It’s December and that means supermarkets are working overtime. Especially if you live in the German Bunde.
The white license plates are still in the majority in the parking lots at Lidl and Aldi in Bunde. This may be due to the fact that there are also cars from Poland, Lithuania and one from Denmark. The yellow license plates form a large minority. Thanks to the Dutch, the village of barely 8,000 inhabitants has large shops and supermarkets.
Very first time
Son Thom’s (10) hockey game was canceled on Saturday, so Martijn (45) and Elise (43) Brandsma from Siddeburen traveled to Bunde. “It is the very first time for us,” says Martijn. “Normally we don’t have time for it because of the sport, it is always busy on Saturdays. But now let’s take a look. We do very obediently what others do.”
They have already looked on the internet to see what is cheap in Germany these days. Toiletries and drinks, for example. “We’re just going to take a look. Thom still has to make a surprise for the Sinterklaas party at school, we might also find something suitable here.”
Bratkartoffeln
Jolanda and Leo Hut (61 and 58) from Veendam are experienced buyers in Bunde. “These Bratkartoffeln are very tasty,” says Leo. You can also get shower foam, deodorant and chocolate cheaply here. Jolanda shows a can of deodorant that cost only 1 euro. However, the trunk of the car is full of bottles of coke and wine. “It’s really much cheaper here.”
A German lady loads her car next to Jolanda and Leo. Conversely, does she ever go to the Netherlands to do some shopping? “Rarely,” she says. “I used to do it sometimes for the coffee, but that is now hardly cheaper in the Netherlands than here.”
Three children
“The teenager eats for two.” Father and mother Bloembergen from Bovensmilde point to their twelve-year-old son. They still have two children to feed and are therefore happy to make the 50-minute car journey for cheaper groceries. “We also go to other German places and immediately fill up the tank.” Mother holds up a bag of spice mix. “We pay almost 2 euros for it, here it is 40 cents.”
The shopping cart is full, but it doesn’t seem like there are any special products for Christmas yet. “We only buy non-perishable products here, because we only do this once a month. This full cart cost us 160 euros. Yesterday I was at our Poiesz and I bought a few cheeses and some spreads for 45 euros. That goes very fast.”
Danish cheese
Bunde is closer to Scandinavia than Hoogezand, which may explain why Henrik (60) from Hoogezand, originally Danish, finds it more to his liking. Danish cheese and the like and also the remoulade sauce at Aldi is irresistible, Henrik thinks. He came with his daughter Emma (23), mainly to stock up on ice tea. “Only costs 1.20 euros for a large pack.”
But the big price difference is in the cigarettes. A couple has their hands full with cigarettes and rolling tobacco. “A pack is 4 euros cheaper here,” says Mr. “Yes, my wife smokes, I pay for it. But otherwise it’s not that much cheaper here, that’s what people tell themselves.”