Since the panic buying at the beginning of the corona pandemic, almost everyone has heard the phrase “sale only in normal household quantities”. But: A six-person household eats significantly more than a one-person household – so how big is a ‘usual household amount’?
From supermarket brochures, advertising offers or since the Corona pandemic: everyone knows the wording ‘normal household quantities’. It is rarely specified what exactly a normal household amount is and whether such a restriction is even legal.
‘Normal household quantity’ – discounters and supermarkets decide for themselves
The fact is: There is no uniform regulation for ‘normal household quantities’. Instead, supermarkets and discounters are free to decide how many copies of the product they define as a ‘normal household quantity’. Of course, it depends heavily on the product as to what is common household use and what is not. In a store, 50 oranges could easily be within the normal household limit, while the limit for pieces of butter is significantly lower.
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Are the differences between different household sizes also taken into account?
When supermarkets and discounters like Lidl, Aldi, ReweEdeka & Co. set a maximum quantity of, for example, five packs of pasta or rice during the pandemic to prevent panic buying, this is legal: In Germany there is no so-called compulsory contracting that could require supermarkets and discounters to sell goods at all – consumers have no right.
However, the question arises as to whether such a fixed limit to prevent hoarding is not unfair to larger households that consume significantly more food – after all, more cooking is usually done in a shared apartment with 6 people than in a single household. In fact, the same maximum quantities apply to everyone if a supermarket or discounter sets them precisely. The shared apartment would then have to go shopping more often than the single household if there are no special regulations for large households in the store. If in doubt, those affected can always contact employees and ask.
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Consumer advocates: ‘normal household quantities’ provide supplies for two to four weeks
However, if no exact maximum number is given, but only the note ‘normal household quantities’, there is a different guideline. This is not regulated by law, but is used by consumer advocates: According to this, ‘normal household quantities’ are as much as the household can consume within two to four weeks.
However, there is a special regulation: For promotional offers, the exact number of sales must be stated in the additional information “Distribution only in normal household quantities” – otherwise a restriction announced subsequently (e.g. at the checkout) may be unfair, as the Hamburg Regional Court decided in the case of an electronics discounter.
Olga Rogler / editorial team finanzen.net
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