Visit to social market

Poverty is on the rise! Shopping with a certain inhibition threshold

They are the new "discount stores" in Tyrol and are gratefully accepted by the now dwindling middle class. We are talking about social supermarkets. The "Krone" recently visited the one in Kufstein.

The comparison is obvious: small rolls are baked in the former "Huber bakery" next to the "Kufstein Galerien" shopping center. It is home to the fortress town's social market, one of nine nationwide, which occupies around 70 square meters. A "lifeline" for those who, for whatever reason, have to live from hand to mouth.

A wide range at truly low prices
Heinrich K., 54 years old, lives on social welfare. Alcohol and drugs were not the reason, it was a chain of personal misfortunes. He stands on the other side of the street from the social market, whose front is kept anonymous with frosted glass. Nevertheless, he looks left and right to make sure no acquaintances see him entering the store.

The shame is great, the price in the market is low. Staple foods such as flour, rice and milk cost more than half less here. Provided (not expired) by the large chains, also by private patrons. Just under 60 cents per packet of flour is affordable. All products are checked, labeled and neatly placed on the shelves. The range extends to fruit, fresh vegetables, sweets and pasta. The twelve employees pay attention to dignity.

We have a wide range of products, especially basic foodstuffs.

Robert Wehr, Obmann des Trägervereins

"Twice as much would be realistic, unfortunately"
Everything is calculated precisely: Anyone who finds themselves in an emergency and has too little to live on is given a card for the social market, which is generally valid for three months. "This allows people to shop for 30 euros a week. We have a wide range of products, especially basic foodstuffs. A number of patrons provide the goods for collection. We have a daily delivery service that collects the food," explains Robert Wehr, ÖGB secretary in Kufstein and chairman of the association.

Around 700 people in Kufstein alone take advantage of this affordable shopping opportunity. "Unfortunately, twice that number would be realistic in Tyrol's second-largest city," says Wehr, who personally asks for help with the markets.

Corona pandemic brought significantly more customers
Market manager Franziska Lanner has noticed a significant increase in customers since the first coronavirus cases: "The number of pensioners in particular has risen by 70 percent." The store is a kind of seismograph of how the tectonic income gap is widening. The 70 square meters are no longer enough. "From next year, we will be renting around 110 square meters in a new building a few meters away," explains Wehr.

Current employee: "I was taken in here"
Leopoldine - who is 83 years old - used the social market for five years. She went through three deaths in the family within a short space of time. That was too much. The money was no longer enough. "The shame went with me for some time when I went shopping. But the staff take care of you - and the social market is not just a place to buy essentials, but also a place to talk."

And now? She has become a volunteer and knows from her own painful experience about the state of mind and money. "I have been picked up here. I want to give that back."