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Michael A topic that will likely become relevant in Germany soon, because everything eventually crosses over, is the business practices of American retailers. Everything always has to be cheap; that's very important in America. While in Germany people somewhat look down on you if you visit several stores for a small price difference, here someone who pays more than absolutely necessary is considered crazy. At a party, you can certainly brag about having bought a particular product at a very low price.

Accordingly, local department stores advertise offers, such as TVs for $100 -- but they only have one in stock. When you arrive at the store, it's naturally gone, but the friendly salesperson is happy to show you the slightly better -- but also more expensive -- model. Or when buying a car: the dealer advertises with a super cheap offer: $9,995 for a small car. But what is actually available is a single car in a completely impossible color that only a crazy person would buy.

Once you arrive at the store and find out that the single item is either already gone or terribly equipped, a salesperson is immediately available to show you the more expensive models. Since you've driven 30 km to the store, you naturally take a look, because since you're already there... that's how it works: customers are lured into the stores with methods that would probably be illegal in Germany, and then end up buying products that are not cheaper than elsewhere -- out of frustration or boredom. We've gotten so used to this circus by now, I think I would be genuinely surprised to walk into a store where the advertised product actually costs as much as the ad indicated.