We are often asked about the meaning of "Mullen" at the weekly markets in Burtscheid. But now we have to ask: "What is a Kletskassa?"
When we go shopping in the supermarket, we often stand impatiently at the checkout. It often can't go fast enough for us. So we change queues or simply scan ourselves. In doing so, we overlook the fact that there may also be people among the queue for whom shopping is one of the few outside contacts - a highlight against loneliness.
The supermarket chain "Jumbo" is making its own contribution to combating loneliness in the Netherlands by adding Kletskassas, or "chat tills", to its checkouts. Here, shoppers are given time at no extra charge. The specially trained staff take the time for a little chat - just like it used to be in the corner store.
In 50 stores, Jumbo also offers Kletswandeling, i.e. chat walks. Residents are invited to take a sociable walk, regardless of their fitness level. They are accompanied by trained employees.
In addition, some Jumbo stores have Koffie corners - we would call them "Mullebänke", where customers can rest with (free) coffee and cake and chat with the person sitting next to them. In this way, the supermarket also becomes a meeting place for people who are not in a hurry.
The offers are primarily - but not exclusively - appreciated by older people. With over 30% of the population being senior citizens, this could also be a unique selling point for supermarkets in German city centers. A bit of a retro feel doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing.
Of course, this is also a marketing tool with the aim of binding customers and the social environment to the market. However, social marketing does not focus on a product or a brand, but on values and social change. In this case, loneliness is an important problem of our time - which is why we would like to see more social marketing in Germany.
Addendum:
The idea for this article came about during a conversation on one of our mulberry benches. The person we were talking to told us about the Kletkassas. We did some research and contacted Jumbo about the overall concept. It should be noted that some Jumbo stores are also operated by franchisees, which means that the social offers can vary.