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> Grocery stores [...] aren't open on Sundays This has to do with the Ladenschlussgesetz (there is no proper English term for this) which usually forbids that.
by wolfgke 10y ago
> Grocery stores [...] aren't open on Sundays
This has to do with the Ladenschlussgesetz (there is no proper English term for this) which usually forbids that. In particular the German FDP (a German party that is somewhere between liberal and libertarian) wants to abolish this law but the churches lobby for upholding it. I personally would abolish it as soon as possible.
> Grocery stores [...] don't accept credit cards
This is because merchants have to pay some amount for any credit card transaction. So they have good reasons not to accept them. In Europe there exists a much better system: EC cards. Use them instead if you really don't want to use cash (which is much more anonymous and thus should be prefered).
> Still uses paper tickets for most things.
If you imagine the data trail that non-paper tickets leave behind you, I would rather suggest to start using paper tickets wherever you live (Germans are much more concerned about protection of privacy (Datenschutzgesetz) because of having two dictatorships on German ground in the 20th century of which one was only abolished about 25 years ago).
- allendoerfer 10y agoWhile I am also against the Ladenschlussgesetzt, poor people in Germany have freetime and do not have to have three jobs to survive. It is a different culture.
- denzil_correa 10y agoThis is not the reason why churches are lobbying against the law though.
- drinchev 10y agoFacts. Although I would still argue about the credit cards. Most stores / restaurants don't accept EC ( Maestro ) ... They usually put a huge sign - "Cash only".
- wolfgke 10y ago> Although I would still argue about the credit cards. Most stores / restaurants don't accept EC ( Maestro ) ... They usually put a huge sign - "Cash only". But if they don't accept EC cards, they surely won't accept credit cards. :-)
- passiveincomelg 10y agoInteresting. To me it seems that "cash only" signs are an exception. Maybe we just go to different stores.
- drinchev 10y agoEvery second Späti around Mitte is cash only. Not to mention the face of a cashier, when you ask if you can pay with a card. One time they asked me to buy more than 10E products in order to do that.
- passiveincomelg 10y agoRight, the 10€ limit is common and sucks.
- uola 10y agoWhile I appreciate the backstory, I don't really see how this is an argument for not being 10 years behind Stockholm. I mean EC cards are a good idea, but they aren't internationally viable nor even everywhere in Germany. Now when EU has regulated the fees other cards will start showing up. Mastercard/Visa is everywhere in Sweden (many stores have their own cards too of course), you really don't need cash. Privacy is of course laudable, but this seems more to be conservatism towards technology than actually implementing something different. If you would have said "we have this anonymous electronic payment system that works everywhere" I would have believed you. I've still had DB tickets in an app, so it's not like it doesn't exist.
- mahyarm 10y agoIt's a cost thing & a culture thing. Japan likes it's cash too. Sweden loves it's credit cards to a point where you can't use cash in some situations easily.
- kayoone 10y agoi was born in Germnay and currently live in Berlin and share the frustration about credit cards or the fixation on cash. Adding to that is the fact that to get cash out of a machine that does not belong to your home bank usually costs you 2-5 EUR...imo it's a ridiculous scam scheme.
- denzil_correa 10y agoCheck out N26 - a German startup for banking.