Shopping in Germany can be a daunting experience if you are not familiar with how things work here.

The worst is probably grocery shopping. In South Africa there is usually someone at the till that bags your groceries for you. It is mostly a relaxed experience and you can even pay some of your utility bills at the till.

In Germany, there are no grocery packers and the workers at the till are extremely fast and efficient. So much that you do not even have time to pack in your own groceries. And don’t even dare to ask for a plastic bag!  The best is to take your own reusable bags with you and pack your items into the trolley so that you can bag them at your leisure.
Payment options have changed since the Corona pandemic, and more stores are accepting cash cards and mobile payments. Credit cards are still not accepted at all stores.

Shops like Rewe now have self-help tills where you scan your own items and pay.  It works with the weight of your items that you have to unpack before scanning so it is suited when you have only a few items.

Another difference to shopping in SA is the personal service you get in some stores, especially clothes or speciality shops.
Often you will get a salesperson asking if they can help you, and if you do need help they will make a great effort to give the correct advice.
Some clothing stores will help you with your wardrobe or give advice on what to wear to a specific event.

In some shoe shops, the attendant will ask if want to keep the box (die Schachtel).  The next question will then be if you need a bag or have a bag (die Einkaufstüte or just Tüte). If you brought your own you can just answer “ja ich habe eine dabei Danke”

Something you should never do is make use of the advice in a shop and then go buy the item online. This is not fair towards the salesperson.