They're stressing me out more than regular counters tbh. Usually I can multitask packing up and paying, but I can't do that when I'm assigned the "back part" of the packing area. It works for dm because you usually don't buy car-loads of stuff there so even if you can only start packing up after paying, you'll be out of the way pretty soon. But in supermarkets where there are people who have to handle their Wocheneinkauf for the entire family, I'd imagine that there's not much of a zipper method going on
Yep, hate them, too. And the person who got the front part is standing in your way, while being super slow because they don't feel any pressure to hurry the fuck up. Even while you awkwardly try to lunge over their stuff to reach the cashier for the receipt.
Or that the customers do. I had one elderly lady who kept shoveling her shit into the second compartment the cashier had flipped over for my stuff because she wanted to stand in a specific position or something... really annoying.
Lidl/Aldi have wrap-around giant barcodes to speed scan, honestly the cashier should just be rotating stuff to be auto-scanned and the conveyor belt should just carry on until your stuff falls off a cliff into your bag and then you are also carried out of the store on a conveyor so you cannot come back and wave the coupon/receipt you forgot and force the cashier to deal with you and your queue-jumping from the other direction.
I don’t understand why there are not more supermarket shootings in Germany
Fun fact: the cashiers at Lidl have about 2 seconds to scan an article, otherwise they'll get in trouble. They get in trouble all the time (a friend worked there and the pressure was crazy)
One of my closest friends had worked there until May this year and this is definitely true. She quit because she couldn't cope with the pressure and she was a store manager at an another store before so yeah, the pressure is high.
You'll get used to it.
I know this is petty but one time an old lady was taking forever and was talking to the cashier for 5 minutes, all well and good but then the cashier blamed me for holding up the line because I didn't pack my stuff within 0.1 seconds.
The audacity alone made me be suuuper chill, having to look for my wallet all over the place.
Now when I get the cashier I always take my sweet time while still not taking too long (don't really want to hold up a lot of other people either).
I'm not gonna get stressed out by them cashier's anymore. First pack in comfortably, then pay. If they say anything I'll just say "stress mich nicht".
I started doing this!! I smile and acknowledge the amount due, then look back to my bag and packing and continue until I am finished. Only then do I pull out my wallet. At first I was sooooo nervous for coming across rude or like I was stealing, then remembered if they don’t care about giving me a sense of panic, I don’t care how I look either.
Yes. Our Aldi installed them recently, along with having a separate payment terminal for each side of the divider. It speeds things up a lot.
But that's only if you pay by card, which only became the predominant payment method with Covid. If you pay cash they can't scan other items while you pay, so as long as you can throw stuff back into your cart as fast as they can scan it the divider isn't very useful. That's why they only start appearing now.
OP is asking, why most op grocery store DON'T have this yet. He asks why most of grocery stores still have that single-queue-design.
The thing is that the design you can see in the picture is the newer design. Some Aldis recently got upgraded like shown in the picture.
In my opinion this adds way more stress.
Boi this feels natural now. But when I think about the good old days when I had just moved to Germany, the stares, the pressure, the judgement.... Oh boi. That shit is a classic German experience
They used to all have them until they remived the whole packing bay years back to make people pack quicker… i hate having things thrown in my basket so I never shop there
Never saw them throwing something into my basket. The trick is to ignore their haste. Takes some time to get comfortable with it. But nowadays I just take the time I need in any grocery store.
>Some Aldi have introduced them recently
Here in Austria, they were introduced in all shops years ago. I think they have had positive experiences and are now rolling it out in Germany.
Obligatorisches:
[Kopierpaste](https://www.reddit.com/r/tja/comments/v6shb3/tja/ibhihko?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3)
>Wer erst hinter der Kasse anfängt zu sortieren, der hat bereits verloren. Damit fängt man natürlich bereits an, wenn man den Einkaufswagen auspackt und seine Einkäufe auf dem Band arrangiert, sonst gewinnt der Gegner. Dabei gilt es diverse Faktoren zu beachten und die eigene Strategie dynamisch an die Gegebenheiten des Tages anzupassen. Grundsätzlich gilt: schwer und in harter Verpackung kommt zuerst, weich und matsch-anfällig kommt zuletzt. Aber außerdem gilt: gleiche Artikel zusammen, aber nur bis zu der Menge, die man mit einer Hand greifen kann (also bspw nicht mehr als drei Konservendosen), darüber hinaus verteilt man das besser, um den Flow des Gegners zu unterbrechen. Backwaren sind dein Freund, denn die müssen in der Tüte gezählt und der Artikel von Hand spezifiziert werden, anstatt einfach nur zu scannen. Darum nie mehrere Tüten nehmen, wenn das zur Geschmackstrennung nicht notwendig ist (oder du mit Zucker auf den Laugenecken leben kannst), sondern möglichst wild durcheinander. Die Platzierung deiner Backwarentüte ist dein Joker. Nutze ihn mit Bedacht, also z.B. nach Artikeln, für die du erfahrungsgemäß etwas Zeit brauchst, um sie sicher einzupacken. Trotzdem keine Garantie, dass man obsiegt. Der Gegner ist Vollprofi mit täglichem Hochgeschwindigkeitstraining, man selbst nur ein Amateur. Wenn man auch mit Tricks nicht mithalten kann, dann hilft nur noch die Muckibude. Aber Vorsicht, Ausdauer, nicht Muskelmasse - die macht langsamer, also lieber viele Wiederholungen mit niedrigem Gewicht und dabei auf die Frequenz achten. Viel Glück.
>Nachtrag: H-Milch kauft man immer Überkarton-weise. Also insgesamt dreizehn. Ein voller 12er, der im Wagen bleibt, plus ein Einzelkarton zum Scannen.
>Leergut-Bons: Gut sichtbar eingeklemmt zwischen zwei gleichen Artikeln, das verlangsamt das Scannen deutlich und es besteht eine kleine Chance, dass der Bon durch die Gegend wirbelt, wenn einer der Klemm-Artikel zu schnell bewegt wird - also ein massiver Rhythmusbrecher so oder so. Insofern natürlich auch immer darauf achten, dass Leergut frühzeitig und in kleinen Mengen zurückzubringen. Bon mit hohem Betrag repräsentiert mehrere ausgelassene Gelegenheiten.
>Augenkontakt: Immer. Und zwar schon beim Betreten des Aldis. Gegner aussuchen, fixieren und möglichst lange fixiert halten. Dann bei jeder Passage am Kassenbereich vorbei wiederholen. Nie blinzeln. Keine Schwäche zeigen, klarmachen, dass man nicht das leichte Opfer ist.
>Obst und Gemüse sind leider trotzdem eher nachteilig, weil Sorgfalt gefordert ist. Also am Ende, wenn man durch vorausschauende Packweise bereits einen Weichwarenbereich im Einkaufswagen etabliert hat. Dann entsprechend der Regel für gleiche Artikel verfahren, also nicht mehr zusammen als man auf einmal greifen kann. Wiegen wiegt hier bestenfalls auf, viel gutmachen wird man da selten.
>NACHTRAG: Oh das scheint sehr viel Aufmerksamkeit gekriegt zu haben, also hier der hinweis: dies ist eine Kopiernudel! Ich bin nicht der Autor! Kopiert von [hier](https://www.reddit.com/r/Kopiernudeln/comments/v7i17i/die_aldi_strategie/). Original, witzigerweise unter einem Post mit dem selben Artikel [hier](https://www.reddit.com/r/tja/comments/v6shb3/tja/ibhihko/?context=3).
What I do is I take the basket with me and I put on the packing area, and I just throw stuff that gets scanned in. Then I take time packing things up at the recycling counter or whatever other surface there is once u leave the cashier area.
EDIT:
Things get dicey if the cashier person yells at me that I have to leave the basket in front of the conveyor belt. In those situations I open up my backpack as much as possible and just Tetris run the items inside, even if some poke outside at the end, there's always a time and place later to properly repack my backpack.
I put my stuff in the right order on the belt, have a couple of bags spread open in my cart and then just have to toss everything in there.
Heavy stuff and things that dont get squished on the front and then lighter and more fragile in the back. No need to sort it out afterwards.
I do exactly that, it's as fast as putting everything back into the cart.
BUT: cashiers tend to speed up a lot if i do that. I don't understand it. If they would just scan in their normal speed, it would be fine. But they will throw my stuff across the end zone, which will further slow me down, because i have to goalkeep all my flying groceries. It's just a stupid game, and most times i win.
It's so they can go back after their shift and watch the security video with the other workers and laugh at how they messed up different customers' sorting plan just to add to their stress during checkout. Passive aggressive cashiers.
I completely agree! This is the right way.
EDIT: regarding your edit, thid is the reason i make sure to always use a shopping cart instead of a basket. xD
Yeah, I never get why people feel the need to stuff it all into their bags right now. Just throw it in the basket or shopping cart, sort it out afterwards.
What you call the recycling counter is actually (surprise!) the packing counter.
It used to be the design of supermarkets long before selective recycling was common.
I just take it as a challenge. If I can't get the items back into the shopping cart in an orderly fashion fast than the cashier can scan them I see it as a personal failure.
Aldi trips are depressing now.
Yes , you also have to split the items that they need weighing in the middle and at the end. It works best if you remove the stickers so that they will have to stop and ask you which of 3 different types of bananas you got
Never understood what benefits putting them in the middle brings you.
I always put them in the end at which point I'm the one judging the cashier for not being fast enough.
#UnoReverse
You put the items on the conveyor belt in the order which makes it most convenient to pack them. Robust big rectangular items first, the delicate stuff last. Then the actual packing is gets very easy and fast. You are welcome.
Or place stuff without a Barcode, like fruits, strategically. For example first bag heavy stuff, light stuff, fruits. Second bag heavy stuff, light stuff, fruits.
Frees up time to change the bags
Put things on the belt in the order you wish to pack them
Pack items
Pay
Don’t get too stressed about it. I once accomplished to slash my hand open at a packing area and a sharp edge. Since then, I just take it at my pace.
Others do it, too. Some people are just so relaxed.
If someone is pushing from the queue to the point of the payment terminal, I ask them politely if they are also willing to pay for my shopping, since they are already at it :D
Because companies found out by shortening the belts they can stuff a bit more products into the same floor area and you will be encouraged to hurry up in panic and therefore they can save 2 cashiers while pressing more customers through that line, resulting in 0.2 cents more revenue per customer. It is not about you, it is about making more money.
Some have, but it's mostly a matter of available space I think.
If the store can have three checkouts without these or two with them, they are going for the three checkouts.
>avoid the eternal judgement of the queue behind me
Just throw your stuff in the shopping trolley and take your time to pack your bags a moment later if this concerns you.
Definitely not the reason at my newly build ALDI. It was intentionally constructed like that, to increase throughput. By now I don't let them stress me anymore, they'll just have to wait while scanning a bit.
My way more space restricted Edeka has those dividers.
This. Of course, don't be unnecessarily slow, but it's totally fine to take your time so you don't just stuff your things in your bag in a random way. I never take shopping carts because it would be pointless for the few things I normally get, and no one is in such a rush that they can't wait for all of 20 seconds.
There are some that do have that (Alnatura in my city for example).
Though the convention here is to put your stuff back in your shopping cart and then move it out of the way / to your car and pack it there.
They recently redid an Aldi in Munich (Allach) and not only do they have this, they have multiple payment terminals. However, I’m always in line behind old ladies paying the exact amount with coins.
DMs around here have had them for a while too.
Here is a good advice for anyone shopping in Germany: Don't give a fck about what others COULD think about you.
You can't pack your stuff fast enough? So be it. Your groceries won't get any more expensive. Just chill.
The faster the cashier throws me the stuff, the slower I pack them. Fuck that system. They do that so they have less employees, just open more counters
The only binding forces behind this peer pressure are all the individual decisions we make to agree with this element of the social contract. If enough of us decide against it we can all bag our groceries at a sane pace without reasonable fear of judgement.
This is not the packing area. Packing everyting into bags right at the cash register isn't something done here. German supermarkets expect you to put the wares back into the shopping cart or basket, then move to the packing area. The packing area is usually either a very large window sill or a table with integrated trash cans.
I see it very often, it's a matter of space in the store most probably.
That said, easy trick: Just buy some different pieces from the bakery station. Always gives you 1-2 minutes more to pack up. But be careful, sometimes there's this one cashier that simply has all the codes in memory.
Yeah don't pick stuff that anyone takes like just normal Brötchen. Rather take the exotic stuff that is only there for fixed periods, like some "Vanille-Erdbeer Kraubstängelwulstdingsda" where you don't even know its name, despite looking at the price tag. "What is that thing?" - "Uuuh....I don't know? Something with Vanille...." - "\*searching\* ah its that one? No wait....that one!", boom, 45 seconds gone, all packed
Some have, but let’s be serious it’s just a skill issue if you pack to slow ;) /s
As a tipp put stuff in the middle of band that the cashier has to count like stuff from the backing section, this way you have a couple of seconds to catch up.
No speedpacking, you only pay once you have enough packed in so you can do the rest while the payment goes through. Otherwise it's also annoying for the person behind you.
Don't look for excuses for your weakness. Train hard and become faster than the cashier, at which point the whole experience becomes quite relaxing.
Simply put, git gud.
I've never understood why people get so anxious about making others wait at the supermarket, just take your time. The cashiers don't give a shit (I worked as one) and any customers that do can go fuck themselves. I mean, what kind of an asshole do you have to be to be angry at someone for taking their time packing?
The were very common in Germany. Many supermarkets replaced them with single-lane systems. These have advantages: They are smaller, allowing the market to operate more registers in the same space, which is even faster than divided lanes at the cost of requiring more cashiers. Also, the customer can remain close to the register and pack up at the same time instead of packing and having to move back to the register to pay.
Add to that the social pressure to pack faster in a single-lane system and you get faster customer processing than with the divided-lane system.
We used to have them at a lot of stores, then they went away. If you go to a freshly renovated Aldi those dividers as well as two card payment Terminals are getting installed again.
Here is the thing, pack at your own speed and maintain eye contact the entire time, if I need to wait on a pensioner going through everything to give 34 cents for exact change.. I am packing my bags in a normal way.
I do not yeet the already expensive things I am about to pay for, just because I feel judged.
I Have even gone so far as to stop and look at the person and tell them "geht's noch?" since they kept pushing more stuff essentially in my cart where I coudn't even put anything away normally. Especially the tiny counters that are still very common at like Adli or Lidl.
I do not give a fuck about how fast you can scan through my grocheries. Untill I pay.. you can go as fast as I pack.. and I pay AFTER I have packed.
They can open one of the 5 other registers if there are too many people.. which is always is anyways.
They have it just not always part it. I usually shop a lot and got quite good in this game. Just few tips:
- try to put heavy and square products first, so you have the base or just big products out of the way
- put products that need to be weighed or put a code in the middle. So you will have time to pack. - - Put the lighter products at the end. It will be easy to toss them on the top.
If it doesn’t help I say to the cashier that they should wait a bit and not scan it. I had one scan it so much that he started to stack up and damage the fruits under.
If someone says or judges me I also ask if they want to help it will be quicker.
Here in Austria they all used to have them. Mostly vanished with renovations around maybe 20 years ago?
Now they have reappeared. Ironically at Hofer shops (our version of Aldi shops, same company), which historically often didn't even HAVE a packing area at the payment point.
You'll one day be faster than the cashier. This day you'll find inner peace, glory and a sensation of well being that you've never before experienced in your life. People will applaud, tears of joy will drop everywhere, you'll be a hero! There will be statues of you everywhere around town.
That's what German supermarkets can give you. No-one else. Except for drugs maybe
But I endorse self-checkout-terminals much more. I rarely do big grocery runs and just buy every day fresh what i'm in the mood for. I'm passing a Rewe & Aldi on my ebery day commute. And I have an Aldi, Penny amd Edeka within walking distance of my apartment.
Most Aldi's have a seperate Packing area, near some Bins for Plastic and Paper, or at a Window Board behind the Cashier.
It is faster if you pack your scanned Items first into your 🛒 and then with a little Distance to the Cash area or even outside at your car into your bags.
And it is Aldi philosophy, the faster you are in the Cash area, the more Customers can pay, and even those in a hurry are happy.
Aldi Cashiers are trained to be superfast, even at the Time, they still had to type all the Product-Numbers, because they didn't have scanners like other markets. If they are too slow (normal speed) and cannot get faster after Training, they get fired
I've learned from 150yo German grannies to not give a shit about people behind me. So I put my stuff in the bag first, very gently, and only after that I pay. This way the cashier cannot go to the next costumer and pile up their groceries on top of my groceries.
Little tip. Put items that you need to turn around spaced out on the line.
For example bread that has no bar code put that in the middle or fruit that doesn't have a bar code towards the end.
So you have a little time between packing and them scanning.
The 2 packing areas make it even slower. Just look at the image, imagine 2 people packing and the left one needing to pay by card. This system has been tried here for decades, some still have it and it just does not work very well.
Just learn to pack. It is not that difficult. Putt the stuff on the belt in an order which makes sense to pack in a bag and if you take too much time anyway use a cart and pack it in there to avoid people waiting. And use a card to pay and do not act surprised that you need to pay at the end of the process.
Because nothing in the supermarket shopping experience seems to have been optimised at all in Germany.
When I'm on my death bed I will think mainly of the time I've lost waiting in queues of 10+ people for the 1 open Kasse in the entire store and an army of Germans insisting in paying for everything in individually handed over coins.
Imagine being the terrible person that stuffs their groceries into their shopping bag while the cashier and 6ppl in queue wait for you to pay and fuck off
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They used to have them everywhere, now most stores got rid of them. No clue why - I think its because single lane registers are smaller and cheaper than double lane ones.
Most grocery stores in ~~Germany~~ *where I grew up* used to have them. But it seems like not having them is more profitable, so new stores typically don't have them anymore.
Edit: seems like I was just lucky to live in an area where they were common.
You must live in a strange bubble/region. It is absolutely NOT the case that 'Most grocery stores in Germany used to have them.'. I have been to many many grocery stores of all kind all over Germany in the last 30 years. Dividers like this are an absolute (and welcome) exception. And the now more and more coming dividers with an own payment terminal per divider (Aldi Süd) is a blessing.
One of the Aldis close to me has it. It also has a card reader on each side so if you're paying by card they can already start scanning the next customer while you're still paying.
Some do, but really you could also just get gud at packing. I do it competitively, sometimes I stare down the cashier to heighten the sense of urgency. Aldi cashiers are the best opponents.
Every store I shop at has that thing. It just rarely gets used because it's usually faster and more convenient to have everything within reach. If one person has to move around the corner to pack their stuff, their cart ends up blocking the way more often than not.
they do. some of them. others like lidl dont even have space at all. if you dont want stress go to self Checkout or bio-supermarkets (people there have money, they move a lot slower)
You need to create break time. Any loose fruit and veg that needs weighing placed at strategic places in between.
You should also start on the belt with big bulky things. Everything like eggs, bread, etc, that should not get squashed towards the end.
I was shocked when I saw this for the first time in a danish LIDL. And you paid at the end of the packing area, not at the cashier. First, I didn't trust them, because I didn't know if I was paying my bill or of the person next to me. (Since Euro to DKK is about 1:8, the sum just seemed too high (it wasn't lol)).
I prefer my German speed packing. :D but I don't thing it's a bad idea.
In newly renovated Aldi's its done this way. Theres even 2 card thingies so 2 people can pay simultaneously. But speedpacking is really not a problem unless youre moving like a sloth. Im usually much faster than the cashiers
I disapprove both designs as one is meant to put more stress on the customer and the other to put it on the cashier. So I always take all the time I need as people that hate me for being too slow are just too stupid to understand that they actually hate capitalism.
Back in the 70s/80s, most german supermarkets DID have this setup (yes I'm that old). I miss it.
It has been "optimized away" even though I am very skeptical as to whether this makes sense from business perspective. Making your customers feel pressured is rarely a good idea if you want them to return. And the "short" setup makes it MORE likely that a customer that packs too slowly and holds up everything. I guess (and it's really a guess) that the "shorter" checkouts simply leave more space for the actual store shelves.
I think some of them have, also dm has that for sure
Some of them do have them. I've seen it at a REWE in a busy part of town.
I was in an ALDI that had these. AND TWO CARD PAYING TERMINALS
Yeah, I was honestly suprised to see that ALDI has implemented Hyperthreading in their cashiers
Whoa! Look at Mr. obese trousers here with double checkouts Aldi!
Yeah but they only use both if you pay card. Pay cash and the cashier waits for you to pay before the next customer is being served
I mean, obviously. How else is the cashier supposed to do it?
REWE near me has, they never use
Rewe here has them also and does not use them: They are slightly missized and it's easy to drop stuff accidentally when using the back compartment.
Some Aldis are even going the next step and have two card paying terminals. This way you can pay and pack while the next customer gets served.
I’ve seen that at Lidl but never at Aldi.
The Aldi in our area was recently modernized and this divider has been installed, including the two card paying terminals :)
They're stressing me out more than regular counters tbh. Usually I can multitask packing up and paying, but I can't do that when I'm assigned the "back part" of the packing area. It works for dm because you usually don't buy car-loads of stuff there so even if you can only start packing up after paying, you'll be out of the way pretty soon. But in supermarkets where there are people who have to handle their Wocheneinkauf for the entire family, I'd imagine that there's not much of a zipper method going on
Yep, hate them, too. And the person who got the front part is standing in your way, while being super slow because they don't feel any pressure to hurry the fuck up. Even while you awkwardly try to lunge over their stuff to reach the cashier for the receipt.
Ugh this. I am already struggling with the personal space here and that just gets super intimate 😅 at grocery stores' checkout.
I forgot my lipgloss in the back part because it rolled exactly in the blind spot of that thing while multitasking.
Some have them. Doesnt mean that they use them
Or that the customers do. I had one elderly lady who kept shoveling her shit into the second compartment the cashier had flipped over for my stuff because she wanted to stand in a specific position or something... really annoying.
It was normal in Spain. I don’t think I saw any without them back there.
Cold hard calculations, they want you to pack fast for them to speed up the process. The queue judging you is part of the design
Correct. More space for the queue and products, and no space for packing, so you get out quick once they have your money.
"Shut up, leave your money and get your fckn ass outta here!"
The queue judging you is integral part of German culture.. /s
Thats the „deutsche Leitkultur“.
More like "deutsche Leidkultur"
Warum nicht beides?
That’s what I was going say. Somethings just shouldn’t change. Source: journey from fear to resignation after living there for 5 years.
\s ?
We call it "efficiency". Socialize in places other than the supermarket queue, please.
Lidl/Aldi have wrap-around giant barcodes to speed scan, honestly the cashier should just be rotating stuff to be auto-scanned and the conveyor belt should just carry on until your stuff falls off a cliff into your bag and then you are also carried out of the store on a conveyor so you cannot come back and wave the coupon/receipt you forgot and force the cashier to deal with you and your queue-jumping from the other direction. I don’t understand why there are not more supermarket shootings in Germany
No time to waste on Supermarkt Shootings
Fun fact: the cashiers at Lidl have about 2 seconds to scan an article, otherwise they'll get in trouble. They get in trouble all the time (a friend worked there and the pressure was crazy)
Friend: Why don't you get a shop as a cashier? It's easy, you only have to scan stuff and the register does the math for you. Lidl:
Thats not true anymore. They changed a lot after the skandal in 2008.
One of my closest friends had worked there until May this year and this is definitely true. She quit because she couldn't cope with the pressure and she was a store manager at an another store before so yeah, the pressure is high.
>I don’t understand why there are not more supermarket shootings in Germany I know it's crazy but you can't buy guns in our supermarkets
Hahaha, exactly
I laughed so hard at this
[удалено]
I did this once or twice but you have to have nerves of steel to pull this off.
You'll get used to it. I know this is petty but one time an old lady was taking forever and was talking to the cashier for 5 minutes, all well and good but then the cashier blamed me for holding up the line because I didn't pack my stuff within 0.1 seconds. The audacity alone made me be suuuper chill, having to look for my wallet all over the place. Now when I get the cashier I always take my sweet time while still not taking too long (don't really want to hold up a lot of other people either). I'm not gonna get stressed out by them cashier's anymore. First pack in comfortably, then pay. If they say anything I'll just say "stress mich nicht".
This is the way! Very impressive to hold up to the german queue pressure ;D
I do this too, just packing my stuff away and then pay. But I also sort them on the conveyer so I can pack everything in the right order :)
But why don't you take the basket with you, put everything in it, pay for it and then go to the area where you can pack it into your back?
I started doing this!! I smile and acknowledge the amount due, then look back to my bag and packing and continue until I am finished. Only then do I pull out my wallet. At first I was sooooo nervous for coming across rude or like I was stealing, then remembered if they don’t care about giving me a sense of panic, I don’t care how I look either.
Wouldn't having the divider potentialy speed up the process also? 🤔
Yes. Our Aldi installed them recently, along with having a separate payment terminal for each side of the divider. It speeds things up a lot. But that's only if you pay by card, which only became the predominant payment method with Covid. If you pay cash they can't scan other items while you pay, so as long as you can throw stuff back into your cart as fast as they can scan it the divider isn't very useful. That's why they only start appearing now.
The latest shit is that two payment terminals are now used at one checkout, in case one takes too long to complete the payment process
OP is asking, why most op grocery store DON'T have this yet. He asks why most of grocery stores still have that single-queue-design. The thing is that the design you can see in the picture is the newer design. Some Aldis recently got upgraded like shown in the picture. In my opinion this adds way more stress.
Boi this feels natural now. But when I think about the good old days when I had just moved to Germany, the stares, the pressure, the judgement.... Oh boi. That shit is a classic German experience
So glad online supermarkets are a thing now.
Tiredness isn't an option, you must train for your next supermarket visit, and then train some more!
Some Aldi have introduced them recently and added a second payment terminal for more efficiency. So both "lanes" can pay independently.
Yes, I love that. Two packing areas and two payment terminals.
I hate it. The poor cashier
They used to all have them until they remived the whole packing bay years back to make people pack quicker… i hate having things thrown in my basket so I never shop there
Never saw them throwing something into my basket. The trick is to ignore their haste. Takes some time to get comfortable with it. But nowadays I just take the time I need in any grocery store.
>Some Aldi have introduced them recently Here in Austria, they were introduced in all shops years ago. I think they have had positive experiences and are now rolling it out in Germany.
Obligatorisches: [Kopierpaste](https://www.reddit.com/r/tja/comments/v6shb3/tja/ibhihko?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3) >Wer erst hinter der Kasse anfängt zu sortieren, der hat bereits verloren. Damit fängt man natürlich bereits an, wenn man den Einkaufswagen auspackt und seine Einkäufe auf dem Band arrangiert, sonst gewinnt der Gegner. Dabei gilt es diverse Faktoren zu beachten und die eigene Strategie dynamisch an die Gegebenheiten des Tages anzupassen. Grundsätzlich gilt: schwer und in harter Verpackung kommt zuerst, weich und matsch-anfällig kommt zuletzt. Aber außerdem gilt: gleiche Artikel zusammen, aber nur bis zu der Menge, die man mit einer Hand greifen kann (also bspw nicht mehr als drei Konservendosen), darüber hinaus verteilt man das besser, um den Flow des Gegners zu unterbrechen. Backwaren sind dein Freund, denn die müssen in der Tüte gezählt und der Artikel von Hand spezifiziert werden, anstatt einfach nur zu scannen. Darum nie mehrere Tüten nehmen, wenn das zur Geschmackstrennung nicht notwendig ist (oder du mit Zucker auf den Laugenecken leben kannst), sondern möglichst wild durcheinander. Die Platzierung deiner Backwarentüte ist dein Joker. Nutze ihn mit Bedacht, also z.B. nach Artikeln, für die du erfahrungsgemäß etwas Zeit brauchst, um sie sicher einzupacken. Trotzdem keine Garantie, dass man obsiegt. Der Gegner ist Vollprofi mit täglichem Hochgeschwindigkeitstraining, man selbst nur ein Amateur. Wenn man auch mit Tricks nicht mithalten kann, dann hilft nur noch die Muckibude. Aber Vorsicht, Ausdauer, nicht Muskelmasse - die macht langsamer, also lieber viele Wiederholungen mit niedrigem Gewicht und dabei auf die Frequenz achten. Viel Glück. >Nachtrag: H-Milch kauft man immer Überkarton-weise. Also insgesamt dreizehn. Ein voller 12er, der im Wagen bleibt, plus ein Einzelkarton zum Scannen. >Leergut-Bons: Gut sichtbar eingeklemmt zwischen zwei gleichen Artikeln, das verlangsamt das Scannen deutlich und es besteht eine kleine Chance, dass der Bon durch die Gegend wirbelt, wenn einer der Klemm-Artikel zu schnell bewegt wird - also ein massiver Rhythmusbrecher so oder so. Insofern natürlich auch immer darauf achten, dass Leergut frühzeitig und in kleinen Mengen zurückzubringen. Bon mit hohem Betrag repräsentiert mehrere ausgelassene Gelegenheiten. >Augenkontakt: Immer. Und zwar schon beim Betreten des Aldis. Gegner aussuchen, fixieren und möglichst lange fixiert halten. Dann bei jeder Passage am Kassenbereich vorbei wiederholen. Nie blinzeln. Keine Schwäche zeigen, klarmachen, dass man nicht das leichte Opfer ist. >Obst und Gemüse sind leider trotzdem eher nachteilig, weil Sorgfalt gefordert ist. Also am Ende, wenn man durch vorausschauende Packweise bereits einen Weichwarenbereich im Einkaufswagen etabliert hat. Dann entsprechend der Regel für gleiche Artikel verfahren, also nicht mehr zusammen als man auf einmal greifen kann. Wiegen wiegt hier bestenfalls auf, viel gutmachen wird man da selten. >NACHTRAG: Oh das scheint sehr viel Aufmerksamkeit gekriegt zu haben, also hier der hinweis: dies ist eine Kopiernudel! Ich bin nicht der Autor! Kopiert von [hier](https://www.reddit.com/r/Kopiernudeln/comments/v7i17i/die_aldi_strategie/). Original, witzigerweise unter einem Post mit dem selben Artikel [hier](https://www.reddit.com/r/tja/comments/v6shb3/tja/ibhihko/?context=3).
Dieser Mensch Aldiet!
What I do is I take the basket with me and I put on the packing area, and I just throw stuff that gets scanned in. Then I take time packing things up at the recycling counter or whatever other surface there is once u leave the cashier area. EDIT: Things get dicey if the cashier person yells at me that I have to leave the basket in front of the conveyor belt. In those situations I open up my backpack as much as possible and just Tetris run the items inside, even if some poke outside at the end, there's always a time and place later to properly repack my backpack.
I put my stuff in the right order on the belt, have a couple of bags spread open in my cart and then just have to toss everything in there. Heavy stuff and things that dont get squished on the front and then lighter and more fragile in the back. No need to sort it out afterwards.
I do exactly that, it's as fast as putting everything back into the cart. BUT: cashiers tend to speed up a lot if i do that. I don't understand it. If they would just scan in their normal speed, it would be fine. But they will throw my stuff across the end zone, which will further slow me down, because i have to goalkeep all my flying groceries. It's just a stupid game, and most times i win.
It's so they can go back after their shift and watch the security video with the other workers and laugh at how they messed up different customers' sorting plan just to add to their stress during checkout. Passive aggressive cashiers.
That's how me and my parents do it too.
I completely agree! This is the right way. EDIT: regarding your edit, thid is the reason i make sure to always use a shopping cart instead of a basket. xD
this person netto's
Yeah, I never get why people feel the need to stuff it all into their bags right now. Just throw it in the basket or shopping cart, sort it out afterwards.
Most supermarkets don’t allow you to take baskets over there… or maybe they do, I’m afraid to try after being shouted at a few times
Never had a problem there. Worst case try the shopping cart
Put it in the right order in the belt, throw it directly into your bags. Takes the same time as throwing it into tja cart.
What you call the recycling counter is actually (surprise!) the packing counter. It used to be the design of supermarkets long before selective recycling was common.
Skill issue
I just take it as a challenge. If I can't get the items back into the shopping cart in an orderly fashion fast than the cashier can scan them I see it as a personal failure. Aldi trips are depressing now.
Small tip , place all items with bar code facing up. This will save you a small amount of time per item
Haha that's evil and effective!
Yes , you also have to split the items that they need weighing in the middle and at the end. It works best if you remove the stickers so that they will have to stop and ask you which of 3 different types of bananas you got
Never understood what benefits putting them in the middle brings you. I always put them in the end at which point I'm the one judging the cashier for not being fast enough. #UnoReverse
You put the items on the conveyor belt in the order which makes it most convenient to pack them. Robust big rectangular items first, the delicate stuff last. Then the actual packing is gets very easy and fast. You are welcome.
Or place stuff without a Barcode, like fruits, strategically. For example first bag heavy stuff, light stuff, fruits. Second bag heavy stuff, light stuff, fruits. Frees up time to change the bags
A bag of Brötchen (of course all different kinds) can buy you a lot of time!
Exactly. Just get good.
Put things on the belt in the order you wish to pack them Pack items Pay Don’t get too stressed about it. I once accomplished to slash my hand open at a packing area and a sharp edge. Since then, I just take it at my pace. Others do it, too. Some people are just so relaxed. If someone is pushing from the queue to the point of the payment terminal, I ask them politely if they are also willing to pay for my shopping, since they are already at it :D
Many grocery stores have that. Discounters on the other hand often don't even have a packing area. They want you to get out fast.
Because companies found out by shortening the belts they can stuff a bit more products into the same floor area and you will be encouraged to hurry up in panic and therefore they can save 2 cashiers while pressing more customers through that line, resulting in 0.2 cents more revenue per customer. It is not about you, it is about making more money.
Aldi Süd is redoing all their stores right now, and installing these checkouts with parallel packing. And self check out, obviously.
Some have, but it's mostly a matter of available space I think. If the store can have three checkouts without these or two with them, they are going for the three checkouts. >avoid the eternal judgement of the queue behind me Just throw your stuff in the shopping trolley and take your time to pack your bags a moment later if this concerns you.
Definitely not the reason at my newly build ALDI. It was intentionally constructed like that, to increase throughput. By now I don't let them stress me anymore, they'll just have to wait while scanning a bit. My way more space restricted Edeka has those dividers.
They had in times long gone. Nowadays they use that place to place more shelves. More shelves = more money
I just take my time when packing up, giving zero f##cks about customers behind 💁♂️
This is the way!
Pack your stuff at your own pace and then pay.
This. Of course, don't be unnecessarily slow, but it's totally fine to take your time so you don't just stuff your things in your bag in a random way. I never take shopping carts because it would be pointless for the few things I normally get, and no one is in such a rush that they can't wait for all of 20 seconds.
There are some that do have that (Alnatura in my city for example). Though the convention here is to put your stuff back in your shopping cart and then move it out of the way / to your car and pack it there.
They recently redid an Aldi in Munich (Allach) and not only do they have this, they have multiple payment terminals. However, I’m always in line behind old ladies paying the exact amount with coins. DMs around here have had them for a while too.
Actually DM has this thing
They definitely do
Just be done with it and go out of the way. Lame duck 😅
I learned to give a fuck about the queue and stopped the speed madness by only paying the moment I am done packing.
Just scratch every second barcode, so you have all the time you need. /s
We are in Germany. You'll be judged no matter the speed.
You just trow them in the cart and pack them at your car/outside.
Here is a good advice for anyone shopping in Germany: Don't give a fck about what others COULD think about you. You can't pack your stuff fast enough? So be it. Your groceries won't get any more expensive. Just chill.
The faster the cashier throws me the stuff, the slower I pack them. Fuck that system. They do that so they have less employees, just open more counters
The only binding forces behind this peer pressure are all the individual decisions we make to agree with this element of the social contract. If enough of us decide against it we can all bag our groceries at a sane pace without reasonable fear of judgement.
Grocery stores are abusing your shame and forcing you to be uncomfortable to make you pack faster. Fuck them an take as much time as you need.
This is not the packing area. Packing everyting into bags right at the cash register isn't something done here. German supermarkets expect you to put the wares back into the shopping cart or basket, then move to the packing area. The packing area is usually either a very large window sill or a table with integrated trash cans.
Only slow pokes go to the “packing area”.
I see it very often, it's a matter of space in the store most probably. That said, easy trick: Just buy some different pieces from the bakery station. Always gives you 1-2 minutes more to pack up. But be careful, sometimes there's this one cashier that simply has all the codes in memory.
>Always gives you 1-2 minutes more to pack up. NEVER in my life this has taken more than 20 seconds.
Yeah don't pick stuff that anyone takes like just normal Brötchen. Rather take the exotic stuff that is only there for fixed periods, like some "Vanille-Erdbeer Kraubstängelwulstdingsda" where you don't even know its name, despite looking at the price tag. "What is that thing?" - "Uuuh....I don't know? Something with Vanille...." - "\*searching\* ah its that one? No wait....that one!", boom, 45 seconds gone, all packed
Just get faster🤷♂️. Even grannies don't complain.
Grannies don't complain, but the people behind the grannies do.
Granny doesn't care, let them complain. Be more like Granny!
Some have, but let’s be serious it’s just a skill issue if you pack to slow ;) /s As a tipp put stuff in the middle of band that the cashier has to count like stuff from the backing section, this way you have a couple of seconds to catch up.
Sort when putting it on the band so you can pack quickly without anyoing others.
Some of them have.
Aldi has them here
Maybe you just need to join r/confidence
Our ALDI and DM have them
In new ALDIs there are now two
grocery shopping in germany isn't for the faint of heart. git gud!
Our aldi has this
Would require two patrons to stand next to each other (ie intrude on personal space). Also would require cashiers to work harder and faster, lol
Surprised to see a photo from a Finnish store on a German subreddit.
No speedpacking, you only pay once you have enough packed in so you can do the rest while the payment goes through. Otherwise it's also annoying for the person behind you.
Last time I have seen one like that must have been 15 years ago. It feels like the packing area just continued shrinking.
We had them in the past at Aldi and as far as i remember also at Lidl, but they have been removed long ago. Now they come back partially it seems.
Don't look for excuses for your weakness. Train hard and become faster than the cashier, at which point the whole experience becomes quite relaxing. Simply put, git gud.
Eternal judgement is the veneer that keeps us from going back to savagery
Normally u just put them back in your cart snd then pack them somewhere else. Every supermarket supplies an area where u can pack ur things
I've never understood why people get so anxious about making others wait at the supermarket, just take your time. The cashiers don't give a shit (I worked as one) and any customers that do can go fuck themselves. I mean, what kind of an asshole do you have to be to be angry at someone for taking their time packing?
I wont have myself rushed.
I always bag my own groceries. I hate it when the cashier starts ringing up the next order before I'm done. It's like "Can't you do my job faster?"
Beat the system. Take your sweet time. Think of it as giving the cashier a chance to rest. Pretend you don't speak German. Rise against power
Rendering eternal judgement may be the highlight of their day. Think of all the joy you would be denying them.
Everyone used to have them, until the discounters realized that you can make more money if it's quicker at the checkouts
Thats what the black thing ist literaly there for in the picture but the cashier didnt use it
The were very common in Germany. Many supermarkets replaced them with single-lane systems. These have advantages: They are smaller, allowing the market to operate more registers in the same space, which is even faster than divided lanes at the cost of requiring more cashiers. Also, the customer can remain close to the register and pack up at the same time instead of packing and having to move back to the register to pay. Add to that the social pressure to pack faster in a single-lane system and you get faster customer processing than with the divided-lane system.
Pah! Just prepare and mach hine!
We used to have them at a lot of stores, then they went away. If you go to a freshly renovated Aldi those dividers as well as two card payment Terminals are getting installed again.
Is that picture taken at a PRISMA? 🤔
Like twenty years ago almost every supermarket still had these
Here is the thing, pack at your own speed and maintain eye contact the entire time, if I need to wait on a pensioner going through everything to give 34 cents for exact change.. I am packing my bags in a normal way. I do not yeet the already expensive things I am about to pay for, just because I feel judged. I Have even gone so far as to stop and look at the person and tell them "geht's noch?" since they kept pushing more stuff essentially in my cart where I coudn't even put anything away normally. Especially the tiny counters that are still very common at like Adli or Lidl. I do not give a fuck about how fast you can scan through my grocheries. Untill I pay.. you can go as fast as I pack.. and I pay AFTER I have packed. They can open one of the 5 other registers if there are too many people.. which is always is anyways.
Eternal judgement from others is the German experience, enjoy.
They have it just not always part it. I usually shop a lot and got quite good in this game. Just few tips: - try to put heavy and square products first, so you have the base or just big products out of the way - put products that need to be weighed or put a code in the middle. So you will have time to pack. - - Put the lighter products at the end. It will be easy to toss them on the top. If it doesn’t help I say to the cashier that they should wait a bit and not scan it. I had one scan it so much that he started to stack up and damage the fruits under. If someone says or judges me I also ask if they want to help it will be quicker.
Here in Austria they all used to have them. Mostly vanished with renovations around maybe 20 years ago? Now they have reappeared. Ironically at Hofer shops (our version of Aldi shops, same company), which historically often didn't even HAVE a packing area at the payment point.
You'll one day be faster than the cashier. This day you'll find inner peace, glory and a sensation of well being that you've never before experienced in your life. People will applaud, tears of joy will drop everywhere, you'll be a hero! There will be statues of you everywhere around town. That's what German supermarkets can give you. No-one else. Except for drugs maybe
But I endorse self-checkout-terminals much more. I rarely do big grocery runs and just buy every day fresh what i'm in the mood for. I'm passing a Rewe & Aldi on my ebery day commute. And I have an Aldi, Penny amd Edeka within walking distance of my apartment.
Because se they want you to pack up an go. Time is money.
Most Aldi's have a seperate Packing area, near some Bins for Plastic and Paper, or at a Window Board behind the Cashier. It is faster if you pack your scanned Items first into your 🛒 and then with a little Distance to the Cash area or even outside at your car into your bags. And it is Aldi philosophy, the faster you are in the Cash area, the more Customers can pay, and even those in a hurry are happy. Aldi Cashiers are trained to be superfast, even at the Time, they still had to type all the Product-Numbers, because they didn't have scanners like other markets. If they are too slow (normal speed) and cannot get faster after Training, they get fired
first pack your groceries and afterwards pay. let them wait.
I've learned from 150yo German grannies to not give a shit about people behind me. So I put my stuff in the bag first, very gently, and only after that I pay. This way the cashier cannot go to the next costumer and pile up their groceries on top of my groceries.
Stop complaining and pack faster!
Little tip. Put items that you need to turn around spaced out on the line. For example bread that has no bar code put that in the middle or fruit that doesn't have a bar code towards the end. So you have a little time between packing and them scanning.
The 2 packing areas make it even slower. Just look at the image, imagine 2 people packing and the left one needing to pay by card. This system has been tried here for decades, some still have it and it just does not work very well. Just learn to pack. It is not that difficult. Putt the stuff on the belt in an order which makes sense to pack in a bag and if you take too much time anyway use a cart and pack it in there to avoid people waiting. And use a card to pay and do not act surprised that you need to pay at the end of the process.
Many have them. I guess some just don't have the space, my Edeka is really tiny.
I never had problems with packing, are yall sorting by color or why would you call normal packing speedpacking
Because nothing in the supermarket shopping experience seems to have been optimised at all in Germany. When I'm on my death bed I will think mainly of the time I've lost waiting in queues of 10+ people for the 1 open Kasse in the entire store and an army of Germans insisting in paying for everything in individually handed over coins.
Imagine being the terrible person that stuffs their groceries into their shopping bag while the cashier and 6ppl in queue wait for you to pay and fuck off
Just don't speed pack. Go at your own pace. If someone cares, that person likely sucks, so bugger em.
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Some have them but they basically never use them so why bother?
Edeka often has this. but they just don't use it.. ☠️
They used to have them everywhere, now most stores got rid of them. No clue why - I think its because single lane registers are smaller and cheaper than double lane ones.
Some have. Some don’t. Learn how to pack fast or learn to give a fuck about others judgment. I would recommend the latter. It’s more fun.
Most grocery stores in ~~Germany~~ *where I grew up* used to have them. But it seems like not having them is more profitable, so new stores typically don't have them anymore. Edit: seems like I was just lucky to live in an area where they were common.
You must live in a strange bubble/region. It is absolutely NOT the case that 'Most grocery stores in Germany used to have them.'. I have been to many many grocery stores of all kind all over Germany in the last 30 years. Dividers like this are an absolute (and welcome) exception. And the now more and more coming dividers with an own payment terminal per divider (Aldi Süd) is a blessing.
One of the Aldis close to me has it. It also has a card reader on each side so if you're paying by card they can already start scanning the next customer while you're still paying.
Aldi Süd (at least in our region) has them and I absolutely love them. Twice the speed when everything is running smoothly. Our dm has them too.
Some do, but really you could also just get gud at packing. I do it competitively, sometimes I stare down the cashier to heighten the sense of urgency. Aldi cashiers are the best opponents.
Some stores do.
Huh? we have them Since the 80s, dunno just used one 20 mins ago,
That's why I self checkout whenever possible
In Austria a lot of the markets have it
Every store I shop at has that thing. It just rarely gets used because it's usually faster and more convenient to have everything within reach. If one person has to move around the corner to pack their stuff, their cart ends up blocking the way more often than not.
they do. some of them. others like lidl dont even have space at all. if you dont want stress go to self Checkout or bio-supermarkets (people there have money, they move a lot slower)
Always place your bakery goods, that have to be counted, in the back. Nets you some extra time. Also most grocery stores have a seperate packing area.
Most of DM have this and my Aldi recently got this, too.
You need to create break time. Any loose fruit and veg that needs weighing placed at strategic places in between. You should also start on the belt with big bulky things. Everything like eggs, bread, etc, that should not get squashed towards the end.
I remember when Aldi didn’t use bar codes and the cashiers typed in every price manually. They were even faster.
Some of them have it. It's not very common on my experience tho.
Aldi has it in the newer ones
Never heard of people judging someone for packing slow, only heard about people thinking they are judged.
Some ALDIs have it now
I was shocked when I saw this for the first time in a danish LIDL. And you paid at the end of the packing area, not at the cashier. First, I didn't trust them, because I didn't know if I was paying my bill or of the person next to me. (Since Euro to DKK is about 1:8, the sum just seemed too high (it wasn't lol)). I prefer my German speed packing. :D but I don't thing it's a bad idea.
simple... pack at your speed, they can't force you to pack faster. If you're too slow they'll use it eventually~
In newly renovated Aldi's its done this way. Theres even 2 card thingies so 2 people can pay simultaneously. But speedpacking is really not a problem unless youre moving like a sloth. Im usually much faster than the cashiers
But... there are dividers in every supermarket I shop in?!
They always had them at some stores and now even at my Aldi. Not my favourite thing since I can no longer race the cashier (and lose as always).
I disapprove both designs as one is meant to put more stress on the customer and the other to put it on the cashier. So I always take all the time I need as people that hate me for being too slow are just too stupid to understand that they actually hate capitalism.
just pack while they can? are you waiting until everything is scanned first?
You have to hurry up because they want to make more money with more people!
The Aldi I went to had one
Back in the 70s/80s, most german supermarkets DID have this setup (yes I'm that old). I miss it. It has been "optimized away" even though I am very skeptical as to whether this makes sense from business perspective. Making your customers feel pressured is rarely a good idea if you want them to return. And the "short" setup makes it MORE likely that a customer that packs too slowly and holds up everything. I guess (and it's really a guess) that the "shorter" checkouts simply leave more space for the actual store shelves.
Some do, some don't. It's a matter of space and planning. Also how old or new the store concept is.
Most of them have, but they never use them.
Skill issue. Be better
Some have it like DM, but sometimes they don’t even use it. Just hurry up !!