its normal to give a tip and unusual not to. the only thing thats different is the amount you tip, rounding up and adding 1-3€ extra is standard, not the almost mandatory 10-20% like in the US
I don't think you are right on tipping in restaurants. We do give tipps the rule of thumb is about 10% of the bill. But only, if we are happy with the service. In other words: Good service, good tipp. Lousy service, no tipp
Not sure if you guys gives a damn but if you guys are bored like me during the covid times then you can stream pretty much all the new movies and series on instaflixxer. I've been binge watching with my gf for the last weeks :)
11:00 the main reason for your last point is generally restaurants in germany make their main profit in drinks, while providing pretty low food prices and fair wages to their employees (compared to the US). free-refills or serving 25% of customers with free tap water would destroy this calculation. same reason for this is also why nobody rushes you out in restaurants here in germany, while in the US you just started your drink/meal and all of a sudden the bill arrives :D
some insights about credit-/debitcard usage from a small business owner: while I get it, that you get exited over the benefits (bonus miles, cashback etc.) you get by paying with your card, keep in mind and be aware of that this creates extra costs for the business owner. Beside the basic monthly fee, every time the terminal is used, the business owner has to pay a usage fee of 7-12 cents to the service provider, plus billing fees from the bank (0.15-0.23% for debit card transactions and 1-3% for domestic and European credit cards and even up to 5% for credit cards from non-european banks.). This is no big deal for large retailers and grocery chains, but when you only have a small shop like a bakery, a Döner joint or a "Späti", where the average payment is between a few cents and €5, it just creates a large amount of extra unnessecary costs for the owner, wich can make a big difference at the end of the month. As german small business owners are very cost sensitive, I hope you now get a clearer picture why many only accept cash or limit the possibility of card payment. greetz from (East)Berlin
Employers used to pay their employees more for working on Sundays in the US too and decades back just about everything was closed on Sunday. Now, employers basically own employees where good paying jobs are in short supply.
We DO have public toilets, but it's a matter of the local municipalities to provide them, not all do. Many fuel stations don't charge you either. But you will likely have to ask for the key or the staff to unlock the door.
That's why i said MOST public toilets aren't free.. it's a play on words - in English public toilets are gas stations, rest stops, etc. Anything, where you can stop and use the toilet, is considered a public toilet. My husband just explaiend that to me - that you all consider public toilets to be something different.
You have to make the connection. Water (good service) is free, stuff is not paid but you actually pay (good service) with tip. In Germany what is tip for service in the US is actually calculated on top of all things to eat and drink in the restaurant. That includes water. That's the reason why tap water in restaurant seems to be odd, because only paying for service (bringing tap water to the table) (as some restaurants do anyway) seems odd. Another reason. Most restaurants, bars, clubs or the like are owned or financed by brewaries or liquor stores. So you have to pay their stuff. By contract you are not allowed to sell other brands than what they are offering to you. This includes water. So, tap water is bad for them because they have to fulfill their contract.
You, can be sure, that the credit card reward is payed from the fee that the shops have to pay to the credit card company. And the shops do increase prices of the goods to pay those fees. Hence this is a "left pocket, right pocket". Ofcourse, once this is established in a society, everybody feels a strong demand to participate.
Yes i would like it too, if the water was free. But I drink never water in the restaurant. We have great beer, wine, soda`s and a lot of other stuff...and yes ginger ale is great. I like it.
Many Germans use their "secret toilets" at ""half-public" places, for example, my Mum always uses the toilet of the local labour union headquarter and my sister uses her dentist´s toilette. Also the toilettes of the townhall, the public library or even of graveyards or churches are quite popular. The knowledge of these places are passed from generation to generation. Only tourists and travellers pay for that. For a local free peeing is a question of honor.
Please don't tell Americans who come to Germany that they shouldn't tip. It is normal to round up the sum so the tip is 5-12%. It is considered sort of rude not to do that, and the waiter thinks about what he did wrong if the guest does not tip.
Yes, we do like "Bargeld" in this country! Why? Because for Germans data privacy is a VERY important matter. It's a kind private self-consciousness. Most of us don't like at all when international Banks, governmental and multinational institutions, or tax authorities will be able to track every single private stream of money, even the smallest amount. And this has nothing to do with defrauding the revenue. The overwhelming majority of the Germans pay their taxes true and punctual. But there ist a strong feeling of suspicion that all this private pieces of information could fall into wrong hands. Simply we want cash to stay, as the last rest of privacy in the modern world of datatracking as long as possible. That's it! TIP! There ist a real big difference between the US and Germany respectively the salery of people working in service branches. In America waitors are reliant on tip. Because their salary is incredible! Indeed it is, in Germany you also will not become a millionaire as a waitor, but your salery ordinarily is ok. Employees are not depending on of goodwill of unknown guests. Of course they too don't say "no, thanks" when one give them a tip. But most time it is only approximated to the amount yo have to pay. Or perhaps sometimes one or two Euros more. But like i said, they don't need to accept charity! I ask all here, what's the better way?
I recognized, that the free water in restaurants in the US do have a taste of chlorine. I don't know whether this is a standard everywhere in the US, but I think it should be mentioned in your water comparison.
It’s actually not chlorine it’s fluoride - which is really good for your teeth. There are some states without but the point is water is a natural resource... I don’t think it should be something that is costing someone something they can get out of their sink. To add onto it I can’t taste that taste even after staying in Germany for so long. My German husband also went over there and never complained about the water.
@@AmandasWorld I did a comment on this above. But this argument is something I heard a lot about Open Source Software. It is the difference about free as in free beer opposed to free speech. Free Software never meant without costs. You never pay for free software. You pay for the service around it. In the US this is by tip. In Germany, where the stuff is paid, you always pay for the service. Because somehow the stuff has to be paid anyway.
@@AmandasWorld You don't pay for the water. You pay for working time and the facility. 1. Get the glass and fill it with water. 2. Bring it to the guest. 3. Clean the used glass and put it back in the cupboard. The water is free. 😉
I'm born and raised in Germany (like usually all the people commenting on videos like this one), but as far as I can tell, the paying for public toilets thing is a relatively new thing. At least in the part of Germany where I grew up (the south-west) I never saw one of those "Toilet Ladies" collecting money in my youth. That is a thing I only encountered in my 20s, about 15 to 20 years ago. An uncle of mine owned a small cleaning company. His biggest customer was a shopping mall in the county capital. They did not have a "Toilet Lady" in that shopping mall. The toilets were cleaned twice a day by the regular cleaning staff that was cleaning the rest of the mall too and nobody was charged for using it. Only when my uncle retired 7 years ago and a new cleaning company, owned by a Turkish dude, took over, they installed a "Toilet Lady" and are charging for using the toilets now. I really don't think this is a traditional German custom. That is why I once was pretty offended when I saw another such "expat in Germany" video, I think it was a Australian woman, or one from Newzealand, talk about "Toilet Ladies" in Germany and how she thinks this is a racist thing because they tend to be immigrant women. As far as I can tell, those immigrants are who came up with the idea.
Hey! Thanks for your perspective! I live in Berlin and have encountered that at many places (that are not restaurants), and especially on the highway to go to different cities. I asked if that was normal and my husband said that yeah, now-a-days you have to generally pay to use toilets. This was on my first trip into Germany, and ever since this has held true in many cities that i've visited. If there's not a "toilet lady", there's been a machine that takes cash and give your a ticket. This is something i'm not used to as most of our public toilets are free. I don't think it's racist whatsoever, but to each their own?...
@@AmandasWorld Thanks for the reply. Yeah, nowadays it seems to be everywhere, but as far as I can tell, that is really a new development that swept the country in the last 10 to 20 years. I assume your husband might be too young to remember the time before. That other content creator just concluded that it is demeaning work and it seemingly is always done by immigrant women, so it must be a symptom of a racist society. But what if it is the immigrants who came up with it and it is really a cultural import and a symptom of their influence on society?
Coming from a Dutch person that lives in a nearly cashless country going to Germany always feels like going back in time. Everything just looks older... the buildings the roads etc. But hey everything in Germany is way cheaper, so it's nice to go shopping over there. Gasoline is cheaper in Germany and the portions at restaurants are bigger. So it does feel like Germany is in some ways in between the Netherlands and the US. The model here with the drinks is that they pay for the wages here like tips do in the US. My parents drilled into me as a kid to drink slowly and not drink too much when we went to an all you can eat buffet. They would serve really small glasses and there were certainly no refills.
Germans over 40 still remember that until some time in the 1990s shops closed at 6:30 pm and on 2 pm on saturdays. There was a thing called "langer Samstag" once a month or so which meant that on saturdays stores would be open until... 4 or 6 pm :D Same with smoking. It was very different until the early 2000s. Everything (restaurant, cafe, club, pub, station, university lounge) was filled with smoke until the 90s. It was legal from 16 and at my conservative highschool (maybe more like a prep school for American standards) there were officially declared Raucherecken and very rarely would a teacher check if some smoker there was only 15... After the "Abitur" finals, free beer was served on the schoolyard! And while I am too young for this, in the 1970s humanity students were smoking during university seminars... I think that usually nudity should be kept to the nude section of a beach, but it is probably different depending on the region and often not enforced. Topless women are a borderline case and used to be very common for a while in the 1990s. But I would also be surprised by a completely naked adult at a non-nude beach.
In the 90s they established also the long Thursday when shops were allowed to open untill 9:00 PM. With the shopping assistents it had the nickname "Schlado". (scheiß langer Donnerstag)
As a child in the U.S., I remember pay toilets (10 cents) at some places like airports and such. There was a pay lock on each stall door. Don't remember if there were urinals then. And on a connected, sort of, theme, water brought to your table. I seldom drink the water, instead I'll order what I'm drinking right a way. Seems like a waste to bring it if you're going to dump it afterward. I guess it's expected by most American diners.
Everybody knows smoking is bad for your health and the alleged missing prevention in school is not the reason why more people smoke (we have anti drugs campaigns in school). People don't do those things because the don't know it's bad. I guess it's just more common or normal. That's why people try it. Another reason is also peer pressure.
There is some religious background for the closing of shops on Sunday - otherwise it would be another day of the week. But it was an unlikely coalition of the churches with the trade unions and workers parties which succeeded in 1892 in pushing through the "Law for the protection of workers" (Arbeiterschutzgesetz) which for the first time restricted the opening of shops on Sundays. This led to Art. 139 of the Weimar constitution "The Sunday and the state-approved holidays have to remain legally protected as days off and days of mental evelation" (very loosely translated). And this Art. was included with some others regarding religious freedom to the current constitution (by Art. 140 GG which names the articles of the Weimar constitution which are also valid within the current basic law). In the 1950s there was even a trade union campaign "Samstags gehört Vati mir" targeting in declaring Saturdays to work-free family days which was partly successful ("5 days week"). From time to time there are attempts to soften up the rule, against resolute resistance of trade unions and churches; cities can now allow a small number of sundays open for trading (according to very varying rules in the different states). In some industries Sunday work is allowed, but it's invariably handled as "overtime work" and has to be paid accordingly. Consider this: you like to have the weekend off, but also do the people working in the shops. And the German philosophy is: they should have the same day off as any other family member so they can spend the day together. And air condition ist not only environmentally bad, it's also bad for your health. If rooms are always cool even in hot summer you'll more easily catch a cold. Since most houses in Germany are well insulated - even older buildings will have at least thick stone (or medieval adobe-and-straw) walls - there is also less need for air condition. In the summer most interior rooms will be a few degrees cooler than outside (at least if you "obey" the rules of "Lüften"/ventilation at the right time), in autumn a few degrees warmer, and in the winter most houses have central heating which is far more efficient than air condition. In public toilets you pay for the service to keep them clean. A few decades before most communal (funded by town council) toilets were free, but there was much misuse and the municipalities had to pay more and more for maintenance. So they were either closed or a payment scheme was introduced. Toilets at highway service areas are run by private companies who want to be paid for their services - and some of them diversify by offering their services to municipalities and leasing public toilets. Cash is king in Germany because German shopkeepers count every cent, ;) and credit cards are expensive. Credit card companies make their profit by fees on every transaction, often with a minimum fee on small transactions, which makes it very expensive for e.g. bakeries where many transactions are below 2 Euros. And they have to rent the card readers meaning an additional fee - so they just don't. And most German customers are good with that - they are accustomed to cash, they know what they spend if using cash instead of cards or mobile pay, and they are keen on privacy. The whole cash-back thing is about getting your data for better targeting in marketing, so selling more items to you, so getting more data for targeting, so selling more trash. And that's not very environment-friendly... ;) In regards to smoking is Germany about a decade or two behind the US. It was definitely more common about 2000 and it's less common with every year. But there are smoker's countries all around, and there are (somewhat) new trends like hookahs (Shisha bars) and "electronic cigarettes" which will keep "smoking culture" alive a while. To give a tip is not mandatory, but good manners. Usually you give about 10 percent if you are satisfied with the service, more if you are really pleased and less or nothing if the service was bad. Most restaurants get a major part of their profit from drinks. So they are often not very pleased if you ask for tap water and will sometimes charge you a fee for using the drinking glass (Gedeckgebühr or cover charge) - which is totally usual in other countries like Austria or Italy.
No you won't catch a cold because of air conditioning. I've never caught a cold because I have air conditioning in my home or from going in air conditioned businesses
About the air conditioning - it has a huge environmental impact. Most people understand that the more we ruin the planet, the hotter it will get because of climate change. Most people use ventilators indoors in Europe.
MMM never heard of those before. I personally grew up in the south in the U.S. where temperatures reach higher than here w/ humidity - so it's somewhat of a necessity there, and even places like Arizona where temperatures get up to 50c and melt your sandals when you walk
@@AmandasWorld what he is saying is not true. South-Europe is using AC every time. In Germany they do not have the same climate as Spain, Portugal, Italy etc. That is the main reason. It has nothing to do with enviroment, if it was they wouldnt have been so carfriendly (eventhough i like cars)
@@AmandasWorld saw you've missed another thing Americans find exciting - standard European windows. And usually they find only two window positions: fully open and tilted. they miss micro ventilation position (handle tuned at 45 degrees) which itself can easily be set at three positions.
The free water topic: theres a complete different culture, how to calculate the prices in german restaurants and bars than in the US. You cant compare it. That also has to do with the wages and social security system etc... But as far as i recogniced, it becomes more and more commen to get a glas of tap water free... If you ask for free water, make sure to ask for "Ein Glas Leitungswasser" ( a glas of tap water). I personaly think that question is ok if you also order another drink aswell like wine, breer or coffee. Remember the calculation of the prices includes that you have also a payed drink.
Smoking in Germany: In Germany, the tobacco lobby is very strong because they were not sentenced to heavy fines like in the USA and were not obliged to finance educational programs. For decades the major parties have fended off every attempt to ban cigarette advertising. The state earns 5 billion euros each year in taxes on tobacco. The costs for the health system are often ignored. Toilet usage fee: You ask why it is not enough to buy something at a gas station to use the toilet for free? This has to do with the fact that the toilets are managed by another company. When the state sold the monopoly of the Autobahn service stations, the operating contract stipulated that the toilets were to be used free of charge. The companies just don't stick to it and try to circumvent it with a voucher system.
Need to always carry cash might be a bit shocking to other Europeans too. I can go with no cash for months, except for some change for shopping carts (20 or 50 euro cent coin, depends on supermarket chain) or toilet, just in case.
@@mangalores-x_x I recommend carrying jars with tight lids instead of wallets for their money. Of course, those jars must be filled with C2H5OH, that way Germans could keep on using cash.
The earnings of staff e.g. at the hairdresser's or in gastronomy are so low that they urgently need a tip in order to be able to live reasonably well and yet it is usually only enough to survive. So if you want to get it right and that is the general consensus, tip 10% of what you have to pay in total there. An bareeper in Germany is not obliged to serve you and may refuse you drinks and food, which is required by law. However, also he must allow you to use the toilet and has to give you a glass of water for free which is also required by law. As a rule, although there are always exceptions that confirm the rules, you will always receive a glass of water upon polite request.
Are you talking about Germany? After having read your comment, I noticed some things, which are quite incorrect. For example the earnings of a hair stylist and/or people, working in gastronomy. In Germany, these people don't need tips to live reasonably. This goes for the US, not for Germany. For example, a trainee hair stylist earns between 1.300 and 1.800 €, a hair stylist can earn from 1.600 to 2.900 €. If you're satisfied, you can tip, but you are not forced to do so. You don't have to tip if you are not satisfied at all, that's totally up to you. A barkeeper/restaurant owner doesn't have to allow you to use the toilet if you don't drink or eat anything. If you are a customer, you can use the toilet for free, otherwise not. The glass of water for free is an obvious hoax. The EU drinking water regulation calls restaurants for serving tap water for free or charge a small fee for it.
Sorry, but I need to correct you a tiny bit concerning cash. There is a great reward paying cash: anonymity! That's the greatest reward in difference to paying with credit card or anything else comparable. But as always, it's a point of your personal perspective. Kind regards and all the best!
I get those same rewards plus more for using my card. Sorry payback isn’t accepted everywhere. I can purchase anywhere with my credit card and get up to 10% cash back, airline miles and rewards that are only exclusively for those members. I have a payback card there’s nothing special about it.
Dear Amanda.. you're right, more or less. (I'm ashamed of some things)... but come to Saarland.. you won't know the country... but a you can get a free glass of tap water everywhere! 😘
As a former restaurant owner i have to tell you that it takes 3 glasses of water plus soap to wash that glass of water you just got , that’s why you pay for water , plus i get a water bill , and if you add ice cubes that’s another expense
1944Helmut That maybe so. But, not always. My dad is also a restaurant owner, and he does not say the same thing. At least if you’re adding ice to water glasses, you’re using less water in the glass. 🤷🏻♀️ 😀
@@arnodobler1096 Yeah, I've heard that before! :) it's the other way around where I come from. It was just shocking to me - slowing getting used to it!
So funny. In the neighboring country, the Netherlands (aka Holland), many shops (almost everything) are open on Sundays. And cash is no longer possible in some shops. Often paid contactless.
Nice, that's very interesting. i think it's an good concept right now, because of the whole COVID situation. i prefer purchasing with my card because i'm not touching a bill that someone else touched. i also am not touching the machine as i tap and pay. that is more attractive for me.
@@bertkassing8541 nicht wenn man drüber nachgedacht hat,macht aber nix in corona zeiten wirds noch krasser gehandhabt obwohl man weiß,dass es lächerlich ist. kein bargeld=kein schwarzgeld...auch ein grund warum millenials ständig den jammer haben,dass es früher soooviel leichter war sich ein leben aufzubauen,abgesehen vom fleiss der älteren generationen....aber lassen wir das,wennst scho auf englisch schreiben musst,obwohl meinen kommi lesen kannst,ist klar woher der wind weht....
@@pete_boy71 Haha, natürlich kann ich Ihre Kommentare lesen :-) Ich bin Holländer, aber mit deutscher Familiengeschichte. In den Niederlanden lernen die meisten Kinder in der Schule sowohl Englisch als auch Deutsch. English, German, Dutch I don't care. We are all European :-)
You misunderstood something with the drinking age. Actually you can drink beer and wine with your parents when you are 14 in a restaurant or pub. The law is for restaurants, pubs, night clubs, and so on. There is no regulation for drinking at home. You could drink with even a younger age at home. So if your mother or father would let you have a sip from the beer or wine, nobody could say something against it legally. When the child gets drink, someone would call for the CPS I guess. But most of the parents won't let the children do this. A little bit of inch pinching. Water from the tap is not for free, the cubic meter (1000 litre) cost about 2,39 EUR in mean. ;)
I remember when i was a kid i often was for a few weeks at my mothers mother, my other grandma lived at home with us, and there i always was drinking some wine with her at the evening already at the age of 10 or maybe even younger, not that sure about it anymore. I was born 1964 btw.
Interesting POV, i hear different things from many different germans who say you can drink at this age at home, you can do this at this age usw. it still doesn't change my opinion - i think it helps people develop better drinking habits regardless of the age. In the U.S. i feel like people turn 21 and go crazy with the alcohol which is unnecessary.
@@AmandasWorld Reminds me of when i was 17 and together with a friend we decided to take an alcohol free phase and were always just drinking cherry juice, and then we had a relative new friend who never drunk alcohol before and suddenly started, and it was weird to see how out of control he sometime went while we had it already all behind us since it was totally normal for us at that time already at 15-16 that to partys everybody just brought a bottle of whiskey, vodka, bacardi or other hard stuff. Also my mother always had to say "... and don't drink sooo much" when we told her when we would come back, or if we stay over night, while my dad was always just laughing since we knew quite some story about his youth already 😁
No Restaurant in the world can exist from serving only dishes..the drinks only making the money they need. In US you have to rush, for the next guest. In Germany you can stay as long you want more or less. Germans pay normally tip about 10 % but it is not a Must. Waiters are considerable better paid over here..one reason to pay for mineral water. I m going for 40 years to the Baltic Sea, same place. in this period I have only seen 4 to 10 naked people laying on the beach when we were walking far away.
Interesting point of view, thanks for sharing. I've never felt rushed in restaurants in the U.S. i've spent around 2-2.5 hours at a restaurant and have never felt pressure to leave because they're busy or asked to leave to free a table by a server. I also don't really like sitting in restaurants that long to be honest. the first time i was in germany visiting my man, we spent 4 hours at the dinner table - that was far too long for me. I like getting in, eating, speaking and enjoying the night and leaving once there's no food.
Thank you, my personal experience and what I learned from the Internet .. waiters coming all 10 Minutes asking you ..all okay need some more ?Maybe it depends where you are. Regards
@HJ A They do come all the time, but that's because it's normal in the culture. Many of us finish a cup of water in that amount of time and need a refill, or have something else we want to order. it's just them trying to show good customer service. I know for sure when they aren't coming that often people are getting quite mad at the horrible service that they had. Because the servers should be there and ready if there's anything that you need. i often find myself getting really upset in German restaurants when i want to pay and none of the servers are coming over to give me my bill. We were at a restaurant about a month ago and it took us about 30 minutes to get a waiter to come over just so we could ask for out bill. We were giving visual cues, and even at points (in german) asking if we could have help or trying to get the attention of the waiter / waitress and that is really frustrating to me. In America that's never happened to me. They're always there whenever i want to pay, and they always serve my needs.
One world many points of views.. I agree what you said but there is A But.. I and also some Americans in the net feel disturbed ,when waiters all around ..its not only the refills. Its not only a question of politeness... we think a little bit deeper, knowing that the fix salaries of the waiters in US are very small they have to make turnover that means Beeing polite as possible and new Orders as much as possible, they cannot exist from refills. I guess young people special in small talk countries want only to enjoy not thinking a second about the Background.of others...all is wonderful and lovely okay in the anglo world. Dont complain..dont cry it loud out..hide your real feelings.( a Song Text) In Germany if the waiter is lazy or unfriendly don t pay Tip thats okay. Dont take it personal please .you know germans are sometimes brutal honest. Words from abroad ..not from me. Regards Hans , n the net feel disturbed...
I would like to comment an many things you mentioned, but I pick up two. First, walking naked on beaches. It is not allowed except in designated areas, but it is not severely prosecuted. Fines for sex on the beach can be heavy when the police think there might have been children watching, so wait until 8 pm before you search your comfort in the dunes. Drinking age: You are partly wrong. Drinking at 14 is illegal. Drinking beer and wine at 16, that's alright. And for the real stuff, you need to be 18. Reason why? A nation that can draw you into the army at age 18 has very few arguements to keep you from drinking.
Interesting. A few people here said people can drink at home with their parents at 14. i don't know why you would want to drink with them, BUT i think it can teach you good drinking habits nonetheless. As far as the nudity, that's an interesting point. I actually was not at a nude beach, but i didn't check to see if there were signs designating the area as such. We saw people on a 17km span of beach completely naked, which was shocking, but again i don't think it's bad whatsoever. They can do what they wish with their body.
I never paid for toilet use at a gas station , on the other hand I literally almost never use other peoples toilet , I use nature , & if I would go to a Shopping Center , I don’t have to pay there either , so we see : may things in our life only happen because it’s our character 🥳
Well, you grew up in the land of the free. But would tell people to put on clothes? But you already found, that prohibit stuff does not teach to handle things responsible. So, welcome to germany.
Exactly, you get nothing, which sucks. I’d rather get cash back and “spied upon”. Neither one is right or “wrong!” As you said. It’s all a matter of preference. Also, If you want to catch COVID via cash that’s not my problem but cashless payment is becoming more popular to stop the spread.
Must be a thing for the U.S. I got cash back on all of my purchases. I also got airline miles (which goes towards a ticket) 😅... there’s a lot of cards there with tons of rewards associated. I guess they don’t do it in Europe but maybe they should look into it.
@@AmandasWorld We do have some cash back when paying with a card, it depends on your bank, I guess. But the loyalty cards are probably much more popular here, we have the benefits this way. Oh, and I think it's totally okay to say that smoking is a bad thing, at least I do say it 😄. It would be great if people smoked less here. It's an addiction and a carcinogen without a single benefit. Interesting video!
Love Payback Punkte!!! :) but it's not the same as me getting cashback % on my purchases at any store. My payback card only gives me points at certain stores which limits where i can shop, and sometimes what days i can shop depending on the deals they have on their app at the time. Last week alone, we saw that on black friday we'd get 250 points for shopping at REWE, but we needed to shop before that, so we went wednesday and picked up things only for Thursday and then Friday went shopping for our week. It was somewhat inconvenient, but nice to get the points anyways.
@@AmandasWorld Sauna is a winter thing. So mabye they open up again until it gets cold. This is kind of wellness. Sauna, cold water pools, UV sunbathing "lawns", hot water whirl pools. You can spend almost the day with it.
@@faultier1158 Yes, closed because of Corona I guess. but in general it is also a thing you do more when it is winter. That is the season for sauna. Who knows ho it will be in December or January. Some might have open again for few people to use.
@@helloweener2007 no. Sauna is even better in summer when it is very hot. It is hot. You are on a beach chair. Enjoying, going into the Sauna, the sauna master makes hot steam. A short shower and the jump into this ice cold water. This is so refreshing. Go back to your beach chair. Sauna is better in summer than in winter.
Welcome in Germany! Ich hoffe du sprichst etwas deutsch, mein Englisch ist nicht besonders gut. Das sind die typischen Dinge die Amerikaner in Deutschland nicht gewohnt sind. Ich denke du wirst damit leben können. Auch ohne Klimaanlagen. In Berlin ist es eventuell etwas wärmer als bei mir hier. Ich wohne in Südwestdeutschland, Baden-Württemberg, in der Nähe von Albstadt. In einer großen Stadt zu wohnen kann ich mir nicht vorstellen. Mit Sicherheit hat das Vorteile, ist aber nichts für mich. Vor einem Jahr hatte ich eine Amerikanerin als Freundin, deshalb sind mir deine shocking things nicht Neu. Gerne stehe ich zur Verfügung wenn du noch weitere Fragen hast! Ich werde deinen Kanal abonnieren, und sehen wie du mit uns Deutschen zurecht kommst. Es ist ein mutiger Schritt von Amerika nach Deutschland zu ziehen. Ich denke du wirst gewisse Vorzüge zu schätzen wissen, die man in Deutschland hat. Das geht mit der sozialen Sicherheit los, die es in Amerika nicht gibt. Ich war noch nicht inden USA. Irgendwann möchte ich aber mal hin, das ist ein Wunsch. Vielleicht klappt es ja.
Hallo! :) Ich kann Deutschland sprechen, aber ich kann nur auf B2-Ebene sprechen. es wird langsam besser. Ich hoffe, dass ich eines Tages sehr fließend sein kann! Schön, dass Sie einen amerikanischen Freund hatten. Ich nehme an, sie sprach dann Deutsch? Amerika ist ein wunderschönes Land. Wenn Sie irgendwann einmal hingehen, müssen Sie sich auch einige der weniger bekannten Staaten ansehen, da sie die schönsten sind.
@@AmandasWorld, we used both languages. Sometimes we spoke Denglish 😀, mixed up both languages. I learned a lot in this time. Leider hat es nicht sein sollen. Jedenfalls habe ich keine Angst mehr mit einer englischsprachigen Frau zu verkehren. Man muss eben auch die positiven Dinge sehen. Vielleicht klappt es ja beim nächsten Mal. Ich bin zwar mit dem Lastzug in vielen Ländern gewesen, leider nicht privat. Die USA fasziniert mich einfach. Danke für den Tipp, ich werde das berücksichtigen. Wahrscheinlich sind die typischen Touristenziele nicht daß Richtige um ein Land kennenzulernen. Es freut mich aber daß du versuchst deutsch zu sprechen auch wenn du nicht fließend sprichst. Auch ich werde immer besser wenn ich mehr englisch spreche. Ich hoffe einmal so gut englisch zu sprechen, daß man es nicht merkt wo ich wirklich herkomme. 😊 Wenn ich dir helfen kann, frag mich einfach. Ich versuche zu helfen wo und wie ich kann. Ich hoffe dir gefällt es in Deutschland, trotz der kulturellen Schwierigkeiten. Im Grunde sind Amerikaner und Deutsche sich recht ähnlich. Somit sind die Unterschiede nicht zu groß. Es gibt aber trotzdem Unterschiede, was wir nicht vergessen dürfen. Ich wünsche dir weiterhin viel Erfolg und bleib gesund!
In der Nähe von Albstadt scheint es keine Parkuhren mehr zu geben 😂😂😂 Da gibt’s auch keinen Fahrer von dem Bus, in dem die Leute sitzen, die das interessiert 😂😂
Hello US-Lady. The fck-proganda of US-tobacco did well since 1953 and there a lot off tobacco lobbyist in Berlin and Brüssel. gratulation to the US-companies
Damn, you are loud!! I can hear that both by intonation (voice sounds a bit more strained) and by echoes from the walls. XD Sorry, I'm not saying what you should or should not do, that's just my European cultural bias kicking in.
i still have the opposite feeling after 8 months of being here. I love AC and wish not to sweat in my own home and feel fatigued when it's hot, and i hate sundays... i want to control my own schedule not someone else, but that's just what i'm used to. I always shopped on sunday in the U.S. because that was my only free day *and it's still my only free day*.
@@AmandasWorld Agreed. I love AC because I absolutely wilt in the heat(I'm in WI so it's hot & humid in summer). Also, Sunday is also a nothing kind of day that I like to get my shopping done. Like you I prefer to decide what day I do something.
I always thougt That american People are much more religious than european, especially in the bible belt. But then they are surprised, that sunday is a holy day and most shops are closed?! That is a contradiction!
I will never get the water thing most americans complain about in germany. I wouldn't even drink the water you get in the US for free because your tap water has a weird taste, you can even taste that in drinks like Coke or Dr. Pepper produced in the US. I think most of us germans prefer carbonated water anyway, that is another reason why we pay for it in restaurants.
That's interesting. i think when you grow up with it you don't notice. i travel around a lot for sports and never notice a taste difference even when i come back to the USA. but it's interesting to know from a foreigner's perspective. I'm not a dan of carbonated water it just tastes sour to me. no idea why.
The money for water thing is a thing which threw me a bit up when I was in the States. I was in a PizzaHut in Texas, and was still thristy, and the husband of my godmother told me: "Yeah, just go inside and fill it up. So I went back inside, went to the counter, pointed at my empty cup and said "water please". The clerk looked at me in surprise and asked "water?" I said yes and pointed on the faucet behind him. He was still baffeld but shrug it off and filled my with tap water. And I wasn't charged as I normaly would in Germany. And I was baffeld by his reaction... (I was 9 years old at that time, but dont ask me about the story when I was kicked out of the community pool in the States and escorted back to my home - because a 9 year old isn't allowed to visit the pool without a guardian and that they where surprised that I even cleaned it before going into the pool) Back to topic: It is even OK to walk up to a normal persons home and ask for tapwater (like you are hiking and miscalculated your water supplies), but you have to be realy thirsty. P.S.: Welcome to youtube and be prepared to have a big german audience; somewhat germans like to watch those videos to see how they are perceived in the rest of the world.
Finde ich nett the sweetest people aber vllt nicht so allgemein jedes Land hat sweet people aber leider hat auch jedes Land Entschuldigung arschlöcher aber ich wünsche dir das alle deutsche immer nett zu dir sind .
..des arme mädl...typische ami halt,alles was sie soo schockt is einfach erklärbar,wenn man nur ein bißchen nachdenkt und sich interessiert....vielleicht kommt`s iwann drauf,warum. in´diesem video bedient sie ja die meisten klischees über amis und warum man sie nicht mag..lol...
@Andrea Davis darfst nicht von dir auf andre schließen,erstens bin ich kein deutscher,zweitens ist`s unnötig mehr dazu zu sagen und drittens ,falls möglich wie schon erwähnt,a bisserl selber denken...zu schwer was? deine selbstherrlichkeit ist nicht selbstsicherheit sondern reine überheblichkeit,ich versteh den ami "way of life" schon,nur find ich`s sch..... !! schon mal drüber nachgedacht warum niemand die ami`s mag (ausser sie zahlen dafür)? richtig,gewöhn dich dran,dass aufgeklärte bevölkerungsschichten nicht automatisch mit solchen mittelalterlichen ansichten konform gehen! was du machst ist allerdings:du bestätigst meine,durch den umgang und persönliche erfahrung,gewonnenen eindrücke zu 100% !! isso-brauchst nicht antworten,hab schon zuviel zeit für dich verschwendet....(jetzt mach ich`s auch mal ami-style)
That the closed stores on sunday have their base in religion. 'On the seventh day thou shall rest....' I heard that the nudity part in Germany is also related to religion. God created Adam and Eve and placed them in paradise, nude. 'And He looked onto His work, and saw it was good...' Who will argue with God. Oh, of course puritans... :)
its normal to give a tip and unusual not to. the only thing thats different is the amount you tip, rounding up and adding 1-3€ extra is standard, not the almost mandatory 10-20% like in the US
I don't think you are right on tipping in restaurants. We do give tipps the rule of thumb is about 10% of the bill. But only, if we are happy with the service. In other words: Good service, good tipp. Lousy service, no tipp
Not sure if you guys gives a damn but if you guys are bored like me during the covid times then you can stream pretty much all the new movies and series on instaflixxer. I've been binge watching with my gf for the last weeks :)
@Maximilian Santiago yea, have been watching on Instaflixxer for months myself =)
In Germany the meals are cheaper than in the US and the restaurants make the money with the beverages.
11:00 the main reason for your last point is generally restaurants in germany make their main profit in drinks, while providing pretty low food prices and fair wages to their employees (compared to the US). free-refills or serving 25% of customers with free tap water would destroy this calculation. same reason for this is also why nobody rushes you out in restaurants here in germany, while in the US you just started your drink/meal and all of a sudden the bill arrives :D
some insights about credit-/debitcard usage from a small business owner:
while I get it, that you get exited over the benefits (bonus miles, cashback etc.) you get by paying with your card, keep in mind and be aware of that this creates extra costs for the business owner.
Beside the basic monthly fee, every time the terminal is used, the business owner has to pay a usage fee of 7-12 cents to the service provider, plus billing fees from the bank (0.15-0.23% for debit card transactions and 1-3% for domestic and European credit cards and even up to 5% for credit cards from non-european banks.).
This is no big deal for large retailers and grocery chains, but when you only have a small shop like a bakery, a Döner joint or a "Späti", where the average payment is between a few cents and €5, it just creates a large amount of extra unnessecary costs for the owner, wich can make a big difference at the end of the month.
As german small business owners are very cost sensitive, I hope you now get a clearer picture why many only accept cash or limit the possibility of card payment.
greetz from (East)Berlin
Employers used to pay their employees more for working on Sundays in the US too and decades back just about everything was closed on Sunday. Now, employers basically own employees where good paying jobs are in short supply.
We DO have public toilets, but it's a matter of the local municipalities to provide them, not all do.
Many fuel stations don't charge you either. But you will likely have to ask for the key or the staff to unlock the door.
That's why i said MOST public toilets aren't free.. it's a play on words - in English public toilets are gas stations, rest stops, etc. Anything, where you can stop and use the toilet, is considered a public toilet. My husband just explaiend that to me - that you all consider public toilets to be something different.
Great video! I've never been to Germany! Can't wait to go there!
You have to make the connection.
Water (good service) is free, stuff is not paid but you actually pay (good service) with tip.
In Germany what is tip for service in the US is actually calculated on top of all things to eat and drink in the restaurant. That includes water.
That's the reason why tap water in restaurant seems to be odd, because only paying for service (bringing tap water to the table) (as some restaurants do anyway) seems odd.
Another reason. Most restaurants, bars, clubs or the like are owned or financed by brewaries or liquor stores. So you have to pay their stuff. By contract you are not allowed to sell other brands than what they are offering to you. This includes water. So, tap water is bad for them because they have to fulfill their contract.
You, can be sure, that the credit card reward is payed from the fee that the shops have to pay to the credit card company. And the shops do increase prices of the goods to pay those fees. Hence this is a "left pocket, right pocket". Ofcourse, once this is established in a society, everybody feels a strong demand to participate.
For some time shops gave you a discount if you DIDN'T use a credit card. But that ended probably because of the credit card companies contracts.
I don`t understand why people drink water in the restaurant? You can drink water all day long. Everywhere.
Personally, i do, because the only soda i drink is ginger ale, and a lot od the restaurants don't have it. BUT i would love if the water was free ahah
Yes i would like it too, if the water was free. But I drink never water in the restaurant. We have great beer, wine, soda`s and a lot of other stuff...and yes ginger ale is great. I like it.
da lieben sich Fische drin! 🤣
Many Germans use their "secret toilets" at ""half-public" places, for example, my Mum always uses the toilet of the local labour union headquarter and my sister uses her dentist´s toilette. Also the toilettes of the townhall, the public library or even of graveyards or churches are quite popular. The knowledge of these places are passed from generation to generation. Only tourists and travellers pay for that. For a local free peeing is a question of honor.
🤣😂🤣!
Please don't tell Americans who come to Germany that they shouldn't tip. It is normal to round up the sum so the tip is 5-12%. It is considered sort of rude not to do that, and the waiter thinks about what he did wrong if the guest does not tip.
Some one brings the water and the glass has to be washed
Yes, we do like "Bargeld" in this country! Why? Because for Germans data privacy is a VERY important matter. It's a kind private self-consciousness. Most of us don't like at all when international Banks, governmental and multinational institutions, or tax authorities will be able to track every single private stream of money, even the smallest amount. And this has nothing to do with defrauding the revenue. The overwhelming majority of the Germans pay their taxes true and punctual. But there ist a strong feeling of suspicion that all this private pieces of information could fall into wrong hands. Simply we want cash to stay, as the last rest of privacy in the modern world of datatracking as long as possible. That's it!
TIP! There ist a real big difference between the US and Germany respectively the salery of people working in service branches. In America waitors are reliant on tip. Because their salary is incredible! Indeed it is, in Germany you also will not become a millionaire as a waitor, but your salery ordinarily is ok. Employees are not depending on of goodwill of unknown guests. Of course they too don't say "no, thanks" when one give them a tip. But most time it is only approximated to the amount yo have to pay. Or perhaps sometimes one or two Euros more. But like i said, they don't need to accept charity! I ask all here, what's the better way?
I recognized, that the free water in restaurants in the US do have a taste of chlorine. I don't know whether this is a standard everywhere in the US, but I think it should be mentioned in your water comparison.
It’s actually not chlorine it’s fluoride - which is really good for your teeth. There are some states without but the point is water is a natural resource... I don’t think it should be something that is costing someone something they can get out of their sink. To add onto it I can’t taste that taste even after staying in Germany for so long. My German husband also went over there and never complained about the water.
@@AmandasWorld Thank you for the quick answer. Seems that I was wrong with my guess that is was chloride. Fluoride may taste similar?
@@AmandasWorld I did a comment on this above.
But this argument is something I heard a lot about Open Source Software.
It is the difference about free as in free beer opposed to free speech.
Free Software never meant without costs. You never pay for free software. You pay for the service around it.
In the US this is by tip. In Germany, where the stuff is paid, you always pay for the service. Because somehow the stuff has to be paid anyway.
@@AmandasWorld You don't pay for the water. You pay for working time and the facility.
1. Get the glass and fill it with water.
2. Bring it to the guest.
3. Clean the used glass and put it back in the cupboard.
The water is free. 😉
I'm born and raised in Germany (like usually all the people commenting on videos like this one), but as far as I can tell, the paying for public toilets thing is a relatively new thing.
At least in the part of Germany where I grew up (the south-west) I never saw one of those "Toilet Ladies" collecting money in my youth. That is a thing I only encountered in my 20s, about 15 to 20 years ago.
An uncle of mine owned a small cleaning company. His biggest customer was a shopping mall in the county capital. They did not have a "Toilet Lady" in that shopping mall. The toilets were cleaned twice a day by the regular cleaning staff that was cleaning the rest of the mall too and nobody was charged for using it.
Only when my uncle retired 7 years ago and a new cleaning company, owned by a Turkish dude, took over, they installed a "Toilet Lady" and are charging for using the toilets now.
I really don't think this is a traditional German custom.
That is why I once was pretty offended when I saw another such "expat in Germany" video, I think it was a Australian woman, or one from Newzealand, talk about "Toilet Ladies" in Germany and how she thinks this is a racist thing because they tend to be immigrant women.
As far as I can tell, those immigrants are who came up with the idea.
Hey! Thanks for your perspective! I live in Berlin and have encountered that at many places (that are not restaurants), and especially on the highway to go to different cities. I asked if that was normal and my husband said that yeah, now-a-days you have to generally pay to use toilets. This was on my first trip into Germany, and ever since this has held true in many cities that i've visited. If there's not a "toilet lady", there's been a machine that takes cash and give your a ticket. This is something i'm not used to as most of our public toilets are free. I don't think it's racist whatsoever, but to each their own?...
@@AmandasWorld Thanks for the reply.
Yeah, nowadays it seems to be everywhere, but as far as I can tell, that is really a new development that swept the country in the last 10 to 20 years.
I assume your husband might be too young to remember the time before.
That other content creator just concluded that it is demeaning work and it seemingly is always done by immigrant women, so it must be a symptom of a racist society.
But what if it is the immigrants who came up with it and it is really a cultural import and a symptom of their influence on society?
I remember seeing it as a child which is more in the 40years before.
Coming from a Dutch person that lives in a nearly cashless country going to Germany always feels like going back in time. Everything just looks older... the buildings the roads etc. But hey everything in Germany is way cheaper, so it's nice to go shopping over there. Gasoline is cheaper in Germany and the portions at restaurants are bigger. So it does feel like Germany is in some ways in between the Netherlands and the US.
The model here with the drinks is that they pay for the wages here like tips do in the US. My parents drilled into me as a kid to drink slowly and not drink too much when we went to an all you can eat buffet. They would serve really small glasses and there were certainly no refills.
Germans over 40 still remember that until some time in the 1990s shops closed at 6:30 pm and on 2 pm on saturdays. There was a thing called "langer Samstag" once a month or so which meant that on saturdays stores would be open until...
4 or 6 pm :D
Same with smoking. It was very different until the early 2000s. Everything (restaurant, cafe, club, pub, station, university lounge) was filled with smoke until the 90s. It was legal from 16 and at my conservative highschool (maybe more like a prep school for American standards) there were officially declared Raucherecken and very rarely would a teacher check if some smoker there was only 15... After the "Abitur" finals, free beer was served on the schoolyard! And while I am too young for this, in the 1970s humanity students were smoking during university seminars...
I think that usually nudity should be kept to the nude section of a beach, but it is probably different depending on the region and often not enforced. Topless women are a borderline case and used to be very common for a while in the 1990s. But I would also be surprised by a completely naked adult at a non-nude beach.
In the 90s they established also the long Thursday when shops were allowed to open untill 9:00 PM. With the shopping assistents it had the nickname "Schlado". (scheiß langer Donnerstag)
As a child in the U.S., I remember pay toilets (10 cents) at some places like airports and such. There was a pay lock on each stall door. Don't remember if there were urinals then. And on a connected, sort of, theme, water brought to your table. I seldom drink the water, instead I'll order what I'm drinking right a way. Seems like a waste to bring it if you're going to dump it afterward. I guess it's expected by most American diners.
Another American in German!! Subscribed! Looking forward to future content!
Everybody knows smoking is bad for your health and the alleged missing prevention in school is not the reason why more people smoke (we have anti drugs campaigns in school). People don't do those things because the don't know it's bad. I guess it's just more common or normal. That's why people try it. Another reason is also peer pressure.
There is some religious background for the closing of shops on Sunday - otherwise it would be another day of the week. But it was an unlikely coalition of the churches with the trade unions and workers parties which succeeded in 1892 in pushing through the "Law for the protection of workers" (Arbeiterschutzgesetz) which for the first time restricted the opening of shops on Sundays. This led to Art. 139 of the Weimar constitution "The Sunday and the state-approved holidays have to remain legally protected as days off and days of mental evelation" (very loosely translated). And this Art. was included with some others regarding religious freedom to the current constitution (by Art. 140 GG which names the articles of the Weimar constitution which are also valid within the current basic law). In the 1950s there was even a trade union campaign "Samstags gehört Vati mir" targeting in declaring Saturdays to work-free family days which was partly successful ("5 days week"). From time to time there are attempts to soften up the rule, against resolute resistance of trade unions and churches; cities can now allow a small number of sundays open for trading (according to very varying rules in the different states). In some industries Sunday work is allowed, but it's invariably handled as "overtime work" and has to be paid accordingly. Consider this: you like to have the weekend off, but also do the people working in the shops. And the German philosophy is: they should have the same day off as any other family member so they can spend the day together.
And air condition ist not only environmentally bad, it's also bad for your health. If rooms are always cool even in hot summer you'll more easily catch a cold. Since most houses in Germany are well insulated - even older buildings will have at least thick stone (or medieval adobe-and-straw) walls - there is also less need for air condition. In the summer most interior rooms will be a few degrees cooler than outside (at least if you "obey" the rules of "Lüften"/ventilation at the right time), in autumn a few degrees warmer, and in the winter most houses have central heating which is far more efficient than air condition.
In public toilets you pay for the service to keep them clean. A few decades before most communal (funded by town council) toilets were free, but there was much misuse and the municipalities had to pay more and more for maintenance. So they were either closed or a payment scheme was introduced. Toilets at highway service areas are run by private companies who want to be paid for their services - and some of them diversify by offering their services to municipalities and leasing public toilets.
Cash is king in Germany because German shopkeepers count every cent, ;) and credit cards are expensive. Credit card companies make their profit by fees on every transaction, often with a minimum fee on small transactions, which makes it very expensive for e.g. bakeries where many transactions are below 2 Euros. And they have to rent the card readers meaning an additional fee - so they just don't. And most German customers are good with that - they are accustomed to cash, they know what they spend if using cash instead of cards or mobile pay, and they are keen on privacy. The whole cash-back thing is about getting your data for better targeting in marketing, so selling more items to you, so getting more data for targeting, so selling more trash. And that's not very environment-friendly... ;)
In regards to smoking is Germany about a decade or two behind the US. It was definitely more common about 2000 and it's less common with every year. But there are smoker's countries all around, and there are (somewhat) new trends like hookahs (Shisha bars) and "electronic cigarettes" which will keep "smoking culture" alive a while.
To give a tip is not mandatory, but good manners. Usually you give about 10 percent if you are satisfied with the service, more if you are really pleased and less or nothing if the service was bad.
Most restaurants get a major part of their profit from drinks. So they are often not very pleased if you ask for tap water and will sometimes charge you a fee for using the drinking glass (Gedeckgebühr or cover charge) - which is totally usual in other countries like Austria or Italy.
No you won't catch a cold because of air conditioning. I've never caught a cold because I have air conditioning in my home or from going in air conditioned businesses
About the air conditioning - it has a huge environmental impact. Most people understand that the more we ruin the planet, the hotter it will get because of climate change. Most people use ventilators indoors in Europe.
MMM never heard of those before. I personally grew up in the south in the U.S. where temperatures reach higher than here w/ humidity - so it's somewhat of a necessity there, and even places like Arizona where temperatures get up to 50c and melt your sandals when you walk
@@AmandasWorld what he is saying is not true. South-Europe is using AC every time. In Germany they do not have the same climate as Spain, Portugal, Italy etc. That is the main reason. It has nothing to do with enviroment, if it was they wouldnt have been so carfriendly (eventhough i like cars)
@@AmandasWorld saw you've missed another thing Americans find exciting - standard European windows. And usually they find only two window positions: fully open and tilted. they miss micro ventilation position (handle tuned at 45 degrees) which itself can easily be set at three positions.
The free water topic:
theres a complete different culture, how to calculate the prices in german restaurants and bars than in the US.
You cant compare it. That also has to do with the wages and social security system etc...
But as far as i recogniced, it becomes more and more commen to get a glas of tap water free...
If you ask for free water, make sure to ask for "Ein Glas Leitungswasser" ( a glas of tap water).
I personaly think that question is ok if you also order another drink aswell like wine, breer or coffee. Remember the calculation of the prices includes that you have also a payed drink.
Mentioning "public restrooms"... The first time i realized what it means to go to a "public" restroom were in the states ;)
ahaha at least it was FREE! :)
Smoking in Germany: In Germany, the tobacco lobby is very strong because they were not sentenced to heavy fines like in the USA and were not obliged to finance educational programs. For decades the major parties have fended off every attempt to ban cigarette advertising. The state earns 5 billion euros each year in taxes on tobacco. The costs for the health system are often ignored.
Toilet usage fee: You ask why it is not enough to buy something at a gas station to use the toilet for free? This has to do with the fact that the toilets are managed by another company. When the state sold the monopoly of the Autobahn service stations, the operating contract stipulated that the toilets were to be used free of charge. The companies just don't stick to it and try to circumvent it with a voucher system.
Interesting. Thanks for your insight! :)
The tipping definitely takes some getting used to!
Why? You can just tip as you would in the states. Nobody will complain that you gave to much lol
Nice video 👍
It’s always the same culture shocks. The same for each and every American vlogger in Germany.
Yes, if you only know America ... ! Sad
They just watch another vlog and copy/paste for clicks.
Need to always carry cash might be a bit shocking to other Europeans too. I can go with no cash for months, except for some change for shopping carts (20 or 50 euro cent coin, depends on supermarket chain) or toilet, just in case.
corona is a big conspiracy to make us Germans switch to digital cash as well... I am sure! *joking*
@@mangalores-x_x I recommend carrying jars with tight lids instead of wallets for their money. Of course, those jars must be filled with C2H5OH, that way Germans could keep on using cash.
The earnings of staff e.g. at the hairdresser's or in gastronomy are so low that they urgently need a tip in order to be able to live reasonably well and yet it is usually only enough to survive. So if you want to get it right and that is the general consensus, tip 10% of what you have to pay in total there.
An bareeper in Germany is not obliged to serve you and may refuse you drinks and food, which is required by law. However, also he must allow you to use the toilet and has to give you a glass of water for free which is also required by law.
As a rule, although there are always exceptions that confirm the rules, you will always receive a glass of water upon polite request.
Are you talking about Germany? After having read your comment, I noticed some things, which are quite incorrect. For example the earnings of a hair stylist and/or people, working in gastronomy. In Germany, these people don't need tips to live reasonably. This goes for the US, not for Germany. For example, a trainee hair stylist earns between 1.300 and 1.800 €, a hair stylist can earn from 1.600 to 2.900 €. If you're satisfied, you can tip, but you are not forced to do so. You don't have to tip if you are not satisfied at all, that's totally up to you.
A barkeeper/restaurant owner doesn't have to allow you to use the toilet if you don't drink or eat anything. If you are a customer, you can use the toilet for free, otherwise not. The glass of water for free is an obvious hoax. The EU drinking water regulation calls restaurants for serving tap water for free or charge a small fee for it.
Don't stare at naked people!!! Germans won't do that. 🤣🤣
Sorry, but I need to correct you a tiny bit concerning cash. There is a great reward paying cash: anonymity! That's the greatest reward in difference to paying with credit card or anything else comparable. But as always, it's a point of your personal perspective. Kind regards and all the best!
No reward in using cash? There is payback and other rebate systems.
I get those same rewards plus more for using my card. Sorry payback isn’t accepted everywhere. I can purchase anywhere with my credit card and get up to 10% cash back, airline miles and rewards that are only exclusively for those members. I have a payback card there’s nothing special about it.
@@AmandasWorld Maybe. Do you really think it’s a gracious gift? These benefits are priced in and you pay for them anyway. Same for Payback of course.
NO , you don't pay for A TAP WATER
Dear Amanda.. you're right, more or less. (I'm ashamed of some things)... but come to Saarland.. you won't know the country... but a you can get a free glass of tap water everywhere! 😘
There’s definitely a reward in using cash: You can only spend the amount of money you have in your pocket, no fear of debt
As a former restaurant owner i have to tell you that it takes 3 glasses of water plus soap to wash that glass of water you just got , that’s why you pay for water , plus i get a water bill , and if you add ice cubes that’s another expense
1944Helmut That maybe so. But, not always. My dad is also a restaurant owner, and he does not say the same thing. At least if you’re adding ice to water glasses, you’re using less water in the glass. 🤷🏻♀️ 😀
@@AmandasWorld german Restaurants most income are from drinks the food is cheap in Germany i think (not all)
@@arnodobler1096 Yeah, I've heard that before! :) it's the other way around where I come from. It was just shocking to me - slowing getting used to it!
@@AmandasWorld Also the meals are cheap and the money is made with the beverages
So funny. In the neighboring country, the Netherlands (aka Holland), many shops (almost everything) are open on Sundays. And cash is no longer possible in some shops. Often paid contactless.
Nice, that's very interesting. i think it's an good concept right now, because of the whole COVID situation. i prefer purchasing with my card because i'm not touching a bill that someone else touched. i also am not touching the machine as i tap and pay. that is more attractive for me.
ja leider,die sind auch schon drauf reingefallen,fühlen sich dadurch soo modern,merken nicht mal wie sie verarscht werden...lol...
@@pete_boy71 Strange reaction.
@@bertkassing8541 nicht wenn man drüber nachgedacht hat,macht aber nix in corona zeiten wirds noch krasser gehandhabt obwohl man weiß,dass es lächerlich ist. kein bargeld=kein schwarzgeld...auch ein grund warum millenials ständig den jammer haben,dass es früher soooviel leichter war sich ein leben aufzubauen,abgesehen vom fleiss der älteren generationen....aber lassen wir das,wennst scho auf englisch schreiben musst,obwohl meinen kommi lesen kannst,ist klar woher der wind weht....
@@pete_boy71 Haha, natürlich kann ich Ihre Kommentare lesen :-) Ich bin Holländer, aber mit deutscher Familiengeschichte. In den Niederlanden lernen die meisten Kinder in der Schule sowohl Englisch als auch Deutsch. English, German, Dutch I don't care. We are all European :-)
You misunderstood something with the drinking age. Actually you can drink beer and wine with your parents when you are 14 in a restaurant or pub.
The law is for restaurants, pubs, night clubs, and so on.
There is no regulation for drinking at home. You could drink with even a younger age at home.
So if your mother or father would let you have a sip from the beer or wine, nobody could say something against it legally.
When the child gets drink, someone would call for the CPS I guess.
But most of the parents won't let the children do this.
A little bit of inch pinching. Water from the tap is not for free, the cubic meter (1000 litre) cost about 2,39 EUR in mean. ;)
I remember when i was a kid i often was for a few weeks at my mothers mother, my other grandma lived at home with us, and there i always was drinking some wine with her at the evening already at the age of 10 or maybe even younger, not that sure about it anymore. I was born 1964 btw.
Interesting POV, i hear different things from many different germans who say you can drink at this age at home, you can do this at this age usw. it still doesn't change my opinion - i think it helps people develop better drinking habits regardless of the age. In the U.S. i feel like people turn 21 and go crazy with the alcohol which is unnecessary.
@@AmandasWorld Reminds me of when i was 17 and together with a friend we decided to take an alcohol free phase and were always just drinking cherry juice, and then we had a relative new friend who never drunk alcohol before and suddenly started, and it was weird to see how out of control he sometime went while we had it already all behind us
since it was totally normal for us at that time already at 15-16 that to partys everybody just brought a bottle of whiskey, vodka, bacardi or other hard stuff.
Also my mother always had to say "... and don't drink sooo much" when we told her when we would come back, or if we stay over night, while my dad was always just laughing since we knew quite some story about his youth already 😁
No Restaurant in the world can exist from serving only dishes..the drinks only making the money they need.
In US you have to rush, for the next guest.
In Germany you can stay as long you want more or less.
Germans pay normally tip about 10 % but it is not a Must.
Waiters are considerable better paid over here..one reason to pay for mineral water.
I m going for 40 years to the Baltic Sea, same place. in this period I have only seen
4 to 10 naked people laying on the beach when we were walking far away.
Interesting point of view, thanks for sharing. I've never felt rushed in restaurants in the U.S. i've spent around 2-2.5 hours at a restaurant and have never felt pressure to leave because they're busy or asked to leave to free a table by a server. I also don't really like sitting in restaurants that long to be honest. the first time i was in germany visiting my man, we spent 4 hours at the dinner table - that was far too long for me. I like getting in, eating, speaking and enjoying the night and leaving once there's no food.
Thank you, my personal experience and what I learned from the Internet .. waiters coming all 10 Minutes
asking you ..all okay need some more ?Maybe it depends where you are. Regards
@HJ A They do come all the time, but that's because it's normal in the culture. Many of us finish a cup of water in that amount of time and need a refill, or have something else we want to order. it's just them trying to show good customer service. I know for sure when they aren't coming that often people are getting quite mad at the horrible service that they had. Because the servers should be there and ready if there's anything that you need. i often find myself getting really upset in German restaurants when i want to pay and none of the servers are coming over to give me my bill. We were at a restaurant about a month ago and it took us about 30 minutes to get a waiter to come over just so we could ask for out bill. We were giving visual cues, and even at points (in german) asking if we could have help or trying to get the attention of the waiter / waitress and that is really frustrating to me. In America that's never happened to me. They're always there whenever i want to pay, and they always serve my needs.
One world many points of views.. I agree what you said but there is A But..
I and also some Americans in the net feel disturbed ,when waiters all around ..its not only the refills.
Its not only a question of politeness... we think a little bit deeper, knowing that the fix
salaries of the waiters in US are very small they have to make turnover that means
Beeing polite as possible and new Orders as much as possible, they cannot exist from refills.
I guess young people special in small talk countries want only to enjoy not thinking
a second about the Background.of others...all is wonderful and lovely okay in the anglo world.
Dont complain..dont cry it loud out..hide your real feelings.( a Song Text)
In Germany if the waiter is lazy or unfriendly don t pay Tip thats okay.
Dont take it personal please .you know germans are sometimes brutal honest.
Words from abroad ..not from me.
Regards Hans
,
n the net feel disturbed...
I would like to comment an many things you mentioned, but I pick up two.
First, walking naked on beaches. It is not allowed except in designated areas, but it is not severely prosecuted. Fines for sex on the beach can be heavy when the police think there might have been children watching, so wait until 8 pm before you search your comfort in the dunes.
Drinking age: You are partly wrong. Drinking at 14 is illegal. Drinking beer and wine at 16, that's alright. And for the real stuff, you need to be 18. Reason why? A nation that can draw you into the army at age 18 has very few arguements to keep you from drinking.
Interesting. A few people here said people can drink at home with their parents at 14. i don't know why you would want to drink with them, BUT i think it can teach you good drinking habits nonetheless.
As far as the nudity, that's an interesting point. I actually was not at a nude beach, but i didn't check to see if there were signs designating the area as such. We saw people on a 17km span of beach completely naked, which was shocking, but again i don't think it's bad whatsoever. They can do what they wish with their body.
Teenagers are allowed to drink beer or wine in public if a legal guardian is present.
§9 (2) JuSchG - dejure.org/gesetze/JuSchG/9.html
I became a cultur shock in the US because i see more Star Banner that leave a some tree
I never paid for toilet use at a gas station , on the other hand I literally almost never use other peoples toilet , I use nature , & if I would go to a Shopping Center , I don’t have to pay there either , so we see : may things in our life only happen because it’s our character 🥳
Well, you grew up in the land of the free. But would tell people to put on clothes? But you already found, that prohibit stuff does not teach to handle things responsible. So, welcome to germany.
Hi, I am just curious what do u like about living in Germany.
5:14 wrong! You don’t get constantly spied on by the government when using cash. That’s a reward.
Exactly, you get nothing, which sucks. I’d rather get cash back and “spied upon”. Neither one is right or “wrong!” As you said. It’s all a matter of preference.
Also, If you want to catch COVID via cash that’s not my problem but cashless payment is becoming more popular to stop the spread.
@@AmandasWorld As a European who uses credit cards for convenience, I have absolutely no clue what "cash back" is...
Must be a thing for the U.S. I got cash back on all of my purchases. I also got airline miles (which goes towards a ticket) 😅... there’s a lot of cards there with tons of rewards associated. I guess they don’t do it in Europe but maybe they should look into it.
@@AmandasWorld lmao you Americans and your ridiculously wasteful obsession with flying
@@AmandasWorld We do have some cash back when paying with a card, it depends on your bank, I guess. But the loyalty cards are probably much more popular here, we have the benefits this way. Oh, and I think it's totally okay to say that smoking is a bad thing, at least I do say it 😄. It would be great if people smoked less here. It's an addiction and a carcinogen without a single benefit. Interesting video!
Don't forget about the Payback Punkte!!
Love Payback Punkte!!! :) but it's not the same as me getting cashback % on my purchases at any store. My payback card only gives me points at certain stores which limits where i can shop, and sometimes what days i can shop depending on the deals they have on their app at the time. Last week alone, we saw that on black friday we'd get 250 points for shopping at REWE, but we needed to shop before that, so we went wednesday and picked up things only for Thursday and then Friday went shopping for our week. It was somewhat inconvenient, but nice to get the points anyways.
6:15 Laughed so hard. :D
Number 5 is always the best. :D
You really should go to a German sauna. ;)
OHHHHHH!!! I've heard about the Saunas! I really want to go to one but unfortunately, where I live in Germany, they're all closed!
@@AmandasWorld
Sauna is a winter thing. So mabye they open up again until it gets cold.
This is kind of wellness. Sauna, cold water pools, UV sunbathing "lawns", hot water whirl pools.
You can spend almost the day with it.
@@helloweener2007 Pretty sure they are closed because of the *checks notes* pandemic.
@@faultier1158
Yes, closed because of Corona I guess. but in general it is also a thing you do more when it is winter. That is the season for sauna.
Who knows ho it will be in December or January. Some might have open again for few people to use.
@@helloweener2007 no. Sauna is even better in summer when it is very hot.
It is hot. You are on a beach chair. Enjoying, going into the Sauna, the sauna master makes hot steam. A short shower and the jump into this ice cold water.
This is so refreshing.
Go back to your beach chair.
Sauna is better in summer than in winter.
Welcome in Germany!
Ich hoffe du sprichst etwas deutsch, mein Englisch ist nicht besonders gut. Das sind die typischen Dinge die Amerikaner in Deutschland nicht gewohnt sind. Ich denke du wirst damit leben können. Auch ohne Klimaanlagen. In Berlin ist es eventuell etwas wärmer als bei mir hier. Ich wohne in Südwestdeutschland, Baden-Württemberg, in der Nähe von Albstadt. In einer großen Stadt zu wohnen kann ich mir nicht vorstellen. Mit Sicherheit hat das Vorteile, ist aber nichts für mich. Vor einem Jahr hatte ich eine Amerikanerin als Freundin, deshalb sind mir deine shocking things nicht Neu. Gerne stehe ich zur Verfügung wenn du noch weitere Fragen hast! Ich werde deinen Kanal abonnieren, und sehen wie du mit uns Deutschen zurecht kommst. Es ist ein mutiger Schritt von Amerika nach Deutschland zu ziehen. Ich denke du wirst gewisse Vorzüge zu schätzen wissen, die man in Deutschland hat. Das geht mit der sozialen Sicherheit los, die es in Amerika nicht gibt. Ich war noch nicht inden USA. Irgendwann möchte ich aber mal hin, das ist ein Wunsch. Vielleicht klappt es ja.
Hallo! :)
Ich kann Deutschland sprechen, aber ich kann nur auf B2-Ebene sprechen. es wird langsam besser. Ich hoffe, dass ich eines Tages sehr fließend sein kann! Schön, dass Sie einen amerikanischen Freund hatten. Ich nehme an, sie sprach dann Deutsch? Amerika ist ein wunderschönes Land. Wenn Sie irgendwann einmal hingehen, müssen Sie sich auch einige der weniger bekannten Staaten ansehen, da sie die schönsten sind.
@@AmandasWorld, we used both languages. Sometimes we spoke Denglish 😀, mixed up both languages. I learned a lot in this time. Leider hat es nicht sein sollen. Jedenfalls habe ich keine Angst mehr mit einer englischsprachigen Frau zu verkehren. Man muss eben auch die positiven Dinge sehen. Vielleicht klappt es ja beim nächsten Mal.
Ich bin zwar mit dem Lastzug in vielen Ländern gewesen, leider nicht privat. Die USA fasziniert mich einfach. Danke für den Tipp, ich werde das berücksichtigen. Wahrscheinlich sind die typischen Touristenziele nicht daß Richtige um ein Land kennenzulernen. Es freut mich aber daß du versuchst deutsch zu sprechen auch wenn du nicht fließend sprichst. Auch ich werde immer besser wenn ich mehr englisch spreche. Ich hoffe einmal so gut englisch zu sprechen, daß man es nicht merkt wo ich wirklich herkomme. 😊
Wenn ich dir helfen kann, frag mich einfach. Ich versuche zu helfen wo und wie ich kann.
Ich hoffe dir gefällt es in Deutschland, trotz der kulturellen Schwierigkeiten. Im Grunde sind Amerikaner und Deutsche sich recht ähnlich. Somit sind die Unterschiede nicht zu groß. Es gibt aber trotzdem Unterschiede, was wir nicht vergessen dürfen. Ich wünsche dir weiterhin viel Erfolg und bleib gesund!
Ah Albstadt jetzt versteh ich das mit den höheren Temperaturen in Berlin im Vergleich zu Südwestdeutschland! 🤣 Bin vom Bodensee Grüße auf die Alb
In der Nähe von Albstadt scheint es keine Parkuhren mehr zu geben 😂😂😂 Da gibt’s auch keinen Fahrer von dem Bus, in dem die Leute sitzen, die das interessiert 😂😂
If you want to monetize your channel only in 2000$
Very entertaining expression of the face . I like
You don't get water for free out of the sink ...
Hello US-Lady.
The fck-proganda of US-tobacco did well since 1953 and there a lot off tobacco lobbyist in Berlin and Brüssel.
gratulation to the US-companies
I am allowed to be shot as a soldier for my country, but I cannot drink alcohol.
Weird
Damn, you are loud!! I can hear that both by intonation (voice sounds a bit more strained) and by echoes from the walls. XD Sorry, I'm not saying what you should or should not do, that's just my European cultural bias kicking in.
You will learn to love german sundays!believe me!ac sucks!❤🇺🇸🇩🇪stay healthy!
i still have the opposite feeling after 8 months of being here. I love AC and wish not to sweat in my own home and feel fatigued when it's hot, and i hate sundays... i want to control my own schedule not someone else, but that's just what i'm used to. I always shopped on sunday in the U.S. because that was my only free day *and it's still my only free day*.
@@AmandasWorld Agreed. I love AC because I absolutely wilt in the heat(I'm in WI so it's hot & humid in summer). Also, Sunday is also a nothing kind of day that I like to get my shopping done. Like you I prefer to decide what day I do something.
Du warst verwundert, dass du in einer sozialen Marktwirtschaft für Leistungen und Waren bezahlen musst!
I always thougt That american People are much more religious than european, especially in the bible belt. But then they are surprised, that sunday is a holy day and most shops are closed?! That is a contradiction!
You can not drink, but you can go to war?
I will never get the water thing most americans complain about in germany. I wouldn't even drink the water you get in the US for free because your tap water has a weird taste, you can even taste that in drinks like Coke or Dr. Pepper produced in the US.
I think most of us germans prefer carbonated water anyway, that is another reason why we pay for it in restaurants.
That's interesting. i think when you grow up with it you don't notice. i travel around a lot for sports and never notice a taste difference even when i come back to the USA. but it's interesting to know from a foreigner's perspective. I'm not a dan of carbonated water it just tastes sour to me. no idea why.
@@AmandasWorld And i do not like the taste of non-corbonated water, it just tastes dead to me.
@Andrea Davis, don't be such an ANDREA.
OMG Really? That is shocking 😄😄😄😄
Beside all your true words spoken, I noticed never seen a training-jacket suits more on anyone else without worn for exercise , than you! Gorgeous!
The money for water thing is a thing which threw me a bit up when I was in the States.
I was in a PizzaHut in Texas, and was still thristy, and the husband of my godmother told me: "Yeah, just go inside and fill it up.
So I went back inside, went to the counter, pointed at my empty cup and said "water please".
The clerk looked at me in surprise and asked "water?" I said yes and pointed on the faucet behind him.
He was still baffeld but shrug it off and filled my with tap water. And I wasn't charged as I normaly would in Germany.
And I was baffeld by his reaction... (I was 9 years old at that time, but dont ask me about the story when I was kicked out of the community pool in the States and escorted back to my home - because a 9 year old isn't allowed to visit the pool without a guardian and that they where surprised that I even cleaned it before going into the pool)
Back to topic: It is even OK to walk up to a normal persons home and ask for tapwater (like you are hiking and miscalculated your water supplies), but you have to be realy thirsty.
P.S.: Welcome to youtube and be prepared to have a big german audience; somewhat germans like to watch those videos to see how they are perceived in the rest of the world.
Are you doing sone music reaction Videos: ?
From german Bands?
Here is my tip: Scooter- God Save The Rave " Official Video.
Finde ich nett the sweetest people aber vllt nicht so allgemein jedes Land hat sweet people aber leider hat auch jedes Land Entschuldigung arschlöcher aber ich wünsche dir das alle deutsche immer nett zu dir sind .
Well thanks for sharing. Did not know this. I am in Ireland by the way. New Sub lets support eachother 😊
I got you! :)
I refuse to pay for other peoples pee or poo! Isn't this the American approach?
Ooohhh, no, not this „sunday-closed“-thing again!!!🤢👎🤮
..des arme mädl...typische ami halt,alles was sie soo schockt is einfach erklärbar,wenn man nur ein bißchen nachdenkt und sich interessiert....vielleicht kommt`s iwann drauf,warum. in´diesem video bedient sie ja die meisten klischees über amis und warum man sie nicht mag..lol...
@Andrea Davis darfst nicht von dir auf andre schließen,erstens bin ich kein deutscher,zweitens ist`s unnötig mehr dazu zu sagen und drittens ,falls möglich wie schon erwähnt,a bisserl selber denken...zu schwer was? deine selbstherrlichkeit ist nicht selbstsicherheit sondern reine überheblichkeit,ich versteh den ami "way of life" schon,nur find ich`s sch..... !! schon mal drüber nachgedacht warum niemand die ami`s mag (ausser sie zahlen dafür)? richtig,gewöhn dich dran,dass aufgeklärte bevölkerungsschichten nicht automatisch mit solchen mittelalterlichen ansichten konform gehen! was du machst ist allerdings:du bestätigst meine,durch den umgang und persönliche erfahrung,gewonnenen eindrücke zu 100% !! isso-brauchst nicht antworten,hab schon zuviel zeit für dich verschwendet....(jetzt mach ich`s auch mal ami-style)
That the closed stores on sunday have their base in religion. 'On the seventh day thou shall rest....'
I heard that the nudity part in Germany is also related to religion. God created Adam and Eve and placed them in paradise, nude. 'And He looked onto His work, and saw it was good...' Who will argue with God. Oh, of course puritans... :)
Thanks for your insight! i can understand that standpoint, i just am so forgetful sometimes and love slowly shopping on Sunday!
But aren't Americans usually more religious than Germans? After all, the Third Commandmend says “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.”
yes.lik.love.now.good
yes.ok.you.vedo.lik.you.to.i.love.you.lik.looking.you.maces.plece.coment