Grocery Shopping

Grocery Shopping in Germany Made Simple

Stepping into a German supermarket for the first time can feel overwhelming. The store layout is unfamiliar, your go-to brands might be missing, and figuring out what to call plastic wrap in German can be challenging.

This guide is here to help! We’ve gathered essential tips, a list of popular grocery stores, and convenient delivery options to make your shopping experience easier.

Where to shop for groceries (Lebensmittel)

When it comes to buying groceries, you have a number of options available to you.

Mid-range

If you’re looking for a balance between quality and affordability, mid-range stores offer a great selection of high-quality products at reasonable prices.

Discounters

If keeping costs low is your main goal, discounters provide budget-friendly prices while still offering a solid selection of essentials. These stores focus on savings rather than the shopping experience, so expect a no-frills layout with shelves that may appear a bit chaotic.

Wholesale

For bulk shopping or stocking up for a larger household, wholesale retailers offer great deals on bigger quantities. To shop at these stores, you’ll need a business license (Gewerbeschein) for Metro or a client card (Kundenkarte) for Selgros. Their setup is similar to Makro in South Africa.

Good to know

Shopping Carts & Tokens – Grocery carts require a coin deposit, but you can also buy plastic tokens for convenience.
Bring Your Own Bags – While you can purchase bags at the checkout, it’s better to bring your own. Some shoppers frown upon buying bags, and they always come at an extra cost.
Packing Your Groceries – You’ll need to pack your own bags at checkout. Cashiers—especially in discounters—scan items quickly, which can be overwhelming. Be prepared by opening your bags in the trolley for quick packing or placing items back into the cart to bag them later. Shopping with a partner can also help—one handles packing while the other pays. To slow things down slightly, space your items out on the conveyor belt in the order you want to pack them.
Bottle Deposits (Pfand) – Many plastic and glass bottles have a deposit (Pfand), which you can reclaim by returning them to automated machines (Pfandautomaten) in participating stores. The machine prints a receipt (“Bon”) that you can redeem at the cashier.
Weighing Produce – Some stores require you to weigh fresh produce yourself and attach a price label. Many also offer reusable produce bags.
Alcohol & Tobacco – Beer and other alcoholic drinks are available in grocery stores. Cigarettes and vape products are usually stored at the checkout.
Medication – Even basic medicines like aspirin are not sold in grocery stores. You’ll need to visit a pharmacy (Apotheke).
Cash Withdrawals—Some stores allow cash withdrawals at the register, usually with a minimum purchase requirement and a withdrawal limit. Check individual store policies, such as Rewe’s “Kostenlos Bargeld abheben” service.

To help you navigate the products in the shops, we created substitute lists for known South African products

Substitutes and Food Info

There are countless South African products that can be conveniently purchased online today. In those rare instances where you can’t find what you’re looking for

Product Substitutes

Most products we know in South Africa are available in Germany, but unfortunately not all of them. Here is a list of product substitutes for some

Buying online

Most of the shops listed above have online shops that deliver to your door.
For a limited list of items and fast delivery, you can use apps like Flink, Wolt, PiCniC or Flaschenpost

Quality of produce

If you are looking for top-notch products that guarantee quality and exceptional taste, then it is highly recommended that you choose to buy local and seasonal produce. Not only does this option ensure that you are selecting the freshest fruits and vegetables available but it also helps support local farmers and their communities. It is also essential to note that some imported fruits may lack flavour when compared to locally sourced options. Thus, it would be wise to always check where your fruits come from to ensure that you get the best quality and flavour.
An example of this is when fruit is shipped to Germany; most of it goes through artificial ripening techniques such as Ethylene gas.
While this process does ripen the fruit, it is done at the expense of its taste, leading to the fruit being unappetizing and lacking its natural sweetness.
Therefore, buying local and seasonal fruits is always the best option for quality assurance and exceptional taste.

Bioladen

Bioladen or Biomärkte sells organic products.

Hofladen

A Hofladen is a type of farm stand that sells produce directly from a farm. By definition: “A shop that is part of a farm and mainly sells its own products directly”.
The main advantages are that you know where the produce comes from, it is fresh as it doesn’t need to be transported over long periods of time and you can sometimes even pick the produce yourself.