News of the day: supermarket employees as corona losers, Markus Söder, Diego Maradona

1. Bags full, account empty?

A few numbers to get you started:

• Sales in German online retail rose by 21 percent after adjustment for prices from January to September.

• In November and December, 420 million parcels are expected to be delivered in Germany - around 60 million more than in the same period last year.

However, the increase in wages for delivery workers since 2010 has been around 10 percentage points below that in the entire economy.

A few more figures will soon be over: Germany's largest supermarket group, the Schwarz Group (Kaufland, Lidl), is expected to generate around 140 billion euros in sales in 2020.

Sales have been increasing for years.

In this, the income is estimated to have increased again by 12 percent - also thanks to Corona.

The picture is similar for competitors such as Aldi, Rewe, Edeka.

The cashiers, warehouse clerks and sellers at the sausage or cheese counter earned around seven percent less than last year - an average of 167 euros.

Almost all large retail corporations thanked their employees with one-off payments, but the gestures of thanks were sometimes quite questionable.

"Netto" recognizes the "exceptional performance of all colleagues in the particularly demanding branches and logistics departments with a discount of 20 percent, up to a maximum purchase value of 1000 euros".

In order to get a possible 200 Euro discount, the net employees first have to spend 800 Euro with their own employer.

Now you can say, that's the way it is, the market regulates - or stand up like left parliamentary group leader Dietmar Bartsch and rant that the "owners are pounding their pockets".

However, that won't impress you.

The earnings in the automobile factory or in the steelworks are also much higher because 90 percent of the workforce is part of the IG Metall and which can create a credible threat to employers in collective bargaining.

If a strike is threatened in the trade, employers shrug their shoulders.

It has hardly any consequences.

Because very few employees are unionized.

They are not a force to be feared.

As long as it stays that way, there will be reports year after year that the good economic situation in this or that industry is not being felt by the employees.

Icon: enlarge

Customer and cashier in a supermarket in Bavaria

Photo: Sven Hoppe / dpa

• Read the full story here: The parcel boom is passing by by deliverers

• Here you can read a SPIEGEL survey among retailers: This is how shopping will change during shutdown

• Fear of new access restrictions: trade fears snakes and hamster purchases

2.

Is it difficult to be Markus Söder?

“We mustn't waste time.

The death rate is currently as high as if an airplane crashed every day, ”said Markus Söder today.

Bavaria's Prime Minister is again the admonisher and the doer.

The same Söder who will plead today in the conference with Chancellor Merkel that Christmas must be celebrated as always, Corona or Corona.

In fact, the health authorities reported 410 corona deaths within 24 hours.

A new high was reached on Wednesday.

A total of 14,771 people died with the virus in Germany.

The fact that Söder warns on the one hand and leaves five straight on the other is also due to the fact that it is not just about the infection process, as my colleague Stefan Kuzmany writes in his comment.

"In the pandemic, the Prime Ministers and the Chancellery, the mass and so-called social media, agree on what constitutes society, what it can and should do without - and what under no circumstances," said Stefan.

"The German soup slurps down on its essence, and what does not belong in it should evaporate." Christmas as a family celebration is therefore part of it, if the death rate may also reach new records afterwards.

You don't want to be in the shoes of politicians who have to make decisions every day.

My colleague Nike Laurenz discussed with the psychiatrist Sabine Köhler that people are already reaching their psychological limits in the Lockdown Light.

"We psychiatrists have to pull out all the stops more often than usual to avert danger, that is, involve relatives or make an emergency admission to a clinic," says Köhler.

People panic, miss contacts, and depression intensifies.

So politicians like Söder have to weigh up anew every day: what is more worrying?

Rising numbers of infections or a society that threatens to go nuts?

Rising death rates or a sluggish economy?

Against this background, the commitment to traditional Christmas - despite all other considerations - is probably the right decision.

Icon: enlarge

Corona decision-maker Michael Müller (l.), Angela Merkel (m.), Markus Söder (r.)

Photo: Odd Andersen / dpa

• Read the full story here: Robert Koch Institute reports maximum number of deaths

• Comment on the corona measures: We are what we allow ourselves

• »A disaster for people with previous mental illnesses« - Interview with the psychiatrist Sabine Köhler

3. Long live the

legend

Diego Maradona is dead. The soccer hero was most recently in the hospital, doctors spoke of “withdrawal symptoms”, and he had to undergo severe brain surgery.

There was great concern that he would win the fight against the disease and against himself.

He lost it.

The Argentine soccer world champion from 1986 only turned 60 in October.

"Diego was very depressed lately," said his lawyer Morla.

"During this time around his birthday, he always misses those who are no longer with us - especially his mother." The isolation in the corona pandemic had also made him difficult.

Before the first game of his club Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata after the Corona break, he came briefly to the stadium to receive congratulations and gifts.

However, he had to be supported by two companions while walking.

Maradona followed the game from home on the advice of his doctor.

Maradona repeatedly struggled with health problems.

In 2000 doctors diagnosed a heart condition caused by cocaine use.

This was followed, among other things, by withdrawal treatments and stomach reduction.

The Argentine celebrated his greatest successes at the Italian club SSC Napoli, where the fans "will cry for three years now," as a colleague has just noted.

Icon: enlarge

Diego Maradona (in 2008)

Photo: Matt Sayles / AP

Here are some important texts about Diego Maradona:

• Maradona

  must stay in the clinic longer

• Maradona's only SPIEGEL interview

• Here is a review by Peter Ahrens about a documentary about the footballer: Diego got lost

What else is important today

• China's head of state congratulates Biden on his victory:

  Vladimir Putin is still silent, but Xi Jinping has now done it: China's head of state congratulated Joe Biden on his victory in the US presidential election.

• Federal government intensifies fight against racism and extremism:

  Racism and extremism in Germany should be combated more intensely - a cabinet committee has decided on almost 90 measures.

  The federal government has earmarked more than one billion euros for this.

• Bird flu is spreading in Germany:

  Hundreds of wild birds have died of bird flu on the German coast in recent weeks.

  Experts warn that the virus could endanger poultry holdings.

  It is harmless to humans.

• Car drives to the gate of the Federal Chancellery:

  In Berlin, a car driver wanted to penetrate the Federal Chancellery - but failed at the gate.

  Photos on the net show that the vehicle is smeared with messages.

  There was a similar incident in 2014.

What we recommend today at SPIEGEL +

• "I should have given Andrea Nahles more support":

  On Saturday, Kevin Kühnert will hand over the chairmanship of the Jusos.

  Is he serious now?

  Here he speaks about his past and future role within the SPD.

• Will Desertec be implemented after all?

  The idea of ​​using the desert as an energy source is experiencing a revival: Green hydrogen is to flow from North Africa to Germany.

  But there is a catch.

• "A catastrophe for people with previous mental illnesses":

  The psychiatrist Sabine Köhler explains how she is helping her patients through the corona crisis, which is of great concern to her - and which people are even better off in the pandemic than usual.

• "The pharmaceutical industry is doing very well as a villain":

  the linguist Christian Sieg says why conspiracy theories are not theories - and how they should be countered.

Which is not so important today

• Long line

  :

  Justin Trudeau

  , 48, known as Canadian Prime Minister and Beau among the world leaders, fell for a phone prank - he was a fake Greta Thunberg on the glue.

  He should pick flowers and quit NATO, they have a great perspective and passionate words, so they flattered each other.

  Behind the prank are two Russian Youtubers with a secret service connection.

  So only half as fun.

  Here you read the message: Justin Trudeau falls for the wrong Greta Thunberg

Icon: enlarge

Thunberg, Trudeau

Photo: Andrej Ivanov / Reuters

Typo of the day

, corrected in the meantime: "The US industry reported an unexpectedly significant increase in orders."

Cartoon of the day:

Corona dance by the country leaders

Icon: enlarge Photo: Klaus Stuttmann

And tonight?

Can you listen to Paul Desmond if you like.

The alto saxophonist, born 96 years ago in beautiful San Francisco, is considered one of the greatest poets in jazz.

He was a shy but very cool man, wanted to sound like "a dry martini," he once said about his sound.

You may know his composition "Take Five".

But she's pretty fucked up.

Better listen to "Brandenburg Gate".

The piece was written by his long-term piano partner, Dave Brubeck.

Icon: enlarge Photo: Bill Wagg / Getty Images

But here Desmond most impressively celebrates his gift of reminiscing with his improvisations to European classical composers such as Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Stravinsky and above all Johann Sebastian Bach.

Desmond was only 52 years old, he drank a lot and smoked a lot, and died of lung cancer in 1977.

He bequeathed all of his fortune and the royalties for his hit "Take Five" to the Red Cross.

And?

Listened to

I hope you liked it.

I wish you a nice evening, see you tomorrow!

Yours Janko Tietz

Here you can order the "Lage am Abend" by email.