Michael At the grocery store, when a new checkout lane opens in Germany, people at the back of the line start running to be the first to reach the newly opened conveyor belt. In the USA, the new cashier doesn't start working immediately but instead invites the customer who is furthest ahead in the next line to come to the new empty checkout, and those behind can follow if they wish. This way, the person who has waited the longest is served first, rather than the one who fought their way to the best position by running and elbowing others aside.
Even at bus and tram stops, people do not swarm like a cluster towards the first door that opens. Instead, they have lined up in a single-file queue long beforehand, so that they can board public transportation one by one, in the same order in which they arrived at the platform.
It is very rare for someone to not adhere to the nationwide customs and brazenly cuts in line. When this happens, locals tend to look these rude individuals up and down questioningly -- and often realize that they are German tourists.