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Did you ever wonder where Germans get their keen sense of punctuality from? It is an educational system of sorts, with mutually supporting experiences. Subtle, but powerful. Or not so subtle, as I had to learn upon returning to Germany.
In Germany, typical store opening hours are from 10am to 8pm. This is a huge improvement from over ten years ago, when I left Germany, and stores regularly closed at 6:30pm. Sunday is still not part of the equation, though. (Closed everywhere.) Moreover, closing at 8pm does in fact mean closing at 8pm. What do I mean? Well... read on.
I work at a startup, and I seldom get out of there before 8pm so I can buy dinner. (I've reached an age where junk food just doesn't do it any longer.) Still, to get decent veggies and fruits, I have to be in the store by 8pm to take home enough to cook dinner. So I thought I had to be at the store at 7:55 the latest to get in.
The first time I tried to do this at the store around the corner, a big hairy woman caught me at the door. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "Well, trying to get food for dinner," I answered. "But it is 8pm!" she demanded. It followed an argument about 7:55pm vs 8pm. Even though she looked like she was about to go postal on me, my pleas eventually worked and she let me in.
Over the next months I avoided such situations and was at the store by 7:45pm the latest, which posed no problems to get in. Yesterday, though, I made it to the big store in my neighborhood only by 7:50pm. Here, not one single person, but a whole army of guys were protecting the entrances. At 7:50pm! A similar argument ensued as with the woman above. This time, however, annoyed I ignored the protectors of 8pm and walked in. Strangely enough (I thought) they let me pass.
Inside the store, however, it became clear why they let me in. Even though it was a Monday with no special day to follow, the produce section had its products already covered up, and the last register was ticking away for the few remaining customers. It finally dawned on me that 8pm doesn't mean the last time I can get it, but it means the last time an employee is willing to make a move to help a customer.
I live in customer prevention land. This is the only thing I have to say. Just incredible. Germans have Gemütlichkeit, but no convenience. (There is no German word that properly translates convenience. Not surprisingly, there are no convenience stores either.) Well, if customer service isn't a new concept to build a company around...
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