Five German News Stories

 1.  Focus led off this AM with a unique job-advertising effort by a Edeka drink-shop.  For reference, Edeka is a fairly well known grocery operation, which typically has a full-scale drink shop next door, or within walking distance of the grocery.  

For those who didn't know....most every commercial operation in Germany is looking for full-time and part-time employees.  There's almost no reason for someone to say they've been without  a job for a full-year, unless they are a absolute loser.  

So, this Edeka operation in Detmold (town of 74k between Dusseldorf and Hanover), had a ad put up for the drink shop.  It stressed qualities to have: "You can tell a case of beer from a case of water? Can you read the clock and say hello and goodbye in a friendly way? Do you know basic arithmetic and can you make yourself understood in German?”

It was done in humor, but there is a point to the questions.  

2.  Snowfall today?  If you are in regions above 1,500 meters (roughly 5,000 ft).....you will see some snow activity (flurries).  It's a hint of winter-tire time.

3.  Off the Maybritt Illner public forum show last night....off Channel 2 (ZDF), the climax to the 'talk' was a warning that 20-percent of all industry in Germany is now considering leaving for a place where natural gas is not a problem.

I should also note from the show....bankruptcies were talked about.  We are at 26-percent higher than the rate of 2021 (with numbers only showing for late August so far).  

Worrying people?  All you need is maybe five-percent of the industry operations in Germany to give notice to its workers of working moving to Turkey or Spain, and it would create shockwaves for the SPD coalition.  

4.  WELT came out in a blunt headline story this AM....both beer operations and soda brands are in a desperate way with natural gas costs and anticipated bankruptcy situations.  They are suggesting a major shutdown in production coming.  

Yes, you might actually walk into a drink shop and find over half your normal German beer brands....gone.  

Beer and soda prices to escalate?  I would generally go and predict that both double in price before early spring of 2023.  If you were an alcoholic with beer as your primary drink.....you probably will be limited on consumption.    

5.  Protests in Germany over the energy policy?  I would suggest that the protests are 'seen' in the eastern regions than in the south, west or north.  I'd also suggest that the political party AfD.....is pushing this a good bit in the east.