Beer is a big part of Danish culture, but unfortunately for Danes, tax is also a big part of the culture, and tax on alcohol is of one of those which is always rising, keeping beer pretty expensive.
So the entrepreneurial Danes have decided to get in their cars, with trailers towed behind, drive down to Germany and stock up on as much beer as they can take back with them.
Until recently I had heard about this little trick to avoid the tax on beer, but figured it was something passed along quietly by word of mouth, and only done by those most daring individuals. I had myself paid 75 Danish Kroner for 30 German beers (a ridiculously low price by any standards) but beer is now bought on far greater quantities than 30 at a time.
The German city of Flensburg is situated just across the border (it used to be part of Denmark and the border is fairly fluid, with many living close speaking both Danish and German). To accommodate for the Danish customers (with trailers) the Germans have allowed a multitude of Danish stores to operate on the German side of the border, complete with Danish flags, Danish staff and Danish products with prices in kroners.
One such store we visited on the way through Germany was Fleggaard. There was nothing fancy about Fleggaard. It was a big (mainly food and drink) store packed to the ceiling with bulk purchases for thirsty and hungry Danes. The enthusiasm of my fellow shoppers was evident in the way everyone hurried around the store, quickly filling shopping carts with cut price items.
Some studies have shown that nearly fifty percent of Danes have crossed the border for cheaper prices. The government tries to cut down on this blatant example of tax avoidance, but so far hasn’t had any success.
A full Danish car
As someone who lived in an extremely isolated city for most of my life. The idea of shopping in another country is quite strange, but you can really understand why. The price of beer is just so much lower in Germany, as most of the products are either Danish, or the same as what Danes by in Denmark so there’s no difference in quality.
The really ironic thing is…the price of alcohol is even more expensive in Sweden and Norway. So in the summer, it’s fairly safe to assume that towns in northern Denmark will be filled with Swedes and Norwegians, getting drunk on ‘cheap’ Danish beer.
Thoughts from a Viking land 