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Corona self-tests
Photo: Fabian Strauch / dpa
The first batch was sold out in record time.
In many Aldi branches, the first Corona self-tests were sold out within a quarter of an hour on Saturday, the website of the discounter Lidl temporarily collapsed due to the high demand.
No replenishment has come so far.
Instead, some are trying to resell their corona test kits from the discounter on Ebay classifieds at exorbitant prices - although the platform is taking rigorous action against it.
The hype surrounding the lay tests is hardly surprising.
Finally, the nasal mucus sample for at home raises hopes for a little more freedom.
Instead of going outside with a latently bad feeling and a guilty conscience, citizens can now theoretically test themselves with little expenditure of time and money before visiting relatives, meeting friends for coffee or in the office again instead of in the home office work.
The self-tests do not give absolute certainty that you have not been infected with coronavirus - but at least a relative one: They show that you are most likely hardly contagious at the moment of the test.
After all, that is far better than, for example, simply visiting the 79-year-old, still unvaccinated, possibly particularly endangered parents.
The usual distance, hand washing and mask rules should, however, continue to be complied with after the self-test, and you should repeat the self-test after 24 hours at the latest as soon as you meet people again.
Despite these restrictions, the run on the first test kits was enormous.
The frustration of many consumers is all the greater because the start of sales feels just as bumpy as many other measures against the corona crisis before.
An old wisdom among retail trade experts is: "Customer satisfaction is the difference between what is expected and what is received." Which means: You shouldn't just get customers excited about your own products, you also have to deliver.
Otherwise, you might endanger some customers in the long term.
Who stacks deep
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and who has promised too much
The potential for disappointment is particularly great if, after a three-month shutdown, you offer customers a product that promises them a little more freedom.
The big drugstores and discounters who want to sell self-tests nationwide soon are correspondingly nervous.
And accordingly, many of them are keeping a low profile.
What tests they offer exactly, what exactly they should cost and how many tests everyone gets maximum, only very few say in advance.
Some companies, such as the drugstore chain Budni, the discounter Netto or Edeka, stack deep.
Corona self-tests will be offered "with availability", just write them on request.
Others, such as the Rossmann or Müller drugstores, have set a date for the start of sales.
Still others, like the DM company, have apparently promised too much - and have already postponed the planned start of sales.
Who is likely to offer which tests and when?
A first overview:
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