Looking into the supermarket, you can see the culture and way of thinking of that country. It’s fun to see what products are in demand, what ingredients are used for home cooking, and to look at and research products on display shelves and shoppers. The German supermarket where I live has many different points from Japan and I can feel a different culture. It seems that Germany and supermarkets, which are said to be rationalism, are also rationally operated. This time I will introduce you to such a German supermarket.
The German way of not spending time and effort
In German supermarkets, merchandise is displayed in the form of cardboard for transportation. The inside of the store is a bright warehouse, and the carton boxes are lined up with the opening only open. Plastic bottles are also stacked in groups of several, making it a system for shopper to take out voluntarily. At first, I was uncomfortable with the sight, but there was no doubt that it was immediately taken out, and recently there was room to consider not breaking the pile of plastic bottles.
Good bag quality is important for bagging
The supermarket in Germany is the same as in Japan, and there is no dedicated bagging staff at the cash register that you sometimes see in the United States. However, there is no bagging stand like in Japan, so shoppers have to keep items in their bags while the cashier enters the barcode.
That’s why we put the bags in order from the finished product, but you can’t put heavy products on top of fragile products, so you can’t pack them with speed. However, once you have entered all the barcodes, you will not be able to wait because you will be prompted to pay without any time. Really hectic. It is often seen as a measure against this hustle and bustle that people are shopping in pairs and are divided between payers and those dedicated to bagging.
Buying effectively
Vegetables and fruits are basically sold by weight. The weight is also specified on the items sold in bags and boxes. In addition, since the price of the product is around 100g (about 1kg when it is heavy), it is possible to compare the prices of products (cheese, etc.) with different sizes depending on the manufacturer. The desire to buy as little as possible will come true, and consumers will be able to choose products while being convinced.
A little effort to reduce man-hours
In Japan, when you make a payment, you bring your shopping cart to the cash register, and the cashier staff calculates from the basket to the basket. In Germany, the belt conveyor type is used. Therefore, if you purchase multiple items of the same type, for example, if you want to buy 5 or 6 of the same juice, put all the products from the cart or cart on the belt conveyor, enter the barcode, Returning all the products back to shopping bags and carts will increase the burden.
Therefore, many German shoppers put only one item on the belt conveyor for bar code entry, tell the cashier to the number of purchases and pay for it, and reduce the work effort of loading and returning well. .
Protect the resources
Bringing an eco bag is the standard when going to a German supermarket. Shopping bags are charged, and several types of bags with different materials and sizes are sold near the checkout. Some shops sell small foldable eco bags. I grew up accustomed to free shopping bags in Japan, and I am eco-friendly if I don’t want to pay for my bags. Germans are said to be thrifty, but they buy plastic bags as needed. Thanks to that, the threshold for paid shopping bags has become a little lower, and it seems to me that I should be honest when I can’t fit in an eco bag.
First deposit (deposit)
PET bottles and jars are sold for an additional deposit. This deposit will be returned as a coupon when collecting plastic bottles and bottles. The collection is done through a dedicated machine installed in the supermarket. During busy times, shoppers who pack large bags and carry carts with lots of plastic bottles form a line in front of the machine. Coupons can be used as cash vouchers at the supermarket. The deposit fee will vary slightly depending on the product, but it can’t be fooled because it will return about 15-25 cents with a single plastic bottle.
Effective structures
There are several supermarkets in Germany, and not all are, but you can see that they are quite reasonably operated compared to Japan. You can’t expect the beauty of the appearance or the fine-grained service, but the German supermarkets are never seeing.
I always go to the supermarket when I go abroad. Because when you go to the supermarket, you can enjoy the feeling of local life. Please drop in at the supermarket when you travel.
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