Big eyes at the mulled wine stand! At Munich’s Viktualienmarkt, a cup of mulled wine has scratched the 10 euro mark for the first time. The popular hot drink has never been so expensive. FOCUS online says how you can save on the Christmas market.
The Christmas market is part of the Advent season. Because hardly any corona rules apply this year for the first time, the rush to the mulled wine stands is great. In view of rising personnel and energy costs, the operators have drastically increased the prices.
On average, consumers pay almost 30 percent more for a cup of mulled wine. There was also a substantial price adjustment for the non-alcoholic versions. However, the bratwurst is particularly expensive this year. In many places there was a price increase of up to 50 percent. From three euros to 4.50 euros. Mustard costs extra.
In Munich, a stall operator is turning the price spiral properly. The employees charge 10 euros for the cup. The mulled wine costs seven euros, and visitors have to pay a further three euros for the deposit. If you drink the mulled wine with rum, you even have to pay 13 euros for the 0.25 liter cup. The deposit is included in the price.
“Everything just got more expensive,” say the employees. The mulled wine costs “only” seven euros. Since the three euros would be refunded as a deposit. In addition, the mulled wine is elaborately and expensively produced according to “a specific family recipe”.
An isolated case? Hardly likely.
In Cologne, Berlin and other big cities, the stall operators, especially in tourist strongholds, are getting a lot. A family of three must expect to spend at least 40 euros there for a hot drink, a bratwurst and sweets. In view of the current financial situation of many households, that is a lot of money for a simple visit to the Christmas market.
Always return the cup deposit. As FOCUS learned online from a direct source, mulled wine stands do good business with the cups. In some cases, the stands achieve sales in the upper four-digit range per season. If the deposit is not returned, the income ends up directly and tax-free with the operator.
Take a stroll around the Christmas market before you buy a mulled wine or a bratwurst. Look out for the price boards. Booths that are in the middle of the Christmas market are usually more expensive. Because these booths need longer power cables or have to pay a lot more money for the sewage pipe and the booth rent.
It is cheaper if you look for mulled wine, bratwurst or sweets directly at the entrance or just before the exit of the Christmas market.
Also look out for special offers.
“Two mulled wines for the price of one” or family days make visiting the Christmas market a little cheaper. You can also save with apps and vouchers that you can find online or in regional newspapers.
Many establishments also sell stamp cards for mulled wine and bratwurst. The card is marked with every order. After ten stamps there is a mulled wine or a bratwurst for free.
Super bargain hunters pick up a mulled wine at the stand and then unpack the thermal flask they brought with them with homemade mulled wine. However, be careful not to drink the homemade mulled wine directly at the stands.
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