Not enough sales: Erdinger station kiosk closes for good

Created: 03/19/2022, 08:00

By: Raphael Scherer

Monday is her last day: Anja Wolf has been in charge of the service store at Erdinger Bahnhof for three years.

© Scherer

Financial losses due to the pandemic were no longer manageable for the DB Service Store.

That's why it will finally close its doors on March 21st.

Erding – Anja Wolf is certain that March 31st will be the hardest.

Because then comes the final inventory of the Deutsche Bahn service store at Erdinger S-Bahn station.

Then it's finally over with the kiosk.

The woman from Erding worked there for three years, had dozens of regular customers and ran the shop together with her manager almost every day.

Now they are still selling the remaining stocks of drinks, cigarettes and confectionery.

According to the notice on the front door, the kiosk opened for the last time on Monday, March 21, and then it's over: "The second lockdown just tore us to pieces," says Wolf.

The first forced closure due to the pandemic really hit the store, the second was the death sentence.

"There was nothing going on anymore, people were working from home, you could count on one hand the number of people getting off the S-Bahn," says Wolf.

Bahn no longer allows kiosk to sell tickets

In addition, Deutsche Bahn decided last year that the kiosk should no longer sell tickets.

Customers should rather pull their tickets directly from the machines.

That saves the train the commission to the kiosk, Wolf explains this decision.

It led to further sales losses.

And instead of Corona aid, the rent was also increased at that time.

Wolf asks how one should pay a lease of around 6,000 euros a month with less turnover – without additional costs – and shrugs his shoulders in response with a sad smile.

Usually open all day, the kiosk closed at noon last week, and last Friday even at 10 a.m.: "The four customers in the two hours no longer matter," says Wolf and sighs.

The shop had “somehow dragged itself through” recently, but now the end of the pandemic has been reached.

Erding's Service Store is not the only kiosk affected

The other two kiosks in Altenerding and Markt Schwaben, which also belong to the Valora franchise chain, are suffering the same fate, Wolf has heard.

She has already registered as unemployed for next month.

Small consolation: After several conversations, she at least knows from the railways that they are looking for a new tenant who could then hire her again.

When that will be is still completely open.

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