As an American living in another country, naturally I notice the difference between my beloved home country and my lovely host country.
So first things first, I want you to know that I absolutely love Austria: beautiful country, aloof but friendly people, delicious food, colorful history, divine wine, knodel (try the knodel especially the sweet kind), amazing public transport, castles and palaces.
So hear me clearly: I love Austria.
But one thing (yes, there is a but), I can’t seem to understand the business hours. It’s no secret that the USA is known for its consumerism and its materialism. Stores are open all the time. Every holiday. Every Sunday. The longer the better. The bigger the holiday, the bigger the sales.
This is what I’m used to.
Austria is different. Perhaps better different in this.
Stores are open during business hours, some even taking a 1-2 hour lunch break. Saturdays offer a shorter amount of hours. Sundays and Holidays, stores are closed.
My American brain can’t fathom the inconvenience of this system. How am I supposed to buy groceries if I work during business hours? What about leisure shopping? I can’t spend an evening clothing shopping?
But there is the flipside of the situation, sales associates in Austria have more reliable schedules, and they can know they’ll be off for holidays. You could say that Austria is less about things and more about people.
But I don’t know if I’ll get used to these business hours. I miss being able to go shopping for clothes and shoes at the end of the day. On the up side, I’m saving money…but then again, online shopping exists so perhaps my wallet is still at risk.
If it hadn’t been for Austria, I would never have considered shop hours.
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