A fool and his money are safe in Germany

One of the things I appreciate about the consumer driven market of the U.S. is that if I want something, it is fairly easy for me to exchange money for it and get what I want. This does not seem to be the case at all in Germany.

The first problem is actually getting into the store. Pretty much everything is closed on Sundays and after 8 p.m. on weekdays. Saturdays, most things close at 6 p.m., but you'll find plenty of places that are only open for a few hours on Saturday. Many stores will also close at random times during the week - Wednesdays, or Thursday afternoons, etc.

The second problem seems to be finding what you want. This past weekend we walked about 45 minutes to get to Knaubers, the store that supposedly has everything - which is in stark contrast to most places, which seem to essentially carry one item. On this particular evening we were in need of soap. Knaubers started out as a Home Depot, so they have all kinds of things like wallpaper, lumber, tile, etc., but then they expanded into just about every other line of business you can imagine - greeting cards, books, toys, pet supplies, bread, sausages, fresh cheeses, seafood, even a cafeteria. However, as we found out after our 45 minute walk - no soap. No handsoap. No dishsoap. No laundry detergent. No soap of any kind.

The third problem in Germany is getting to the checkout. As anyone who has been to a restaurant in Germany knows, service in Germany is atrocious. You will literally have to wait at least 30 minutes before you get the opportunity to pay for your meal. This seems to carry over to the retail industry as well. Even a really large store never seems to have more than two cash registers open. Since every working person has to do their shopping during the few magical moments when stores are open after work, everyone ends up waiting at least 20 minutes to check out.

The fourth problem in Germany is the means of payment. We were in need of a new wireless adapter for our laptop, so this evening I walked for about 30 minutes to get to the German equivalent of BestBuy. This store really was pretty much like BestBuy, with a large selection of computers, large appliances, flat screen televisions, etc. I found what I wanted and waited my 20 minutes in line (see above). That's when I found out that they don't take credit cards! I was literally speechless. I can understand when the baker or the candlestick maker doesn't take credit cards, but the electronics store?

"I'm sorry, I left my 50 pound sack of Euro coins in my other pair of Lederhosen, can I pay with my debit card?"

"No", came the reply,"Cash or bank card".

"But this is a bank card, see it says 'Debit Card' on there".

"Das ist nicht ein bank card", she said as she pointed to the Visa symbol.

Evidently, bank cards in Germany operate on a different system, so unless I get a German bank account or feel comfortable lugging around a suitcase full of cash, I guess we won't be buying a flat screen television in Germany.