Have you ever felt confused about going to the supermarket in Germany? Are you new to Germany and want to quickly integrate into life here? Then let’s explore with URIAH about going to the supermarket in Germany!
Part 1: The most popular supermarkets in Germany today
For international students in Germany, expenses are always a special concern when they first arrive in a new country. In addition to housing costs, food costs are also very important. To spend reasonably with a monthly amount of 100-150 euros, international students need to gain experience when going to the supermarket.
In Germany, there are many large supermarkets such as Rewe, Edeka, Kaufland, Lidl, Aldi, Netto, Norma. They are spread throughout all cities in Germany. However, some cities will only have a few typical supermarkets such as Netto or Norma, while other large cities will have large supermarket chains such as Kaufland or wholesale supermarket chains such as Metro.
Every day, there are many discounted items in supermarkets. This is the time for us to choose good food at reasonable prices. Below, URIAH will introduce you to the basics of supermarkets in Germany, when you are living or participating in a vocational study abroad program here.
Overview of learning German from level A1 to B1
First of all, we need to pay a little attention to the concept of supermarket in Germany. Unlike in Vietnam, which only uses the word “supermarket” for self-service and cash-on-delivery systems. In Germany, the two most common concepts are “Discounter” and “Vollsortimenter”. We do not need to dissect the two words above too much, but we can roughly understand them as follows: Discounter is a supermarket system with affordable prices, diverse goods, and cheap prices; Vollsortimenter is a supermarket system with a variety of goods in a higher price segment.
1. Popular Discounters in Germany
Lidl, Aldi, Netto
When studying nursing in Germany , the first supermarket that URIAH students usually visit is Netto, Aldi, or Lidl. They offer a wide range of goods, in addition to necessities, there are also other items that serve life such as clothes and household items. At Netto, Lidl, or Aldi, the goods are reasonably priced, diverse, and many branches also sell electrical appliances such as rice cookers, stoves, pans, etc.
Pictures of some Discounter supermarkets in Germany
Adli and Lidl usually have more seafood than other supermarkets, so they are the place for those who are passionate about seafood. In addition, there are still weekly discounts, very suitable for international students with limited income.
Discounter supermarket chains have a low-mid price segment, suitable for all households with different income levels. However, Discounter supermarket chains almost do not sell Bio products. This can also be a minus point, because it will lose customers loyal to Bio products .
Some other similar Discounter supermarket chains but on a small scale, with affordable products in Germany include Penny and Norma.
2. Popular Vollsortimenter in Germany
Rewe – Edeka ? Kaufland
Supermarkets in GermanySupermarkets in GermanySupermarkets in Germany
Rewe, Edeka, Kaufland are the most popular Vollsortimenter supermarkets in Germany, with many branches and stores spread across Germany. Kaufland is usually only found in big cities, so it is a bit less popular than Rewe or Edeka.
In addition, the scale of the stores is also different, for example, in small cities the scale will be smaller, while in big cities it will also be larger, selling more types of products, including household appliances… The price segment in these systems is at a higher level, with higher quality products. In addition, here they have arranged a booth specializing in Bio products so that people can choose without having to go to specialized stores specializing in Bio products.
Consumer products from Rewe, Edeka or Kaufland are often more expensive than those from Discounter stores. However, international students can still find good products at reasonable prices at these two supermarkets or products on sale.
In short, for those who have a good income or do not necessarily need to be too frugal, these two supermarkets will be the ideal choice.
3. Store/supermarket system specializing in organic products:
The Bio chain in Germany is quite difficult to rank because it usually does not belong to the Discounter system (because the prices are definitely not cheap) or Vollsortimenter (because the variety of items is not diverse). The size of the stores is also different, it can be a large chain like Alnatura or small stores.
Only organic products are sold here at high prices. International students usually do not need to buy here, because products from other supermarkets are also guaranteed to be of good quality and have more reasonable prices.
However, you get what you pay for, fresh fruit, pure juice, delicious food.
