You’ve arrived and are settling in to your new duty station in Germany, here are some great first places to go experience shopping and everyday life. (tea (123RF))
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Our 2026-2027 “Welcome to Germany” magazine is a guide for newcomers and is a vital resource for understanding your new home in Germany.
Moving to Germany is an exciting and wonderful experience full of places to go, including new places to shop. Here are some German stores to get you started.
If you are used to heading down to Home Depot or Lowes for fresh paint or a new light fixture, all of your home improvement needs can be found at your local OBI, Toom, Hornbach or Globus Baumarkt. My spouse spent years working at both of the big American hardware retailers and when we needed a specific screw to install our German washing machine, he quickly noted, “It doesn’t matter if it is American or German, all of these DIY stores are designed the same.” He quickly found his way to the needed item without asking an associate a single question. Both OBI and Hornbach consistently rank as “best home improvement store” for the Stars and Stripes Best of Germany. They have shops across many European countries, while Toom is a German staple; all three have extensive DIY offerings and garden centers. Globus has both DIY shops and hypermarkets with groceries.
When I was younger, I would go to Walmart, grab a DVD out of the $5 bin and head over to the snack aisle for cheap boxes of candy and bags of chips for a frugal movie night at home. Giant big box stores are not popular here, but close equivalents in Germany are Kaufland and Globus. With items such as food, beer, exercise equipment, home decor, outdoor furniture and hardware tools, you will nd everything you need these shops, for a great price.
If cozying up in a chair with a cup of coffee and the latest bestseller in a Barnes & Noble or Books-a-Million is one of your favorite American pastimes, fear not. Germany has both Thalia and Mayersche for all your bookworm needs. Owned by the same company, there are roughly 300 of these large bookshops across Germany that offer multi-storied book selections, on-site cafes and coffee shops, books in English and huge magazine selections.
If finding a $3 tank top in the clearance rack at Burlington or T.J. Maxx gives you the biggest rush, do not worry. Cute, comfortable and affordable clothing is not a foreign idea in Germany. Head to a T.K. Maxx, Primark, C&A and H&M for reasonable prices on quality items. If you are aiming for super-low prices on basic items, visit a Woolworth or KiK. KiK is an acronym for “Kunde ist König,” which translates to the “customer is king.”
If your ideal Saturday is spent picking up supplies at Hobby Lobby or Michaels for your next knitting, painting or crafting project, it can be a challenge to find a German equivalent. You can find the idee Creativmarkt in larger cities, which are crammed with all kinds of upscale craft and party supplies. In addition, the discount shop Tedi and cosmetics shop Müller both have cheap crafting sections.
Instead of heading to a CVS for cosmetics, some snacks and self-care items, try visiting a Rossmann, Müller or DM-drogerie shops. They act as a drugstore, offering vitamins, healing teas and also toiletries, but without the medicinal items that are only available at an Apotheke (pharmacy). Remember that shops will all be closed on Sundays and any federal or local holiday, which can be a bit of culture shock. Hopefully having these stores makes the adjustment easier.
In Germany, fresh baked goods, dairy products and ripe ready-to-eat produce are readily available and do not have the same preservatives as in the U.S., meaning that the shelf-life for these goods is only a few days. This, combined with housing differences like small kitchens and close proximity to markets, means that many Germans will grocery shop frequently, if not daily, throughout the week.
You’ll need a 50 cent or 1 euro coin to use a shopping cart.
Some stores require you to weigh and label your produce.
Bring your own bag or buy one at the register.
Large chain stores for big lists, international foods or first-time grocery shopping off base in Germany.
Globus
EDEKA
Kaufland
Marktkauf
Smaller, local grocery stores that are great for frequent grocery shopping.
Aldi
Lidl
Netto
Norma
REWE
Wasgau (Primarily in the Rheinland-Pfalz)
When eating out in Germany, expect evening meals to last a couple of hours. Be sure to close your menus to signal that you are ready to order. You will need to ask for additional drinks and signal your server to pay your check at the end. Some restaurants are cash-only, which is often clearly displayed at the entrance.
Here are a few local restaurants we can recommend for your first authentic German schnitzel:
Stuttgart—Brauhaus Schönbuch or Onkel Otto
Wiesbaden—Brauhaus Castel or Der Andechser im Ratskeller
Kaiserslautern—Big Emma or Brauhaus am Markt
Bavaria—Gastof Hammer or Schinderhannes Weiden
