Supermarkets in Germany and Austria

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'Real' has some superstores-the one by us is like a huge super Wal-mart....clothing, appliances, groceries, automotive supplies, pet supplies, etc.

Toom Market might work for you. Walmarts closed in Germany an long time ago. Treated their employees too shabbily.

Real is the only store name I can think of in the same range as a Target or Walmart, but there's another one that similar but smaller. Can't remember the name... The budget supermarket chains are Aldi, Lidl, Netto and Pennymarkt. Rewe is the main mid-level grocery store chain, but even this is pretty cheap by European standards.

I'm happy to report Walmart pulled out of Germany after not making a go of it. A big issue in Germany right now is the low cost, and reasons why, for food products. Perhaps you have heard of the recent horsemeat scandal? There are many markets in Germany that are "discount," Aldi, Spar, Lidl, etc. and many large hyper-markets that combine food items with clothing, home decorating, small appliances, etc. Most of these larger places are located on the outskirts of towns that are at least medium size - not small villages.
But please if you are going to Germany, try and experience a real butcher shop, a bakery, a pastry shop - these are all high quality specialists that you'd look far and wide for in the US. Even if you are just getting a few items for a picnic lunch – you can point what looks good (like cold cuts) and ask for things in quantities of 100 grams, about ¼ pound. So if you want half a pound, say "zwei hundred gram, bitte." Another suggestion is weekly markets in town squares - they have been taking place for 100's of years. Larger cities also have market halls open most days - also high quality and a huge variety.

Thanks to everyone for the quick replies! We definitely try to shop at small, local places as often as possible but when travelling with our young children sometimes it is easier to go to a store where we can get food, snacks and toys/books/treats for the kids all in one place. Julie

Hi, For food a bit higher than Pennymarkt is Kaisers. You might want to try Rossmann located in some of the train stations.

As previously mentioned, both Real and Toom are possibilities for you. Be aware that Real has large stores, but also some tiny ones that are more like a convience shop in the US. Toom has variety stores, but in some areas also has specialty stores, such as a store that sells nothing but drinks(soft drinks, etc.)

One of the largest chains has to be Billa supermarkets, originating in Austria. I think there must be a thousand of them. Some locations are quite large, but most are moderate size.