# What is worth buying at a German supermarket, what is the bottle deposit, and why is everything closed on Sunday?

> German supermarkets sell excellent bread, mustard and Lebkuchen. What to buy, how the Pfand bottle deposit works, and why Sunday shopping is not an option.

- Source: https://clevertourists.com/resources/what-to-buy-at-a-grocery-store-in-germany
- Authors: Evan & Clara, Clever Tourists (first-hand, from years of travel across 20 countries)
- Published: 2026-02-26

Germany has the best supermarket bread in Europe and the most rules around the checkout. **Aldi** and **Lidl** are the discount chains, **Rewe** and **Edeka** are the full-range ones, and **dm** is the drugstore where you buy shampoo rather than in a supermarket. Two things will catch you out: the bottle deposit, and the fact that almost nothing is open on Sunday.

## The Pfand bottle deposit

Most drink bottles and cans carry a deposit, usually **25 cents**, added at the till and refunded when you return the empty.

You get it back by putting bottles into a **Pfandautomat** — a reverse vending machine near the entrance — which prints a receipt you use at the till or cash in.

This is why you will see people carrying bags of empty bottles to the shop, and why a plastic bottle left on a wall is often collected rather than binned.

Look for the Pfand logo on the label. Not every bottle has one, and non-deposit bottles go in the normal recycling.

## Bread is the reason to shop here

German bakeries sell dozens of bread types and the supermarket bakery counter is genuinely good, not a sad afterthought. **Rye**, **sourdough** and seed-heavy loaves keep for days.

**Brötchen** are the small rolls bought by the bag for breakfast, and they are best on the day.

**Brezel** is the pretzel, and in Bavaria it comes with butter or with a *Obatzda* cheese dip.

**Senf** is mustard, and the German version is sharper and more varied than the yellow kind elsewhere. **Löwensenf** and the Düsseldorf style are the ones to look for.

## The seasonal shelf runs the year

**Spargelzeit** is white asparagus season, roughly April to June, and it is treated as a national event. Whole supermarket sections and restaurant menus reorganise around it.

**Federweißer** is partially fermented new wine, sold in autumn, and it is mildly fizzy and still fermenting in the bottle.

**Christmas** brings **Lebkuchen** from Nuremberg, **Stollen** from Dresden, and **Glühwein** at markets everywhere.

**Marzipan** from Lübeck is the other thing worth buying, and it is far better than the export version.

## Rules that surprise visitors

**Shops close on Sundays**, including supermarkets. This is not a tourist-area quirk — it applies nationally, with exceptions for petrol stations, train stations and some bakeries.

**Cash is still normal**, more than in most of Western Europe. Some small shops and bakeries do not take cards at all.

**You bag your own groceries**, and the checkout is fast — have your bag ready.

**Pfand** and **recycling separation** are taken seriously, and the bottle machines are by the entrance in every supermarket.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why are German supermarkets closed on Sunday?

Sunday closing is a national rule, not a local choice. Petrol stations, train stations and some bakeries are the exceptions.

### How does the Pfand bottle deposit work?

Most bottles and cans carry a 25-cent deposit added at the till. Return empties to a reverse vending machine in the shop, which prints a receipt you redeem at the till.

### What food should you bring back from Germany?

Lebkuchen, marzipan from Lübeck, good mustard and Stollen. Bread does not travel, but the mustard and the sweets do.

### What is Spargelzeit?

White asparagus season, roughly April to June, when supermarkets and restaurant menus reorganise around it.