As a German visiting Canada a couple years ago it was a huge culture shock for me when the cashier started small talk with me while she was scanning my grocery shopping. She asked how I was, how my day had been... I was so unprepared for these questions I couldnt answer.

The reason why we tip less in Germany is because the waiters actually get paychecks from the restaurant they work for

Im currently living in Germany, and yes it’s true: Germans love their rules. The traffic lights waiting it’s respected specially when there are children around. You’re supposed to be setting an example to kids and small children. Recycling is crazy but is great!. They are very environmentally aware and follow the rules by the book. If you do not separate your bins properly, the bin men will not pick it up until you’ve done it properly. Taxes, don’t start me up, extremely complicated specially if you have work abroad and commute to Germany. Driving is great in the motorway, as long as it’s in daylight. Germany does NOT have much, if any, cats eyes on the motorway and so it’s extremely dark. To make matters worse, the middle shoulder that separates the motorway is grey and as you drive it looks more like part of the ground so be warned. Their white lines are more or less faded so you just have be brave to drive at night in the motorway. Yes it’s true supermarkets tills are very fast, specially ALDI, and since they’re environmentally friendly they take their own bags. Germans are not into small talk either, unless they know you of course. Customer Service is appalling, but is getting better. If you go to a chic shop make sure you are well dressed as they will look at you from head to toe to assess if you’re really a customer who will buy or not, otherwise they’ll make you feel uncomfortable with their obvious stares. Since Germans are very honest, they may come across as being very rude but it’s just them being honest and telling you exactly what they think. Data protection is so important that the law will NOT accept you having a camera outside your front door nor a car camera inside your car. What I love about Germany is the great respect they have to pets. You can go to a restaurant or shop, except food stores, with your canine friend. They have dog schools and they are well cared for and have high regards for their best friend. If you have a pet you’ll be required to register and license your dog at the Rathaus. Another important thing, after 22 hrs you are required to be considerate and not make noise!. if you live in a village you may be observed by the neighbours. Of course not everyone does that, but mainly older generations will be the human cameras. In all, Germany is a great safe country they are a very advanced culture, and very respectful of nature and pets.

As a German, I can not agree to the statement that we do not cross the streets when there is a red light. in big cities like Berlin, for example, where everything goes a bit faster, we often cross the streets at red lights. This is quite normal here and comparable to New York. But we make sure that we don't do it when children are around, because we don't want to set a bad example that could endanger them

The german way of saving money is to not spend any lol my stepfather used to say: "if we you don't buy it, you save 100%"

The race at the supermarket is real.

I love the "Pfand" where you return your plastic bottle for money, like a saving for a hard day

lol im german and obviously ive been grocery shopping millions of times and im still soooo stressed out when i go to check out like it gives me anxiety

in germany 75% are non-smokers. and it ist not allow to smoke in restaurants, public transportation, public events

Tip for grocery shopping: just put everything back in the cart and pack your bags in peace somewhere on the side, problem solved.

I’m English and lived/worked in Germany for 4 years. It’s a great place and I loved, what were to me, the German eccentricities. I was told off for crossing a small road on red instead of waiting for the green light no traffic on the road. The secret to German supermarket shopping is just put everything in the trolley then find a quiet spot to pack your bags.

I'm German and while I do think that recycling is important I'm shocked that your neighbors were checking your trash!! not okay

"it's a calming leisure activity" said no German about (grocery) shopping ever. ;)

THe Crosswalk thing always got me! after about 6 months i found myself standing at the crosswalk at 4am by myself 😂

I find these videos really interesting because I have lived here all my life. All my family is German, etc. So it’s fun to see what other people notice that seem so every day to me.

11:20 The reason is that cashiers can get fired if they don't scan enough items in a certain amount of time. Employers refuse to admit that publicly, but it happens.

As a native German this is really interesting.

Cant stress the "no overtaking on the right side" rule enough. Many Germans more or less blindly trust on this rule when they switch lanes to the right. They don't think they have to check for other cars coming from behind, because that would be in violation of said rule. So, if you don't follow that rule, you live a quite dangerous life on the Autobahn (let alone you endanger others). To give some context why it's forbidden: The concept of the Autobahn isn't a highway with 3-4 equal lanes, but one main-lane (on the right) plus 2 lanes for the exclusive purpose of overtaking (and going back to the right afterwards). Stay safe!

Interesting video! I totally understand. I lived in Germany for five years and loved it. The culture shock after I moved back to the US, though, was far worse than the one I experienced when I first moved to Germany. Things I am still not used to: 1. Trusting other people to bag my items for me at the grocery store 2. People passing me on the right 3. I miss driving fast and knowing that the other people n the road can handle it - the condition of the roads in the US, the horrible drivers, etc I am not sure I would ever drive fast here 4. The fact that the "going out" culture in the United States is reserved for only young people 5. Places open on Sundays 6. Loudly talking at restaurants - It is NOT relaxing 7. I am still not used to being discreet while drinking. I almost got in trouble once for walking down the street of a local city with a beer in my hand. It was my beer, I had it in my bag, and I walked by a police officer and I don't think he saw me. Close call! - There are more items but those are the main ones.

The tipping? Yeah, we tip less because our restaurants (usually) pay living wages...

Hi, I'm german. I also stop walking when there's redlight. Always when children are watching and when I'm not in hurry, so I can relax a little bit.

You always give up a seat on the bus or train to someone who is elderly, pregnant or disabled. Not only Germany but also UK, Ireland and New Zealand. Usual rather than odd, doesn't say much for USA.

Grocery shopping recommendation: Put the heavy and hard stuff on the band first and the soft stuff in the end, so you can pack everything quick and tidy. I prefer Aldi over Lidl because they scan / process even faster.

5:56 I work as a waiter in Germany. It is ture, tipping is not mandatory but still it widely accepted to give at least 10% if everything was fine. We get mostly around minimum wage, which is probably more than in the US but not much overall for the job you are required to do. So please, don't be cheap!

The “German stare” is a big one for me as a fellow New Yorker! I just had to learn to accept that they stare at everyone subconsciously 😂

About the "Sie" and "You"....a kind of a rule is , that the older person offers the "Du"

As a German, the coupon culture in the US baffles me everytime I think or hear about it. You‘re right, it doesn‘t exist here in Germany. If there are special voucher-based campaigns here, then there is two rules and I‘ve never seen them not applied: 1. Different coupons or several coupons of the same kind cannot be combined for one single checkout. 2. (and this is the mind-blowing one for me when looking at the US system) It is absolutely impossible to pile up so many coupons that the store actually owes you money after checkout. 😅

Loved this video, as a German with American dad and many stays in the Midwest - my dad and i used to compare habits and my comment to #13 (pay, pack and run) is the opposite habit at a restaurant, in the US you eat, pay and leave - in Germany we sometimes sit for hours at the restaurant, consuming more drinks (wine 😉) talking and enjoying the time together. Different habit 🤷‍♂️

I was in London once and the cashier was so fast, he literally put my stuff into my bag and the money into my wallet because I was too slow for him👀😂😂😂 it's not only Germans!

Tip: When I do big groceries in Lidl I usually park my shopping cart at the end of the cash register and just slam dunk all the scanned products back in there. I do the packing and sorting in the parking lot when I put the stuff in the trunk of my car. That's more relaxing. I always take two or three empty cardboard boxes from inside the store (usually the ones from the oranges). They're big and strong and you can use them for your recycled paper at home. Greetings from Belgium (where the Lidl cashiers also scan fast). Good luck!

Oh, never EVER offer the "Du" to a superior! It is for the person who is in a position above you, or in informal settings, the older person to decide the level of "intimacy" or formality and it is for them to offer you the "Du".

In Germany there are many sales on websites (clothes, cosmetics etc). You’ll find almost all the time coupon codes. But for supermarkets there are none, it’s not something frequent in European countries. Germany is known for having cheap prices (for groceries).

Everything you said was accurate. As someone who grew up in Germany, when first moving to the U.S 14 years ago, I had a the exact culture shock but reversed lol.

Americans first time in a german supermarket at the cash registry: "Why do I hear boss music?" xD

I was raised in a small city, very German area of Wisconsin. And so much of what you said about Germany was how I was raised! Waiting for the light to change, not J-walking, giving your seat to an older person or a pregnant woman, On Sunday almost everything except fast food and grocery stores are closed. Also people are pretty friendly, didn't litter much, were hard working, and help others. When we moved we had about 20 people who came and helped us!

I visited SW Germany and I love how seriously recycling is taken there and composting! Depends on where you live in the US (like Colorado, California, etc - recycling is done much better and more widely practiced than in other states)..I did notice a lot of people smoking as well and even cigarette "vending machines" on the street in Germany. That was a huge culture shock. (When you are out and about in large US cities, you’ll notice a few more people smoking/vaping as well). Also some (not all) Germans tend to look at you but not to smile or greet you sometimes just want to look. Small talk such as at a check out counter, isn’t as common where I was either, but that’s similar in certain US cities too. In the south, more hospitality is shown typically. I also just loved all the old buildings and architecture that were still standing 💕I noticed bathrooms and certain appliances tended to be smaller in comparison to in the States. I also loved seeing so many people riding bikes (Many people with healthy lifestyles is what I took from it) Lastly, the desserts were never too sweet- most tasted better in my opinion - and from what I experienced 💕

The cashiers in Germany have to scan a special number of products in a minute and their controlling about this. So that’s why they scan so fast at Aldi and lidl

Apart from the "smoking", which is far from true, our culture has been carefully recognized here :)

As a german, I have some additions to some points, because my experience is quite different. 1. Pedestrians DO ignore the red light, if there is no traffic. Especially when it is in the middle of the night ;-) 2. Smoking is not been accepeted as it was 20 years ago, especially with the new laws for restaurants and other public places became non-smoking areas, also in offices smoking is forbidden. Plus, young people smoking less than the generations before them at the same age. But his of course depending on the area you live. 3. The tip in germany is a bonus for waitresses because they got payed better than in the US, so their income is not related so much on the tip. But it is common sense that you give a tip if you are happy with the service. 4. About drinking wine: it really depends on the area, wine is mostly drunken were it grows ;-) That would be the south western part of Germany: Baden-Württemberg, Hessen and Rheinland-Pfalz. In the rest of Germany, beer is more popular (which doesn't mean wine is not drunken there ;-) ) 5. There are coupons in Germany. Of yourse, many stores offer Payback, but stores like Penny, Rewe or Real also offering coupons in their smartphone apps. But this is just a special for the offers of the week so to say, coupons are not such a big thing here as they are in the US. Again, no disrespect, just another experience ;-)

Being German and living in America: I’m pretty sure my fellow Americans must be shocked by the fact that you are charged a lot of money for tiny bottles of water in a German restaurant …

This video is right on time, just moved to Germany, literally got here last night.

Not everybody is smoking in Germany !

As a German I can just say ON POINT, your impressions are so true 😂

the key to autobahn safety is exactly the rule that it's forbidden to overtake somebody on the right. Well that and that you are forbidden from driving on the left lane except for overtaking somebody. This essentially sorts the lanes by speed. To the right is the slowest lane and the farther left you go the faster the lanes get. And since you can always be sure that you will only be overtaken on the left lane you can always change to the right lane without worrying about somebody that goes much faster than you crashing into you.

Some supermarkets in Germany track how fast the cashiers scan the products, so they are under constant pressure to work fast. That's why it's such a rush for the customers.

You hit a lot of them, Zoie, that brought back memories: the abbreviated store hours (I recall sleeping in on a Saturday and missing out on stocking up on more stuff, and 12 or 1 I think was the curfew for stores), packing groceries in addition to renting a grocery cart and paying for the bags (I loved the quality cloth bags I bought for re-use), paying what was on the label (I loved this like you), going to the pharmacy or cologne store and seeing only European brands (the pharmacy assistant had no idea what Tylenol was) and finding someone who could cut my growing hair (finally found a Turkish beautician at a salon at the recommendation of an African guy who I thought would be my saving grace. Lol). And one more: making sure I was ready for the undercover, plain-clothes transportation network officials making random checks for monthly or daily passes on the subway. Good old Germany. Send me some Lila Pause bars please. Lol

I found that people who drive at incredibly high speeds have high end cars that can handle those speeds safely. I was surprised that if you are slow in the right lane, nobody pushes you. They just go around you. With the car I was driving, I was always in the very right hand lane lol.

As a native German I can say most Germans go grocery shopping on Saturday. So there is no need to get groceries on Sunday.

It's funny the point you made about check-out Iines: I guess it's all about priorities. In Germany we are rushed out of the grocery store and in America we are rushed out of the restaurant. :-)

UNO reverse card!: I was so shocked when I visited the US and everything went in the same bin! I was confused and had to adjust to that as well😂

I'm German. - Most of the points are correct and I think they are good: recycling, politeness (on the bus), compliance with the law, holy sundays ... - but, not all Germans are smoking. :-) - The stress at the checkout in the supermarkets always annoys me, too. I didn't know it is different in other countries. Thank you - The "Sie" and "Du" are changing. "Sie" is no longer used at work or in your free time. Even in the hardware store (baumarkt), the service staff say "Du" - "Sie" is only used in official affairs, with complete strangers and in official letters. (Arbeitsamt, Einwohnermeldeamt, ...) - In which German city did you live? - Germany is very different. Life in Munich is different than in Berlin. Wine is drunk in the southwest, beer in the north and Bavaria. sorry for mistakes in my text

Routine, structure, and clarity. Sometimes I feel like I live in the wrong country

In my travels throughout Southern Germany I’ve experienced stares but it was never in a hostile way. At first I’d feel so awkward but after multiple return visits I would give them a wink and keep it moving -sometimes I even get a return wink lol. A little humor helps to make it less uncomfortable. Thankfully, I’m not a shy person

Wut, a few people are smoking, but by far not everyone and imo it's on the decline

Omg I was so laughing at the last point!🤣🤣 I'm German and I hate it so much that we must rush to package our things before/ after paying. I hate this stress😅😅

What a shocker germany is better than the us in almost any way

I confirm that Germans follow the rules in recycling 👍👍👍 I have lived as Italian Erasmus student for six months 💙 I love German culture

Usually you don't ask for the "Du". It's up to the more senior person to propose the "Du".

There is only one speed limit on the "Autobahn" . The speed of light :) Greetings from Germany

Random information: the english "you" is actually the polite form, for it means "you" in plural. In old english (as can be read in Shakespeare's works) they would use "thou" for the personal form (as the german "du"), and "you" for the official, more polite, less personal form. And pardon my poor english!

Oh my god, I'm German and the last point about grocery shopping is sooo true!! I always leave the grocery store stressed out af

As Moroccan I found German smoke a lot , beside that German culture is almost perfect great country, great culture

Yeah we love rules but still have a strong opinion. When I am in Australia or elsewhere I like having smalltalk. I miss the spontaneous interacting it gives you so much content in our daily life and you can make friendships.. this is what I really miss sometimes here in Germany. But in general I love it here.

In Cali we give our seats to the elderly and pregnant. I love how polite and laid back we are here.

A little piece of “little-known” language trivia here: in English, we always use “you” with the equivalent of the German “Sie” In older, modern English we had used “THOU” as the “du” equivalent... we just happen to evolve the language to use the most respectful pronoun. Brazilian Portuguese also does the same for example (different from European Portuguese)

Everybody is smoking? Naaaa that aint true 😂

Irgendwie finde ich es gerade voll krass wie viel ich verstanden habe, ich bin doch nich soo schlecht in Englisch

Towards the trash: the Garbage disposal will test randomly your garbage and if they find things wrongly disposed the homeowner will get a hefty fine and if it occurs again the garbage disposal will refuse to pick your trash up meaning you have to drive it yourself to the disposal. Hence people in shared appartement buildings will occasionally check, especially when new people have moved in (regardless of origin) to make sure that their home doesn't get taken off the disposal service. Edit: towards supermarkets and coupons: most of us buy regularly small amounts and don't do the huge shopping trips for a week or two in advance common in the usa, hence there is less incentive for supermarkets to lure people in with coupons as most don't buy in a volume that would make this practice profitable. Towards cash registries: you are not supposed to bag your stuff at the cash but put it back into the cart and bag it at the tables provided for that purpose near the exit. For smaller amounts you can keep up with the paste if you already sort your items on the conveyer belt in the order that you want to bag them. Also this is mostly just true for the retailers that sell their products at incredibly low prices by having all processes optimized to need as few personal as possible. (Aldi, Lidl and the like) If you want a more wholesome shopping experience with nice presentation, staff in the aisles to assist you and baggers at the registy to make life easier for you I would recommend going to the more upscale supermarkets like Edeka, which in return of course have overall a bit higher prices (but in return more brand and exotic/ nieche products) Edit to the edit: while we may not have a lot of coupons many places have a "loyalty system" that will give you coupons depending on the amount you spend there (e.g. Lidl has an app for that) and/ or are part of the "payback" system where you have a card were points are given to depending on how much you spend that you can collect and eventually spend on some free stuff

Coupons isn‘t a thing anymore we use Payback cards

Germans always smile on the fact that so many Americans are shocked by closed businesses on Sundays, especially since the USA seem to have become hyper-religious in the previous decades. Sunday is a day of rest and contemplation, even when you do not believe in some God.

As an American, in Norway, where I married and worked for years, no matter where you are, if you want to cross the street, you just stick out your arm. All traffic must stop and let you cross. This means where there's no crosswalk. Getting a license there is difficult, expensive, and you have to be 18. They too have the personal du, impersonal de. Fun video. Ignore the nasties🤗

Thank you for being respectful to other cultures than your own.

When I studied abroad in Spain, the packing groceries thing was true for me as well! I was always stressed when grocery shopping lol

Moving to Germany next year and trying to get my mind right lol Im excited for the adventure!

New subscriber, absolutely love hearing your experience 😍

Thank you for your video! For me as a german woman it was very interesting to hear what is different in America and Germany! Some things I really didn't know! 👍

"You" is actually the formal one, English speakers abandoned the informal "thou" (equivalent of du) a while ago. ;-) The direct equivalent to "you" would be "Ihr" (both derived from 2nd person plural) which is still technically in use but seen as very archaic in German, just like thou is in English.

Funny english phrase to express the acceptance of the casual „Du“ made up by Germans is: „You can say you to me!“ 😉

@7:40 Exactly, the Autobahn is the safest road for any speed, no opposing traffic and you can look ahead pretty far, hence adjust your speed.

Small town Germany is completely different from cities like Berlin, Hamburg or Frankfurt, just like NYC is different from an Idaho village. In a typical Berlin district you will have a hard time finding someone who waits for the green light on a not so busy street.

A tip for sundays: If you really need to buy sth. go to the next larger town's railway station. They all have some supermarket which is open during sundays (daytime).

I like that. Germany sounds like a really nice place to live. Thanks for the insight.🤗

0:47 in Berlin there is a "Späti" (spätkauf) that is open 24/7 (mostly?^^) - there is even is a wiki article

Thanks Zoie-Marie, for this fun video, made me smile. :) I've been living here (near Frankfurt) since 2004, coming originally from Boston. I can totally relate to most of what you said (though I was never really a coupon clipper lol). Over the years, I've developed strategies for coping with some of these lapses in logic in the German culture (not dissing Germans! I love living here AND my kids are half German!) For example: there are ways to slow your cashier down and reduce your stress... simply pack everything BEFORE you pay! Do not be tempted to interrupt your packing simply because they're finished ringing it up and have told you the total amount and are waiting for payment. Let them wait. Just keep packing until it's all done, and then pay. If they complain (especially at aldi), just tell them you are simply avoiding that you inadvertantly pack the items bought by the next person in line by mistake. ALSO: tell the cashier NOT TO START ringing up your stuff UNTIL the person before you has finished packing--for the same reason. It has happened to me that my stuff WAS packed by the person ahead of me, and this explanation arms you with an argument that the cashier AND their manager CANNOT dispute with the excuse "i have to go as fast as possible, or I'll lose my job!" ...if you and I ever had a chance to chat, I've love to tell you about my adventures in sticking to my American table etiquette LOL :D ...I'm an online business owner, but have no you-tube channel. Wishing you all the best!

Coupons are a thing in germany ... stuff like "payback" etc. Is used by a lot of people.. but they are working a littel bit different✌🏼

Just a small thing about the „Du“ and „Sie“. English actually had a formal and an informal word for this too, but around the time of Shakespeares life the informal word disappeared until there was only the formal word left which happens to be “you“. So basically in English you always say „Sie“😊

Its really really nice to listen to you, never before I was able to listen so clear a american :) thanks for your charmig decribtion about my country.... its nice to hear .... nice greetings from north of germany (we are able to go shopping on sundays.... in summertime )

Thank you. Very informative. ❤

I love how you described the Autobahn experience and it's absolutely true, If you pay attention to it, you can feel the small pressure waves caused by overtaking cars.

Yes girl! Coming from Jamaica it took me a while to get used to this fast check out in the supermarket. In JA there are usually workers who pack the bags, but they are most times slow. 😄 I’m also in the south of Germany, but I don’t see much drinking of wine. Sie trinken immer Bier 🍺😄

Hi Zoie-Marie, in the 1950s we had coupons. Nowadays we have electronic coupons like Payback for many years. And you are right about the German supermarkets. The employees are quite under pressure and everything is quite stressful But I remember when we lived in Philadelphia the super markets even had somebody who put everything in a bag and carried it to our car. Wonderful.

On Sunday the Shops are closed, but a Supermarket have open in a Main Station. Also open is a Bakery and pitrol Station.

Not everybody is smoking! But unfortunately much people. Good Video!

Grocery shopping: you are talking about Aldi and Lidl discounters. Try an Edeka or REWE and they will not push you. Reason is employees at discounters are being tracked and have a minimum scanning speed of items per minute. You will see them relax once they have scanned the last item and hit the sum key.

Pretty accurate. I’m a German who has lived in California for the last 40 years. I lived in Bavaria for 21 years, my entire family still lives in Germany. I agree with you on everything, except: it’s not true that EVERYBODY smokes. Not sure what city or town you live in, but where my family lives, I barely see anybody smoke, and nobody in my family smokes. As a matter of fact, the ones who do smoke are mainly the foreigners who have moved there.

Great to see a fellow New Yorker here in Germany and to hear about your experiences. Glad you like it, as do I. Full disclosure: My family is originally from Germany but I grew up in and around New York from when I was 4 years old. I moved bak to Germany after nearly 25 years. In between my family and I spent 6 years living in Dubai and then returned to Germany. My wife is German / Dutch, so we have that multi-cuturalism as well. But my parents, brother, sister etc. are still in the US, mostly in or near New York. New York is basically my "home town" in that sense. Regarding coupons and savings: true, it is not possible to get the huge savings possible in the US but it is possible to get savings of up to 20% on many things especially as part of customer loyalty programs. My wife's nickname is Ms. 20% because she often will not buy something (especially make-up, fashion and household items, unless she gets at least a 20% discount on it. So, yes there are strategies for achieving that here, but they are different than in the US. It would be fun to meet up with you and talk about our shared experiences. Our daughter just took her theoretical test for her driving license. Failed the first time but then (just barely) passed the second time. We are up in the Düsseldorf area. If you are ever around the area it would be great to meet you. Wishing you success with your youth channel.

1:37 if you have a driverslicense in germany and you cross the road !walking! when the light is red and the police sees it, they can revoke your driverslicense and you have to take penalty lessons. Even though you werent driving in that moment. Thats why everyone follows this rule 😂

i think the trash checking especially when you live in apartment buildings is because it costs extra to get the trash despised of. The costs of that will then show up in the Nebenkosten.

Sometimes there are coupons you can use to save money, but mostly you‘re not allowed to combine these coupons