Understanding Your Supermarket Choices in Germany

London, United Kingdom Aug 25, 2026 ALN: Like many new residents, when I first came to Germany I shopped almost exclusively at the two supermarkets that were closest to my house.

My first residence was just down the street from a Penny. In the opposite direction, and about twice as far away, was a REWE.

Naturally I shopped more often at Penny initially – it was closer – and I did appreciate how cheap everything was. I could get half-litre cans of beer for around 50 cents (including the deposit), and fill my backpack up with foods for around €15. (This was 2020. Those were the days.)

But it didn’t take too long for me to notice that certain foods just weren’t at Penny. If I wanted to take a stab at a recipe with more eclectic ingredients, I found that REWE was a better bet. REWE had about twice as much produce and it tended to look a bit more fresh in my opinion.

Eventually I discovered my local Aldi and Lidl, and then a Kaufland and a BioMarkt. At each new store, there was an exciting array of new products to be found. Even if maybe 90 percent of the experience at most of these stores was pretty much the same, they all had their interesting quirks.

Everyone who has lived in Germany for some years is bound to develop a preference. So please allow me to take a tongue-in-cheek look at what your choice of supermarket says about you.

The Complete German Supermarket Survival Guide

Discounters: Aldi, Lidl, Penny and Netto etc.

First up we have the so-called discounters. These are the budget-friendly markets offering basic groceries, among other things, and are marked by easy in-around-and-out layouts.

Penny

Penny shoppers are a ‘no frills, no problem’ kind of people.

There’s nothing particularly interesting about Penny’s offering. It’s got what you came for - maybe not every single ingredient, but something that’ll work.

It’s the ideal store for those moments when you need either 12 frozen pizzas or maybe two bananas, a can of tuna, a bag of rice, and a bottle of cheap whisky.

Are the bananas a bit green? Yeah, but you like them that way.

Also it’s convenient that they have nacho cheese chips on the way. You didn’t come here for those, but you’re definitely grabbing them now.

Aldi

People who prefer Aldi are honestly a little bit concerning. There’s just so much going on in Aldi that you’ve got to be a bit of a chaos goblin to cope.

The first time I went to Aldi it was to buy a service plan for my cell phone, and I was waiting in line between a person buying bread and another buying milk and pyjamas. It’s just a bit much.

Aldi stores also tend to have huge sales racks organised in the most cryptic way imaginable. Of their sales items, some are marked down to good deals but others can be questionable.

Fun fact: There is a line, which runs between Essen and Mülheim and continues across the country, dividing Germany between the land of Aldi Nord and the land of Aldi Süd. Two brothers named Theo and Karl Albrecht took over the Albrecht Diskont (Aldi) family business, and eventually had a feud and split it up.

Lidl

A Lidl shopper is practical: thrifty but has standards, and no time to waste.

Lidl combines the cheap-and-best appeal of Penny with the non-sequitur shopping experience of Aldi. (Why is this aisle full of linens, work shoes and hot sauce?)

But if you know what to look for, you can find some high-quality goods at impossibly cheap prices – like the Lidl brand craft beers for example, or Greek yogurt.

Lidl stores are found throughout Europe, and tend to carry the same products across locations, so it can also be the place to find foreign specialty goods like Kalamata olives or Italian Wines at discount prices.

A Tale of Two Nettos

The last big discounter in Germany is Netto. That’s red-letter Netto to be clear, as opposed to Netto with the dog, which is actually a Danish retailer.

In case you hadn’t noticed, because most people don’t, there are two different markets called Netto in Germany.

Red-letter Netto (no dog) is a discounter comparable to Aldi, Penny or Lidl. If you shop here, people might assume you’re having a hard time. Netto’s slogan is “Marken-Discount” (discount brand) and that’s really all you need to know.

On the other hand, Netto with the dog (black letters), is more like a full-service supermarket – tending to have many more foods and organic products.

A cashier working at a Netto "Marken-Discount" store.