Learn German VN: shopping

Affordable shopping

Affordable shopping 
 
In order to save money, it is advisable to regularly check the sale-offers of different shops. Negotiation for a sales discount is unconventional in Germany, except where big purchases are concerned. 
 
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<a href="http://blog.webmotion.hu/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/shopping-socialmediabuffcom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://blog.webmotion.hu/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/shopping-socialmediabuffcom.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
 
 
Here is an – of course incomplete – selection of cheap shopping opportunities. 
 
<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">TV-Sets, radios, bikes, crockery and other household necessities
</td> <td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">Second-hand and sometimes new goods can be be purchased on 
fleamarkets for often little money. On every third Saturday of the month
 there is a big fleamarket with many private stalls around the Bochum 
townhall (Rathaus). Every weekend there is a fleamarket with 
predominantly commercial traders around the FH (University of Applied 
Sciences) Bochum. Even bigger is the market at Dortmund University on 
Saturdays (take the S1/S2 from Bochum main station to 
„Dortmund-Universität“). 
The internet auction house <a href="http://www.ebay.de/" shape="rect">Ebay </a>works
 like an online-fleamarket, many products are cheaper there than they 
are in shops. Ebay has a search database that allows for a selective 
search for <a href="http://pages.ebay.de/Ruhrgebiet/" shape="rect">offers on sale nearby</a>.</td> 
</tr>
<tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">Groceries
</td> <td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">The cheapest places for groceries are discounters like <a href="http://www.aldi-essen.de/" shape="rect">Aldi</a>, <a href="http://www.penny.de/" shape="rect">Penny</a>, <a href="http://www.lidl.de/" shape="rect">Lidl</a>, <a href="http://www.kaufland.de/Site/Service/Filialen_Oeffnungszeiten/index.htm" shape="rect">Kaufland</a> and <a href="http://shop.plus.de/" shape="rect">Plus</a></td> 
</tr>
<tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">Fresh food and vegetables
</td> <td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">Most cheaply bought at discounters, value for money can also be had in turkish vegetable shops</td> 
</tr>
<tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">Bread and pastries
</td> <td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">Backfabrik (Unicenter), <a href="http://www.broedis.de/" shape="rect">Brödis</a> and Brotzeit (both Kortumstr.) or other self-service bakeries</td> 
</tr>
<tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">Clothes
</td> <td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top"><a href="http://www.cunda.de/" shape="rect">C & A</a>, <a href="http://www.hm.com/corporate/do?null" shape="rect">H & M</a>; especially cheap are <a href="http://www.kik-textilien.com/" shape="rect">KIK</a>, <a href="http://www.tchibo.de/" shape="rect">Tchibo</a>, <a href="http://www.aldi-essen.de/" shape="rect">Aldi</a> and <a href="http://www.takko.de/" shape="rect">Takko</a> 
second-hand clothes: "Second hand"-shops or fleamarkets</td> 
</tr>
<tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">Shoes 
</td> <td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top"><a href="http://www.deichmann.com/website_en/" shape="rect">Deichmann</a>, <a href="http://www.reno.de/" shape="rect">Reno</a> or <a href="http://www.siemesschuhcenter.de/index2.asp" shape="rect">Siemes Schuh Center</a></td> 
</tr>
<tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">Personal hygiene products
</td> <td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">Discounter, <a href="http://www.kodi.de/" shape="rect">Kodi</a>, drugstores <a href="http://www.dm-drogeriemarkt.de/" shape="rect">dm</a> (drogerie markt). <a href="http://www4.schlecker.com/htdocs/Home.aspx?WasHere=TRUE&land=de" shape="rect">Schlecker</a> or <a href="http://www.rossmann.de/" shape="rect">Rossmann</a></td> 
</tr>
<tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">Stationary
</td> <td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top"><a href="http://www.staples.de/" shape="rect">Staples</a>, <a href="http://www.kodi.de/" shape="rect">Kodi</a></td> 
</tr>
<tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">Computer
</td> <td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">the cheapest opportunity are small computer stores (see <a href="http://www.bochumer.net/computer.html" shape="rect">list</a>)</td> 
</tr>
<tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">Furniture
</td> <td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">If clichés are to be believed, all students buy their furniture at <a href="http://www.ikea.com/ms/de_DE/" shape="rect">IKEA</a> (S1/S21 to "Dortmund-Kley") 
Unrivaledly the cheapest furniture and household goods can be bought 
in in the so called rag halls ("Trödelhallen"), for example in 
Schmidstr., Rottstr. or Helenenstr. Their advertisements can be found in
 the free ad-paper <a href="http://www.study-in-bochum.de/studentisches_leben/kommunikation/lokale_medien-lang-en.html" shape="rect">Stadtspiegel</a>.</td> 
</tr>
<tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">Telephone
</td> <td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">If you have a conventional telephon landline, you can use cheap providers through a Call-by-Call system (<a href="http://www.billiger-telefonieren.de/" shape="rect">www.billiger-telefonieren.de</a>). 
Cheap phone calls to other countries can be made in Call Shops (there
 is one in the Uni-Center next to the Sparkasse) or with special phone 
cards (sold in Call Shops and at Kiosks.)</td> 
</tr>
<tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">Cinema
</td> <td colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="top">On Tuesday tickets are <a href="http://de.finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?amt=4,-&from=EUR&to=USD&c=0" target="_blank">4,- €</a> bis <a href="http://de.finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?amt=5,-&from=EUR&to=USD&c=0" target="_blank">5,- €</a> depending on the cinema, usually they are <a href="http://de.finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?amt=7,-&from=EUR&to=USD&c=0" target="_blank">7,- €</a> bis <a href="http://de.finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?amt=9,-&from=EUR&to=USD&c=0" target="_blank">9,- €</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>

Affordable shopping

Affordable shopping In order to save money, it is advisable to regularly check the sale-offers of different shops. Negotiation for a sales...

Tips for shopping

Everyday tips for shopping 
 
Opening hours 
 
In stores opening hours are set by law. On Sundays, Holidays and evenings after 8 p.m. all stores are closed. Exceptions are made for gas stations, kiosks, bakeries, pharmacies as well as train stations and tourist attractions. 
 
In downtown Bochum and in shopping centers like the Uni-Center stores usually open between 8 and 10 o'clock in the mornings and close at 8 o'clock in the evenings. On Saturdays some stores close at 6 o'clock in the evening. Particularly small stores and stores in outlying areas close already at 6:30 p.m. and on Saturdays at 1 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon. 
 
Banks and government offices have much shorter opening hours. Most banks are only open on weekdays and close at 4 o'clock p.m. (except on Thursdays when they are open till 6). Government offices are sometimes only open in the mornings and on one afternoon the week. 
 
The Bürgerbüro (Citizens' Assistance Office) in the Rathaus (City hall) is an exception: it is open Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m. till 6 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays till 1 p.m. 
 
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Public holidays 
 
On public holidays most people generally do not work and stores are closed. However as a general rule services such as movie theaters, cafes or restaurants remain open. Students also have no class on these days. Most holidays have religious roots and some are different from state to state. 
 
    public holidays in North Rine-Westphalia: <a href="http://www.feiertage.net/frei-tage.php">http://www.feiertage.net/frei-tage.php</a> 
    public holidays in Germany: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Germany">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Germany</a> 
 
Exchange and guarantee 
 
Should you realize after you have purchased your merchandise that the product is faulty or damaged, the size does not fit or that it really is not to your liking, you can generally still exchange it. Remember to keep your receipt because you will need to present it and try to make the exchange within a few days after buying the item. 
 
Many products like electric appliances are required by law to have a 2 year warrantee. If the product is broken or faulty within the first six months after purchase it is assumed that the problem already existed at the time of purchase and the merchant must repair or exchange the product for free. 
 
If the problem doesn't appear until later the customer must prove that the product was faulty at the time of purchase and that the problem didn't develop through normal wear and tear. However many merchants are fair and will repair or exchange the product within the two years after purchase no matter what. 
 
Some merchants or manufacturers provide an even longer guarantee. 
 
A warrantee or exchange is unusual for second hand items – unless otherwise stipulated in the contract. 
 
Deposit 
 
In Germany you must pay a deposit when you buy many glass, plastic, and metal containers. These containers have the words "Pfand" or "Mehrweg" printed on the label. You get your deposit back when you return the container to the store that you bought it from. 
 
Some examples: a glass bottle of mineral water or a jar of yoghurt costs 0.15 €, a bottle of beer 0.08 € and an empty case 3,- € Euro. These are examples of "Mehrweg" (reusable) containers that are thoroughly cleaned and used again. 
 
There is also a deposit of 0.25 € on many "Einweg" (disposable) containers such as plastic bottles and drink cans. 
 
In the long run you will save a lot of money if you always remember to collect your deposit containers and return them.

Tips for shopping

Everyday tips for shopping Opening hours In stores opening hours are set by law. On Sundays, Holidays and evenings after 8 p.m. all stor...

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