German for Beginners
Lektion 17
Im Kaufhaus - KaDeWe
At the Department Store
A German lesson about shopping in Germany
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You'll find department stores all over the world, but that doesn't mean they're all the same. Although it is common to find a grocery section (Lebensmittelabteilung) in a German or British department store, it is rare in America. Just like Harrod's in London, Berlin's famous KaDeWe (kah-day-vay) department store, the largest on the European continent, has an entire floor devoted to its gourmet food section. KaDeWe's legendary Feinschmecker-Etage is on the sixth floor (which would be the seventh floor in the U.S.). But most larger German department stores have a supermarket or grocery department (usually in the basement) and a good restaurant (often on the top floor), in addition to the usual departments found in most Kaufhäuser.
Das KaDeWe in Berlin ist das größte Kaufhaus Europas.
Photo © Hyde Flippo
In this lesson you'll learn not only vocabulary related to shopping in a German department store (das Kaufhaus/Warenhaus) but also important and practical cultural background information concerning things such as das Ladenschlussgesetz (Germany's store hours law), Etagen/Stockwerke (floors, stories), the Mehrwertsteuer (German sales tax/VAT) and even the seasons (Jahreszeiten). Since many German department stores have Web sites, we will also link to some online department stores for vocabulary and cultural practice.
Additional vocabulary for this lesson can be found in the following English-German glossaries: Clothing/Fashion, Colors/Farben, Euro & Money, Flashcards, Travel and more.
Grammatik - The grammar in this lesson will include prepositional phrases for floor and time expressions, the “dative of interest” and a few other related items.
Also see:
Im Kaufhaus - Lesestück
A reading selection for this lesson. With AUDIO and questions.
| Schilder im Kaufhaus Dept. Store Signs |
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| Abteilung department (die) |
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| Aufzug elevator, lift (der) |
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| Ausgang exit (der) |
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| Ausverkauf sale (der) |
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| Etage floor (die) |
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| Kasse cashier (die) |
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| Kundendienst customer service (der) |
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| Öffnungszeiten opening hours (pl.) |
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| Parkhaus car park, parking garage (das) |
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| Parterre ground floor (das) |
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| Rolltreppe escalator (die) |
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| Selbstbedienung self-service (die) |
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| Sommerschlussverkauf end-of-summer sale (der) |
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| Sonderangebot special (sale) (das) |
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| Stockwerk floor (das) |
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| Winterschlussverkauf end-of-winter sale (der) |
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| Zutritt nur für Befugte authorized personnel only (der Zutritt) |
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| Also see: Abteilungen in Part Two |
Before we get started, let's look at some interesting facts and figures concerning Germany's (and Europe's) largest department store, according to KaDeWe's own Web site. By the way, “KaDeWe” is short for Kaufhaus des Westens, the “department store of the west.” Most people use the short form. It has been said that there is almost nothing that can't be bought at KaDeWe. Among many other services, Berlin's famous KaDeWe offers: shoe repair, vacation planning, pet shampooing, a currency exchange and a first aid station.
- Etagen: 8 floors/acht Etagen (pron: ay-taj-zhen)
- Produkte: Over 380,000 items for sale
- Aufzüge: 26 elevators/lifts
- Fahrtreppen: 64 escalators (also called Rolltreppen)
- Mitarbeiter: 2400 employees
- Besucher: durchschnittlich 80.000 pro Tag (avg. 80,000 visitors a day)
Berlin's KaDeWe first opened for business in 1907 on Tauentzienstraße across from the Wittenbergplatz and not far from the zoo station and the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche. The building, constantly remodeled over the years, was heavily damaged during the Second World War by a U.S. bomber that crashed into it. Only two floors were re-opened for business by 1950. Today KaDeWe has reclaimed its former glory and then some. If you get a chance, don't miss a visit to the amazing gourmet section and its 33,000 food items on sale!
Ladenschluss
Just be sure not to go to KaDeWe or other German stores on Sunday! Germany's strict store closing law, das Ladenschlussgesetz, sets specific hours and days when German retailers and shops can be open for business. Not that many years ago, all German stores were required to close by 6:00 or 6:30 pm (18.00 oder 18.30 Uhr) Monday-Friday. Most stores closed by 2:00 pm (or earlier) on Saturday. Although the store hours law has been liberalized in the last few years, no shops can remain open after 8:00 pm (20.00 Uhr) on weekdays. Stores must close by 4:00 pm on Saturdays. Sunday is still a day of rest. Only restaurants, gas stations and stores serving travelers can be open on Sunday. During the Christmas shopping season and once a month during the rest of the year, some stores stay open until 6:00 pm on Saturday. But many smaller shops still have more limited business hours.
The intention of Germany's strict shopping hours law is to give employees and shoppers more time with their families, but German consumers have grown increasingly frustrated with shopping hours that are much more restricted than those in neighboring countries such as France. Austria and Switzerland have Ladenschluss laws that are similar to Germany's.
KaDeWe advertises these store hours: Montag - Freitag: durchgehend von 9.30 - 20.00 Uhr - Samstag: durchgehend von 9.00 - 16.00 Uhr. The term "durchgehend" (continuously) means they don't close for lunch, as many smaller German businesses and even some banks do. If you need to review the 24-hour time used in daily life throughout Europe, see Lektion 8.
On the next page, we look at a typical German department store. You can click on some departments to see what you can buy there - auf Deutsch of course.
NEXT > Part Two (17.2) Das Kaufhaus
Also see:
Im Kaufhaus - Lesestück
A reading selection for this lesson. With AUDIO and questions.
Previous Lesson (Lektion 16)
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