2021-02-13 16:49:29
The marketing managers of the Edeka supermarket chain have suddenly justified the yellow heart that accompanies the company’s logo in times of coronavirus. The pandemic has made an establishment in Volkach, a Bavarian town of less than 10,000 between the big cities of Nuremberg and Frankfurt, become known throughout the country since the beginning of February. “It is not a new action: two years ago we introduced the hour for singles (single shopping ) on Fridays between 18.00 and 20.00 hours”, explains a supermarket spokesperson. But covid-19 has rediscovered them: go to the supermarket to be able to tie is a slogan that has hooked more than one customer for weeks, although this option is only offered at this branch in the south of the country. Other supermarkets offer time slots so that the elderly or people at risk can shop there safely, but that’s another story.
If during the purchase the customer sees someone he likes, he must tell the cashier, who plays Celestina
Since the beginning of November, cultural centers, gyms, restaurants and bars have been closed as a measure to combat covid-19. For almost a year, nightclubs and night bars have not been open in Germany. The concert halls reopened for a few months and closed in November. In addition, this same week Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the presidents of the sixteen federal regions have decided that they will only grant hairdressers permission to reopen from March 1. It would not be surprising if the Germans changed the classic formula of hairdressing, dinner and drinks to hairdressing and shopping at Edeka. The decision to open hair salons before other non-essential services comes, by the way, as a measure to deal with the black market that since December 16, when the Merkel government asked them to close, has multiplied in this sector
For now, and even without having been to the hairdresser, anyone who goes shopping at Volkach or decides to stop by the establishment in question can ask to have a heart with a number attached to their jacket when they enter. If during the purchase you spot someone you would like to meet, you can report the situation to the cashier. And the cashier-Celestina can then either call the chosen number over the megaphone to ask to be identified or, if the person who has chosen is shy, she can write down the telephone number of the first person and when the chosen number goes through the register can act as a bridge.
The initiative is successful both with 50-year-olds who live tens of kilometers away and with young people in the municipality
The regional news reports particular experiences, such as that of two friends in their 50s and 60s who live ten kilometers away and who have not had a partner for years and go there to try to find “fresh vegetables”. For teenagers in the town and its surroundings it has become a pastime. Different surveys and analyzes by sociologists show that young people are one of the groups that have suffered the most from the consequences of social distancing, deprived of spaces to develop the arts of meeting and letting themselves be known, something intrinsic at this age. They are left, of course, with digital platforms, whose advertising occupies prominent places in the German capital, Berlin, known for being the city of singles. Taking advantage of the fame that has given them their rediscovered action on Fridays, the supermarket Edeka makes a comparison of which is the best virtual dating platform through its application. In fact, according to Tinder, business is still doing well despite the anti-pandemic measures. Especially during the first confinement last March there was a clear increase in users.
In this week’s meeting, the federal government has promised that when a maximum of 35 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants are registered for seven days, museums, galleries and small shops can begin to open. But for night clubs and bars where you can hook up while dancing there is, for now, no prospect. The commission of the discotheques of Berlin assured this week that those who survive more than two years of hibernation do not expect to open normally until the end of 2022. The Berlin temple of techno, Berghain, reopened as an art gallery, but had to close in November. The Kit-Kat club has chosen to remain open as a rapid test centre. Maybe the numbered hearts on jackets system should be introduced for those looking for non-virtual places to bond.
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