Reply to: Comparisons shopping in the supermarket - Germany / UK

[darmstadt]

I may have been unlucky as the Supermarkets are closed on a Sunday, so a lot of people end up in railway Supermarkets which stay open, I thought I was going at a quiet time just before they closed, obviously quite paranoid about CORONA, it actually felt like some people were actively trying their best to get as close as possible!

We do have hand sanitiser at the door in Switzerland - and the bigger supermarket I use have a ticketing system.

They're closed on Sundays in Germany too with only railway stations ans airport ones open. Don't go to them as they tend to be full of idiots, the Bahnhofmission crowd, care in the community members and just plain ******* weirdos...

[reddog]

I remember Platzspitz in Zürich...

I think you'll find that customers and the set-up in most supermarkets in both the UK and Germany are very similar at the moment. Germany also has idiots not following the stay at home, some towns along the Rhein at the weekend had problems with visitors and the Odenwald, near where I live, had a large influx of people catching the rays, idiots (the police report was quite interesting on the amount of motorcyclists and car drivers stopped for speeding)

I may have been unlucky as the Supermarkets are closed on a Sunday, so a lot of people end up in railway Supermarkets which stay open, I thought I was going at a quiet time just before they closed, obviously quite paranoid about CORONA, it actually felt like some people were actively trying their best to get as close as possible!

We do have hand sanitiser at the door in Switzerland - and the bigger supermarket I use have a ticketing system.

[darmstadt]

Yeah, but was this in some nice village/small town or somewhere like the area around Frankfurt HB? (the only place in the world where I have seen someone openly smoking crack in the street)

I live in Zurich, Switzerland(I realise that isn't Germany), went to a railway station supermarket last night, and no one was obeying niceties like waiting at the end aisles, but I know the people in some nice village would be doing that (just as they would in some nice village in the UK)

I remember Platzspitz in Zürich...

I think you'll find that customers and the set-up in most supermarkets in both the UK and Germany are very similar at the moment. Germany also has idiots not following the stay at home, some towns along the Rhein at the weekend had problems with visitors and the Odenwald, near where I live, had a large influx of people catching the rays, idiots (the police report was quite interesting on the amount of motorcyclists and car drivers stopped for speeding)

[DoctorStrangelove]

Surprising!! A German friend of mine told me only last year how un-widespread the use of cards are vs. cash, mostly because they believe that prices will go up if cards become widespread, and ze Germans are VERY careful with money.

@Eirikur, it's probably something to do with the war

Yes. The post WWI hyperinflation.

[reddog]

Tell me what it is like when you go to the supermarket? Are you guys seeing the same behaviour?

Was surprised how much social attitudes changed in the space of a week. Yesterday be like:

1) People waited at the bottom of the aisle until I was finished.

Yeah, but was this in some nice village/small town or somewhere like the area around Frankfurt HB? (the only place in the world where I have seen someone openly smoking crack in the street)

I live in Zurich, Switzerland(I realise that isn't Germany), went to a railway station supermarket last night, and no one was obeying niceties like waiting at the end aisles, but I know the people in some nice village would be doing that (just as they would in some nice village in the UK)

[darmstadt]

Surprising!! A German friend of mine told me only last year how un-widespread the use of cards are vs. cash, mostly because they believe that prices will go up if cards become widespread, and ze Germans are VERY careful with money.

@Eirikur, it's probably something to do with the war

Germans, especially older ones, tend to be cash only but the use of cards and contactless payments has increased a lot over the last couple of years although quite a few restaurants and smaller places still don't take credit cards and most pubs are cash only.

[Platypus]

2) The checkout - no cash, only contactless.

Surprising!! A German friend of mine told me only last year how un-widespread the use of cards are vs. cash, mostly because they believe that prices will go up if cards become widespread, and ze Germans are VERY careful with money.

@Eirikur, it's probably something to do with the war

[Zigenare]

Hope none of you have signed up as you are cynical bastards.

That's rather cynical...

[Zigenare]

Yup - the love affair of cash in this country isn't going away anytime soon. Try using your card in a bier garten, the death stares will actually kill you.

No mate that's the Zyklon B.

[NigelJK]

The Timpsons concession was closed too.

I thought key workers were exempt?

[Mordac]

Thai massage parlour
All in NATO gas masks and rubber gloves. Not quite the same as before.

Oh I dunno. Opens up a whole new fetish market that wasn't catered for before...

[vetran]

Hope none of you have signed up as you are cynical bastards.

You aren't looking forward to Suity giving you a bed bath?

[shaunbhoy]

No zey don't

ftfy

[minestrone]

If you know anything about the inhabitants of London boroughs, stick to the rich areas.

The sick rich people have space to self-isolate.

That is true. They probably have lots of food as well to stay home.

[SueEllen]

I'm going to do a walk past of the supermarkets just now. I've got enough food but if there is no queue I'll get the wife a bottle of plonk.

I'm swaying to go to the more deprived areas where they probably wash their hands less or to the richer areas where their levels of hygiene are better but probably mix with folk that ski in the alps.

If you know anything about the inhabitants of London boroughs, stick to the rich areas.

The sick rich people have space to self-isolate.