Cultural Comparisons 2

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Daily Life in the USA vs. Germany • Part 2

History & Culture > Cultural Comparisons 1 > Cultural Comparisons 2 > Cultural Comparisons 3

Shopping • Credit Cards • Banking • Postal Matters • Alcohol

In the charts below you’ll find a simplified comparison of various customs and everyday culture in the United States and Germany (Deutschland). For more details, click on any linked topic. See the bottom of this page for a complete list of topics.

shopping Blumen

A flower shop in Berlin. Don’t assume they’ll take a credit card. Ask first.
PHOTO: Hyde Flippo

Cultural Differences between the USA and Germany
(3) Shopping
USA GERMANY
SHOPPING | See Shopping in Germany for more
Credit card acceptance is almost universal. Credit card acceptance is much more limited, even in restaurants.
Bank debit cards and autopay are gradually replacing personal checks. The EC bank card is used universally in Germany; no personal checks.
0-10.75% sales tax is added to the price of your purchase, depending on the state, county, city. Sales price always includes 19% VAT (sales tax, 20% in Austria, 7.6% in Switzerland). Lower tax rate for groceries.
24/7 shopping – nights and Sundays Shopping hours are much more limited; no shopping on Sunday.
Good customer service is expected. Returns are usually accepted for any reason. Customer service can be poor. Returns are allowed only for a defective product.
Most businesses have a toll-free number. Few businesses have a toll-free number. You have to pay 14 euro cents a minute to call them!
Specialty shops are a dying breed. Big-box discount stores are prevalent. There are discount stores, but specialty shops are more common, offering expertise not found in discount stores.
Shopping is mostly in large malls and super stores. Downtowns usually offer few shopping opportunities. Although there are shopping malls, German town and city centers are still lively places offering retail shopping.
USA GERMANY
POSTAL MATTERS: die Post | See The German Post Office for more.
You can leave stamped outgoing mail in your residential postal box (with the red flag indicator for street-side boxes), which will be picked up by the mail carrier for delivery. There is no equivalent in Germany or most of Europe. You have to place stamped outgoing mail in official yellow Deutsche Post mailboxes, or take it to the post office.
US domestic postage rates are lower than in Germany and most of Europe. A 1oz./29g standard letter costs $0.50. But First Class Mail International rates are similar: 1oz./29g letter: $1.15 (to anywhere outside the US). (Rates/euro value as of Oct. 2018) German domestic postage rates are higher than in the US. A standard domestic letter (max. 20g/0.7oz.): €0.70 ($0.80). German international letter rates (to anywhere outside Germany), max. 20g/0.7oz., are about the same: €0.90 ($1.03).
Post office business hours are pretty standard in the United States. Some large airports may have a post office nearby, but not inside the terminal. Even at LAX the nearest post office is located at 9029 Airport Blvd., not in the terminal. Large train stations and airports in Germany often have post offices with extended hours, even on weekends. The Frankfurt and Munich airports have post offices inside the terminal.


In the next section below, we compare how the two cultures deal with alcohol and drinking laws.

Cultural Differences between the USA and Germany
(4) Beer and Wine | Alcohol | Drinking Laws
USA GERMANY
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES See the Beer and Wine page for more
Drinking age is 21. Drinking age is 18 (16 for beer and wine). > More…
McDonald’s does not serve beer or wine. McDonald’s serves beer in Germany, wine in France.
Bars tend to be dark, hidden places. No children allowed. Pubs are open and light; children allowed with parents.
US Budweiser is considered a real beer. Czech Budweiser is considered a real beer.
Very few beer brands are brewed according to the German Reinheitsgebot (beer purity law). Most beer is brewed according to the German Reinheitsgebot.
Craft beer brews are very popular. Craft beer (non-Reinheitsgebot) brews are gaining popularity.
Beer with lunch at work is not generally considered acceptable. Blue collar workers have beer with lunch (written into their contract).
Better Beer: With the advent of craft beers and microbreweries in the US, and more discriminating beer tastes by Americans, the beer gap between the US and Germany has grown much smaller.
Binge drinking by young people is a problem. Binge drinking (Komasaufen) by young people is also a problem.
Good wines, even local ones, are expensive. Good wines (from Germany, France, Spain, Latin America, etc.) are reasonably priced.
Free PDF Downloads of these charts!
CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS > Christmas in the USA and Germany (Cultural Comparision Chart)

Next | Cultural Comparisons – Part 3

Related Pages
CULTURAL COMPARISONS

Next | Cultural Comparisons – Part 3

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