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FOOD AND DRINK

All aboard: grocery bus caters to isolated German villages

In the western German village of Lohne, where the only grocery store closed its doors earlier this year, residents now do their food shopping on board a red-and-green supermarket bus that rolls into the main square once a week.

German villages
The supermarket-on-wheels is a pilot project between REWE and the Deutsche Bahn rail company. Pictured is a village in Germany. Photo by Mona Hamm on Unsplash

For 90 minutes, locals get a chance to buy the essentials without having to get into a car to drive to the nearest store.

The supermarket-on-wheels is a pilot project between Germany’s third-largest food retailer, REWE, and the Deutsche Bahn rail and transport company.

The bus began plying its route in March, catering to rural villages in the state of Hesse where brick-and-mortar stores have become an increasingly rare sight, turning some areas into so-called food deserts.

For the roughly 600 inhabitants of Lohne, where the balconies are dotted with colourful geraniums, the arrival of the REWE shopping bus is a welcome sight after the village’s only mini-mart closed for good in the spring.

“I can get the basics here,” said 90-year-old Inge Nehreng, who rode her electric trike for three kilometres (1.8 miles) to join the weekly bus rendez-vous.

“If I need something special, I go to a department store,” she added.

Parked on the village square, the 18-metre (60-feet) long bendy bus carries over 950 everyday products.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are on display outside the bus, while inside the choice ranges from food items to cigarettes, newspapers, soap and condoms.

“The only things missing are nappies and wet wipes,” said Yasmine Schneider, 34, who was shopping with her toddler Felix.

The mobile supermarket has also become a popular meeting place, a chance for the often elderly residents to catch up while getting their weekly groceries.

“After shopping, we sit on a bench and talk a bit,” said 85-year-old Ursula Sauer, who lives alone.

Keeping villages connected

From Monday to Saturday, the supermarket bus covers a 600-kilometre route, stopping at 23 villages.

The prices on board “are the same” as in the REWE supermarkets, said Joern Berszinski, who manages the supermarket bus.

Deutsche Bahn provides the driver for the project, while the onboard cashier is employed by REWE.

Despite its appeal, it remains to be seen how profitable the bus service will be.

“It takes three years for a stationary shop to turn a profit, the bus could also take a few years,” said Berszinski, who has run franchises under the REWE banner for 30 years.

A key selling point for the mobile supermarket is that REWE can reach more customers with a single sales team.

“At a time when there’s a shortage of skilled workers, that’s an advantage,” said Frank Klingenhoefer, in charge of mobility services at Deutsche Bahn Regio.

The bus project has not gone unnoticed in Germany, where nearly 2,000 supermarkets of fewer than 400 square metres (4,300 square feet) have closed over the past decade, according to the EHI retail research group.

“Many communities in other regions have expressed an interest,” said Klingenhoefer.

The REWE supermarket group plans to wait until the end of the pilot project in March 2025 before deciding whether to expand.

Deutsche Bahn already has eight “medical buses” crisscrossing the countryside to tend to Germany’s ageing population in remote areas.

It also has plans for a bus offering banking services.

Klingenhoefer said he could imagine services like shoe and clothing repairs on wheels as well, anything “where the needs of a single village are too small” to justify a brick-and-mortar investment.

Member comments

  1. This article makes no sense without any image of the supermarket truck. Also it would make sense if the location of the town with distances to nearby towns and supermarkets were shown.

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READER QUESTIONS

How much should tourists really tip in Germany?

Some suggest that tourists from the US have pushed their tipping culture on metropolitan cities in Germany. Others say foreign nationals in Germany don’t tip enough. Here's what you need to know.

How much should tourists really tip in Germany?

As a visitor in Germany, or a newcomer to the country, knowing a couple key things helps to ensure a smooth transaction.

Initiating the payment process

The first is knowing how to ask for the bill: Wir möchten zahlen bitte (We’d like to pay please), is a tested and true simple option.

Then you just have to be able to navigate a couple likely follow-up questions: Mit karte oder bar? (With card or cash?) And, Zusammen oder getrennt? (All together or separate?)

In casual establishments, oftentimes when you wish to pay by card, the server will ask you to follow them to the cash register to complete the transaction.

Since paying at the register is not uncommon, it’s also common enough to simply get up and walk to the register when you’re ready to pay – especially if you’re short on time.

How to tip like a German

The second thing that’s good to know is how to tip in Germany.

American tourists, coming from the land of mandatory tip-culture, are prone to falling into one of two classic errors. The first is reflexively tipping 20 percent or more, even at places where tips tend to be much more modest. The second would be to think “Nobody tips in Europe,” much to the dismay of every server they come across in Germany.

The general consensus is that tipping is good practice in Germany, especially at any establishment where you are being waited on.

So not necessarily at a Döner kebab shop or an imbiss (snack shop) where you are picking your food up at a counter and very often taking it to go. But certainly at any restaurant where someone takes your order and brings food or drinks to you.

The Local previously inquired about customary tip rates in Germany with an etiquette expert, and also with a sociologist who conducted research on tipping culture – both of whom confirmed that Germans tend to think a five to 10 percent tip is standard.

Of course bigger tips for excellent service are also encouraged, but there are few cases where Germans would consider tipping 20 percent. 

For smaller transactions, like for a couple drinks at a cafe or a bar, a ‘keep the change’ tip is also normal in Germany.

If you were paying for a couple beers that came to €8.90, for example, you might hand the bartender a €10 bill and say “Stimmt so” to indicate that the change is a tip.

Especially compared to the US, it’s true that the expectation to tip is expressed less in Germany. But many Germans do make tipping a common practice. So making a habit to tip modestly when dining out in the country will help you blend in better with the locals.

READ ALSO: Eight unwritten rules that explain how Germany works

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