Extended opening times at REWE grocery stores

I just came back from my last-minute Saturday night trip to my local Rewe Markt and got a flyer saying they will be opening until 10pm, Monday to Saturday. I asked the cashier about it and she said they would start late night opening on Tuesday 6th March 2007.

This is the Rewe in Sandhausen (by Heidelberg) and apparently it is not valid for all of their stores. But I am sure they will try this at other stores as well, so just a heads-up for those of you who are not happy with the opening times of stores here in Germany. Maybe your local Rewe will also have these extended opening times soon. Or maybe it already does?

I hope the one here will keep them. The cashier didn't seem too thrilled about it, but I am.

News article in German: Vorbild Rewe

oh, I hope they do that at their larger shops. in all of Germany... I work across from a Rewe and have to work some nights til 8:30, so this could help me some.

Our local Rewe has been open until 22:00 Mon-Sat since the opening laws were changed last year (december?) and this in a small town of 7000. Only problem is the shelves sometimes look pretty bare late in the evening

I think it's great news. So whenever I run out of sugar I don't need to travel all the way to the nearest Tankstelle. And if I have a craving for a certain snack like chili beans on toast I don't have to wait the next day for the supermarket to open.
But that's only if my local Rewe follows suit. After all, I am living in conservative Bavaria.

The Rewe and Penny Markets up in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein now have 10:00pm closing. More here: Die Große Nacht-Offensive

My town is also small, only about 15,000 people. I wonder if the Rewe in downtown Heidelberg will also have these opening times now. I'll check the next time I am there.

Our corner REWE was open until 10 during the World Cup. This was great for me, as my toddler goes to bed around 8, so it meant I could run out and pick up a few things after she went to bed. I was about the only person in the store the couple of times I went, though, so I'm not sure my local store will find it worthwhile to stay open later.

Anybody in Munich heard anything about longer opening hours here?

in hamburg the've been open until 10 since january. the pennys now too. how long until 24/7?

Shame on you Toytown I've been waiting months to see a posting about this. This is a huge change for Germany all restrictions on shoppings hours have been lifted (except for Sundays which I don't mind). It's been in the English news for quite a while yet nothig from Toytown Angela Merkel got around the law by handing responsiblity for shopping hours over to the States. For example there is a book store in Berlin which if the fancy strikes you go buy the latest John Grisham novel at 3 in the morning! The reason why it took so long to change is that the unions and the political chattering classes don't understand ecomonics 101 (what else is new in Europe) they figure wrongly that if you extend store hours that you'd only get people spending the same money latter. Wrong, make shopping difficult and people won't do it.

I think it's unfair to say "shame on Toytown". There have been lots of discussions about the new deregulated shopping hours, including the current 13th hottest discussion ever and various front page articles too. But perhaps you never noticed them before now? Although the deregulation has been in place for a few months, the shops are only gradually beginning to take advantage.

Related earlier discussions:

• Ten German states want unrestricted shopping hours
• Berlin leads way in lengthening shop opening hours
• No lengthening of shop opening hours in Bavaria

it was meant more tongue in check than anything. Just I haven't seen or didn't notice a discussion on it.

It is an outrage. Merkel is selling out the families. Sunday shopping is just around the corner.

Can't wait for Sunday shopping !

i hope you have to wait a bit longer for that

Me neither. Though I doubt they'll be introducing that any time soon-ish.
I am not even sure the extended hours until 2200 will really be successful. I hope so, but most people have adapted to having to do their grocery shopping before 2000, and we are all creatures of habit.

Heretics, all of you. Sundays are for the family to relax. Its too stressful to go shopping.

For some, shopping is relaxing. I personally enjoy shopping and it would give me something to do on an otherwise boring Sunday. (I have no family here.)

@mariposa
We are creatures of habit, however you'd be surprised how quickly people get used to convenience...

I was only being facetious. I am repeating what people there told me when I resided there and the shops closed at 6:30. I always thought they were nutty rationales. But then again, I was but a guest who did his best to conform.

I think that this would work more than the late hours


Totally agree, at least I know that I would defiitely use this if Sunday shopping was around. All you have to do is to check the Rhein-Neckar-Zentrum with its Sunday shopping, its maddness, there are so many people there.

I am glad Rewe is doing this. I will get most of my bulk shopping done at Aldi and other supermarkets at Rosenheimerplatz, since most things are much cheaper there. But when guests are in town or families are visiting you never know when you might need that extra 6-pack of beer or some more unsalted butter for that family recipie. Rewe is just around the corner and I can imagine several late night trips.

The RNZ does Sunday shopping?? On every Sunday, or how often? And do the grocery stores there also open on Sundays?
I had no idea... I don't go there a lot, because it is a little out of the way from where I live (just south of HD), but I do like that mall.