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Bildunterschrift:

Anyone who has experienced German service at its worst will hardly be surprised that there is an actual word the Germans use to describe this stereotypical phenomenon. Such is the belief that Germany is a land devoid of good service manners that the term "Servicewueste" has been coined. Literally translated, this word means "service desert" and describes the common perception that you can wander the country from Hamburg to Freiburg and never find a decent shop assistant or staff member who won't ignore you, reply curtly to enquiries or raise their eyes to the heavens when approached. As with all deserts, there are, of course, oases of good service and like the surface of the earth, no desert covers the entire crust. So while Germany does have its fair share of rude and lazy workers, it is hardly a wilderness where the skeletons of help and hope lay amongst the rocks with their bones bleached.