We were looking for a place to get a bottle of wine and thought this was a regular corner store or bodega. We were very surprised when we went in and saw that it was an entirely self-service convenience store!
The concept is like if a vending machine was an entire store with a payment station. Along the walls are a bunch of cases of soft drinks, wine, beer, canned cocktails and even full liquor bottles. They also have (mostly American) chips, candy, instant noodles, and a few basic items like hand lotion and cat food. They sell packs of cigarettes and also e-cigarettes at a separate machine next to the payment station. There's also a coffee machine that takes payment separately.
To order, take note of the number on the case where your item is. On the screen, pick that number, then scroll to find your item and add it to your order. You can buy from different cases in the same order. When you're done, you can pay with cash or credit, but if you're buying alcohol, you have to also go through a tedious age verification process that takes a picture of your ID and your face. We had trouble getting this to work and it took a few tries, but eventually it worked.
Even though it's self-service, there was an employee there who came over to ask if we understood how it worked and if we had any questions, which was nice. Apparently there is also a solarium on the second floor with seating, which we totally missed! So there's somewhere to sit and enjoy your drinks and snacks.
This was such a fun and unique concept for a convenience store! I was impressed by the range of American snacks and candy, and prices seemed decent. Definitely worth checking out for the novelty, or if you are in Berlin and desperately missing Cheetos, Takis, Dr. Pepper or Nerds. read more