Grocery Shopping in Germany: Lesson 3 -- At the Lidl

Walk 10 minutes down the path from our house, up the street and you'll be at the Grocery Trifecta -- at one intersection we have three grocery stores: Rewe (the nice one) and the Aldi and Lidl, both discount grocery stores. Of those last two, I usually shop at Lidl because it's on our side of the intersection. To the right you can see the attached bakery, Hechts, which is our go-to bakery.

A first look inside the Lidl. If I walk to the store, I put the groceries I intend to buy right into my reusable bags that I brought. I've been caught in the past where I used a shopping cart and ended up buying too much and it was struggle to carry everything home. The workers don't bat an eye when you put things into your shopping bag or basket.

No fresh veggies or fruit are refrigerated.

Margarine is not refrigerated.

Eggs are not refrigerated.

It was French week this week -- crêpe and tartes mixes, cans of ratatouille and other French items.

You see more heat treated milk that doesn't need refrigeration than you do fresh milk.

Individually wrapped cheeses, similar to Kraft American cheese slices, are not refrigerated.

In the middle of the store are the specials of the week. I have seen everything there: everyday clothing and household items, scuba gear, ski boots, composting toilets, vacuum cleaners, etc. You never know what you'll find.

Expect to wait in a long line at the Lidl and expect that you will let some people cut in line in front of you, with your permission, that is. It is expected that you will look at the people behind you and if they have only a few items, or even just significantly less than you have, you should allow them to go in front of you. If you don't, they will tap you on the shoulder and say, "I have only a few items. Would you mind if I go in front of you?" I had a lady say that to me once, I let her go ahead and it turns out she had more items that I had, but it wasn't worth saying anything. On the other hand, there was a time where I just needed to pick up one or two things for dinner and I had a sleeping Becca in my arms. People noticed right away that I was carrying a slumbering toddler and pushed me to the front of the line. That was nice.

The cashiers at the Lidl scan items at lightening speed and there is only a small space to put them afterward, so you need to be quick about either sticking them back into your shopping cart or into your shopping bag. People get annoyed if you take a long time putting your items away and slow down the already long line. By the way, I have never seen a bag boy/girl in Germany. And when it comes to paying, you can use your debit/credit card no problem, but if you use cash, give the cashier exact change, or as close as possible. It's what they expect and if you just hand them a 10 or 20 Euro bill, they will ask you if you have any change. It's normal to see people digging through their change purses for that 1 cent Euro coin.