When the holiday season begins, the stores are filled with shoppers trying to collect gifts for loved ones.
Parking is difficult, stores are overcrowded, lines are long and many items are sold out. This is all due to the so-called Kaufrausch.
The German word Kaufrausch means “shopping spree”. It comes from the words kaufen (“to buy”) and Rausch (“rush”).
The word can be used in many different contexts. If, for example, someone is seeking retail therapy, that person may be on a spontaneous Kaufrausch by him-or herself on a quiet day at the mall.
In another case, someone may be fighting mobs of shoppers who are all on a Kaufrausch at the same time – like during the holiday season. During the week of Thanksgiving, Black Friday sales also instigate a Kaufrausch in shopping centers across the US. Some of you may even be participating in one this week!
A person is most likely to go on a Kaufrausch when there are good sales, but it can happen at any time. So if you’re getting ready for a Kaufrausch today, just be mindful that you may not be the only one!
By Nicole Glass, German Embassy