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> unfriendly German efficiency This is exactly how Aldi feels here in Bavaria. Prices are very low but you'll be asked to bag your purchases at the window to a

> unfriendly German efficiency This is exactly how Aldi feels here in Bavaria. Prices are very low but you'll be asked to bag your purchases at the window to avoid delaying the checkout of the next customer. A lot of stuff they sell doesn't taste great, especially vegetables.

pgeorgi 9y ago
The same applies to the customer in front of you. I prefer them to be out of my way with their groceries, 3 kids and 2 carts when I'm trying to pack my stuff. "Packing at the window" scales better than the alternative in Germany: to have the packaging area at the cashier's be split in two (#3 will have to wait until the kids of #1 decide whether they want their toy now or in the car).
weinzierl 9y ago
> but you'll be asked to bag your purchases at the window to avoid delaying the checkout of the next customer. I actually like that at Aldi there is space where I can bag my groceries unhurriedly. It's not that at other supermarkets in Germany you do have time at checkout. > A lot of stuff they sell doesn't taste great, especially vegetables. A lot of their stuff is just branded goods sold under the Aldi brand. There are actually lists [1, in German] where you can lookup which Aldi brand is which real brand. For example Aldi Belmont Cappuccino is the same as Cappuccino Nestlé. [1] http://www.huffingtonpost.de/2014/11/05/marken-hinter-aldi-produkten_n_6105520.html http://www.huffingtonpost.de/2014/11/05/marken-hinter-aldi-p...
- pgeorgi 9y ago
  > There are actually lists [1, in German] where you can lookup which Aldi brand is which real brand Their supplier can (and does) change at any time without notice and may even vary regionally, even though the packaging is the same. It often helps to check the producer's address (always listed on the packaging) and see what other company in the same product space is nearby.
TillE 9y ago
The expectation of quickly bagging your stuff is the experience at literally every German grocery, certainly all the discounters and even the proper supermarkets like Edeka and Rewe. They're a bit slower and more patient at Karstadt, I suppose.
- yladiz 9y ago
  This is also the norm at grocery stores in central Asia -- you're expected to bag your food as it's scanned, and often you're expected to either bring your own bag, ask for (and pay for) some plastic bag, or be lucky and they have some form of bag at the end. Besides cultural differences, it also comes down to the fact that many people use baskets and the carts are essentially two carrying baskets fixed to a metal frame, in striking contrast to the US jumbo sized shopping cart, so you necessarily can't bring that much and can likely bag it yourself in a short timeframe.
- BrandoElFollito 9y ago
  Same in France. This is always a race between the cashier and you. The cashier is usually faster.

pgeorgi 9y ago

The same applies to the customer in front of you. I prefer them to be out of my way with their groceries, 3 kids and 2 carts when I'm trying to pack my stuff. "Packing at the window" scales better than the alternative in Germany: to have the packaging area at the cashier's be split in two (#3 will have to wait until the kids of #1 decide whether they want their toy now or in the car).

weinzierl 9y ago

> but you'll be asked to bag your purchases at the window to avoid delaying the checkout of the next customer. I actually like that at Aldi there is space where I can bag my groceries unhurriedly. It's not that at other supermarkets in Germany you do have time at checkout. > A lot of stuff they sell doesn't taste great, especially vegetables. A lot of their stuff is just branded goods sold under the Aldi brand. There are actually lists [1, in German] where you can lookup which Aldi brand is which real brand. For example Aldi Belmont Cappuccino is the same as Cappuccino Nestlé. [1] http://www.huffingtonpost.de/2014/11/05/marken-hinter-aldi-produkten_n_6105520.html http://www.huffingtonpost.de/2014/11/05/marken-hinter-aldi-p...

pgeorgi 9y ago
> There are actually lists [1, in German] where you can lookup which Aldi brand is which real brand Their supplier can (and does) change at any time without notice and may even vary regionally, even though the packaging is the same. It often helps to check the producer's address (always listed on the packaging) and see what other company in the same product space is nearby.

TillE 9y ago

The expectation of quickly bagging your stuff is the experience at literally every German grocery, certainly all the discounters and even the proper supermarkets like Edeka and Rewe. They're a bit slower and more patient at Karstadt, I suppose.

yladiz 9y ago
This is also the norm at grocery stores in central Asia -- you're expected to bag your food as it's scanned, and often you're expected to either bring your own bag, ask for (and pay for) some plastic bag, or be lucky and they have some form of bag at the end. Besides cultural differences, it also comes down to the fact that many people use baskets and the carts are essentially two carrying baskets fixed to a metal frame, in striking contrast to the US jumbo sized shopping cart, so you necessarily can't bring that much and can likely bag it yourself in a short timeframe.
BrandoElFollito 9y ago
Same in France. This is always a race between the cashier and you. The cashier is usually faster.