Shopping & Prices

Opening times
Opening times vary from shop to shop. In the city centre, most shops are open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 7pm. However, there are some shops that close earlier, particularly on Saturdays. All shops are closed on Sundays and public holidays (with the exception of ‘shopping Sundays and public holidays’). This is not the case for bakeries and patisseries, which are mostly open on Sunday mornings, but sometimes only until 11am. The easiest thing to do is look up shop opening times on the internet so that you do not end up face-to-face with a locked door.

Plastic bags and packing service
Supermarkets in Germany do not offer a packing service at the checkout and plastic bags are not free. Bags normally cost between € 0.10 and € 0.20.

Shopping trollies
You can use a shopping trolley or basket in most shops and supermarkets. Baskets are generally located at the entrance and can be used for free. Shopping trollies are unlocked with a coin (mostly € 0.50, € 1 or € 2) or a suitable plastic chip. You get your money back when you return the trolley.

Supermarkets and discount stores
In comparison with other countries, groceries, fruit, vegetables and meat in Germany are cheap. Discount stores such as Aldi, Penny, Netto and Lidl have a small yet good value range of goods. Larger supermarkets like Edeka, Rewe or Real stock a more extensive range and offer more choice (also of foreign foods), but they are a bit more expensive.

Weekly markets
Fresh fruit and vegetables from your local region are available at the weekly market. When and where these take place can be found at Wochenmärkte (content only available in German).

Pharmacies
Household goods and hygiene products can be purchased in supermarkets and pharmacies. The latter are often better value and have a wider selection. Rossmann, dm or Müller are located in the city centre.

Electronics stores
Large supermarkets stock electronic goods of various sizes, but specialist stores offer a more extensive range. Depending on the product, the Internet is the best way to find the shop you need. The biggest German chains of electronics stores are Saturn (in the City-Galerie) and Media Markt (on Heinenkamp).

Furniture and DIY stores
Big furniture and DIY stores are situated at the numerous industrial estates, where you can find a wide choice of shops and services. For an additional fee, furniture and DIY stores often offer a transport rental service or a home delivery service of the purchased goods.

Clothes shops
Directly in the city centre, only few meters off the pedestrian zone – the Porschesstraße- you can find the designer outlets Wolfsburg, a paradise for shopping. Over 90 international brands offer designer products on more than 17.000 square meters.

There is a multitude of clothes shops in the city centre along Porschestrasse. Directly in the Porschestraße the „City-Galerie“ welcomes its customers. Around 100 shops, coffee stores and restaurants offer a big variety of goods and attractive shopping experiences. Leaving the mall, a lot of other stores are waiting for shopaholics in the plane trees avenue.