Christmas opening times 2020
Where can I still go shopping?
© Dmitry Kalinovsky / Shutterstock
How does the corona lockdown affect the opening times at Christmas? We give you an overview of when you can still shop where – and which rules now apply in supermarkets.
Germany has officially been in a tough lockdown again since December 16. In other words: most shops have to close. And that, of all times, during Advent, most think. But the corona virus doesn't take a break at Christmas either – and continues to cause increasing deaths and overloaded clinics.
Which shops are still open?
Retail should remain closed during the lockdown. An exception applies to so-called shops that serve "daily needs". According to the Tagesschau, this includes:
- Supermarkets, drug stores, beverage stores, wholesalers
- Weekly markets
- Health food stores
- Pharmacies and medical supply stores
- Opticians, acousticians
- Baby stores
- Gas stations, newspaper sales, post offices
- Car and bicycle workshops
- Banks
- Cleanings
- Christmas tree sales
Opening times on Christmas Eve
So supermarkets and discounters remain open regularly. We give you an overview of where you can still go shopping on December 24th, but also the advice: If possible, do most of your shopping in advance.
Aldi North & South
The Aldi branches open at 7 a.m. on Christmas Eve. Depending on the legal situation in the state, it closes at 2 p.m. at the latest.
Lidl
Lidl branches are open on Christmas Eve from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the latest.
Rewe Group
Rewe stores are also said to be open on December 24th from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the latest. However, the opening times here may vary depending on the branch.
Edeka
Edeka branches can announce their own opening times. In general, however, the shop closing law is also used here – the opening times vary between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. close by 2 p.m. at the latest.
real
Real should plan a regular opening from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. However, the supermarket chain is already advising in several branches that fish and meat, but also baked goods, should be ordered in advance for the Christmas season. Also
Kaufland
Kaufland markets also open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the latest.
As a general rule, as in many supermarket groups the branch managers can decide on their own opening times, you should find out about your business early enough. The times are usually posted there anyway – and those who are already there can do the shopping at the same time in order to equalize the flow of customers over December 23 and 24.
At the request of "Focus", the discounters and supermarkets are said to have decided against extended opening times in order to relieve the employees who are already reaching their limits in the Corona crisis. That is why we are appealed to.
Appeal of the supermarkets for Christmas shopping
Christmas will therefore be a different festival in many ways. In this respect, we must and should adapt our shopping habits to the pandemic. Above all, do not panic! Since we don't want to celebrate with many guests this year anyway, we don't need to do any hamster purchases. In addition, several supermarkets are currently advertising that shopping should be done stress-free in the days before Christmas Eve. This is to avoid a mass gathering in the shops. Since only a certain number of customers can be allowed into the shops in the course of the measures, queues are to be expected. So, we all do our best to protect our employees and ourselves – and only buy what is necessary, not too often and at a distance.