American Reacts to German Grocery Stores!

[@juwen7908]

The real question is, why is the quality of foods in the US so bad, even when it is so expensive?

[@GeschichtenUndGedanken]

Competition isn’t the main reason. What you are buying is the key. And training tastebuds is no sport but you might enjoy it. They want to travel too and nothing really works well if you don’t use it enough. You people are definitely able to produce great things and proved it. You are not betraying your country if you are curious about trying something else every now and again.

[@michelm.4648]

That ist also a good question.

[@marioritter7014]

Capitalism, ho!

[@michael2305]

greed

[@untermRadar710]

cuz government want it to be

[@seanthiar]

Kaufland isn't inside a mall. Kaufland is most of the time a bigger type of store and they rent to small businesses space in their entry/exit area. Most of those shops are food to go, bakery, flower shops, shoe repair, kiosk or barbers. Kaufland isn't really a cheap shop. There are cheaper discount grocery stores like Aldi, Lidl, etc.

[@stefanhaler3318]

Lidl und Kaufland used to be owned by the Lidl&Schwarz-Group. So both under the same Company,

[@arnolsi]

Not anymore. Kaufland, Lidl, Aldi, Penny aso. are on the same price level.

[@suoquainen]

Remember back when REAL existed? Kaufland buyed them off and since then Kaufland has the same concept as REAL had.

[@arnolsi]

@@suoquainen In our area they bought Handelshof and Famila and changed the concepts. We had no Real.

[@suoquainen]

@@arnolsi REAl started in 1992 as part of "Metro". In 2006 Walmart buyed REAL and divided it into big and small shops. Smaller shops were called "Extra". Walmart closed in Wuppertal in 2007 and 2008 Kaufland took over what was left from REAL. Parts of what was Extra was sold in 2008 to Rewe. Later some parts were also sold to Türkiye. In 2020 REAl got sold to Kaufland, Edeka and Globus. In 2022 REAL got rebranded and is known since then as "mein REAL".

[@nxt_tim]

The prices are usually lower because the discounters don't just buy the brand products but also buy from the producers directly and have their "Eigenmarken" (own brands). Sometimes it's even the same factory but only with their packaging and logo. It's a big difference and this competition also drives down the prices

[@graziellaacquarola7450]

In Europe we don't use plastic bags we use reusable bags that you bring with you next time you go shopping...

[@phoenix72999]

Or you don't 🥲

[@graziellaacquarola7450]

@@phoenix72999 90%...some little store still use them but ecological ones...I'm talking about Italy 🇮🇹

[@bencze465]

Kind of sucks I still don't carry bags with me wherever I go, just end up buying the cheapest and tossing it out anyway...

[@MadeOfHate18]

In Poland you are charged 1 PLN for a plastic bag.

[@FINNSTIGAT0R]

Well, I always buy a plastic bag when I go grocery shopping 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@bismarck105]

In Germany, the tax is already included in the product prices, 7% for groceries, 14 for books and 19 for everything else. Haribo is probably also cheaper here because there are no export and import duties since it comes from our own region

[@klopferator]

Books are also 7%. There is no 14% VAT in Germany, it's all 7 or 19 percent (or no VAT at all).

[@RustyDust101]

Haribo also produces locally in almost every country that they are sold. That's why the sugar-free Gummibears in the USA (not available in Germany) give you diarrhea. The artificial sweetener which is used in the USA (I believe Xylotol) is banned in Germany due its negative side-effects in relatively small amounts. So while the import duties might not be applicable if you buy locally produced Haribo's their production recipe (thus final outcome) may be significantly different from the original in Germany.

[@bismarck105]

@@klopferator Danke für die Info

[@magnustool]

There is also a difference in eating. If you eat in the restaurant, 19% VAT will be paid. If you take the food home, only 7% will be charged. Everything stays the same for the buyer. Only the state earns more if you eat in a restaurant...🤗

[@felixklusener5530]

And there are differences that no one understands or is able to explain. Example: A domestic pig is always 7% while a wild pig is 19%, but a sausage made of the wild pigs meat is 7% again, but if the sausage is served in a restaurant it is 19% again, but only 7% for take away. Can anyone follow me? The tax system in Germany is just crazy.

[@cactusdill-dos2579]

I loved Germany when I was there as an Aussie they are such a smart and hi-tech country. As a music guy myself the audio is a amazing. I love Germany!!!

[@paulisgay4447]

thanks where ever you from love from germany

[@SELBLINK_in_your_area]

@@paulisgay4447 Aussie = from Australia; Ein "Aussie" kommt aus Australien.

[@Trident023]

Fair dinkum mate?! I loved Australia when I lived there as a German! I had no idea you could add beetroot to a burger 'till I came Melbourne. And those electric barbies everywhere were brilliant! I even miss the Cockatoos and Galahs waking me in the morning, though they used to annoy the crap out of me and we would take revenge on their relatives by bringing a bottle of vodka and a loaf of toast to the Yarra, then watch drunken seagulls all afternoon...good times 🤣

[@ChristineBecker]

Hey, that's so kind, thank you. :) I'd really love to live in Australia. E.g. Sydney has catched me from the first moment I was there. So nice and friendly people, such a laid back mentality, great weather every day, lovely beaches all around. Only the strange accent confused me the first few days. ;)))

[@WetAdek]

Hell yeah, they are so high tech, the Government still uses fax machines instead of damn internet and e-mails😂

[@Hackimaster]

I just want to add: You can see the different colors of the price tags. Orange means they are currently at a discount (discounts change weekly, the grocery stores even have magazines with those that you can get physically in store or digitally online) while white means that is the standard price.

[@petersp63]

German Grocery stores are great we have Aldi and Lidl over in UK damn good food and Reasonably Priced!

[@stevenbalekic5683]

I find most items in Aldi to be a bit ordinary. All their sausages are fake hotdog versions of real sausages...like kransky and bratwurst...Audi's version is like an American hotdog/ saveloy texture...but when buying kransky from a real shop the kransky is a proper meaty, smoky quality sausage...not that fake bouncy texture that they sell in Aldi. This same problem affects many items there...where the Aldi version is cheaper...but at a high cost in quality...or in the sausages, totally swapping it for something it's not.

[@stevenbalekic5683]

@pegamini Not bullshit at all..a real smallgoods store makes their own meat products from scratch, smokes and cures them then slices and wraps it in paper and weighed for each customer. Aldi has fake smallgoods that all look, feel and taste like saveloys/frankfurts/hotdogs...even the vienna frankfurts in a local smallgoods shop are 100 times better than any branded or un-branded shrink-wrapped factory crap that Aldi sells

[@p__jay]

you have better products in your Aldi and Lidl in the UK than what we have in Germany!

[@montanus777]

@@pegamini7582 a) that's only true for *SOME* products. b) even within the same factory you have different levels of quality.

[@Ana_SchiSchi]

Haribo normally costs 0,99€ per piece, in the offer you get a bag for 0,59€. You can get wine in Germany for less than 2,00€, but it doesn't taste good (mostly very sweet).

[@PokhrajRoy.]

2:36 It’s definitely not a scam because the amount of German tourists in Egypt whom I’ve seen firsthand will tell you otherwise.

[@irgendwas8170]

That's kind of expensive, U can get the same holiday for 600-700 bucks. In Germany U can get really cheap holiday in ALDI, Lidl & more.

@@irgendwas8170 usually with worse service of SunExpress/TUI (and TUI is really bad) eco instead of Lufthansa.

[@geoffpriestley7310]

Cheapest holiday I've had £99 to Turkey full board and flights but it cost £75 by coach to get to the air port in England

[@Old-USRefugee]

I am a senior citizen who moved to Germany four years ago. Food prices were one of the reasons. For the most part, I would say most food items are about half to a quarter of what you would pay in the US. I manage on 30 Euros a week, here in Leipzig. My rent is also way cheaper than the USA. I can manage just on Social Security alone. I could not do that back in the US. I do have the advantage of being a Dual National, so I also qualify for some of the benefits a German senior qualifies for. My biggest expense is my health insurance. No it is not FREE! You pay into it, when you are working. Since I never did, living in the USA, I must pay a monthly premium. However it is only a hundred more than I paid for my Humana plan in the US. The big difference is everything is covered, including my meds. What he mentioned about the price tag, is something I also really like. The sales tax is already included in the price you pay. That goes for everything not just food. If a TV says it is €299, that is what you pay. In the US when you got to the register, it would be a lot more.

[@sc6the]

Nice hearing about your experiences in Germany, as it it more of a unique case

[@1983simi]

Buying those cheap 3-5 Euro wines with my friends and slowly finish one bottle each at the banks of the river that runs through my city before carrying on with our night is one of my most cherished memories of my youth in Germany. We did that every summer pretty regularly between 18 and 25. Good times.

[@mondexponent2126]

Maybe I am kind of weird but at 23 I’m doing exactly this. But never without some bread , cheese and my girl :D

[@SELBLINK_in_your_area]

@@mondexponent2126 No need for bragging with "your girl", who is she your girlfriend your wife? If not, you're just keeping her away from the partner market without any need, totally unnecessarily and anti-social!

[@mondexponent2126]

@@SELBLINK_in_your_area okay wow. Why are you so toxic. He said with his friends and I said with my girlfriend. What in the hell is your problem. I didn’t brag about it lol

[@SELBLINK_in_your_area]

​@@mondexponent2126 You wrote "my girl" and not "my girlfriend"! So it wasn't quite clear!!! There needs to be a regulation by law regarding how long a relationship will be allowed to be, as well as we need such law for the durance of work. Otherwise, you will reject leaving your girlfriend and not let her go for another guy who might also be interested in her! So you (and every male who has a girlfriend) must be forced by law to leave her, because you won't leave her voluntarily. Yes, you DID brag about it! Your freaking girlfriend is not important for this discussion, nevertheless you have mentioned her. What do you want to try make me? Making me kill her? That would not help at all! Making me kill you? Why would you want to do that? Is your "girl" even adult yet? And what the hell do you have f_ck that made her decide *FOR YOU* instead of *ME,* please tell me? Is it money? "Oh I'm the greatest guy in the world because I make so much money by exploiting people, so that I can afford a girlfriend!", that's you a... oh, I'm not allowed to write this word, otherwise KZbin will delete my comment. Because of guys like you we need: 1. system change from capitalism to socialism 2. a law that sets a maximum time for relationships to have By the way, I am not toxic at all!

[@mondexponent2126]

@@SELBLINK_in_your_area Digga was hast du denn für Probleme… das ist meine beste Freundin aus der Schule gewesen. Viel Kohle habe ich nicht und auch sonst nehme ich keinen aus. Die kann mich verlassen wenn sie will. Werde und habe sie nie gezwungen mit mir zusammen zu sein. Warum sie sich für mich entschieden hat? Vielleicht weil ich nicht so bin wie du. Und ja sie ist erwachsen. Was zur Hölle läuft falsch mit deinem Selbstwertgefühl. Das hat nichts mit Politik zu tun. Bin ja selber links. Aber wenn du den kompletten Sozialismus haben willst dann tu allen den Gefallen und verpiss dich nach Kuba. Ganz ehrlich

[@c.m.5781]

The prices sound cheap by US standards. A hairdresser earns €1,600 per month in Germany. You still have to pay taxes on it. When everything is paid for (bills, petrol, train tickets, clothes) it can happen that a family of 2 adults and 2 children does not have €100 a week to spend on groceries and drinks.

[@bearenkindercool]

joel, watched most of your views on german reaction videos. i subscribed immediately since i think it is great such a young man from the states who doesn't even know our country can be so intrigued or fascinated so much. i do appreciate this, and i am of course not alone here in your comment section, who has the same appreciation. you still can learn a lot and if you are young enough to study abroad, feel free to do so. intuition free is not the only incentive. great channel, love it. greeting from bavaria, bretzel-land.

[@uweinhamburg]

I like your general attitude! Supermarkets tell you much more about the living in a country than a museum. Whenever i visit a foreign country, i try to visit places the locals use for their everyday shopping! I've seen some amazing places 😉🤣

[@Fragenzeichenplatte]

Haha are you me? I thought I was the only one who considers a supermarket visit an essential part of visiting any country.

[@HomerJSimpson999]

in germany there is no "favorite beer". it mostly depends on the region you live. Almost every city has its own brewery. Becks is just a famous export. we have also many regional wine yards also

[@ExtremeTeddy]

Haribo and other prices are somewhat higher. A regular 160g haribo bag is about 1€-1,20€. Sure when on sale you will still find them for 0,60€

[@hellagood67]

5:33 same in australia. Prices vary because of many factors. Here, in Australia, the prices have gone through the roof because of floods, droughts, fuel prices and labour shortages. Distance has a lot to do with prices too. The further the food has to travel, the dearer it will be.

[@TheMjollnir67]

Trvia about Haribo: this is short for the name of the companies founder and the city: Hans Riegel, Bonn....

[@manub.3847]

The video is also a bit older, today you can pay €0.50-1€ + more for some groceries or only have 400g instead of 500g. in the pack. And sometimes you don't even buy a simple cucumber because it suddenly costs €1.99 instead of €0.99

[@robfriedrich2822]

7:51 it's a reference for a famous advertisement, at a soccer game the referee had a confusing situation and asked the fans how to solve it "Do you want extension" "No" "Do you want shoot 11 meters" "No" "What do you want?" "Maoam". It's a chewing bon bon.

[@gwendolynsnyder463]

here in Germany, the bags for sale are under the belt conveyor. I saw some reuseable bags just being displayed in dm, but in most grocery stores, the shopping bags are under the conveyor.

[@mechanic_tobi]

A big factor in pricing ist the way higher income. the monthly income in the usa is about 30% higher than in germany, so for accurate comparison you would need to add 30% on top 🤷‍♂️

[@jen_wren_x]

I’m from the UK & I just love you’re comparison vids, keep the coming‼️👍🏼🥳

[@Frohds14]

Fun Fact: The shopping cart handle says "Schnelligkeitsgarantie an der Kasse" (quick checkout guaranteed). The cashier here was not so fast. It's more common, that the cashier has already pulled half the line through the scanner by the time you're putting the last items on the line. Then you have to run to the other end and quickly load everything back in the cart so that the cashier can continue, otherwise the next customer will make a fuss.

[@mina_en_suiza]

Fun fact: Aldi was the last chain to introduce scanners at their tills, because they were too slow. Every product had a three-digit code, and the cashiers had to know them all from memory. This way, they didn't even had to touch the items. It was blazing fast, a small fraction of the time, you saw in the video. I don't know, if they do it Germany or the US, but here in Switzerland it's common to have an app on your phone, which allows you to scan what you buy whilst putting the items in your cart. Then you don't have to stop at all, when you're leaving the store. You just pay with your phone when you're done.

[@gwendolynsnyder463]

my lifehack is: always choose the line with less people in it. Even if at one conveyor, there is a big family buying a full shopping cart full of groceries, if at the other line there are 10 people who collectively have the same amount of items as that big family, then it's faster to wait behind the big family, because the payment process also takes some time. I just gave a rough example here, but I just generally stand in the line with less people in it.

[@SELBLINK_in_your_area]

@@gwendolynsnyder463 The line with less people in it is one of the lines that are closed, that is why there are zero people standing. It takes more time because you could have to wait up to 1 hour until the line opens. So I don't think that your tip is very helpful!

[@Blackadder75]

@@mina_en_suiza in most of europe we have self scan, but Germany strangely is usually a bit late with that kind of stuff, despite being a hightech country. They also use way more cash than other west europeans

[@mina_en_suiza]

@@Blackadder75 True, but I get the cash thing. If you're used to it, it's still fast, and you don't leave a digital footprint, which is nice.

[@julies2646]

That was just like shopping in a large uk supermarket. They have hairdressers and florists and travel agents etc. prices seem very similar too. Trolleys have a £1 in or use a token

[@norbertkuhse3790]

Also in France

[@dannyf359]

And even the prices had get up here in the groceries store I think in germany the price are still cheaper as in the states

[@beerfish109]

As a half German, growing up outside of Germany, I can confirm that Hela Curry Ketchup is amazing. The Dutch are fond of having it with their chips, next to finely chopped onions and creamy mayonaise. Don't knock it until you try it!

[@wurgel1]

There are only 3 types of people. Those who only like Heinz original Ketchup, those who only like Hela Curry Ketchup and heretics, that don't like ketchup at all.

[@larissahorne9991]

Australian supermarkets are also inside our shopping centres (malls), some of our trolleys (shopping carts) are the same. Ours have the same manoeuvrability as well. We're pretty good at making sure that people leave trolleys somewhere that won't inconvenience others. We do have places to take them in the car park as well. Leave a trolley somewhere you're not supposed to you'll get into trouble with people who see you. Some trolleys have inbuilt devices to limit how far you can take them. Unlike some check out operators I've heard about in Germany ours will have a conversation and put your groceries in the bags you've bought with you. It's also good manners to put a divider in place for the next customer. There are some self-service ones for if you just want to get in and out in a hurry. There was a recent a major upset when at least one major Supermarket Chain tried to get rid of our check out operators.

[@alanalda5737]

Good old times, People braught back trolleys without money in it. I know them and I ask my mysewlfe ever since "what went wrong" and since when?!

[@robfriedrich2822]

8:15 Haribo was at this time regularly about 95 cents, from time to time they want to test the acceptance of new candy, so they reduced the price and offered some additional stuff. Beside the classical jelly bears, there are marshmallow strawberries, jelly cherries, jelly cola bottles, marshmallow animals, licorice snails, colorado mix, jelly smurfs, wine gums...

[@robfriedrich2822]

Meanwhile it is about 1.40 and special offer about 1

[@themadsamplist]

His videos from L.A. are also a pretty good watch.

[@kdhoude]

If you think the wine is cheap, beer starts at 29c a half L bottle for a supermarket brand, most German name brands are around 1€. all beer add a 25c deposit to bottle.

[@steven03048]

One thing you have to think about every time you see those "cheap prices" the bag sizes are smaller than in the US. US has as far as google told me 15 oz while the ones seen in the video are "only" 8 oz

[@MrStefan789789]

I have a Candian friend (Iam from germany) We sometimes check our sales slip, most things are cheaper in german (nearly all) beside of bananas,they are mostly cheaper in Canada.

[@MrTVintro]

3:36 it's sort of like a simplified mall concept. The anchor store is always a big supermarket, combined with a mix of smaller chain and small business stores. The other stuff benefits from the traffic from the anchor store.

[@blondkatze3547]

HI Joel, when I go shopping in Germany, I always take my box with returnable bottles with me, for that you get a deposit voucher that you can offset against the purchase at the check out. The groceries are no longer packed in the plastic bags, to protect the environment. I always pack my groceries straight into the box. Very practical.☺🌹

[@itskyansaro]

@@nw73000 der Getränkemarkt neben dem supermarkt bei mir hat deswegen direkt neben der pfandstelle ein waschbecken und einen Kasten an der wand, wo man papierhandtücher ziehen kann. Man kann also seine kiste auswischen,wenn die schmutzig ist

[@AndreGerritzen]

Haribo (and other european sweets) is so expensive in the US because it is a german product and made with beet sugar (simluar to kane sugar) and the US has a punitive duty on all sugar imports to protect the american kane sugar farmers and the industry that uses cheaper kane sugar. The US goverment also a few programs to support the US sugar industry to lower the prices of there products. So they make foreign products expensive and the own brands cheaper.

[@robfriedrich2822]

1:24 Deposit makes it possible to force people to return the carts and to pay someone, who returns the carts. In a guide for event managers, they said about the beer cups, one should take 1 $ deposit, so the cups returns and the non returned will be collected by a person, who gets this money.

[@yeano969]

Just a quick side Note in Germany u can Buy Beer and Wine at the age of 16 and Every harder or Stronger Alc. at 18. (In all villages it's pretty common to already drink beer, vodka, bacardi... at 14)

[@mikekelly702]

dude, the shopping cart thing is what got me, and yeah cart narcs is funny. Great vid bro. Thank you.

[@michaausleipzig]

Kaufland is sort of the german version of walmart. They sometimes come with this sort of mini malls where there are some other small shops and food outlets. Also Groceries are relatively cheap in Germany cause the VAT which is usually 19% in Germany is reduced to 7% for food and some other essential items.

[@Marco-zt6fz]

German in Venice makes really cool videos. It's normal that the tax is included, that's normal in European countries not only in Germany. Joel you have to ask why is the food in the US so expensive.

[@Thanathos1991]

That plastic part for the carts is actually worth more than 1€. They usually are baught because it's a hassle to make sure that you have a 1€ piece on you when you need a cart, while these plastic peaces (there are also ones made of metal) usually come with a chain for your keys.

[@viking_skywalker]

this is not the curry ketchup from the currywusrt -- its normaly selfmade curryketchup - but Hela Ketchup is with the most popular to Heinz ketchup

[@ChristineBecker]

Here in Germany you can get absolutely drinkable everyday wine in the supermarket from €5. If you invest €10 or €15, that's a really good wine. Good French champagne is available from €20. Cremant (champagne-style sparkling wine) is very drinkable from €6 up. Our American friends are always absolutely jealous when they shop here and see these prices.😁 The prices are probably so low because Germany has relatively high purchasing power in Europe. Many less affluent European countries export large quantities of fresh food to Germany because they are sold in large quantities here. This allows importers to drive down prices. When I compare the prices in the USA with ours here, I noticed that fresh vegetables and fruit in particular are much cheaper here. Here you can eat relatively healthy, even if you don't have much money. PS: Currently, prices have risen slightly due to the war in Ukraine and the associated higher energy costs.

[@llothar68]

I doubt that even 20% of all people can recognize a while for lower then 3 Euro from a more expensive wine. Maybe the next day, but not when they drink it, especially if it is served with a meal.

[@hbzach]

The agricultural sector is heavily subsidized in the EU, making prices cheaper for everyone. In the US low income earners are subsidized with food stamps, with higher prices and more “middle men” costs for everyone else.

[@robfriedrich2822]

4:16 and don't forget, the price is always including taxes. When you see something labeled for 1.29 you give 1.29 to the cashier.

[@robfriedrich2822]

16:21 You can buy a paper bag, plastic bag or a cotton bag at the checkout. Close to my place is a Kaufland with self checkout.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

5:08 They’re definitely on their own trip and I appreciate the randomness lol

[@uroskostic8570]

Its same in all Europe. Kaufland is supermarket chain, as well as Lidl, Tesco, Billa, Albert... prices are low, and often they have actions with 50% discount on food.

[@pixelbartus]

You asked about the bags. Since january 2022 single use plastic items like shopping bags, cups, straws and other things are banned in germany. You can stil get cheap paper bags (not for free) or robust high quality bags out of thick plastic, for a price that makes sure you will not throw them away, but use them again.

[@APCLZ]

first of all, the packages in germany are MUCH smaller. you can't get a 120g pack of haribos in the US i bet. also, there are cheaper non-brand products. the brand products are expensive. another thing: all the travel destinations you see there are much closer to germany than they are for the US, so obviously they're cheaper. Why do you think you don't see specials for flights to hawaii or bahamas etc in germany? because they're expensive.

[@deanwinchester7446]

16:18 You can bring own bags or buy one in there, and then you can pack you're bag at the car or in the store.. most to it at the car

[@Ray_Vun]

most supermarkets in europe are a bit like an american mall, where it's a grocery store that takes up most of the space, but then there's tons of shops all over where you can get different types of services, there's hair salons, shoe stores, dentists, cafés, bakeries and there's usually always a food court type area with different restaurants and fast food places for you to get different types of food

[@davidholiday4494]

wonderful video...used to live in germany...now in london...thank you

[@dannmetal6459]

Nice one JPS. Stick to Gemany - possibly check out a german beer video next? Cheers mate, great stuff - keeps me smiling. Cheers, Dann

[@myrazor]

Live close to and work Bonn where Haribo was invented, thats why the name is Haribo -> HAns RIegel BOnn, its the founders name and the town he founded the company. Funfact, the factory sale in Bonn is more expensive then the product on sale in grocery stores to attract costumers. One more thing on the Maybach Chardonnay. We have a few wineries where we order our wine directly. They don't even sell on the regular market like grocery stores, only online or at their location. So when we ran out of bottles and the wineries are still producing or ran out of stock we buy that bottle meaning its actually really good tasting wine.

[@79BlackRose]

I so wish you would do vlogs like this Jps.

[@robfriedrich2822]

9:10 it's a sugar egg white foam on a wafer and covered by chocolate. Initially called "Negro kiss" refering to the color and the French baiser, but meanwhile a chocolate kiss.

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

You ask why all the stuff is so cheap in Germany (and also better quality) and why so expensive in the States? You poor Americans have fallen prey to pirates in your overly unregulated system. And since only the dollar counts, you're going to be ripped off as much as the competition will allow. And there are certainly illegal agreements between the companies. And to get that under control, you need a strong authority that uncovers such collusion and of course punishment. And here we are again, with the largely unregulated market. Or as we say in Germany, "that's where the cat bites its own tail..." which means we've come full circle...

[@toomasargel8503]

02:48 that not scamm = group flight with 3 star hotel START price = if you want go You pay extra for luggage ca 200 and incurence ca 100 and guided tours start 60 euro until 190 euro per each day tour . + of course tips ca 5-20 euro per dinner /or bar . + separated room with out stranger other trip maker = extra bill ca 30 % . = total not 947 but more like 2100 euros + suveniers and dinners ( 700 euro ).

[@SkyCGirl]

This guy is amazing! Hope you can react more to his videos if they are there :)

[@Mangafan47]

The prices in Germany are so cheap, because Germany is in the georgraphic center of Europe, so if you want to export something through Europe (f.ex. north africa to north Europe, south america to Asia etc, going through Germany is the fastest route. So there is also low import tax (compared to their neighbour countries), if you also sell part of your goods to the german market.

[@robfriedrich2822]

8:00 it's a powder for turning water into a soda with fruit flavors. But kids discovered, how funny it is, to eat it.

[@rileyxxxx]

indeed, Becks is the most common beer you get in clubs / concert venues. his camera was also showing "astra" which is beer from hamburg, one of the best! though they only sell it in small bottles.

[@BlackWater_49]

10:55 BILD has four basic components: Fear, hate, tits and the weather report.

[@zee_shaaan]

Hey! Every kaufland is like this, it's not a mall, but it's just a theme of every kaufland, you get pharmacy, kiosk etc etc and ofcourse kaufland xD & every kafland is huge!

[@robfriedrich2822]

9:55 They sold Nutella with some kind of bread and a pun "b-ready", meanwhile they doesn't do this "be ready/ bready" pun anymore

[@wallywombat164]

Thank's mate. That was terrific.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

3:30 More like a Supermarket with an attached Shopping Arcade.

[@nomaam9077]

8:40 - I would say that the prices in Germany are so low because there is more competition in the food trade. 10:35 - The Wicked Witch of the East.

[@Sina-aka-potatosupreme]

Yes, some grocery stores are comparable to small malls. I don't know any supermarket in Germany who doesn't have a bakery. My super market also has a post office and a hairdresser. That is a normal thing.

[@FINNSTIGAT0R]

One thing I just don’t understand is why Germany insists on having such a short packing area after the cashier, meaning the counter is very short, and you have to pack everything immediately after the cashier scans it. In Finland, we also pack our own items, but after the cashier scans the products, they go onto a large extension of the counter, allowing you to pack at a more relaxed pace.

[@toomasargel8503]

08:31 here Estonia ( at Germany 1820 km to NE ) is that 1,29 euros / 1,40 USD. not 0,59

[@MichaEl-rh1kv]

Kaufland follows nowadays also the "discounter pattern" invented by Aldi and Lidl, but has still far bigger stores. There is much competition in the discounter section in Germany, and some of the big chains are able to push their purchasing prices down due to their market share and market power.

[@Pucky71]

The main reason why it is cheaper in Germany is the wide range of supermarkets. There is a lot of competition. Supermarket companies are driving down purchasing prices and many farmers and producers don't get much money for their products. Mars tried to raise the prices for its sweets in Germany, the result: many German supermarkets have removed everything from Mars from their shelves and they no longer sell Mars products. Consumers are happy.

[@deanwinchester7446]

07:18 The brother not only love the mushrooms , he love the Gewürz Ketchup 😂

[@robfriedrich2822]

7:43 Schaschlik ketchup is more spicey, mend for shashlik. Gewürzketchup has an intensive flavor, it's comparable with barbecue sauce, but tastes differently

[@videoclipsdude]

And here is the funny thing, you keep saying "why is groceries so cheap in germany" - but germans always complaining on HOW EFFIN EXPENSIVE it is :D

[@johnfisher9816]

Those prices are good indeed Joel. I'm wondering if transportation costs are a less due to the greater efficiency of the European transportation system and shorter distances between producers and consumers???? Fresh produce in the winter is shipped from California, Mexico, and Central America, thousands of kms away. The prices here right now are crazy!!!!!! John in Canada

[@Psi-Storm]

The discounter (Aldi, Lidl, ...) are really popular in Germany. They sell store brands and main brand products, while the store brands are usually just relabeled brand products. The off brands are sold at super low margins (

[@RustyDust101]

The EU common market has a LOT to do with the cheap prices. When you look at all the EU countries and their local produce you can cover over 80% of all veggies and other plant based products within one market. Due to the EU contracts all EU countries have to adhere to the same safety standards reducing the overhead of customs controls, export and import duties, and all the logistics overhead. That results in vastly cheaper grocery prices in general. Only anything imported from overseas and non-EU countries is noticeably more expensive.

[@almanoor-bakker5964]

I am in northern Europe, and i can assure you that our fresh produce in winter is imported from Italy and Spain too.

[@RealConstructor]

We have 6 supermarkets in my little town of 20,000 inhabitants. All but one are in town, because it is very difficult to get a permit to build a supermarket at the outskirts of town or in the middle of nowhere in The Netherlands. Aldi moved from town to the industrial estate and it is now more difficult for people to reach the store, because people that regularly shop there often don’t have a car. They normally walk or cycle to the supermarket and for some the Aldi supermarket is too far away now. But they attract new customers from people working on the industrial estate doing their shopping in lunch break or directly after work. I also do my grocery shopping on a bicycle with panniers. I hang my panniers on the cart and can fill them easily at the self checkout. It is only a 15 minute bike ride, so within an hour I’m back home, and I don’t have to search for a parking spot, which saves a lot of time. I do my grocery, baker and butcher on Thursdays after work, so I can also visit the weekly market in the town center, and I do my supermarket shopping on Fridays after work or Saturdays.

[@Frohds14]

Kaufland is an oversized LIDL, It belongs also to the Schwarz Group, which owns LIDL. Like LIDL they have a few brands, but the cheap goods are their own brand, mostly generics from the brands, produced in the same factories. Because they are oversized, they are not in the middle of the city, but on the outskirts like in the US. So it's worth to drive by for people, they build a row of shops with the market. Most of these are cheaper chain stores run by franchisees. Essanelle, is a cheap hair salon, the Asia store, the travel agency are also franchises.

[@dieZera]

It's super common here that big Supermarkets got so called concessionaires in the same building but outside the actual supermarket, so they can rent a small shop in the building, it's not a mall, though.

[@t.s.4091]

Groceries might be a little cheaper, however, once it comes to more expensive things like cars, the US is way cheaper.

[@fraggoOor]

well this video is a bit older so inflation also kicked in here in germany too :D so the prices raised alot

[@zcalicioustv1692]

Kaufland is a mix of Mall and supermarket ... most of them has little extra shop inside but not all of them

[@matshjalmarsson3008]

VAT is included almost everywhere outside of the USA

[@Veit-A.-G.-Mayer]

Schokoküsse used to be named Morenköpfe ( everyone i know including me still call it that

[@GuSc-g4k]

Originally, one had to insert a one-euro coin or 50 cents into a shopping cart to release the chain that locks it. This mechanical deposit is refunded when the cart is returned and relocked. Later, plastic tokens were introduced so that people didn't need to have small change. These tokens are usually obtained in the stores themselves. They work just as well because they are not unlimited. However, tools have emerged that bypass the mechanical system, and the first carts are left abandoned in the parking lots. What's even worse is that since the pandemic, people return the carts to the depots but push them into the longest queue, even if a shorter one is only 20 cm away. This blocks the traffic lanes, creating inconvenience and danger for everyone. Often, people are also observed taking a cart from one depot near the entrance and returning it far away, close to their own car. So, one depot becomes empty while the other is overcrowded. Well, the consequences of the pandemic: stress, a regression to primal instincts, and a loss of control.

[@michaelklafft7084]

The sweets from Haribo were discounted, normally they sell for 99 cents :)

[@thomasd5]

At the end of 2021, I was in Romania. They've got the same Supermarket chains there as we have here in Germany, and coincidentally I was there in "Kaufland", too. But I couldn't believe the prices, they were even much lower than in Germany! And to answer your question, the prices in Germany are low due to hard competition. Sometimes you won't find products from Nestle, Henkel, Langnese, or other brands like your favorite Cola drink in a supermarket anymore. The reason is, if producers increase prices too much, the brands get simply unlisted and are not available in that market anymore. And eventually, perhaps six or nine months later, they agree on a new pricing agreement, and those brands return to the shelves again. And btw, Harribo is actually an abbreviation, it means Dr. HAns RIegel (Name of the founder), BOnn (City of the Company). And finally, I found out why this Kaufland shop looks so familiar to me: It's Kaufland Krefeld, my current Hometown. About plastic bags: Last century plastic bags were free when they replaced paper bags. Then 10 Pfennig (5 Ct.) were charged. But since plastic pollution increased, most people bring bags or backpacks from home for their errands. My solution to avoid unnecessary plastic trash is, I picked up two or three plastic bags from the street in 2019, which had been thrown away by other people, and reuse those since then. At one plastic bag, I had re-fix the handles because the stuff I put in was too heavy, but I still use those same bags. That's why I don't know the current prices for plastic bags, but it should be somewhere between 10 and 50 Ct..

[@wildnasti.6398]

Is anyone gonna tell him about Sangria? The wine is served in tetra pack which is basically a kind of cartoon that you can poor or drink it from. The cheepest wine you could get in germany i guess. It used to be around 1 euro.(but due to inflation it did get more expensive.)

[@patrickrbx7825]

Kaufland is basicly like a large supermarket with small stores in it most of the time

[@patrickrbx7825]

The main reason why we have to bring our own bags to the grocery store is mainly to save a ton of wasted materials. Plastic bags are rarely used here. Instead we have mostly paper bags

[@TheRossz]

Maybe it's cheaper because of differences between wages?

[@martinhuhn7813]

3:35 Nope, it is not really a mall. Many of the bigger german grocery stores rent out their entry area to smaller shops. Such as bakeries, flower shops, postal services, pharmacies are common. But there are generally much fewer shops there than in the malls and most shops are much less fancy. 17:54: Unfortunately, there was at least 15% inflation, since the video came out, and 50% to 100% for many of the formerly cheap ones. As far as I know, it is still less expensive than the US. 18:50 The prices in the Kaufland-shops are generally on the lower middle end of the spectrum.

[@GuSc-g4k]

In Germany, all prices include value-added tax. 19% for hardware and 7% for groceries. This needs to be taken into account when comparing prices. That means deducting an additional 7%.

[@TalasDD]

the grocery prices are so cheap in germany because our grossery stores compeate on price here instead on availability. if you have the choise of 3-6 different store-chains in walking distance instead of one big box store 30 minutet driving distance. the stores have to reduce prices. germany has actualy an extra classification between dollar stores and supermarkets called discounters. Dollar stores buy production surplusses and cheap product when they have the opertunity (euroshop, mcgeiz). Discounter by product from wholesalers in so large quantities that they can get discounts of wich tey pass on a part to the consumer (Aldi, Lidl), supermarkets follow different sales consepts some specialise in local products (Rewe, Frida, Konsum) and the big box stores that try to provide all the product you could need in one stop. (Kaufland, Edika), there is a 5th kategory Wholesallers (Metro, Carrefour) but you need a business membership to shop there in germany.

[@greglane8092]

I've been to Germany twice in the last year-and-a-half. I went with a friend to a very modest grocery store when I was in Hamburg. It definitely didn't look like a mall. The prices did seem cheaper than in the U.S., but nothing as cheap as what he was pointing out. It's also worth pointing out that grocery stores in Germany are where you buy things like shower gel, toothpaste, deodorant, and sunscreen. There aren't stores like Walgreens or Walmart there. The pharmacies I went in carried high end cosmetics and drugs and are pretty small. I was told by one of the people working where I stayed that there was a Walmart in Berlin at one time, but closed because it didn't do enough business. I did take a daytrip to a little town called Luneburg, and found a lot of shops that had very cheap things; it reminded me of a high end dollar tree, but didn't find any stores like that in the bigger cities. I found it interesting that in this video, the guy kept saying the prices in dollars and cents, instead of calling it euro.

[@RustyDust101]

The big 'grocery stores' with all the small service 'stores' would be too small for a regular mall in the USA, but they are plenty large for most of Europe and especially Germany. Yeah, they could be called a mall, but the central part of these big store grocery stores is always the grocery part. But then again, that's why we still call them supermarkets here. In many cases they have a small selection of shoes and clothes, some small home or kitchen appliances, some even have bike tires and inner inflatable linings, bike pumps, and all those small knicknacks that you might also buy at a speciality store. But the vast amount of items in these supermarkets are still groceries of all kinds. The big brands would be Kaufland, Rewe, Netto, and some more local versions. The smaller ones like Aldi, Lidl, Penny, etc are the typical discounter stores with a very limited selection but usually bargain prices because they buy in HUUUUGE bulk. Currently the exchange rate fluctuates quite a bit. In 2014 the Euro was very strong, so $1.45 was 1 Euro back then. End of 2022 the exchange rate had dropped to 0.96 € to $1, reversing the situation. Right now the Euro has recovered a bit to $1.06 for 1€. So, meh, while there is a tiny difference, it is roughly a 1 to 1 ratio. What is cheaper (currently) in the USA is all Mexican based foods, like avocado, cilantro, etc. All of those need to be shipped and imported over long distances, thus increasing their prices. Most of the time the fresh produce is also harvested unripe, and exposed to ripening gases (a natural gas occuring from many fruits during storage, especially apples) that enhance the visual appearance, but not the taste. Dito for many exotic fruits.

[@FINNSTIGAT0R]

Germany's grocery prices are low due to intense competition from discounters like Aldi and Lidl, efficient supply chains, economies of scale, minimalist store formats, and strong consumer protection laws. Or so says chatGPT st least. As a Finn I'm quite jealous for those prices!