Convenient 24/7 Village Mini-Supermarkets - An Overview
Essential Details about Village Mini-Supermarkets: A Comprehensive Overview - Village Convenience Stores: Essential Details You Should be Aware of
Grabbing essentials like flour, milk, and eggs without a long drive in rural areas? Easy peasy with mini-supermarkets! These small, automated stores are the solution to your convenience needs, operating without staff round-the-clock.
But how do they work? Well, these tiny stores are stocked by staff during a few hours each week, but the rest of the time, you're on your own, scanning and paying for your items.
In the Southwest, Tante M is a popular mini-supermarket provider, managing approximately 60 stores, primarily in Baden-Württemberg, along with independent franchisees. In the north, Teo-Mini markets owned by Tegut trading company can be found.
So, when can you shop at these stores? Tante M stores usually operate from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM every day, except at night due to security concerns, while Teo-Markets are open 24/7.
Legally, the situation is a bit of a blur. Stephan Rüschen, a professor of food retail at the Dual University of Baden-Württemberg explains, "There's a tolerance factor" when it comes to the Shop Opening Act, which disallows stores from operating on Sundays. However, municipalities can still issue permits. The Greens in the state parliament view this as a "legal gray area" and seek to officially allow mini-supermarkets to open on Sundays under the Shop Opening Act.
The Hesse state parliament has already made this move, allowing mini-supermarkets up to 120 square meters in size and offering only daily necessities to open on Sundays.
Customer feedback has been predominantly positive. Many appreciate the simplicity these stores add to their daily lives, with a high emotional attachment observed among users. Kudos to the local brass band and mayor's speeches at store openings!
Politicians, including the Greens' parliamentary leader Andreas Schwarz, view these mini-supermarkets as key to maintaining the attractiveness of rural areas.
With regards to cost, there's no hard data but the estimation by trade expert Rüschen is that customers might pay around 10% more in mini-supermarkets than in traditional supermarkets. This doesn't seem to bother most customers, according to surveys showing nearly 90% find the price acceptable.
Regarding theft, Tante M's Carsten Pletz acknowledges that it's an issue, but the sense of community is strong, making theft prevention easy. Surveillance systems and access controls also help keep these stores secure.
So, brace yourself for a simpler shopping experience in rural areas with these welcoming mini-supermarkets!
- Retail
- Milk
- Car
- Baden-Württemberg
- Supermarket
- Heilbronn
- Stuttgart
- The Shop Opening Act, despite disallowing stores from operating on Sundays, has a tolerance factor for mini-supermarkets in certain regions, such as Baden-Württemberg, which is home to a significant number of these stores.
- The Greens in the state parliament view the operation of mini-supermarkets in rural areas as essential for maintaining the attractiveness of these regions, potentially including locations like Heilbronn and Stuttgart.
- While mini-supermarkets might estimate customers paying around 10% more than traditional supermarkets, surveys suggest nearly 90% of customers find the prices acceptable, demonstrating the strong appeal of these stores in the retail industry, even in finance-sensitive sectors like food-and-drink and lifestyle.
