Shopping!

Yeah, ALL Americans buy their ketchup and mayo like this

The best thing about shopping in a different country is leisurely strolling down every aisle and exploring the wonderful variety of different local products.  Now, with 3 kids in tow, I don't often get to enjoy the "leisurely" bit, but nonetheless shopping is always an adventure.  Andrew and I are re-discovering some of our favorite items from when we used to live here and unfortunately both of us have already gained over 4-5 lbs in these 2 months!  Yikes - and that's despite all this biking and walking.  Some American brands are well-represented like Uncle Ben's, Weight Watchers and Pringles but most of the American foods here (found in the exotic International Cuisine section!) are expensive junk food:  M&Ms, Lays chips, marshmallow whip, and Oreos (16 cookies for $3).  Many products are apparently deemed "American" just by slapping the flag on it -- see photo.

We've learned a bit about shopping in Germany.

DO

• Before you leave home, go to the bathroom.  Free public restrooms are rare and some stores require a purchase to use their bathrooms.  If you must go when you're out and about, be prepared to pay 50 cents either in a turnstile apparatus or directly to the Toilletendame whose thankless job is to wipe down stalls and seats all day.  As you walk out, you have to pass her sitting (and silently staring at you) at her little table with the coin dish. 
• Pack a water bottle.  Public water fountains are basically non-existent.  This might also explain the high number of cafes along shopping strips!
• Bring a 1 Euro coin to get a shopping cart.  Going to Aldi in the States is good practice!  This is common even at non "discount" stores.
• Bring your own shopping bags or be prepared to pay 10 Euro cents.
• Pay attention when you're checking out.  Once your items are scanned, there's about 10 inches of real estate so you have to hop to it and pack them up quickly lest you out yourself as a newbie.  Worst case scenario, you are too slow and the cashier has to stop scanning to let you catch up. Congratulations!  You've earned the wrath of all the shoppers behind you.  Hurry out to your bike and ride home.  Now!

DON'T

• Don't count on using your credit card.  We're surprised at how many transactions are still in cash.  Some weeks in Milwaukee I'd only need cash to pay the babysitter or send in money for the next field trip!  For larger purchases, people use their EC card which is basically a debit card and is accepted everywhere.  I get blank stares when I ask about VISA and Master Card somewhere that's not a major tourist sight or a large department store.
• Don't be surprised at your total - the Mehrwertsteuer (19 % tax) is included in the product price. 
• Don't forget your garbage!  Bring your rinsed bottles to the receptacle at some (not all -- another bit to learn) grocery stores and get your deposit back.  Some stores only take back the products they sell.  There's curbside pick-up for paper, packaging garbage and trash but you have to haul in your glass, cans and non-deposit plastic bottles on your own and take them to a separate collection area - often in the parking lot of certain grocery stores.
• Don't lose track of the time.  Stores close at 8 and are not open at all on Sundays or holidays.  Many smaller stores will close over the lunch hour as well. The post office in our town closes at 5:30.

Farm fresh!  Sometimes we also find other things on our eggs...

Whoa!  Now that is a big bag of lettuce for 29 Euro cents ($0.34)

Baking is trickier than cooking as the exact ingredients don't always allow substitutes.  I've already had to toss a whole batch of cookies :(  You know it's bad when your own kids won't eat the cookies!  Things I haven't been able to get here:  sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup, Mexican seasoning like adobo, shredded cheddar cheese, good italian salad dressing, frozen corn, ranch dip (that one hurts) and chocolate chips.  There are similar items of course but not exact.  For example, the brown sugar is dry like white sugar and the granules are enormous so that even if I melt my butter first to try and dissolve the brown sugar, it still is a bit sandlike.  By law, all eggs are some version of free range, come in cartons of 6 or 10 eggs and are not necessarily refrigerated. In fact, some milk (H-Milch) isn't either.  Our swap family had left 4 liters of H-Milch in the pantry for us.  Yep, it'll be there when we leave.  Let's just say it has an acquired taste...

This version of Frosted Mini Wheats was $3.50!

 As far as prices go, groceries in general seem to be the same/slightly cheaper.  One liter of milk costs 51 Euro cents ($0.65) and a loaf of bread is about 2.50 Euro.  Bioprodukte (organic) are everywhere and sometimes there isn't a non-organic choice.  In fact, the prices for organic non-meat items aren't that high either. Clothes and shoes on the other hand are crazy expensive.  Walmart and TJ Maxx I miss you!