Today Brush and I decided that we would try to find a supermarket and buy some bottles of water rather than getting any from the mini bar in our hotel.
After a fun German language experience trying to find the supermarket we find the bottle of water (with bubbles of course!!! - Brush is much more a fan of this than I am) and we are amazed at how cheap it is. 69c for 6 x 500ml bottles of water.
I get a €1 coin out to pay and we go to the counter (hoping that the girl doesn't try to speak to us) and are told the price is €2.19. Obviously we are confused but assume we read the price tag wrong.
Outside we decide to investigate the docket and see a second charge on there for Pfand 1,50.
We hadn't bought a second item and inwardly I am almost willing to acceptpt the erroneous charge rather than attempt to sort it out in German. Before being brave and going back in we decide to look the word up in the dictionary that is always with us and find that it means 'security or deposit'.
Assuming that it is somehow related to the strict German recycling system we decide that we should ask one of the people at the hotel reception what it means.
Apparently our assumption was correct that it is related to the recycling and is done on things like beer too, but not canned food - and if we take the bottles back to the SAME shop we get the €1,50 back.
So now we are determined to drink all the water before we check out tomorrow so that we can take them back and get the money.
Bel
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5 comments:
B&B I am struggling with this technology and can't quite work out how to identify myself. I have responded x 2 once as "anonymous". It sounds like you are having fun experiencing the pros and cons of a new country. Take care and travel safely in your new car. The car sounds imprfessive to me even though not to others. Love as always Mum
Hallo ihr zwei! Your stories invoke vivid flashbacks of my trials and tribulations at various Supermärkte, Bäckereien etc... e.g. in Köln I was trying to organise 'correct weight' in coins and instead got snarled at for holding up the queue!? Stick with it as, although it can be scary at times, it is definitely character defining. Liebe Grüße, Benny
Just testing I am doing this correctly.Mum
Hello my two little guiney pigs... as I can tell we maybe should have had more than just one lesson on German traditions etc.
Brush - you did very well with your "inbegriffen" and if you were anywhere close I would treat you to yet another dinosaur stamp.
You still seem to be enjoying yourselves and let me assure you things will get easier.
Also a hint on banks etc.: You should be banking at the same branch most of the time but choose a bank that has many branches i.e. Sparkasse. You can bank with any branch then. You can deposit money everywhere as long as you have your card.... confused.... ah well.
And as for Pfand.... don't say anything bad about that.... at least we are TRYING to save the environment.... although I do realise I should have warned you about this.
Anyway.... I'm enjoying all the little stories.... highly amusing.... the kitten says to say "Hello" and a big purrrr...
Looking forward to seeing you very soon.
Lots of love.... you're making me proud - hang in there... they're not ALL bad...
Greetings - The evil German woman from number 11
Heya Tansy! :) I will be watching our snail-mail box for a piece of paper with a dinosaur stamp on it!
Hugs!
'Brush
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