You’ll never need to set foot in a German supermarket again
I think I may just have seen the light. I may have finally discovered the civilized way to do grocery shopping in Germany. Ok, so supermarket shopping is never going to be one of life’s most thrilling experiences. But in England and France, at least, retailers try to make it more pleasant—clean shelves, clean floors, friendly service and a vast range of attractive-looking, high-quality products. In Germany, on the other hand, I feel as if I’m stepping into the Dark Ages each time I enter a supermarket. I’ve found moldy, out-of-date products on shelves, and goods that look as if they’ve just been thrown on display randomly. Assistants are few and far between—and those who are on show appear dirty and grumpy. The lines are endless—and yet, when you get to the till, the cashier throws your purchases at you as fast as she can. I could go on. But you get the message: I don’t like it.
That was, at least, until I decided to give Tengelmann’s new online delivery service a go. I was initially cynical. If a supermarket can’t get it right in the store, how can it be expected to deliver fresh, appealing-looking produce direct to your door? Still, as the saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover.
The online store itself won me over immediately. Registration was simple, and the items were clearly grouped into logical categories. It’s also a lot easier to compare prices online than at the supermarket, where the labels are often for completely different goods than those on the shelves. Internet shoppers can purchase goods by weight or by number of items, allowing more flexibility, and full descriptions of each item can be accessed by clicking on the picture. Admittedly, you may end up buying far more than you actually need, not only because you don’t have to carry it home, but also because there are items listed that you probably wouldn’t spot in the supermarket, as they’d be chaotically arranged on cluttered shelves. Which brings me to my next concern. Whenever I go shopping in Germany, list in hand, I invariably end up having to trek to two or three different supermarkets to buy everything I need. If they’re not capable of stocking a full range in a supermarket, how could they promise to deliver every item just a few hours later? (Orders taken by 5:45 pm will be delivered between 9 am and 1 pm the following day.) Time would tell.
Meanwhile, I had completed my weekly shopping in just 20 minutes—a fraction of the time it would take normally, battling through crowded aisles with a wonky cart. I typed in my address, desired delivery time and method of payment—customers have the choice of cash, EC card or vouchers. Five minutes after I’d clicked confirm, the phone rang. It was Tengelmann confirming the address (apparently they do this for first-time shoppers) and double-checking that there were no abnormalities with it—I’ve known people shop online in England and receive 100 kg of apples, instead of 1 kg, for example. What good service! I was already beginning to think this was going far too well for words. Could Tengelmann really come up with the goods the next day? I could hardly sleep for excitement…
It was 9:30 am. The doorbell rang, and before me was the delivery man, armed with carrier bags. “Shall I take them through to the kitchen?” he offered. More good service? I was speechless. The proof of the pudding, though, would be the goods themselves. Normally I find myself having to pick through soft onions and bruised apples to find a couple of decent ones. Surely no one putting together an online order would have the time or inclination to do that? I opened the bags with trepidation. And, I have to say, went from being mildly happy with the service, to extremely impressed. Not only did the products look far fresher than I have ever seen in a German supermarket, but they were also packaged carefully, according to category, with all cheese products together, all fresh meat separate and all frozen products kept individually, and, I add, still frozen. The order was complete, though they had thrown in an extra bunch of spring onions for good measure.
Orders must have a minimum value of € 15, and there is a standard delivery charge of € 5, which some people, my husband included, may think is a bit steep. Believe me, that’s not a lot to pay for a stress-free wife. <<<
