Shop till you Drop in Germany

The Germans enjoy their shopping and thus it comes across as no surprise when it is often referred to as the national pastime. With the locals showing so much enthusiasm for shopping, how can visitors to the country be far behind?  Though the ‘mall’ culture is the craze in all other parts of the world, things in Germany are a bit different as it is yet to become as popular as it is elsewhere. But that does not mean that the Germans are lagging behind and the last couple of years have seen a steady increase in the numbers. These also include a number of ‘Outlet malls’.

The suburban areas have multiple ‘Big Box’ stores and some of them are also located in the city centres. The Hornbach and Hela Baumarkt are some of the do-it-yourself shopping stores. If you are looking for electronic goods and the likes, then Saturn and MediaMarkt are the places to visit. Also Moebel Martin and Ikea have their respective outlets as well.  You can also shop at any of the hyper stores that stock everything under one roof.  These include Globus Handelshof, Real and Kaufland.  Most of these stores are located within the premises of a shopping centre.

The towns or comparatively smaller cities have their market streets which are locally referred to as Markstrassen. These are pedestrian zones with stores situated parallel, on either side of the street. These have a more or less centralised location and are connected to every part of the city on account of a developed transportation system.  The shopping areas are characterised by trees, outdoor cafes, benches with sidewalk musicians playing their instruments. All these contribute to a pleasurable shopping experience.

Apart from the shopping centres and hyper marts, there are a number of vendors selling a variety of stuff. These include leather goods, clothes, handicrafts, shoes, glassware, metalware, optical instruments, spices, antiques, candles and even oriental carpets.  The medieval and fortified city of Rothenburg deserves a mention in this regard as it houses one of the biggest Christmas stores in the country.

As far as specialisation is concerned, this factor is evident with respect to the food stores such as Konditorei or the pastry shop, the Metzgerei or the butcher and the Backerei or the bakery.  You can shop for fresh products at these places and also drop in for a quick bite at the Backerei or the Konditorei. People who are conscious and concerned about eating right can drop into the Reformhaus or the health food store in order to shop for such food products.

With information about all these specialty stores in the country, you know where to go shopping.  In fact some of the hotels and holiday homes in Germany also house souvenir shops so that the tourists can buy curios and other artefacts in case they do not have sufficient time to go shopping.