Settling In 113kilogram. However, one doesn’t break down the amounts by
100ths (100 gram) but by 10ths (decagram). So, if you want
200 grams of cheese, you say, “zwanzig deca Käse, bitte.”
(“Twenty decagrams of cheese, please.”)
Many bottles and some plastics carry a deposit (Pfand).
You usually go to the back of the store, where a conveyor
belt will accept your empties, then spit out a credit receipt
(Flaschenzettel). Present this to the cashier when you check
out and she will credit the amount to your grocery bill.
The most shocking part about the grocery stores is the
small area, sometimes non-existent, in which to gather the
groceries you have bought. This means that once the items
have been scanned, you have to gather them all at Olympian
speed and put them back into the cart. Then you go to a
special packing counter to pack the groceries. If you go to a
larger grocery store with your car, you can bring the grocery
cart to the car and unload it directly.
If you like the royal treatment and have a penchant for
fine foods and wine, go to Julius Meinl on the Graben in
Vienna. The employees will greet you and make you feel
quite at home. The ambience is refined and ultramodern.
Gastronomically, it is one of the most diversified “grocery
stores” ever. Strategically located throughout the store, it
has the following: a coffee shop, a Sushi Bar, wine bar, a
fast food ordering area, and an excellent and well respected
restaurant. The best thing of all, however, is that when you
leave the store, someone will bag your groceries, even without
you having to pay for the bags!
Some grocery stores are trying to make life a bit easier on
the customer. Merkur, for example, has an order and delivery
service available from 6:00 am until midnight.
Tabak-Trafik
An important little store is the Tabak-Trafik or just Tabak.
These were originally small tobacco shops, but now the extent
of their wares is mesmerising. Tabaks stock transportation
tickets, cigarettes, magazines, newspapers, greeting cards,
stationery, maps, stamps, registration forms ( Meldezettel),
lottery tickets, parking tickets and small toys, for a start. Keep