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Wes on money, shopping, customer service, dining out and beer

 

Money Matters Money can be changed at any "Wechselstube" (Change Bureau) or bank, the latter being somewhat more inconvenient because of the opening hours from 9 am-3 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 am-6 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 9 am-12 pm on Fridays. Don't bother shopping around for the cheapest commission rate as they are all pretty much the same. Another possibility is, if you haven't left without it, the use of your credit card for puchases and cash advances from the many ATMs available here.

Shopping Like the banks in Germany, the opening hours for shops, department stores and supermarkets are also strictly regulated, resulting in one of the most frustrating aspects of life in Germany.

Under pressure from labor unions, it was decreed that shops do business within the foreseen hours of 9 am to 6:30 pm Monday to Friday and 9 am to 2:00 pm on Saturdays. Sundays are Sabbath. All this, according to the union, is necessary to protect the interests of the German people. Therefore anyone who tries to do the grocery shopping two hours before closing, in other words everyone who has a 9-to-5 job, can relax in knowing that the crowded aisles, the long lines and the overall stress involved are all in his/her interest. Of course, people began getting suspicious and started wondering what and who's interests were being served, uh I mean protected. So, five years ago the opening hours were 'generously' extended until 8:30 pm (an extra two hours)...but only on Thursdays! And until 4:00 pm (another extra two hours) on Saturdays...but only on the first Saturday of each month! Now, five years later the topic of shopping hours in Germany is again under fire. The 'broad-sweeping' changes this time are: 9 am-8:30 pm Monday to Friday, and 9 am-4 pm on Saturday; that means two hours longer each day than the original opening hours. Although the mathematical and strategical significance of 'two' hours still remains a mystery to the layman, this new reform will nevertheless take effect November 1996.

N.B. Because retail prices are strictly regulated and the differences in price so small, shopping around is a just a means of getting more excercise. The general rule is: If it's on sale here, it's on sale everywhere.

 

Customer Service The term 'customer service,' like many other English business terms, has been incorporated into the German language. But only the term, not the concept. So, don't be surprised by the following situations while shopping:

1. It is very often the customer's responsibility to seek and find the sales assistants. After all, how are they supposed to know that you need assistance?

2. When you do find a sales assistant (usually behind the counter talking to two others), make sure to say "Entschuldigen Sie" (excuse me) before asking for help. You are, after all, interrupting their conversation.

3. When at the cash counter waiting for assistance or to pay, be prepared to continue waiting while the only three sales assistants in the shop discuss why the previous customer's camera doesn't work, or why a refund just isn't possible.

4. Do not bother trying to get rid of those last Pfennig coins while paying. You will only be told that they are not needed. And that is true...Would you want to count out all those tiny coins at the end of the day?

5. There are no Safeways in Germany. Just because a supermarket has five cash registers doesn't mean all five have to be open. Extra cash registers are there as a safety measure in the event one breaks down, and not to reduce lines and waiting.

6. There are no Safeways in Germany. Technically, every shopper in a supermarket is supposed to have a shopping cart (this somehow prevents or discourages shoplifting), and these are generously provided by the supermarket...for a rental fee of DM 1.00.

7. Are there any Safeways in Germany?...No! You are expected to place all the items you have purchased into the cart or a shopping bag (50 pf. to DM 1.00 extra) yourself and have your money ready when asked for, all as quickly as possible. Don't fumble for change (they are faster and yours will already be waiting on the counter), and don't dawdle--there are other people waiting behind you.

8. At the cash counter of every German shop, you will see a rather harmless-looking, little, plastic 'dish' next to the cash register. This ashtray look-a-like is, in reality, one of the most effective devices for preventing profit-loss in German retailing. It works like this: when paying, money is not 'handed' over to the cashier but instead placed onto this tray. This allows the cashier to easily inspect the money involved thus thwarting any attempt of short-changing. When giving change, money is once again placed onto this tray but this time to your advantage. Knowing this, there is no need to feel offended the next time your change is misdirected onto the counter--the cashier was simply doing you a favor.

9. All prices include the whopping 15% sales tax (VAT).

 

Dining Out Though you will find a wide-ranging array of restaurants in Berlin, there isn't really much culinary variation to differentiate one from the other. For example, the average Italian restaurants (from which there are many) all serve the same dishes at more or less the same prices, and they all taste more or less the same. It's as if there was an official Italian cookbook in circulation. You will recognize these restaurants by their decor, again another official standard seems to be in effect here. Anyway, some important things to remember when dining:

 

1. There are no 'non-smoking' sections in Germany ('No Smoking' signs are meant decoratively and never seriously enforced). Don't even bother asking. It is probably just as futile to ask the people sitting next to you not to smoke; it's just not done like that here, and you will only end up looking foolish.

2. Don't be surprised if another group of diners suddenly joins you at your table. Of course, they will probably ask first and to say 'no' would be beyond rude. But don't worry; except for saying "yes" to their invitation, "Guten Appetit" (app. I hope you enjoy your meal) when their food arrives, and "Tschüss" (see you) before you leave, your are not obliged to say anything at all. So. just relax and consider this a way of getting close to the locals...and pray they don't light one up.

3. Besides the occasional bread you get with your dinner, there aren't many extras here and everything has its price: the water (always carbonated unless you specify), the coffee refills, even the ketchup at McDonald's!

4. Service is already included in the price of the meal, so tipping here is largely symbolic. In many cases, rounding up to the nearest DM, sometimes adding another one or two if you feel generous, will suffice. But brush up on your math, because tipping occurs when paying: that means after the waiter tells you the amount (e.g. DM 23.50), you give him/her your money and tell the amount plus the tip (e.g. DM 25.00). You will then be given the appropriate change and you are done. It's as simple as that.

 

Beer Germany is the land of beer, founder of the "Reinheitsgebot von 1534" (German Purity Law of 1516). And the Germans take their beer very seriously. Saying to a bartender, "I'd like a beer," is about as vague as saying, "I'd like something to drink." You've got to specify that you want a Pils, or a "helles" (lager), or a "dunkeles" (dark), or a "Weizen" (wheat), or even a "Spezi" (mixed with Fanta), or an "Alster" (mixed with Coke). Because the Germans pride themselves in their beer, there are no laws prohibiting the consumption of this national beverage in public. Irrespective of the day or time, you are bound to find someone somewhere indulging in this cultural heritage. Even McDonald's has a McBeer!

 

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