German for the supermarket: the checkout, Pfand and paying
The German supermarket checkout is quick, and it expects you to be. Items come down the belt faster than you can bag them, the cashier asks two questions, and you pack afterwards. Add the bottle deposit system and a shop that shuts on Sundays, and this is the everyday situation that catches people out most. These are the phrases for the aisles, the till and the Pfand machine.
Finding things
Entschuldigung, wo finde ich Milch?
Excuse me, where can I find milk?
Haben Sie frisches Brot?
Do you have fresh bread?
Ist das laktosefrei?
Is this lactose free?
Wo sind die Einkaufskörbe?
Where are the baskets?
Verkaufen Sie hier Schmerzmittel?
Do you sell painkillers here?
The answer is no. Medicine is sold only in an Apotheke.
Wann schließen Sie?
What time do you close?
Sundays are the real question. Almost everything is shut, and the exceptions are station shops and petrol stations.
At the checkout
Kann ich eine Tüte haben?
Could I have a bag?
It costs a few cents and you will be asked whether you want one. Most people bring their own.
Ich zahle bar.
I'll pay cash.
Bar is cash. Nothing to do with a bar you drink in.
Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?
Can I pay by card?
Kann ich mit Kreditkarte zahlen?
Can I pay by credit card?
The default card here is the Girocard, and a foreign credit card is not accepted everywhere. Worth asking before the belt starts moving.
Nein danke, ich sammle keine Punkte.
No thanks, I don't collect points.
The loyalty-card question is the other thing the cashier will ask you.
Kann ich den Kassenbon haben?
Could I have the receipt?
Einen Moment, bitte.
One moment, please.
Buys you a couple of seconds at a checkout that does not wait around.
Pfand and returns
Wo ist der Pfandautomat?
Where is the bottle return machine?
Ist auf der Flasche Pfand?
Is there a deposit on this bottle?
Most drinks bottles and cans carry one, and you pay it whether you notice or not.
Der Automat nimmt die Flasche nicht.
The machine won't take this bottle.
Kann ich mir den Pfandbon auszahlen lassen?
Can I cash in the deposit slip?
The machine prints a slip. Hand it in at the till for cash or let it come off your shopping.
Ich möchte das zurückgeben.
I'd like to return this.
Bekomme ich das Geld zurück?
Will I get the money back?
Das ist abgelaufen.
This is past its date.
False friend traps
bar looks like a bar, but means cash
Ich zahle bar is I am paying cash, and Barzahlung is a cash payment. Die Bar, capitalised as a noun, is the place you drink in.
Handy looks like handy, convenient, but means a mobile phone
Mit dem Handy zahlen is paying by phone. Convenient is praktisch.
Dose looks like a dose, but means a tin or a can
Eine Dose Tomaten is a tin of tomatoes. A dose of medicine is die Dosis.
Marmelade looks like marmalade, made of oranges, but means jam of any kind
Erdbeermarmelade is strawberry jam. Orange marmalade is one specific case rather than the meaning of the word.
Kasse looks like a case, but means the till, the checkout
An der Kasse means at the checkout. The same word covers a cash desk anywhere, and your health insurer is die Krankenkasse.
Pfand looks like a fund, or a pawn, but means the refundable deposit on a bottle or can
A refundable deposit generally, and in a supermarket the deposit on bottles and cans. Charged at the till and paid back by the machine, and Pfandflasche on the label means the bottle is worth money at the door.
FAQ
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask most about this situation.
How does Pfand actually work?
You pay a small deposit on most bottles and cans when you buy them, then feed the empties into a machine at any supermarket that sells that type. The machine prints a slip you either hand to the cashier or use against your shopping. Glass bottles for beer and reusable ones work the same way at a lower rate.
Why is the cashier so fast?
Because packing is not part of the transaction. The checkout moves fast, so have your bags ready, keep up with the items as they are scanned, and move away from the till promptly once you have paid. Where you finish packing depends on the shop, and some have a shelf behind the till for exactly that. Nobody is being rude.
Cash or card?
Card is widely accepted in supermarkets, but Germany still runs on cash more than its neighbours, and bakeries, market stalls and small cafés may take nothing else. The domestic Girocard is the norm, and a foreign credit card is worth checking on before you queue.
Is everything really closed on Sunday?
Most ordinary retail shops are closed, by law rather than by habit, though the rules are set per Land and the exceptions vary. Bakeries often open for the morning, and shops inside major stations and airports, along with petrol stations, usually stay open. Saturday afternoon is when everyone does the shopping they forgot.