overseas is a form of imperialism. It's like they expected Germany to become American and to adopt America's values" instead of adapting itself to the local culture. Wlamart squandered a golden business opportunity but their ignorance of other cutures simply let them down. I am sure there is an element of this in all store chains that spread internationally but Walmart seemed to have got it wrong bigtime. Aldi on the other hand did the right thing and never tried to enforce German culture on the countries they exported to.
In what way did Aldi adapt to American culture? Genuine question. From what I heard, Aldi seems to be pretty similar in the US to German Aldi markets.
I don't think Walmart would have had much of a chance in Germany even if they had adapted. The competition among German retailers is tight and ruthless. For a newcomer to succeed in that business all the stars would have had to have aligned. Their biggest mistake was coming tp Germany at all. They should have started in another European country and expanded from there, rather than challenging the boss level right away.
@@solar0wind yup. Our culture is just better 😎 🇩🇪
@@solar0wind i dont think Aldi really needed to change for the US market. Aldi's speciality is their near perfectly efficient logistics. that is the backbone of their operation and the reason they often can outprize the competition. Also they normally just have one product of a kind and not, let's say 12 different brands of tomato ketchup, just one (mostly with no brand visible). So they can calculate their purchases much more precisely leading to less food waste and therefore lower costs.
also the stores are pretty much barebone, offering nothing extra, also lowering the costs of running the stores. that may not be the American way very much, but you will find many people in basically every culture around the world who want medium to high quality food for low prices and these people will just accept a store where they can get more or better food for the same amount of money as long as said store is not creeping them out.
@@solar0wind i'd guess, from what i've heard online from Americans, Aldis System works quite well with how the average american wants to shop. Whilst walmart was just weird to germans.
It's the same as if i would Hand you a chocolate cake and you eat the whole thing, because you like it vs if i would expect you to eat it, no matter if you want or not
In Germany, there is a Sunday sales ban. With a few exceptions at petrol stations, train stations and airports, all shops are closed.
Walmart wanted to force the court to open on Sundays. They went to court with a busload of star lawyers and failed.
They could not understand that the judiciary in Germany is completely independent and only follows the applicable laws. The judges are absolutely uninfluenced by anyone.
Not even from the government. In contrast to the USA, this is a cornerstone of a real democracy.
Maybe just because there are no precedent cases in Germany. The law is the law is the law and it is very exact in Germany.
@@T0MT0Mmmmy
There are no precedents in Germany.
Each crime is tried individually. According to the laws in force at the time of the crime.
You can appeal to the next higher authority up to the European Court of Justice.
In essence, Walmart and other similar megacorps just feel like massive scam ventures that do no good for local environments or anyone besides the people who run the place. Even employees tend to be treated poorly in such places - and especially in Europe that approach of corpo first, little guy last, just doesn't sit well with the common cultures here.
Because these corporate firms have been all lobbied and incentivized by the very same governments they claim that they are for and represent.
That's because that's the exact truth. And the EU bureaucracy couldn't be more pro-corp no matter how much they tried.
They planned to start in the Australian market. But when they were told they had to follow Australian labour laws, walmart didn't happen. Starbucks in Australia also failed. The other week in Woolworth, I saw a stack of Starbucks ceramic mugs going for half price, obviously hard to shift.
I was going to say something similar about star-yucks here in Oz but don't have to now
@@temperedprobe, I think the only reason people purchased that excuse for coffee was to have the logo on the disposable cup just like an "A-lister". Personally I wouldn't was the car with the stuff.
@@temperedprobe I did a video like this on my channel about Starbucks failing in Australia 🎉
Funnily enough, Starbucks didn't fail in Germany. Granted, they aren't as omnipresent as in some other countries, but you'll definitely come across a Starbucks quite often here.
As a German, concerning the creepiness factor of just talking to basically every customer, yeah that's *very creepy*. When I worked in a supermarket here, I would only ask the customers if they needed help finding something if I got the impression they were somewhat lost or if I'd seen them wandering around clearly looking for something specific (but not finding it quickly or at all). From the reactions I got back then from the customers, that was about the correct (and sometimes maximum) amount of customer interaction they wanted.
@Phillip Banes so Walmart does not exist in America anymore with people only hired to greet people?
One big problem was Walmart dont understand the culture. Also Walmart dont wanna work with the Union Verdi together. US companies dont like Unions. Unions have a lots of power in Germany.The retail buisness in europe is very brutal. Walmart had also to pay fair salary, of course 4 weeks fully paid vacation, as well all holidays. Walmart had to exept many things in Germany, what in the US not exist. As well when employee getting sick and cant working. The company cant fire the employee and the working place is secure.
US companies dont like Unions becouse dealing with unions in the us is dealing with the maffia.
They did not account on that unions work different in germany compared to the US.
In germany the union is seen as mediator in between worker and owner, so the primary function of the union is (or should be) to make sure the buiseness AND the workers do well.
Works more often than not, if it works well ususal comapnies do well.
Germans love stability over everything else, so workers will even accept less income if times are tough, companies are expected to pay that back when times are good, rather stay employed at the same place than always ask the highest possible wage, loyalty and so on..
@@pouncepounce7417 An union would have certainly told them about the worker laws in Germany, if nothing else.
@@swanpride problem is an german union and an american union are two very different kind of animals
@@pouncepounce7417 That's because a German businessman and an American businessman are two different kind of animals, too. The unions react to what they have to work with, or in the US case, against.
I always liked going to "Aldi" whenever I visit my family in Germany. In Poland we do have "Lidl" and that's probably my go-to when it comes to buying groceries. Acceptable prices, decent quality, just normal. And if anyone in Poland needs something on the spot, there are "Żabka" ("frog" in english) shops EVERYWHERE :).
As someone who is working at a german grocery-store, we also greet our customers, but only offer our help, when customers seem to not find what they are looking for.
Also if asked we help packing or assist putting the groceries in the car.
Edit: I don't mean someone in the entrance whos only purpose is to greet customers.
ive never seen a person stand at the entrance for hours and just smile and talk to everyone entering a german supermarket... thats what they mean by "greeting". i know i wouldnt go to such a store cause its unnerving
@@avr7120 Ah, no we don't do that, it's like you greet when you cross someone in the store. Like you stock up the shelves and a customer is passing by, you greet them.
And you're good at seeing if customers are searching for something. I remember as a kid when i was looking for something very specific and i was very shy as a kid, but a staff lady helped me. We went around the store a few times because she wasn't sure herself where the thing was but we eventually found it. From then on, I wasn't as scared to ask people for help anymore, thank you staff lady at Rewe
@@avr7120 That sound like a waste of money and skills.. like why would you just let people stand somewhere to greet them, day in day out? like it is more cost effective to delete that kind of 'work' from the store and spend the money on, for example, chairs or a breakroom or so.
when i had a serious leg injury, i needed to go get groceries at my local edeka...the second the vice manager saw me, he called an assistant to help me get my stuff done..all the way till i got everytrhing packed and ready to leave...this is what i call service...i couldn´t even say no....he was like "hey man , i see you are struggling...don´t be a fool, let somebody help you"
I think I often get the impression of the management culture of American companies that they can only make the business run by pushing the man on the floor until he is 5 feet under. I don't think that's a good way to run a business in the long run. Your employees should be something you invest in, so that they get better and thus also contribute to keeping the business competitive in the long term, instead of running them down and throwing them away as waste.
Nailed it spot on. As an American living in Germany, I still work on US posts, I've learned some tactics from the Germans from my neighbors whom I occasionally talk to. It baffles me how my fellow Americans just don't stand up to the nonsense of our work culture, which is corporate speak for ways we can bend you over while you legally can't do anything about it regarding time off, sick time, crazy and usually unannounced constant schedule changes, rewarding the lazy employees by stacking more work on the ones who actually work until as you stated they find themselves 5 feet under.
It hurts me so much so I consider a lot frequently moving over to working for a German economy. Just got to add a few more skills to my resume, and talk to my neighbors about such a process and how to do so.
Just look at Elon.
He fired half of Twitter's staff and shortly after that Twitter realised, there were many people among them the company needs badly for keep the company running.
The problem: US Americans are brain washed that everything that would help the employees is socialism / communism.
I can totally agree on the "aggressive" sales thing. I'm entering the shop because I want to buy something, I know what you sell, don't then jump on me to see if you can "help" If I want help I'll ask because and in one of the few examples I have I just turned around and left the shop, I'll get my trainers elsewhere. Never working front in a retail setting I understand politeness and being approachable but the what I see as jumping on the customer is you have a quota you have to hit and even though I wanted something from here I will go elsewhere for what I want. Fortunately we don't really have that culture in the UK, at least the shops I go.
Totally. I'm glad that in the region where i live the clerks normally say something like "If you need any help, feel free to ask me anytime." when you look around a couple of minutes.
Pretty much. Usually, when I go shopping I know beforehand what I need. I know I want to buy dinner, so I go buy dinner. I don't need a corporate babysitter next to me telling me I could also buy this and that. Obviously stores always want to sell you things because they want to make money, but a good store is where you don't feel that way. A good store is where you go, you buy what you want, of course the employees are helpful when you can't find what you are looking for or something, but that's as far as it goes. When there's someone there drooling over the chance to palm something off on me, I don't feel like a valued customer, I feel like a wallet with legs.
Heard from someone who worked there that the managers Wallmart flew in, had absolutely no idea about local laws/customs/etc.
Pfand bottles are a recycling thing where you take the bottle back to the store and get some money back. One manager saw a warehouse full of empty bottles and ordered the employees to throw them out. Didn't even listen when they tried to explain it's *literally* a warehouse full of money they'd just have to cash in...
Lol..
"One does not simply walk into Germany"
🤣
Unless you live in Belgium, France, Luxemberg, Switzerland, Austria, Tchech Republic, Poland, Denmark and Liechtenstein. Ok, did not anticipate such a long list.
Oh, and apologies if I forgot any!
Edit: 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️The Netherlands
@@gbormann71 the Netherlands 🇳🇱😌
@@gbormann71 Several times in the past it was the other way around....😉
@@antonk3533 Ahh, I had that in mind but stopped at Denmark!! 🤣🤣🤣🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
Hello IWrocker, I'm from Germany and just wanted to let you know that you are an incredibly likeable, open-minded and friendly person. It's always a pleasure to watch your videos. Keep up the great content! Many greetings
Just not come to Europe and treat the employees as they were american. 😂
When McDonalds started operate in Denmark they were strongly against the unions. They got wiser. 😂 It took 7 years of struggle and blockings before McDonalds joined the “Hotel and foodsale employers guild” and the employees got an agreement - and a little raise in the paycheck too.
@Phillip Banes Sure, but there is a European culture, with similar values and traditions. The countries cultures are kind of subcultures of that Megaculture. Just like the US, Europe isnt a Monolith, but there is still a unifying culture. And in this case, its relevant, as workers rights are part of that culture.
@Phillip Banes
European Union?
Besides, McDonalds tried too and got beaten as well.
@Phillip Banes
Maybe not, but a hell of a better place to live and work than the semi-united states of america.
@Phillip Banes North America is only two countries by name and agreement. There are MANY cultures across the continent. All the same, there is a distinct set of American and Canadian attitudes. This applies in Europe. It is not equating with country, it is saying that sensibility overall is distinct from other places.
@Phillip Banes North America is a continent, comprised of Canada and the United States of America. Greenland and Iceland are not part of the continent. Central America is nor part of the Continent. South America is not part of the continent.
I am rather explicitly referring to Canada and the US when I say that it's two countries by agreement. States and Provinces are closer to allied countries working together under a piece of legislation allowing free travel and trade. Much like the Scandinavian countries.
wallmart couldn't handle the fact that we "pathetic" europeans have standards and actually care about both customers and workers (somewhat)
As some may have already said, the wage/employment issue is one big reason that Walmart hasn't been allowed to set up in Australia either. I would assume what happened in Germany definitely made red flags.
Not sure if it is true, but apparently they even applied to try and get an exemption to pay UNDER Australia's minimum wage stating this was their only way of keeping prices low even though other businesses (including fast food and discount retail) are quite capable.
Mostly it takes some brains, which were apparently completely lacking in upper Management of Walmart at the time.
They were surprised that they needed to cover 50% of health , unemployment and retirement insurances for every employee. This is what every employer must cover, no matter if the employee is full or part time and no matter on what level the employee is with the company. Those tricks of scheduling only 39 hours per week to avoid paying benefits for a full time employment which was 40 hours per week... that doesnt work here and there is no loophole to get around it without being forced to pay hefty fines to the government if they have to cover any gaps to the minimum income for an employee.
They basically barged into the German market thinking they would be too big to fail and the local governments and regulators would bend over backwards to enjoy the honor of having such a "prestigious" company in their country/area. ... only to find out that they had to comply by all the rules just like other companies. Predatory undercutting the competition out of business short term to later raise the prices once the competition had closed down was stopped before the plan worked, costs of employment, laws on minimum required holidays apparently are a thing and those weird forced greetings and smiles creeped out the workers just as much as the customers.
I remember going to Walmart as a kid while they were here and those greeters with the permanently red embarrassed faces still come to mind when I picture that particular supermarket.
My mom, while not having shopped at Walmart, said the only good thing she heard about Walmart were the super cheap prices. I told her about the predatory pricing, and she said: "oh, that was it? Yeah, I also wondered what the hell they were thinking, putting their stores at the ass of the world, and assuming every German would have a car while we already have our stores right around the corner where we can pick up our groceries after work."
The only thing i wonder about is how Walmart Managed to stay 9 Years in Germany i think the Germans where trying to be Nice to this US Company by not kicking Walmart out after a couple of Months
They pumped in cash from overseas costing a total of 3 billion over the course of those years
The Germans dont want to kick Walmart out of the country, they sit down, lean back and wait until walmart dissapeared by itself...
Translate corporate talk: "We're too stupid and ignorant to adapt and overcome some difficulties. Therefore we can't make any profit in Germany"...
It was a similar situation in 2005 with eBay in Poland. They didn't do their homework. They entered the market as if they thought it was empty and the "eBay" brand alone would take care of it. They didn't stand a chance against the local "Allegro" competition.
Something I also read in comments of a different reaction to this video (I'm too young to remember Walmart being here): They usually put their stores in more industrial areas etc simply because they didn't considering different regulations compared to the US and the German HQ was in London with no Germans in the top ranks so absolutely no one who can say "Not a great idea here" who also had influence.
And stores like Wertkauf and Interspar are the exception and Interspar especially was a store more for smaller companies, where they could buy large amounts for a cheaper price. And to show the size difference: Walmart stores are averaging between 6400m² and 24200m². Average is 16500m². In Germany, small supermarkets are 400-799m², large 800+m² with an average size of 940m². Yes, you can build 17,5 average German supermarkets in 1 average Walmart
What a ridiculous venture! Why wasn't the HQ in Germany with Germans having a say?! We have Interspar in the UK but it's called Spar and it's really useful
@@sporkfindus4777 No idea. I also have no idea how accurate it was since I read it somewhere else, but it might be related to people not liking people going to the top within a short time, something which took them a long time to reach combined with a loss of influence and probably the risk that the German Walmart officials might push for stuff like unions etc since it is normal
When the 2 german chains were acquired the 2 former ceos were given jobs as aides to the walmart germany ceo to help him navigate the german market and he chose to ignore them.
Another honourable mention should be the ceo picking a fight with the main produce seller, demanding better prices and ending up having to buy lower quality stuff at a higher price from elsewhere.
There used to be an essay from an university student published online that detailed many of the failings but sadly it seems to have fallen off google.
@@sporkfindus4777 Tax reasons. You fund your HQ in England, fund an daughter in germany and "rent out" the walmart franchise to the german daughter. That has to pay for the franchise rights so it has costs in germany that lower its revenue.
The english HQ pays less tax due to the way coorps are taxed in england.
If you want to go really cheap you do it like Amazone and pay 1% tax for whole europe buiseness.
@@zippoblackburn3106 Infact that student essay you mean was a doctorate paper. I read it once long ago, but haven't been able to find it again. It was a very entertaining read! 😂
As a german, let me tell you, if someone asks their employees to smile during shift... God no. If they want to smile, sure. But a forced smile is pretty much the worst thing you can do in germany. I know that southern germany tends to be slightly less standoffish, but in Northern germany where I live, the Covid saying was : I hope Covid ends soo, so that I can put my ususal 12 feet between and other people again instead of the mandated 6. If you greet people with more then the word "Moin" you talk to much.
Hamburg people especially _hate_ social interaction with a burning passion. We are all natural introverts and hardshells. If you _earn_ our trust, we will be true friends forever, but don't try to smalltalk us or it is _curtains_
As an Austrian it is so refreshing to watch your videos. Just nice to know that there are reflected and open minded americans! Keep up the good work!
One cultural thing is that we tend to want to be left alone and if we want help we ask. Employees that constant sit on our back asking if they can help only annoy us.
And it's similar with unions. They and the company work together and don't see each other as enemies.
And now Aldi (and Trader Joe's) are quite successful in the US.
Aldi's entire strength is that they just *aggressively* reject most practices of american-style big box stores. Their entire philosophy is to have a small lineup of decent to good quality products and to then obsessively drive down their prices by cutting every cent of overhead they can find and concentrate on long-term stability over short-term profit. And they've spent by now almost 80 years continously maximising and refining that model.
Like, for example? Aldi actually pay a premium when building their stores to have them build solidly and with good insulation. Why? Because that means less maintenance cost and less need to use heating/the AC. They're willing to invest up-front to save energy costs in the long run. Aldi's doesn't do quick dashes to profit. They're running a marathon.
There s a grocery chain in the UK called ASDA. WALMART bought it in the 90s to get a foot hold here. But because of the competition from other chains and the domination of TESCO, WALMART gave up and sold ASDA a couple of years ago.
I think Walmart still hold some shares of ASDA.
@@23GreyFox agreed.
Few months ago I read a study about if people wanna be approached in stores or rather be left to their own. Study actually took place in german shoe stores. While younger people really preferred being left alone, many elderly people went their just for the social interaction. I‘m not from Germany but talking to people from my country (Austria) many older people often complain about not getting any advice or help while shopping. Guess what I‘m trying to say is that age is also a huge factor, not just culture.
I think there is a diff between shoe shopping and grocery shopping, with shoes you want that one or two things, with groceries you do it often and probably have your head full of other things or what is on your list you forgot again, and now that guy really wants to help you ARGGHHH!
You do need support while shopping shoes. Younger people might not be out to buy, but if you really want to, you need someone who takes care of you, bringing you the second shoe aso. Hence not the best venue to ask.
Why would somebody need to bring me the second shoe...? Are shoes not paired and openly available to just take to the register where you live?
@@TheSarge23 If you go to an outlet or a sale maybe, but in the standard shoe shop, they often put out only the right shoe, and if you like it, you ask if you can try it. Ususally they then bring a pair in a shoe box from storage which you can try, or, if this is the last pair, the second one. It's for practical reasons, because this way they can present more shoes. In any case, a shoe shop is the one place in Germany where it is expected that someone will take care of you - as soon as you give a sign that you require said care instead of just being there to browse.
@@swanpride Seems your shoe shops work very differently to germany. In germany, they show you the shoe on top of the shelf, then under the shelf are boxes with pairs of that shoe, with the size written on it. Almost every shoe shop also has a measurement tool for free use where you can just put your foot on it, put the back of the foot on the frame and then there's a moveable piece that you put at the front of your foot, then the device tells you your shoe size. Then you look for the shoe you want, take one of the boxes with the size the device told you, take that to the register, and that's how you shop for shoes in germany. The only "help" you need is for the cashier to remove the anti-theft tag on the shoes and that's it.
I lived in a town with a Walmart. There was just no benefit to buy at Walmart.
But the stores looked cheap and employees were hard to find.
Germany is also a very competitive market.
I remember Wal-Mart as a strange and creepy place which I did not like to visit as a child. We do have some big box stores too, but those still felt (and feel) much nicer.
I think a major part was also the it felt as if it put the focus on being car friendly, while (nearly) all stores have some kind of bike friendly spot.
I remember it was around the middle of the 2000s, I was looking for a very specific computer game. You couldn't explain to anyone anymore that you used to buy PC games in stores.
On my search, I ended up at the Walmart in Hanover (Germany). I didn't find it there either. And I was very happy when I left the store.
It was kind of spooky there.
Do you know those horror films that begin with someone new coming to a small town? Went to a diner and somehow noticed that people are all acting weird? In this case, overly friendly.
That was Walmart Germany. Kind of creepy.
Aldi and Lidl are doing fine in Germany. Seems Walmart needs certain (illegal in the EU/DE) settings to not run out of business.
Aldi and Lidl were founded in Germany.
Lidl tried entering Norway and failed as well, around the time Walmart was in Germany.
"In 2008, after 4 years in Norway, Lidl gave up on Norway, selling all of its assets to Rema 1000, another discount chain. If you ask Norwegians why Lidl failed in Norway, many will argue that Lidl did not fulfil the Norwegian shoppers' needs and neglected to fit in with their values"
So sometimes it's just markets not seeming to mesh well, as I remember not minding Lidl, but that they had a lot of unfamiliar cheap brands of products to us in Norway.
@@VampyrMygg How common is it in Norway for chains to have their own home brands for stuff? That is basically the default in Germany. They also offer the well known big brands, but their in-house ones are cheaper and not worse in quality.
@@VampyrMygg Well, selling items nobody wants to buy is a little different than selling the items below purchasing price which is not fair competition and therefore illegal. But I agree the outcome was the same. 😀
@@HappyBeezerStudios It's fairly common, but people often still stick to the known main brands.
I still remember, there was a Walmart in my hometown (Witten, Northrhine Westfalia) back then, and I went there once, out of curiosity... what a disturbing experience... the Greeters, The "Can I help You"s, the fake smiles... I never went there ever again.
Wait... there was a Walmart in Witten? I'm from a neighbouring town and had no idea!
in other words the germans don't like being as treated as modern day slaves as workers are treated in america
The brand / store chain in Germany that is closest related to Walmart is Kaufland. Not as huge as Walmart but it is very big still and puts out that German vibe.
Kaufland and Lidl are the same group.
Dieter Schwarz built both shops from his father's small vegetable and fruit shop and is the sole owner.
This has been the Dieter Schwarz Foundation for several years.
Since the death of the two Albrecht brothers ( Aldi = Albrecht Discount ), he has been the richest German.
I was once there because my parents had a last minute thing they needed and it was near by. It was so weird and honestly really creepy feeling that i never went there again. I knew someone working there and he basically did quit very quick because he just could not work there.
Its quite common in the USA and Canada for this type of treatment in Wal-Mart, these old retired ppl watching you I don't like it one bit it has caused fights with customers and staff I myself almost had a fight with one old retired "greeters" trying to put a "sticker" on my backpack bag which I objected to, apparently Wal Mart believes most ppl are thieves.
and it all comes down to 1 word =honest= being honest to the employes and customers in germany, honesty is number one!!!
Germany is a highly competitive market for supermarkets. Walmart wasn't the only foreign company to fail. It is interesting that the supermarkets that were sold by Walmart to Metro were now all for sale in 2021. Metro had to give up all of its supermarkets.
Reminds me of some reddit post along the lines of "I'm from Texas and I'll be vacationing in the EU, are they going to respect my right to open carry?"
Basically: _"hey, let's just transfer all our US strategies and attitudes to Germany (and ignore some of their laws) and everybody will immediate see how much better the American Way (TM) is!!"_
Nice try, but if you have to hire some scary cheerleader for the staff to notice how great your shop is, it can't be all that amazing.
And yes, I'm feeling some lovely warm _Schadenfreude_ about the fact that Aldi managed to get a foot hold in the US just fine. Ätsch-bätsch!
Sadly Cheddars clip contains some inaccuracies and leaves out some important points why Walmart failed in Germany and as a consequence in all EU member countries, incl. the UK as they sold ASDA in 2020 (yes it's an older clip)
- poor market research in advance
- poorly chosen locations of their stores.
Walmart chose to place their stores the "american way", meaning in solely commercial areas (bc they where used to american laws that strictly separate commercial from residential areas, unlike Germany where commercial and residential areas are more mixed), most of them where hardly accessible by public transport or foot, unlike the German stores, who tend to be closer or directly in residential areas, easily accessible without a car.
For example, I live in Berlin, an there are 11(!) grocery stores of 9 different brands within a 10 minute walking distance. I also lived in smaller towns and rural areas, but I never had to use a car, as there where always at least 2 grocery stores within walking distance.
- communication problems, as the "German headquarter" was based in the UK, without any german employees in the middle and upper management, and mostly US and UK managers that barely spoke german, if any at all.
- You can be sure, that Walmarts "ethics code" that "encouraged" the workers to report coworkers for breaking the rules, was not taken well, in a country where 2 authoritarian regimes (first the Nazis and later the east german communists) actively encouraged and forced it's citizens to spy, snitch and denounce their neighbors, coworkers and even their own families.
also: the statement that in Germany small retailers are allowed to sell at lower prices than big ones by law is incorrect and misleading.
The relevant law stipulates that the goods must not be resold to the end customer below the retailer's purchase price.
Simplyfied, if the retailer buys a gallon of milk from the dairy farm for $1, he is not allowed to sell it to the end customer for $0.99. But this "predatory pricing" is exactly what Walmart was doing, and is widely known for. To sell their goods at a calculated loss to force competitors out of business.
Also: the shown timetable of the opening hours is just made up BS ...
the usual retail hours at the time where monday to saturday from 8am to 7 pm
it changed a bit to mostly 6 or 7 am to 9 or 10 pm currently, but sunday is still closed
"It has become increasingly clear that in Germany's business environment it would be difficult for us to obtain the scale and results we desire."
a.k.a.
"We cannot be successful in a market where we cannot bend and break the existing rules and laws to our advantage and our preferences."
Walmart also faced similar problems in other countries, like India, Brazil or Japan.
a small fun fact at the end:
The Aldi-Brothers, Karl and Theo Albrecht already had more than 300 stores running in Germany, when Sam Walton opened his first Walmart in 1962.
Been to a Walmart in Germany only twice and it was strange and kind of creepy to me. The second thing: standard products like milk, butter, fruits were quite expensive compared to other supermarkets. The cheap stuff they sold were american brands and quite unknown to me! The few things I've tried were not my kind of german standard or taste. No! I prefer at a german supermarket. My favourite german supermarket is btw "Edeka". In the very most cases you'll find a nice backery an café inside of Edeka, a butcher and lot of fresh vegetables, too, and of course a large section with beer and alcohol - if you need it. And the prices are quite fair! It's maybe not the cheapest supermarket around, but very affordable. Exspecially compared to the prices in the US. For example: A good bottle of german beer (0.5l) ... 50 cents only! ;)
Wow that’s awesome to hear! 🎉😎
Thank you
Edeka is definitely not "very affordable" and is the more higher end supermarket in Germany.
@@manzanasrojas6984
Because it's a "Supermarkt" not a "Discounter" like Aldi & Co. although all of them are grocery stores.
When I was studying in Germany, I really liked shopping in Edeka. I don't like discounters very much - I especially hate Lidl (I don't know why, but every time I go there I come back with less than half the things I needed because I couldn't find them 😅). But despite that, I was often also in Aldi - because of Moser-Roth chocolate 😍 f*ck Lindt, Moser-Roth is the best! Here in Czech Rep. I usually go to Globus, even if I only want some bread. Their Scan&Go is an amazing invention for us - introverted 😂
@@manzanasrojas6984 As already said: It's a supermarket! Don't compare it with discounters ... As mentionend: it has a nice backery, a café, a real butcher, etc. ... not sure if you'll find that offer in a discount-supermarket?! At least there is no butcher in my local ALDI store...
Close to my place there used to be a Walmart.
Now in there are:
Edeka (like Aldi or Lidl)
Müller (everything from toys, over video games to snacks, perfume etc.)
C&A (clothes)
A big bakery
Two restaurants
A drink discounter
Another smaller grocery store
A copy shop
4 smaller stores
Before there were the Walmart and a McDonalds.
wow
I am a german native, being approached by an employee like this feels like being harassed and pressured to buy more, and is therefore hostile and offensive to me.
what i remember, walmart never felt "german" it felt out of touch. also when walmart want a 6-8% margin when other german companies are fine with having 0,5% margin then you are gonna get kicked haaard x
Yeah. Germany is very strongly against singular companies having all the power, while it's a fundamentally american thing that there are one or two mega corporations that own the entire industry. In germany, as long as you make more money than you pay, your company is usually statisfied. That's because america lives the myth that "the free market regulates itself" while germany knows that that's bullshit and leads to anti-consumer (and anti-worker) practices.
Wertkauf was so much better than WalMart. I still miss Wertkauf :(
These big supermarketcomlex is a typical Northamerican thing. You should drive your "own" car(even its barely 100 meters)to these places. Many of us here in Europe think this is crazy and many of us like our small stores.
Small stores ftw.
Actually, WalMart bought up an existing large supermarkets from a German chain that went bellyup, Wertkauf, and we have plenty of supermarkets that size. They're also quite common in France.
Ok mr besserwisser..!!
@@ohauss True, but I'd say it's pretty telling that these hypermarket chains all went belly-up at some point while small-store chains stay in business lol
@@ohauss So why do Europeans want to portray themselves as not liking big things then if there are large supermarkets?
I work for Aldi here in Australia, we do a morning stretch workout before we start working our loads.. it reduces injuries.
Walmart failed in Germany for one reason, there have been many smaller specialised shops who sold better products cheaper. If some needed a new washing machine or TV he would not go to Walmart, but the the specialised electronics and household appliance stores like Media Markt or Saturn, they also deliverred the goods and took the old. Media Markt is/was nationwide and also made a agressive advertising campaign on print, radio and TV. If some one needed a electic tool like a drill, he bought it in one of the large DIY chains, who also made a lot of advertising and good prices.
The Walmart morning chants reminds me of Microsoft's Steve Ballmer bopping around on a stage like a great ape yelling "I love this company! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!..." with an audience staring at him with glassy eyes not telling whether they were shocked, fascinated or hypnotized (or maybe a combination of them all)... His stunt is still easy to find here on YT and makes still a good meme.
The megastore concept never really worked out in Australia. We had a couple of stores branded as “Hypermarket” where you could get variety items, electrical, homewares, clothing etc as well as groceries all thru the one checkout. (I imagine that’s what Walmart is like?) Those stores lasted maybe 20 years but they always felt like a novelty and they never expanded operations. The established Australian supermarket companies gobbled them up in the end.
first of all,you are a very nice,chill and very informed guy. also nice reaction-video.
Bol locks. They forgot to tell you a couple of things.. that time when Walmart sold old meat (twice), the other time when they add 1 cent for every product you bought. They did it for weeks and said it was an error, bc their registers didn't work properly. Not to mention that at that time the store was practically in front of other big stores/supermarkets...Depending on the city. After a while the quality of vegetables, fruits, etc. was so bad that we started to go to other groceries shops...
Our motto, workers rights over companies
We have a similar thing going on in Sweden, but it is Starbucks that didn't do their homework. I can definitly relate to Germany on this one.
Germany also doesn't allow businesses to abuse & underpay their employees.
There’s a minimum standard in Germany for vacation too. All Germans get at minimum, 20 days of vacation.
Given WalMarts reputation, that would never fly in Germany.
That "hey can I help you" thing does happen in some clothes stores here in the Netherlands and I hate it, I don't know what kind of clothes I'm looking for that's why I'm going to a store to figure it out by looking at different options. Actually I think I wouldn't hate it as much in a supermarket because there I know what I want to get
Fun fact: in Finland people drink most coffee per person in the world. There are only two or three Starbucks in Finland.
Yes, because the finish people like to drink coffee, as you said. Not this stuff what Starbucks declare as coffee😅
I remember when Lidl came to Sweden and did things their way. It didn't work that great initially, but as far as I know (I usually don't shop there), they actually adapted to our Swedish way of doing things.
The first thing to go where the "german" check out lines, whit a very short "end" where you're ment to pack your items as they're being checked. That didn't work in Sweden where we're used to stand and wait until everything is checked, pay, and then pack.
The second was opening hours. They realized that they couldn't close at six when their competitors closed at nine or then, and that they were open on sundays too.
@@darkiee69 I honestly thought that Sweden also would have given them more trouble with their workers rights. Germany does have acceptable workers rights but I have been told by Norwegian and Swedish friends that they feel like Germany could do better in the cathegory.
@@lightbower5826 I haven't heard anything about that, but I feel that there isn't much of a difference between Germany and the Scandinavian countries when it comes to workers rights.
@@darkiee69 wow.. to be fair , as a German that gives me the chills... Letting other people wait while I pack up... Or wait for them🤪 I can totally get behind your way of doing it, but it would need a lot of deprogramming 😜
@@lannik_0 It's wider that what you're using, about twice the width, and split in to two "lanes", so no waiting required. Once one customer is finished the "splitter" is moved over for the next customers items. It can hapen that you have to wait if someone's done their monthly shopping and is slow to pack. But that's a rare occasion.
For one: For a German your attitude towards large store isn't odd at all. We are perfectly happy with two or three choices for something we need, we don't need a whole isle with basically the same stuff under a different brand name. Has the additional peak of keeping the overhead costs down, hence the prices are lower.
Two: If there is anyone who doesn't like to much attention while shopping, it's German. They want someone, they can ask, if they need help, but if they don't need help, they just want to browse in peace.
Three: Walmart is hardly the only company which run afoul of German worker protection and rules for a fair market (uber is another example), but few did it as spectacular as Walmart. They didn't realise that they shouldn't do predatory pricing (which is their favourite trick, underbidding everyone until the rivals have to give up and then hike the prices), they didn't realise that doing chants with workers would weird everyone out and create some REALLY bad press (remember, in the 1990s, the wall just went down, and the whole forcing workers into activities thing was something the GDR did too), they didn't even realise that an offer of american sized pillow cases would fail since German pillows are simply a different size.
To answer your question, the group chant thing does exist in US Walmart stores. It's annoying more than anything.
lol. most people in germany (if they are not extremely desperate for a job) would quit on the spot if forced to such a thing...
@@uzrdutiutfiztdf3545 Yeah, America really loves their subtle indoctrination techniques.
It’s weird to think that such a big company starts such a big project without even doing basic cultural research on the targeted market location. Its like going to war without knowing your enemy.
The biggest mistake American comapnies do when trying to come to Europe is going first to GB and think they know now how the European Market works. GB is very similar to the US, but the rest of Europe isn't. Every country in Europe is special in a way, and you have to cope with the culture. I know that from many IT-companies which tried it that way and then quckly learned that they can't lead Europe business from the UK and need Managers the countries they want to sell to. I had a Walmart nearby in Hamburg and was shopping quiet often there because it was simply easy to reach. But it was not very pleasant. It was just simple and I could find anything I wanted. Gladly no one tried to force help on me. In Hamburg we are super sensitive of strangers approaching us. So good, they learned that fast 🙂
walmart was selling huge plastic milk jugs that wouldn't fit in german fridges .. zero market research i guess.
I can pop down to CostCo and get Vegemite and lamingtons but there is no Walmart here in Australia.
Walmart would not alter their employment practices to comply with Australian labour laws, so they never even got started here.
I heard that they also ended up in court because their 'fresh goods' were frozen and lorried from elsewhere which in this side of Europe is typically illegal as it's misleading. Another U.S practise.
If you make fresh bread it must be french, a.k.a baked in-house.
Also that their deliberate geolocation also meant that it was out of range for people so they went somewhere else anyway.
I never went there just like I boycott Amazon now. I want to keep my known local shops and that way, be able to browse through books and anything else I want to buy locally instead of having everything shipped to my door parcel by parcel. It is much more ecologically responsible, it helps local, smaller shops, therefore local employees and prevents one seller of becoming too big to fail.
well brave of you but i guess 99,8% wont boycott amazon.
amazon has pros and alot going for them, walmart ... has nothn ... not even prices its just worse then the competition
@@CoL_Drake I guess the same but that is not a reason for me to not even try. When I see how amazon even starts selling items that official vendors on their platform sell but a tiny bit cheaper to make even more profit - for which they will not even pay taxes, I could vomit.
I can at least say "not in my name, not supported by me" even if 99.8% keep falling for it.
Fun fact: 30 something years ago, ALDI expanded on the Danish market. Denmark is just across the border from Germany, and even those are two different countries, they is a lot of similarities or shared culture. ALDI had it all - German efficiency and low prices. However, they made one very small but crucial mistake: In their desire to optimize, they supplied their stores with *UHT Milk* with long shelf life of up to 3 months, while at the time Danish milk had between 5-7 days. And it tasted differently to the fresh milk the Danes were used to. Boy, there was outcry about the law quality milk at ALDI and the brand was forever damaged as low-quality discount food supermarket. They never really managed to recovered.
Fun fact 2: ALDI announced in 2023 that they will leave the Danish market.
Fun fact 3: LIDL brought the same German structure, but they chose to include some key local products (like milk) and they didn't have the same issue as ALDI.
Great thing about Aldi if your household isn't 12 people and you do a little shopping every 1-2 days:
- it's cheap even when you don't buy an entire pallet of everything.
- things are exactly where they were last time. Even if you go to a different location.
- no service unless you ask for it, and if you do, the staff knows exactly where that thing you ask for is.
- clean and tidy, there's enough space for 2 carts in an aisle most of the time. No weird on-sale stuff in the middle of the aisles you have to navigate.
- shopping can be done in 5 minutes, unless you plan to browse their random limited stock offers.
Yeah. And they assume that you know what you came for so noone comes to try to get you to buy random crap.
Happy you, my Aldi/Hofer was rebuild, search for all stuff :(
@@rennratteb.8614 Lidl is doing that here, the Aldi's still keep the same layout across Denmark.
From a german citizen "why don't the want the service?".
It is a matter of privacy. You are on a walk out in the city and in your thoughts. Even if you are in a shop. Someone molesting you with lots of services you did not ask for, intrudes into your very private world, he somehow violates your outside-inside-border. That is why that is usually uncomfortable and rejected.
One wants service if one asks for it actively.
I live in Sweden and suppose that the mentality is not different here. The german retailers flourish, american companies are virtually not present at the market. The "germanic mindset" is the same.
😀😀Service? They had at least 25 cash registers but only 3 or 4 were open. Every single time! It didn't matter how many customers were waiting in line....
@@ZZMJo "service" in my words refers to those typical american services like baggage-packing staff.
@@kellymcbright5456 I know, as far as I remember they didn't offered it where I lived.
IKEA's first try at the American market as well as their 2 tries on the Japanese market are also very interesting case studies of how you need to take the local culture and situation into account when planning your roll-out into a different market. Not sure if there are RUclips videos about it. We studied it in University.
Were they successful? 😯
@@Leviathar Not at first. IKEA tried to be successful with the same things they sold in Europe which didn't work out. Story goes that one day the founder himself saw that most Americans were only buying flower glass vases and when he asked them why they were surprised because they thought it were drinking glasses. Thats when he realized that they couldn't use European sizes in America and they changed to king/queen-sized things as well as going from centimetres to inches on the shields. In Japan they again tried to use what made them successful in Europe which was low prices compared to the "old furniture industry" due to the DIY approach. However Japan was booming at that time so people had money and they wanted to show off with western goods but you cannot brag how rich you are when you buy cheap stuff right? So IKEA even left the japanese market for a while before trying again. If I remember correctly they hit the market when there as a recession so at that time cheaper goods were much more welcomed. At least thats the story the way I remember it.
@@6666Imperator Very interesting, thank you for explaining
An interesting thing is that Lidl pretty much faced the same issues when entering the Swedish market. They weren't as silly as Walmart, but they were adamant about doing everything the German way, which caused clashes with unions and authorities, and also rubbed many customers the wrong way.
Though they didn't fail, they finally hired a local CEO and gave him free rein to fix the issues. Nowadays, Lidl is a more normal supermarket with a few German quirks, a bit disorganised and chaotic but pretty cheap.
Lidl is like like a Jumble sale here, but good for cheap booze :)
As italian, i find suprising to ear another european (Sweden, right?) call a german thing "disorganised and chaotic". As we say in Italy "C'è sempre qualcuno di migliore"/"There is always anyone better than you".
We don't have Walmart in Australia. We do have IKEA, CostCo, Aldi, and a few other foreign mobs I think.
it somehow reminds me of the tv commercial with Amy Sedaris who was really unknown in germany and it felt weird seeing her captioned "laundry expert"
I now live in Poland, although I am English and some years before I left UK, I would occasionally shop in Way-Mart, yes it was a huge store, but I shopped particularly for, would you believe it, German Suerkraut, which I learned to love as a young soldier in Germany during the 'Cold War' years....the only other places I could get sauerkraut were high end delicatessens where everything was too expensive.
I hope it tasted well.
@@andreabartels3176 It always does...I buy KraKus...a quality food supplier.
I never knew why we don't have Walmart like you have. But now I do and also it makes totally sense to me. You need to know, from the people I know and I worked with close to none really identified with there company and most were just there to do their job. This hole "Walmart Walmart Walmart" shouting? Most people would have stood there and said heck no!
In Germany there is a coordinated balance of power between the state, employers and unions with employees. Everyone knows where their area ends and where cooperation is successful.
That makes everyone happy.
Americans call it communism.
Telling a German who saw communism on their doorstep is a bad joke.
The case of GM with Opel/Vauxhaul also shows that when Americans try to run a German company, American work culture cannot be imposed on the Germans.
Now that Opel is managed by French Renault-Citroen PSA, profits are being made again.
It's pretty much failed in the UK too, Mhsin and Zuber Issa and TDR now owns the majority share in Asda along with Wal-Mart who as "an Equity investment"
Let's sum up all my comments on this topic:
Walmart failed in Germany because they didn't do market research and wanted to impose the American shopping culture on Germany.
Germany is a discount country. Lidl and Aldi are just the two largest, each with around 20,000 branches.
There are five large discounter chains in Germany. They are accessible to everyone on foot or by bike. Why would anyone sit in traffic for 1 hour and shop at Walmart across town? Walmart sold the wrong products in the wrong quantities. They had a lot of American products. The USA does not have a metric system and the products do not fit in Europe. They were stupid enough to sell American electronics. We have 230V Europe-wide and the plugs don't fit. Totally useless!
I know you ordered two refrigerated containers of turkeys for Thanksgiving in Würzburg.
Nobody in Germany knows what Thanksgiving is. Also, they were way too big for German/European ovens and they didn't sell a single one.
They have all been disposed of while children in Africa and India are starving. Maybe Americans should think about it!
OK ! My comment is long enough now.
Americans should respect other cultures and let other people live their lives the way they want. Then mankind would be spared much misery.
Worked at Walmart for 16 years. Was a department manager for 11 of those years till they did a "restructuring" that was their cleaver way to push out the older employees. They told all the department managers that if they wanted to stay they'd have to restart at entry level positions with beginner pay or take a pitiful severance check and leave. A couple of the ladies who were done this way had been with the company 40+ years. Those department manager positions were replaced by near identical jobs under a new job title with mostly people who had only worked there a few months. Its a garbage company. Can't wait till it goes the way of Sears and Kmart.
Well I'm from Germany and Aldi is pretty nice sure
Prefer Rewe or my local store chain tegut more though although it's more expensive
Personally I prefer out local Edeka over the Aldi which is like 200 meters away (mostly because there are some items I simply cannot buy at Aldi), but if you're living on a budget it is defnietly a good option.
Before Wal-mart even began, an email between Defense Commissary Agency executives, discussing the fact was leaked to its local national employees. Key statement was: "Wal-mart is going to teach the *huns* customer service and how to do business."
When confronted about the tone of the email by works council, the (non-) excuse was. "This email wasn't supposed to be read by you." (huns?)
So much for decency and diplomacy. Like an elephant in a chinaware store, as the German saying has it. So it is not just Wal-mart....
I'm from Brazil, where Walmart also failed, although over a longer time frame. The reasons were different, and very nuanced and complex, but in the end they all boil down to the same fundamental reason why they failed in Germany: American parochialism and hubris, leading to a lack of understanding or even respect for the local culture and customs. Sears (in its heyday, long before its current decadence) had already failed for the same reasons. Other American corporations, however, were wiser, took a humbler approach, did their homework about local culture, and succeeded. McDonald's, for example, is a national passion (even though it's expensive by local standards --- you can have more and better food elsewhere for less), and it even branded many of its 1,000+ Brazilian stores "Méqui" (the local Portuguese pronunciation of "Mac") to make their Brazilian popular nickname official.
What was Walmart in the Uk is back as Asda still a massive supermarket but run by someone else but the parent company keeps it head down
Ask Starbucks about their venture into Australia! They definitely didn't do their research!!
Or Sweden. Probably didn't go as planed here either.
Yea they failed badly as well, I have a video on that! 😎🎉
Bro these videos are actually fire!!
Its a typical thing that happens when US companies purchase german businesses. They think they can operate the same way as they do in the US, regarding employees and customers. Especially with the employees they soon run into trouble, because we have actual work laws and special courts that enforce them. Plus the influence of the trade unions, who are much more integrated into the operation of counpanies (at least of bigger ones) and are not just seen as the communist arch enemy of free enterprise, like in the US.
Some US companies have understood that they have to adapt, like McDonalds. Others have not. I know a german company called Wirtgen, world famous for inventing the asphalt grinder and manufactorer of a variety af construction machinery, with 2000 employes. Not long ago the company was sold to the american Deere Corporation. Since, the workers are unhappy, some have even quit their jobs after working there for decades.
I'm sure the Deere managers thought they can make more money by using american methods, but things don't work that way.
Greeter? From what I've seen in Lidl, visiting Austria and visiting Germany, employees will be around to answer questions, but they will try to avoid talking to customers unless customers talk to them first. And even then they will try to provide short concise and precise answer and keep the entire talking thing to a minimum.
As a husband of an expert of this field of business I can tell that Walmart unfortunately it’s quite disgusting company period.
Wow, that's insane. But Aldi is also quite sketchy when in comes to employee rights. Here in the Netherlands they had a lawsuit because they only allowed for employees to do "personal" things like going to the bathroom etc. for like 5 minutes a day or something,
TBH I've never seen Walmart here in Australia probably because we have so many supermarkets like ALDI Woolworths and Coles
ALDI is even in _Australia_ ?!?!
@@hape3862 yes it is
@@hape3862
Yes since 2001....they have more than 570 stores now. There are zero in NZ.
Lidl's have changed quite lot since they came to Finland, at first they looked like "the back room of the hardware store" and now like any other regular shop..