Friday afternoon I came across another one of those ridiculous things about Germany that both scandalize and amaze me.
I needed some hydrogen peroxide. In America, you can go to Wal-Mart, or even the corner convenient store, and pick up a pint (approx 1/2 a liter) for under $1.00. Not so in Germany. It is one of those items you must buy at the Apotheke (the pharmacy).
For my American readers that are confused, let me explain. There are no Wal-Mart pharmacies in Germany and over-the-counter drugs (or other similarly dangerous things like Hydrogen Peroxide and BAKING SODA) are only sold at pharmacies. Need some aspirin? Well, don’t bother looking for it at Wal-Mart, cuz it ain’t gonna be there!
Not only are these items only available at the pharmacy, you must request them from the man or woman behind the counter in the white coat and when you do, you get the third degree. What is it that you need? Why do you need it? What are you going to do with it? How much of it do you need? Personally, I don’t think it is anybody’s business why I need hydrogen peroxide, I just want some!
So on Friday, once A. and I finally convinced the woman behind the counter that we only wanted hydrogen peroxide for disinfection and not to make a hydrogen peroxide bomb, we came across another utterly repulsive thing: the price! 100 ml (a little more than 1/3 cup) of hydrogen peroxide was going to set us back almost 9 euros! I nearly fainted! However, we really needed some, so after a lot of grumbling by me to A., we plunked down our money.
Two days later, I am still reeling in shock. It wasn’t that we had to go the pharmacy, I was prepared for that. But even now, the price makes me sick to my stomach… but not too sick, I don’t want to have to go back and find out how much Pepto-Bismol costs!
Scott says:
Hydrogen peroxide is something I’ve never heard of anyone in Germany buying or using. The high price is probably a matter of lack of demand, in addition to the evil pharmacy monopoly.
But if you search for “Wasserstoffperoxid” at, say, http://www.deutscheinternetapotheke.de/, you’ll find you can get an entire liter for well under the price you paid for 100 ml. You wuz robbed!
5 September 2004 at 22:18
Duncan says:
Back in ancient times I used to play football. Hydrogen peroxide was my best friend. I used to get these big gaping bloody holes in my knees (yeah, there are knee pads in football pants, but they don?t work). I?d poor a half bottle of Hydrogen peroxide over the wound and watch it fizz up. It was always nasty business, because the next day at football practice the scab on my knee would ?glue? on to the knee pad in my pants, so a small brown bottle of hydrogen peroxide was always in my locker.
My boys play soccer, and my oldest has come home with similar bloody kneecaps (although, not as often). My wife takes one look at the hole in his knee and its off to the doctor. ?Oh my god! What if it gets infected? What if he gets gangrene?? I roll my eyes and laugh. Anyway, maybe that?s why they don?t need HP here in Germany Scott; too many doting mothers!
You are right Librarian, over the counter drugs are virtually non-existent in this country. You are supposed to run to the Doctor for whatever ailment it is that you have. Didn’t you knw that? It’s all part of the raket over here. I love social medicine!
You got ripped off, that’s true, but then what else is new? We get ripped off every time we pull into a gas station!
6 September 2004 at 05:17
susie says:
You can buy actual boxes of Arm and Hammer baking soda in the “American food” section at Wal-Mart. The one on Maria-Probst Strasse (out Ingolstadterstrasse) has a little American food kiosk in the produce area and they actually have Arm and Hammer. It’s not even all that expensive!
Let me know if you want me to send you anything. But don’t expect me to help you make a baking soda bomb!
6 September 2004 at 06:14
polsoz says:
Scott is right about the normaly not used in Germany - we Germans use for desinfection on surfaces “Sakrotan” and for wounds an iodine tincture (tough and sick :-D) - or something else and modern from the pharmacy. Sakrotan you get in every supermarket.
When I was in the US my guest family use pills and medicin for everything and everyday (even if they don’t were ill). It was like to be in an hospital. One aspirn every day (”Oh, my gastritis is so bad today - I don’t know why :-DDD). Or vitamin pills like a maniacs - ok, you need this pills realy when you don’t eat any vegetables or fruits at all, like my “family”. You have a little cold? Here - this 6 pills helps the whole day - and so on…
The same with house cleaning. You don’t use normal “tools” - you need bactericidal cleaning tools - why? I realy don’t know why everything must be clean as in an intensive care unit at the lokal hospital? And then - they don’t buy “ready-to-use-tools” - no, like you they buy only the chemicals and play then little Dexter in his laboratory. 1 oz or 100 - where’s the difference, it’s so cheap and easy to get in the next Wal-Mart…
I think we have here a litte cultural problem here
6 September 2004 at 12:09