7 ms·

Buying groceries Germany Aldi's and Lidos was the most stressful part of my time there.

by nacho2sweet 10y ago

skrebbel 10y ago
Why?
- germanier 10y ago
  Usually they scan items faster than you can bag them. The area after the scanner is very small and takes only few items so you have to move fast. I saw below that US Aldi cashiers put the items into a grocery cart. That doesn't happen in Germany as you are expected to do that yourself. Everyone has their own strategy of how to place items onto the line to slow down the cashier at just the right moment.
  - chronial 10y ago
    > Everyone has their own strategy of how to place items onto the line to slow down the cashier at just the right moment. I am German and and I've never heard of this ^^. You just put the items on the belt in the order that they should go in the bag, then you can pack very quickly.
    - germanier 10y ago
      > in the order that they should go in the bag That's one of them. Even that is something that you don't usually do outside Germany. To get to the next level I recommend to put weighted produce to the end or just after items that are not straightforward to pack.
      - athenot 10y ago
        I do that in the US even where they have an employee bagging my stuff. In fact, I do that to ensure optimal packetization—for an IP analogy. :) Otherwise I end up with 2 pieces of fruit in 1 bag, 1 bottle of soap by itself in another bag, followed by again more fruit in the 3rd bag… It's a fun fragmentation problem.
        ams6110 10y ago
        I always try that (grouping things I want bagged together) but usually the bagger just does his own thing anyway.
        softawre 10y ago
        Knapsack/binpacking
        wirrbel 10y ago
        As a german in the US, I suddenly felt as if I had a OCD about the way to bag stuff. Store employees were more or less dumping things kind of randomly in bags without sorting by weight and by robustnes of the product. On the other hand declinining help with bagging seemed to be kind of unusual. Other differences I noticed: Time at checkouts was at least 2-3 times longer than in Germany, even at the better german supermarkets cashiers are much faster. Also, in Germany I never encountered cashiers to comment on the goods I bought (I don't mind much, but it still felt a bit like an intrusion in privacy. I once bought a glass of Ghee - a common ingredient in southern german cuisine - and the cashier went on and on about how unusual it was that a white guy would buy it).
        nommm-nommm 10y ago
        >Germany I never encountered cashiers to comment on the goods I bought (I don't mind much, but it still felt a bit like an intrusion in privacy. I once bought a glass of Ghee - a common ingredient in southern german cuisine - and the cashier went on and on about how unusual it was that a white guy would buy it) In the US service employees are required to be fake "friendly." This was an attempt at that. I hate it myself. I always associated ghee with India, I had no idea it was used in Germany too.
        StudyAnimal 10y ago
        Its not really. Most people would get it from the "asian shop", but many "German" supermarkets have a small shelf for "international" stuff like asian noodles, taco shells and russian stuff.
      - peteretep 10y ago
        > > in the order that they should go in the bag > is something that you don't usually do outside Germany That's a basic sign of civilization, after workable plumbing and provision of healthcare.
    - mrweasel 10y ago
      But the area isn't big enough. It only works if the cashier wait for you to put all your items in the belt, before start scanning. If you're still putting items on the belt when the cashier starts, the stuff will pile up on the little shelf thingy after the cash register. Now they're in the wrong order when you need to speed pack them afterwards.
      - anotheryou 10y ago
        at least here the belts are loooong
      - Tepix 10y ago
        I'm sure they make the area small to force the customer to pack the stuff quickly.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - mrweasel 10y ago
    >The area after the scanner is very small and takes only few items so you have to move fast. What's the logic behind only having a very small space for scanned items. Aldi in Denmark normally have packing tables, but still, you can't even get your stuff in the basket quickly enough. Interestingly Lidl (another German supermarket), decided to go with normal longer areas after the scanner, because the Danes expect that. I don't feel like Aldi has ever properly justified the almost non-existing area for scanned items.
    - germanier 10y ago
      It makes the customer pack faster. Once the next one is served you usually are almost gone. That doesn't happen if there is more space. It also saves floor space in the market. Except Aldi, Lidl and the like German supermarkets also have the long areas after the cashier. Your items often roll away and you can't reach them anymore.
  - nraynaud 10y ago
    Where i have been in Germany, there was no space after the barcode scanner, you directly put your cart there, and they dump everything in the cart after scanning (the cart is quite shallow, I guess it's to limit the drop height). Next to the exit, there is a table where you can sort your groceries into bags, and take as much time as you want doing so.
    - germanier 10y ago
      Yes, I think the layout is exactly the same everywhere. There are two small spaces of around 15cm times 30cm if I had to guess and a small notch to hold a basket separating them. Especially in the more centrally located stores many people directly bag their items then and there.
    - yuubi 10y ago
      The two US stores I've seen have kept one cart after the cashier. When done checking out, you take the newly full cart and leave your empty there for the next customer.
  - overcast 10y ago
    That sounds like hell. It's already awful waiting for some old woman to rifle through coupons, and pay by check. The fact that she now has to bag all her food would make me just leave the line.
    - skrebbel 10y ago
      You'd be amazed how fast she goes with all the pressure.
    - germanier 10y ago
      Well, they have no coupons and accept no checks. Plus, many old people that need a walking frame are actually better with moving stuff into the shopping cart then I am (not that I'm particularly slow).
      - overcast 10y ago
        Well I guess that is 2/3 of the problem taken care of!
  - lorenzhs 10y ago
    The key is to just dump everything back into the cart and bag it later, on the table behind the cashiers. I sort my stuff by how well it can be stacked - pasta, cans, potatoes and the like go first, then milk, cheese, etc, and finally fruit, delicate vegetables, crisps, and other things you don't want crushed. You can just shove it all in the cart that way - I can match the cashier's speed.
    - dzhiurgis 10y ago
      AldiSort!
    - inanutshellus 10y ago
      What's an Aldi customer's incentive to do this? Is the cashier going to throw your groceries on the floor if you don't keep up? If not... why not take your time and bag your groceries safely?
      - DanBC 10y ago
        > What's an Aldi customer's incentive to do this? Social pressure. You've just waited in a queue, and there are people behind you in that queue.
        StudyAnimal 10y ago
        Really, wow I never felt that. I always put them in my bag at the natural speed. The only social pressure I felt was when paying before finishing packing. This lead to the next persons groceries being mixed in with mine and accidentally packing their stuff etc. Now I take my time and finish packing before paying to avoid this issue and it is all good.
        brusch64 10y ago
        well you tactic doesn't work that well in Austria. The peer pressure for slow people is noticeable (especially during busy times). But that's one of the things I like about that. You take a cart - put everything in the cart and pack it into your boxes / bags afterwards and don't waste everybodies time. But this may be a very German thing to do.
  - wodenokoto 10y ago
    The reason why there is so little space is because there are supposed to be baggers. I guess they finally got rid of them to save money.
    - systemfreund 10y ago
      I dont think this is true. In Germany there never has been a 'bagger-culture' :)
      - wirrbel 10y ago
        They are so small, so that you just pass through the items into your shopping cart. Basically you don't have much of an option. If you shop without a shopping cart (like me buying just a few things that fit into my bagpack) the cassier might suggest that I take a cart next time. Then there is this side-board across the checkout that you can use to bag your purchase. What you also see a lot in Germany is people taking empty cardboard boxes from the shelves and use them instead of bags at the checkout. It is quick and convenient.
      - wodenokoto 10y ago
        Then my marketing book lied to me.
        eru 10y ago
        When was Germany supposed to have had baggers according to the book?
        wodenokoto 10y ago
        When Aldi came to Denmark and didn't redesign the checkout for not having baggers.
        majewsky 10y ago
        Germany never had baggers. In fact, to me as a German, the job of a bagger appears about as nonsensical as that of a telephone sanitizer.
  - pingec 10y ago
    Well here in Slovenia I see this approach does not fly with old people. They will simply take their time to bag their stuff properly. What is the cashier going to do but wait? Throw stuff on the floor?
    - dustin 10y ago
      This! +1 for not letting yourself be pressured by the queue.
  - anexprogrammer 10y ago
    Most UK supermarkets are shrinkng space after scan to near Aldi levels. A couple will ask if you want help packing (which unless you're elderly and infirm will slow things considerably) it's quite common to see a set of 4 trolley bags (£1 from pound shop, much more from TM holder) which are designed to fill a standard trolley and dump stuff in those to drop in car boot. Of course you'll barely be able to move the one with all the tins and bottles without ripping the handles off, but...
  - cwyers 10y ago
    ...you BAG your groceries at Aldis? I just normally grab a few of the empty boxes from the cereal section.
    - ygra 10y ago
      Boxes are annoying to transport on a bike. So yes, I use my pannier or a bag.
  - kriro 10y ago
    The most common strategy of most Germans I know is to simply put everything into the cart after it's scanned, move the cart towards the car and dump everything into some sort of carry box in the trunk. Carry that box (or boxes) into the house at home and put the stuff you bought wherever it is stored. If I shop by bike I usually have a backpack that I brought for shopping open at the cashier and dump everything in it upon scan. One time use bags are sort of faded out. There's no more free bags (I think). Makes ecological sense imo.
- MasterYoda 10y ago
  Have the same experience when shopping in Germany. Im very supriced how ineffective there system is, with an non excistent area after the cashier. You have to trash all stuff down fast and then pack/repack afterwords somewere else and you get stressed. The swedish system feels superior in my honest opinion. There is a big area afterword divided by a Y bar so 2 people can be served simultaneous. The 2 top Y boms are electrically controlled by the cashier so groceries goes to either left or right side. https://www.ica.se/imagevaultfiles/id_53554/cf_6099/kassan.jpg https://www.ica.se/imagevaultfiles/id_53554/cf_6099/kassan.j... So when one is finshed, that person can pack everything as he/she wants without hurry while the other persons groceries are served simultaneous by the cashier and that persons stuff goes to the other side. Useally you could pack your stuff without hurry while the 2nd person is served. But if both side temporary is not finish because two big shopper both Y boms could be closed so 3 people could be served simultiously. Two could pack and the 3rds groceries could still be handeled by the cashier. And not to forgett, everyone in sweden (almost) payes with card which speeds stuff up alot. You pay while the cashier scaning the groceries. When finished you just press "ok".
  - germanier 10y ago
    The system is very efficient if you measure throughput. It does not feel as nice and you are pressured to pack very fast which is why the more upmarket stores use the Y-layout or at least a long surface after the cashier (never seen the closing bar in Germany though). Customers stopped caring as it is used for decades now. FWIW I usually pack while the items are scanned which means I can leave as soon as I paid which one can't do with the other layout. But why card payment is so hideously slow in Germany is something I can't understand. After they gave you the final sum you need to tell the cashier that you want to pay with card, wait for the terminal to light up, insert the card (finally, up until recently you needed to hand the card to the cashier for them to insert it – technically you can insert earlier and it still works but many cashiers don't know and stop the process), wait once more, enter your PIN, wait once more, remove the card, wait again for the receipt to print (otherwise the cashier tells you stay as they can't verify payment before that). In the time it takes you can pay with the same card five times in Sweden – and didn't need to speak a word (great for me as my Swedish is only rudimental).

Buying groceries Germany Aldi's and Lidos was the most stressful part of my time there.

skrebbel 10y ago

Why?

germanier 10y ago
Usually they scan items faster than you can bag them. The area after the scanner is very small and takes only few items so you have to move fast. I saw below that US Aldi cashiers put the items into a grocery cart. That doesn't happen in Germany as you are expected to do that yourself. Everyone has their own strategy of how to place items onto the line to slow down the cashier at just the right moment.
- chronial 10y ago
  > Everyone has their own strategy of how to place items onto the line to slow down the cashier at just the right moment. I am German and and I've never heard of this ^^. You just put the items on the belt in the order that they should go in the bag, then you can pack very quickly.
  - germanier 10y ago
    > in the order that they should go in the bag That's one of them. Even that is something that you don't usually do outside Germany. To get to the next level I recommend to put weighted produce to the end or just after items that are not straightforward to pack.
    - athenot 10y ago
      I do that in the US even where they have an employee bagging my stuff. In fact, I do that to ensure optimal packetization—for an IP analogy. :) Otherwise I end up with 2 pieces of fruit in 1 bag, 1 bottle of soap by itself in another bag, followed by again more fruit in the 3rd bag… It's a fun fragmentation problem.
      - ams6110 10y ago
        I always try that (grouping things I want bagged together) but usually the bagger just does his own thing anyway.
      - softawre 10y ago
        Knapsack/binpacking
      - wirrbel 10y ago
        As a german in the US, I suddenly felt as if I had a OCD about the way to bag stuff. Store employees were more or less dumping things kind of randomly in bags without sorting by weight and by robustnes of the product. On the other hand declinining help with bagging seemed to be kind of unusual. Other differences I noticed: Time at checkouts was at least 2-3 times longer than in Germany, even at the better german supermarkets cashiers are much faster. Also, in Germany I never encountered cashiers to comment on the goods I bought (I don't mind much, but it still felt a bit like an intrusion in privacy. I once bought a glass of Ghee - a common ingredient in southern german cuisine - and the cashier went on and on about how unusual it was that a white guy would buy it).
        nommm-nommm 10y ago
        >Germany I never encountered cashiers to comment on the goods I bought (I don't mind much, but it still felt a bit like an intrusion in privacy. I once bought a glass of Ghee - a common ingredient in southern german cuisine - and the cashier went on and on about how unusual it was that a white guy would buy it) In the US service employees are required to be fake "friendly." This was an attempt at that. I hate it myself. I always associated ghee with India, I had no idea it was used in Germany too.
        StudyAnimal 10y ago
        Its not really. Most people would get it from the "asian shop", but many "German" supermarkets have a small shelf for "international" stuff like asian noodles, taco shells and russian stuff.
    - peteretep 10y ago
      > > in the order that they should go in the bag > is something that you don't usually do outside Germany That's a basic sign of civilization, after workable plumbing and provision of healthcare.
  - mrweasel 10y ago
    But the area isn't big enough. It only works if the cashier wait for you to put all your items in the belt, before start scanning. If you're still putting items on the belt when the cashier starts, the stuff will pile up on the little shelf thingy after the cash register. Now they're in the wrong order when you need to speed pack them afterwards.
    - anotheryou 10y ago
      at least here the belts are loooong
    - Tepix 10y ago
      I'm sure they make the area small to force the customer to pack the stuff quickly.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- mrweasel 10y ago
  >The area after the scanner is very small and takes only few items so you have to move fast. What's the logic behind only having a very small space for scanned items. Aldi in Denmark normally have packing tables, but still, you can't even get your stuff in the basket quickly enough. Interestingly Lidl (another German supermarket), decided to go with normal longer areas after the scanner, because the Danes expect that. I don't feel like Aldi has ever properly justified the almost non-existing area for scanned items.
  - germanier 10y ago
    It makes the customer pack faster. Once the next one is served you usually are almost gone. That doesn't happen if there is more space. It also saves floor space in the market. Except Aldi, Lidl and the like German supermarkets also have the long areas after the cashier. Your items often roll away and you can't reach them anymore.
- nraynaud 10y ago
  Where i have been in Germany, there was no space after the barcode scanner, you directly put your cart there, and they dump everything in the cart after scanning (the cart is quite shallow, I guess it's to limit the drop height). Next to the exit, there is a table where you can sort your groceries into bags, and take as much time as you want doing so.
  - germanier 10y ago
    Yes, I think the layout is exactly the same everywhere. There are two small spaces of around 15cm times 30cm if I had to guess and a small notch to hold a basket separating them. Especially in the more centrally located stores many people directly bag their items then and there.
  - yuubi 10y ago
    The two US stores I've seen have kept one cart after the cashier. When done checking out, you take the newly full cart and leave your empty there for the next customer.
- overcast 10y ago
  That sounds like hell. It's already awful waiting for some old woman to rifle through coupons, and pay by check. The fact that she now has to bag all her food would make me just leave the line.
  - skrebbel 10y ago
    You'd be amazed how fast she goes with all the pressure.
  - germanier 10y ago
    Well, they have no coupons and accept no checks. Plus, many old people that need a walking frame are actually better with moving stuff into the shopping cart then I am (not that I'm particularly slow).
    - overcast 10y ago
      Well I guess that is 2/3 of the problem taken care of!
- lorenzhs 10y ago
  The key is to just dump everything back into the cart and bag it later, on the table behind the cashiers. I sort my stuff by how well it can be stacked - pasta, cans, potatoes and the like go first, then milk, cheese, etc, and finally fruit, delicate vegetables, crisps, and other things you don't want crushed. You can just shove it all in the cart that way - I can match the cashier's speed.
  - dzhiurgis 10y ago
    AldiSort!
  - inanutshellus 10y ago
    What's an Aldi customer's incentive to do this? Is the cashier going to throw your groceries on the floor if you don't keep up? If not... why not take your time and bag your groceries safely?
    - DanBC 10y ago
      > What's an Aldi customer's incentive to do this? Social pressure. You've just waited in a queue, and there are people behind you in that queue.
      - StudyAnimal 10y ago
        Really, wow I never felt that. I always put them in my bag at the natural speed. The only social pressure I felt was when paying before finishing packing. This lead to the next persons groceries being mixed in with mine and accidentally packing their stuff etc. Now I take my time and finish packing before paying to avoid this issue and it is all good.
        brusch64 10y ago
        well you tactic doesn't work that well in Austria. The peer pressure for slow people is noticeable (especially during busy times). But that's one of the things I like about that. You take a cart - put everything in the cart and pack it into your boxes / bags afterwards and don't waste everybodies time. But this may be a very German thing to do.
- wodenokoto 10y ago
  The reason why there is so little space is because there are supposed to be baggers. I guess they finally got rid of them to save money.
  - systemfreund 10y ago
    I dont think this is true. In Germany there never has been a 'bagger-culture' :)
    - wirrbel 10y ago
      They are so small, so that you just pass through the items into your shopping cart. Basically you don't have much of an option. If you shop without a shopping cart (like me buying just a few things that fit into my bagpack) the cassier might suggest that I take a cart next time. Then there is this side-board across the checkout that you can use to bag your purchase. What you also see a lot in Germany is people taking empty cardboard boxes from the shelves and use them instead of bags at the checkout. It is quick and convenient.
    - wodenokoto 10y ago
      Then my marketing book lied to me.
      - eru 10y ago
        When was Germany supposed to have had baggers according to the book?
        wodenokoto 10y ago
        When Aldi came to Denmark and didn't redesign the checkout for not having baggers.
        majewsky 10y ago
        Germany never had baggers. In fact, to me as a German, the job of a bagger appears about as nonsensical as that of a telephone sanitizer.
- pingec 10y ago
  Well here in Slovenia I see this approach does not fly with old people. They will simply take their time to bag their stuff properly. What is the cashier going to do but wait? Throw stuff on the floor?
  - dustin 10y ago
    This! +1 for not letting yourself be pressured by the queue.
- anexprogrammer 10y ago
  Most UK supermarkets are shrinkng space after scan to near Aldi levels. A couple will ask if you want help packing (which unless you're elderly and infirm will slow things considerably) it's quite common to see a set of 4 trolley bags (£1 from pound shop, much more from TM holder) which are designed to fill a standard trolley and dump stuff in those to drop in car boot. Of course you'll barely be able to move the one with all the tins and bottles without ripping the handles off, but...
- cwyers 10y ago
  ...you BAG your groceries at Aldis? I just normally grab a few of the empty boxes from the cereal section.
  - ygra 10y ago
    Boxes are annoying to transport on a bike. So yes, I use my pannier or a bag.
- kriro 10y ago
  The most common strategy of most Germans I know is to simply put everything into the cart after it's scanned, move the cart towards the car and dump everything into some sort of carry box in the trunk. Carry that box (or boxes) into the house at home and put the stuff you bought wherever it is stored. If I shop by bike I usually have a backpack that I brought for shopping open at the cashier and dump everything in it upon scan. One time use bags are sort of faded out. There's no more free bags (I think). Makes ecological sense imo.
MasterYoda 10y ago
Have the same experience when shopping in Germany. Im very supriced how ineffective there system is, with an non excistent area after the cashier. You have to trash all stuff down fast and then pack/repack afterwords somewere else and you get stressed. The swedish system feels superior in my honest opinion. There is a big area afterword divided by a Y bar so 2 people can be served simultaneous. The 2 top Y boms are electrically controlled by the cashier so groceries goes to either left or right side. https://www.ica.se/imagevaultfiles/id_53554/cf_6099/kassan.jpg https://www.ica.se/imagevaultfiles/id_53554/cf_6099/kassan.j... So when one is finshed, that person can pack everything as he/she wants without hurry while the other persons groceries are served simultaneous by the cashier and that persons stuff goes to the other side. Useally you could pack your stuff without hurry while the 2nd person is served. But if both side temporary is not finish because two big shopper both Y boms could be closed so 3 people could be served simultiously. Two could pack and the 3rds groceries could still be handeled by the cashier. And not to forgett, everyone in sweden (almost) payes with card which speeds stuff up alot. You pay while the cashier scaning the groceries. When finished you just press "ok".
- germanier 10y ago
  The system is very efficient if you measure throughput. It does not feel as nice and you are pressured to pack very fast which is why the more upmarket stores use the Y-layout or at least a long surface after the cashier (never seen the closing bar in Germany though). Customers stopped caring as it is used for decades now. FWIW I usually pack while the items are scanned which means I can leave as soon as I paid which one can't do with the other layout. But why card payment is so hideously slow in Germany is something I can't understand. After they gave you the final sum you need to tell the cashier that you want to pay with card, wait for the terminal to light up, insert the card (finally, up until recently you needed to hand the card to the cashier for them to insert it – technically you can insert earlier and it still works but many cashiers don't know and stop the process), wait once more, enter your PIN, wait once more, remove the card, wait again for the receipt to print (otherwise the cashier tells you stay as they can't verify payment before that). In the time it takes you can pay with the same card five times in Sweden – and didn't need to speak a word (great for me as my Swedish is only rudimental).