3 ms·
I spent a few weeks working in Munich and was surprised when I first went into a supermarket to buy lunch. The payment process was like stepping back in time 20
by stupidcar 9y ago
I spent a few weeks working in Munich and was surprised when I first went into a supermarket to buy lunch. The payment process was like stepping back in time 20 years in the UK. No self-checkout kiosks, just a single cashier, and a line of people all paying in cash.
It worked, but it was a much slower process than was I was used to. I guess the stereotype of German super-efficiency made me assume they would be quick to adopt such technologies. But I think perhaps that is countered by a degree of conservatism about switching away from systems that are understood, and proven to work.
- DanielleMolloy 9y agoI am a German living in the Netherlands right now and find that quite annoying every time I come back to Germany, too. Before NFC I would have agreed that card payments are just much, much slower than cash. Most shops in Germany won't let you pay by card if the total amount is less than 5€, so you would always carry cash around anyway. NFC and self-checkout are quite widely spread in NL; in fact a small supermarket at a university here only has self-checkout systems with NFC. Often heard (from Germans with some international experience and its point of view) that innovations need around two years to arrive in the heads of Germany. Skepticism towards new ideas tends to impress people more than open-minded consideration of new developments. This may change at the moment as much of the younger generation gains lots of international experience and is exposed to frequent technological developments and innovative start-up culture.