Joachim Stoll recently experienced for himself what a price increase means when he bought his “favorite quark”.

The package cost 1.19 euros, for which until recently he had to pay 99 cents at the supermarket checkout.

An increase of 20 percent.

"That's pretty steep," says the Vice President of the Hesse Trade Association.

Petra Kirchhoff

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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High energy costs and sometimes disrupted supply chains are putting more and more pressure on prices this spring.

In April, food prices in Hesse rose again by 3.5 percent compared to the previous month, and 7.7 percent year-on-year.

Butter (plus 13.7 percent) and meat and sausage (plus 7.9 percent) were significantly more expensive than in March.

Stoll assumes that the increased food prices will push customers back to the discounters, i.e. the branches of Aldi, Lidl and Penny.

During Corona, the supermarkets of the retail groups primarily benefited.

During the lockdown, when the restaurants were also closed for months, consumers wanted to do something good for themselves at home, so the euro didn't really matter.

"People shop more cautiously and sometimes leave a high-priced filet lying around"

But this pampering phase seems to be over now.

According to a survey by the Cologne retail research institute ECC, two-thirds of consumers want to save when shopping in the near future and postpone larger purchases, and the cut is particularly noticeable when shopping for groceries.

Striving to maintain the standard without spending a great deal more money, almost every second consumer stated that when shopping they often go for a cheaper private label from the retail chain instead of a branded product.

Consumers are unsettled, many feel that their disposable income is shrinking, and that has a clear impact on shopping behavior, the German press agency quoted a representative of the market research company GfK as saying.

Wine retailers have also complained about a noticeable drop in sales.

Retail companies operating in the Rhine-Main region such as Tegut and Alnatura or Rewe did not comment on changes in purchasing behavior in their stores when asked.

However, individual butchers confirm the development.

"People shop more cautiously and sometimes leave a high-priced filet lying around," says Andi Hoos, co-owner of the Hoos butcher's shop with shops on Berger Strasse and in the Kleinmarkthalle in Frankfurt.

It's part of the mentality of German consumers "that they like to save on food".

Customers ask for prices more often

When it comes to travel, most people don't want to make any compromises.

Tour operators are reporting a sharp increase in bookings for the summer, which have exceeded the level before the Corona crisis for a few weeks.

The planes are already full again.

The travel consultants at the Dannesberger travel agency on Berger Straße are also very busy at the moment.

Many customers saved during Corona and now “finally” want to have a good time with their families again, they say.

Apparently, price increases don't play a role in this case.

On the other hand, the discussion about food prices seems to be enough to touch a sensitive nerve.

At the stand of Gretzschel's farm shop at the Bornheim weekly market, customers are now more frequently asking about prices, "although many things have not become more expensive," as one employee remarks in surprise.

Fresh outdoor strawberries, the cultivation of which benefits from the good weather, now cost 2.50 euros per 500 gram tray.

Three weeks ago it was twice as much.

Prices are also falling for asparagus.

At the top, a kilo cost 26 euros, reports another trader at the weekly market.

In the meantime, the kilo has arrived at 7.90 euros.

Just a few days ago, the farmers' association had drawn a negative interim balance for the asparagus season because the farmers had not been able to sell enough of the precious vegetables.

“There is enough of everything”

Metzger Hoos speaks of "moaning at a high level".

There are still customers in the Kleinmarkthalle who shop at his stand for premium meat, such as Kobe beef, at the weekend, “regardless of what it costs”.

At the other stand of the butcher shop, which sells the usual range, customers pay more attention to money.

"If people have 100 euros less in their wallets at the end of the month, you notice that, of course," says Thomas Reichert, owner of the butcher's shop Haxen Reichert in Höchst.

Customers paid more attention to meat at low entry-level prices.

Reichert is convinced that issues such as animal welfare and land set-aside will take a back seat in view of price developments.

"We won't have many discussions in the future," he says.

Rather, it is about feeding 80 million Germans at “socially acceptable prices”.

"Otherwise we have a problem."

In this context, Sven Rohde, General Manager of the Hessen Trade Association, expects that the regional availability of food will become more important.

But he also emphasizes: “There is enough of everything.

No one needs to panic and buy more than they need.”