How To Survive The Checkout in German Supermarkets
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- Опубликовано: 11 июл 2024
- In this video, Yvonne and I chat about ways to pack your groceries in German supermarkets more smoothly to avoid feeling rushed!
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⏰ Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
01:04 - Step 1: Select Your Packaging Option
05:22 - Step 2: Select Your Basket Option
06:44 - Step 3: Do Your Shopping
08:10 - Step 4: Checkout
09:26 - Step 5: Pack Your Items
12:02 - Step 6: Pay
13:07 - Exit The Supermarket Without Purchasing Anything
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The most basic advice, don’t pay until you have everything packed if you do they start checking the items for the next customer
Been living in Germany for almost 2 years and I have become quite quick, using most of these strategies. One time the (really quick) cashier at Edeka noticed my (really quick) packing and thought maybe I am stressed and asked if she's going too fast for me. I actually laughed (because it's very unusual and surprising to hear this from a cashier) and told her that there is no need, that it's like a game that I'm trying to win 😅 she was amused by this.
An issue to think about when you have a cart: if you don't come by car, don't put more into the cart than you can carry home afterwards.
Totally true! Happened to us a couple of times. It was a heavy walk home 😅
I’ve commented this before but watching these videos validates my German side. I never thought anything about the nuances of this experience before!
So impressive how you both think about every datail in life routine. Thank you very much. 🥰
Hi Jen and Yvonne. I am moving to Germany in the next 3 months. I have been offered a job as a data scientist in Hamburg. I have been watching all your videos in the past few months. They are awesome 😃😃
We hope your move will go smoothly 😊
Then you'll be able to work out the most efficient way of dealing with German shopping habits, I guess. ;-)
Really had fun watching this video. Also super strategies😅
I've been studying in Germany for 6 months now, and this has been a hazzle for me. I'm originally from Sweden and there we always have a divider for two seperate sections at the end. That part is also longer than in Germany, and we always pay first and then pack (usually we use selfscanning though). My nearest supermarket from my home in Germany is a small Rewe, and there I usually take the basket with me to pack in. As they said in the video, in some stores that is not permitted. So one time (during a really stressful exam-period) when I was shopping at Edeka I was going to do the same. But as I took the basket with me the cashier told me to leave it behind and at that point I just lost it, and screamed "BUT HOW DO YOU EXPACT ME TO PACK THEN???" Not my proudest moment in Germany 😅
As a fellow Latina 🇭🇳, my husband and I can relate to Jen and her supermarket experiments 😅. Many of these we have applied ourselves, it was a relatable and funny video, to see our struggles through someone else’s eyes 😂 thanks for the video. I loved it 🤩
The last one was very much needed as I wanted to walk into Aldi many times and not purchase anything either. Once I just paid for some mints to “get out” 😂😂
A couple of takes from my still very young experience with the German stores. Everything enlisted is perfectly on point! The bags! Omg, one of the countless items below and around any check point. So one useful habit I brought with me from Bulgaria is to always have a bag which corresponds to what I intend to buy. And another lesson I came prepared about, to not get tricked by the volume capacity of a cart. It all then goes into much more narrow containers, and they are my capacity, not the cart.😅 Funny enough, I live literally in front of a Rewe. It hasn't been the case so far, but it could happen so that I walk in just for a particular item, but then decide not to buy anything. It's really good that you mention how to do it. I never had to wonder about such thing before coming here. And the speed IS a real thing. No matter how experienced you are with it, chances are there might be a couple of items belonging to the next person while you still pack yours.
P.S. Still, avoid choosing a sketeboard to take to the groceries. Just a random thought. 😂
P.P.S. I hope everything's alright and fine there!
Missing tip 😀: always check what's being scanned by the cashier, sometimes they make happy mistakes like double items, incorrect prices, and wrong offers. It's hard with all the rush if you're alone but you can always check your recipt at the end.
Thank you ladies. After many years of traveling to Germany, I feel that I have finally succeeded in getting through the check out line. i do feel like I am at a competitive race amd when I come home to Canada I do the same thing. However, the problem is that now I get annoyed with the slow pokes in front of me here at home. LOL
I've been living in a smallerish NRW town for about 10 years. We are moving back to the US in a month. Two weeks ago they installed two self-checkout machines. I almost cried...what timing! 😂😂
IKEA bags are very strong. I had them filled with books when moving and was barely able to carry them but they held.
Usually I only buy a few things (or try at least). I use a strong bag in the shop because I can move more easily than with a cart. And I know when to stop, because the bag is filled.
Great video, and very German to concentrate on how to do simple life tasks efficiently. I live in a loft in a historical building, so have to walk 91 steps to get home. Your tips are all spot-on, I wish I'd seen this video when I was first here.
Here's my Einkaufsphilosophie. This is for people who live in a big city with no car.
First, buy a CityBike. These are sturdy bikes with big baskets behind the seat, and sometimes in front. They're a great way to get around. You can put a big bag in the basket, and hang one or two from your sturdy, practical bike handlebars.
Second, buy some sturdy bags which are tall and narrow (Lidl and Aldi have these). That makes them easier to fit in the bike basket. Make sure they're thick and strong, so you can buy bottles of juice or wine without worrying. You want bags that are so stiff and robust they stand up on their own, which makes packing them so much easier.
Third, buy a lot at once. I go shopping only every 10 days or 2 weeks, because I'm a guy -- we do it in bulk, and fast. If you're buying unpackaged produce, check to see whether you have to weigh it on your own. You don't need a plastic bag -- you can weigh your 4 bell peppers, print out a sticker, and put it on one of them. The cashier will understand the sticker reflects how many apples or peppers you bought.
Fourth, always, always get a shopping cart! You nailed this one. You can just put the empty bags in the cart as you go in, nobody will bother you. If you don't want to worry about having a coin, ask the cashier for a token in a small metal fastener -- you can put it on your keychain and never worry about having the right coins. All stores have these and will give you one on request.
Ffith, at checkout, if you're buying 20-30 items, check to see who's behind you. If they have only 3-4 items, let them go ahead. Also, and this is very German, put a divider between you and both the people before and after. Ordnung ist das halbe Leben! If you're in a really long line, you can ask the store to open a second cashier lane, and they'll do it.
Fifth, when putting your stuff on the conveyor belt, put the heavy and unbreakable items first, so you can pack them into your bags first, on the bottom. Fragile things like eggs and produce you put last, so they will go on top. If you're paying by card, you can often just leave the card on the reader -- that way the reader will automatically read your card. Tell the cashier: "Ich zahle mit Karte" so they know how you're going to pay.
During checkout, put all the items into your prepared, open, stiff bags (which stand upright) in the shopping cart. Since you pre-sorted them from heavy and unbreakable to fragile, you'll automatically end up with a properly packed shopping bag. If you've bought enough for two bags, that's a bonus, because then you have balance when schlepping them up to your apartment.
Sixth, courtesy. Let people with fewer items go before you ("Möchten Sie bitte mal vorrücken/vorgehen?"). They will always thanks you for this. If there's an old lady paying with pennies from her purse and chatting with the cashier, just wait. This is one of the highlights of her day. Your time is less valuable than hers. Always make eye contact with the cashier and thank them and wish them a nice day. They appreciate it.
Like most things in Germany, shopping can be stressful until you learn the unspoken rules, which you've outlined well. Once you learn the rules, shopping becomes a pleasure! It just takes a bit of collaboration.
Wow, thanks for sharing your tips and tricks!
You filmed the shopping-cart segment at the Aldi on Suitbertusstraße! I love that wooden shed.
Once again awesome video ladies! I really loved it and your vibe is really cool. Even though I have been living in Germany for 7 years now, I always find something new in your videos, so big kudos. Btw, I thought in the past I am the only one who is putting the heavy items first on the conveyor belt :D. Nice job!
u are not alone. heavy things first (and especially things that could easier get broken latest)
So funny girls an so true…Not so easy to survive on the checkout area. And even I’m pretty familiar with it, I’ll probably go with your tips (Backery items on the end 👏). Love your videos 🤓❤️
I can't tell you the number of times an elderly person has been in front of me at ALDI and the cashier was rude to that person. I now make point of asking that they please give him/her time and I'm not in a rush. I will not miss this aspect of Germany.
Honestly, this is something I really hate about Germany. As a disabled person, I am very stressed at the checkout. There's no time if someone can't pack their things quickly. My disability may not be very visible at first glance, but if you pay a little attention you can see it. It doesn't matter whether the person is disabled or elderly. It must always go on and on quickly. When I was in Spain this year, I noticed this in a really positive way: the cashiers often offered me help and there was always time for a nice little chat. It's not that you can't have a nice conversation here in Germany at all, but if there are a lot of people behind you that would never happen. And I can't even blame the cashiers. It's not their fault, they really have no choice. I don't know what kind of customer service this is supposed to be, but I would definitely rather wait a little longer sometimes than be constantly stressed.
Sorry to read about your experience! Maybe the cart strategy might be a good one so you don't feel under pressure of packaging everything directly at the checkout?
We hate waiting and we want it CHEAP. So the german idea of service is to make it quick and save on staff cost to keep prices down.
If you physically can, my recommendation would be to shove everything into the trolly and sort it out after checkout in peace. You might also want to try online shopping with pick up at the store (or delivering it to your doorstep)
6:35 You say Aldi Sad does not have baskets, only carts. But here in Heidelberg they do have baskets, the one with the wheels. There is an area to put them after the cashiers, so you can put everything back in after paying and pack them peacefully somewhere. Also, Rewe here charges 1 cent per plastic bag for fruits and vegetables.
@2:48 Instead of this inferior paper bags just bring a rugged and solid large IKEA plastic bag with you. They can handle pretty much any load and you can use them 100 times or more. 👍
@2:52 I wouldn't say popular but they are increasingly pushed by the supermarkets to meet ESG scores.
@4:59 Best option is IMHO bicycle bags.
Thanks for sharing some tips!
I also do the heavy / bottom of the bag things first; and I have an extra tip for the checkout part: pack first and pay next…
I feel lucky because the Edeka near me has self check-out with English options. The ommas in Bayern are scary in the markets, and I generally avoid competing in the checkout Olympics with them. Bright side, I have gotten to help the occasional older local with their self-checkout experience.
Edeka is like regional sports oder Altherrenauswahl, never seen a fast cashier there. Try Aldi, thats pro-league😬
Wow, consider yourself lucky! Very jealous.
nice one ...!
Thank you for all these awesome videos. Can you please make a video about Datenschutz and Datensicherheit in Germany. Like when it is allowed to take videos or records?
Wenn Einkaufen zum Überlebenskampf wird. Danke fürs Video
Lol i just save myself the hassle and go to edeka to the self checkout counter quietly 🤣
Or, when the cashier is scanning, i just put the stuff back in the cart and then take it on the side to slowly pack them in my bags.
Definitely the best strategy :)
yea, please explain it to aldi and lidl customers in france... As a German, I am always stressed in the line at the cashier, coz in this time, I"ll build a house marie a woman and witness a child... :)
Merry Christmas Ladies!! Best of wishes for 2024!!!!
Best strategy: 10:35
But I never use a plastic box, I always first look for an empty cardboard box in the shop. You'll always find one in the right size, at least in the discounters like Lidl, Netto, Aldi, or Penny, where they don't unpack the items before they fill the shelves. These plastic boxes do have a tendency to fall apart when they are filled with heavier stuff. Usually, I take one of the larger but flatter cardboard boxes from the bakery section. If I'm with the car, I just put that into the car and take it home. If I'm with the bike, I will pack everything from the box into two large cotton bags at the packing table in the exit area. Then, I will just fold up the cardboard box and dispose of it in the specified bin in the exit zone. The cotton bags fit into my saddle bags perfectly, so I can carry home a week's items easily. Only problem here is that I have to carry down my bike a narrow staircase to the basement. Here, the car comes into play, which I use as a temporary storage for the heavy bags until I have carried down the bike. Of course, that only works if I was able to park the car close to the house, which is not always possible in the city.
11:43
By the way, funny how you do exactly the same as I do with my Combo when I don't have my camping equipment in it. I hardly ever use the large cargo space in the back but the rear seats (when they are installed, that is), because the stuff doesn't slide around there. ;-)
Luckily, I have a Netto with self checkout not far away. And there is no limit on the number of items there. I prefer the self checkout mostly for reasons of hygiene, but of course, it's also very convenient to set your own speed. The only strange thing here is when I buy something like Mon Cherie and have to have a cashier make an age check. ;-)
By the way, maybe, a comparison of the main discounters would be a nice idea for a video. While they have very similar items with similar prices, they definitely do have very different "characters". For instance, Penny is my closest discounter, and I liked shopping there until they introduced this annoying shopping radio a few years ago. They almost completely lost me as a customer. Similarly, when Aldi introduced a much fancier layout in (some of) their shops, I reduced my visits there as well. I hate this Ikea-nizing. Before, you could see from one end of the shop to the other, now it's like a labyrinth and you have a hard time finding what you want. Of course, they do it to slow down the customer flow and to keep them longer in the shop to buy more things. In the meantime, they have turned this lifestyle sh*t back a little bit, at least in my closest Aldi. Probably, too many people have complained about being forced to go through the whole shop to buy just one thing (if they find it at all), or maybe it's just that they had to restore proper escape routes. Lidl has dealt with that lifestyle modernization best of the discounters, in my opinion. While they gave their shops a more expensive looking outfit (for which I give a damn because I want to buy my stuff in as short a time as possible), they kept a straight layout which doesn't make you search for things.
Thanks for sharing how you do things and the content suggestion😉
I noticed that your receipt showed that you had paid with a card. That is amazing. I shall visit Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Austria next April. We have rented an apartment on Lindau. Our access to cash/Bargeld due to extraction are limited daily by our bank in the USA. Therefore we hope to use the card as our primary payment at supermarket visits. Do you know, if Renwe and Netto accept credit or debit cards as payment, if we spend 50 Euros or more?
It's funny (and sad) to know that you can rely in a terrible customer experience just because all of your competitors do the same. The most regular paced checkout would gain me as a customer forever, but it just doesn't exist in Germany (as far as I know, I live in Cologne). It's always very stressful to go to the supermarket!
Try Globus. They have ( or had, as it has been a while since i last shopped there) more cashiers than customers most of the time lol
Great video as always! This is one of the most stressful things about living in Germany in my opinion, mostly because I myself get so annoyed every time. Because not being from here, I know there are far better ways of doing it that are just as fast but much less stressful, and I can't for the life of me understand why people think the German way is "efficient". For example, in Scandinavia it's similar in the sense that you have to pack your own bags, but there there is always a lot more space after the cashier, and there's the dividers so you can keep packing while the cashier is beeping the next customer's things. Usually you would just stand there chilling next to the payment terminal and wait while the cashier is beeping, then you pay, and only then do you go to pack your things. No dirty looks from cashiers or other customers for being "too slow". Somehow the lines move just as fast even though no one is stressed.
But you can't really change the way the supermarkets operate, so these are great tips for how to make life a little bit easier for yourself!
this was similar common in Germany and you still have in many supermarkets those old, long 'two way with a switch' stuff. but despite of being more comfy for the customer its not more efficient: its slower, it takes more space and so on. likely the main reason why more and more supermarkets changed that. you have now in Germany actually a mix of different systems plus self-checkout combinations ...
I was caught off guard with checkouts on my first trip to Germany. The lines are long and the locals behind you are all fixated on the person at the front. If you fumble around for any reason, you get death stares.
This isn't related to this video's topic but can you please make a guide about moving to another Wohnung in DE? Like, things to do before moving out from old apartment and things to do before moving in to new apartment and everything in between. I've only seen videos about moving in to Germany from a different country and I believe it's not the same as if you're just going to move to a different apartment. Thank you! ❤
We will definitely look into this! 🙂
@@simplegermany Thank you!
Actually, totally forgot yesterday 🙈 we have a video exactly on that process: ruclips.net/video/p8I9jx4mKNc/видео.htmlsi=KynIA6iZcSba2OtA
One issue when shopping is that the clerks stocking shelves will leave their big supply cart in the middle of the aisle, and frown at me if I try to move it to get past. I have learned to reverse and come down the aisle from the other end.
So far, I haven't seen a supply cart that actually blocks the passage. The closest to your example I've gotten is a clerk stocking shelves just around a spot where I need to look at the products, and in that case they see me and move themselves and the supply cart and I thank them. But I think we shouldn't touch and attempt to self handedly move their cart or anything they are at the moment working with. Just make ourselves seen and if needed say Entschuldigung.
I was at one with my cousin, and as we checked out, I asked her where the boy was and the bags. She said here there is no boy or bags.
Für Fußgänger habt ihr den HaWazuzi vergessen.
(Handwagen zum ziehen) Einkaufstrolley, Hackenporsche.
But we dooooo 😅 ... in minute 4:25 😉
@@simplegermany
Please excuse me.
Asche auf mein Haupt.
Isn't there usually a wider check out to allow for wheel chairs and so. I use that to exit a supermarket without purchasing something.
Aldi is fast over here too.
I love how seriously you take this issue. That will end all complaining videos about German check out experience!
Thats very german of her ✌😁
@@yves2932 Taking complaints seriously and striving for solutions 👍🏻😃
Even the supermarket experience is stressful in Germany! And can somebody please explain to me why the cashiers are so VERY rude??
We would disagree! Yeah you can come across a rude cashier here and there, but the ones we interact with at Aldi and Rewe are actually quite nice and friendly. Then again, so are we 😉
They are not rude. If you expect everybody in the world to follow your own local views on what is considered polite, it's you who is rude. It's impolite in Germany to keep people waiting or to intrude their privacy with pointless chatter. If you want to waste other people's time with smalltalk, you should do this where it's considered polite. Don't do it where it's not.
Also, like spoken language, body language and non-verbal communication differ from country to country. Be polite and at least TRY to learn it before condemning it and demonstrating your own unwillingness to accept different cultures in their *own* countries. If you don't understand how people communicate differently in other places, it's certainly not up to *you* to judge things that are beyond your understanding.
how to pick the queue line that will proceed fastest?
Let us know when you find out 😅
@@simplegermany I look at the people's carts. The fuller they are, the slower the queue. But ironically, every time I pick a presumably faster queue, something happens. Either a problem with a card, or the cashier needs to explain, to deliver guidance and the queue with the peak full carts is faster. Don't mind me, my luck. 😂
Single men. @@simplegermany
I always look for old people (searching coins) , vegetables (not weighted), over the top filled carts.
Rule #1 The fastest line is always the one you are not in
Rule #2 Never ever change the line
Ah, cashiers... Those poor souls have only one joy in life, to roll your beer bottles like it's a snowball
My wife loves to pay with all her small coins. I usually pretend that I am not with her.
And if you wanna get the the best cash out experience at all, come relaxed into the store 3 min before closing and forget to weight the organic tomatoes😅
😅
You forgot paying with small value coins.
I need to take a picture of the checkout screen so ai can go home and study all the words that I am not expecting that pop up in the self checkout lane at Rewe
You can usually change the language to English as well 😊
there's Penny next to my house and the experience there is so bad: they have ONLY carts, no baskets. so you are forced to carry stuff in your hands/put in a backpack/bag which i hate cuz it feels like you're robbing the store.. i can't understand why they won't buy the baskets for people who don't buy 98 items every time they are in there!
Or you just take the cart to avoid that hassle 😉
And what would happen if iam slow in packing my stuff!!? Why do I have to be stressed out on buying things in supermarket!!!? I.e. paying money !?
I was ok when i was in Germany last summer..
You don’t need to feel stressed. But a lot of people do just because things run slightly different. Hence the reason for our video 😉
I don't get it. I don't see anything special or difficult in buying stuff at a supermarkt but so many people in internet say it's so annoying, stressfull etc.
😂 yeah it’s kind of race , they are so fast
Wth I've been here for 2 years how did I not know that a folding box was a thing!?
Also I did not know that the carts had a hook to be used for bags and such!
FInally got to the end. Okay time for reverse culture shock. When I went back to my home country my family was wondering why I was heading to the supermarket with a bagpack and I looked puzzled and said "Coz I need something to carry all the groceries?" and my mom went "But they give you bags anyway?" and then she proceeds to laugh and say "Take that off before people start thinking you're a tourist. You look ridiculous!" And we had this back and forth going on for 10 minutes 😆
😂 that’s a great story!
Ist das Auto Not die Auto