Could there be light at the end of the tunnel for impulse buyers
Something incredible happened the other day. We were having guests for the weekend, and my husband, being the domestic God that he is, had been shopping for breakfast. (No, that wasn’t what was incredible…) Anyway, as I came to open the salami he’d bought (it was crocodile or kangaroo I think—Kaufhof is having a bit of an exotic run at the moment), I noticed it was about a month beyond its sell-by date. This didn’t surprise me—I’ve been shopping long enough in Germany now to know quality control is not the hottest, but, as ever, it made me extremely angry. I refused to let him chance it on our unsuspecting visitors, and vowed to take the offending packet back to Kaufhof on Monday.
I don’t know about you, but I detest taking things back in Germany. In England, I’m a true shopping bulimic—buy as much as possible for that retail rush, and then take at least half of it back the next week when the novelty’s worn off. But in Germany, it’s on a par with going to the dentist. And, no matter how good a reason you may have for returning something, you’re treated like a total freak. It’s not that they refuse to refund goods, but the methods they have are just bizarre. Take Hirmer, for example. I once tried to return a men’s jacket. This entailed lining up at the till, only then to be sent to find someone in the menswear department (easier said than done) who had to fill in a form (of course). Having had my hand slapped for removing the label, which made identification of the garment difficult on the receipt, I then had to return with this form to the till, where I obviously had to get in line again to have the form stamped. To get my money back I then had to wait at a second till, which handled money. There were added complications (i.e., a third till and a fourth member of staff) because I’d paid by credit card. I often think it would make great television to take a few of these German sales assistants and put them in English shops at the height of the Christmas sales to see how they’d cope…
Anyway, back to the salami. I entered Kaufhof’s food hall with trepidation. Unsure whom to ask, I picked on the first member of staff I saw and explained my problem, adding that I didn’t have a receipt, as I wasn’t in the habit of keeping supermarket bills. To my amazement, he nodded, agreed that it was out of order and asked if I’d rather exchange it or have my money back. Doing my bit for crocodile rights, I went for the refund and was out of there in five minutes. No questions, no fuss, nothing. As I said, incredible.
Speaking of surprises, Munich is full of them. For example, did you know that the city is Germany’s secret wine capital, consuming more per capita than anywhere else in the country? We’ve taken a look at this booming business and what’s on offer wine-wise in the city, on page 36. For another unexpected treat, have a peek at page 14. At Munich’s flotation center you need do nothing more than submerge yourself in a saltwater tank for a while, for endless health benefits. It’s certainly easier than going to the gym. If you prefer therapy of the retail nature, did you know that there are some surprisingly good shops to be discovered in the city’s museums? Check out our guide to the best of them, on page 19. There’s such a treasure trove of stuff on sale that returning it will be the last thing on your mind! <<<
