Austria - Supermarkets for Low-Income

Austria is one of the richest countries in the world. Nevertheless one out of eight Austrians is prone to living in poverty.

People who are on welfare, pensioners, single parents, people with handicap and migrants are those who suffer double in the current crisis. These people cannot afford food at regular prices in supermarkets – even discount markets are too expensive.

Supermarkets that cater for the need of low income consumers (“Sozialmärkte”) are trying to help these people. The shelves are stacked with rejected goods from supermarkets and surplus production. Besides food Sozialmärkte also offer other products like detergents and goods for personal hygiene.

All products are of sound quality and might have damaged packaging, wrong labelling or are close to the sell-by date. The goods are often up to 2/3 cheaper than in regular supermarkets.

To be able to shop at a Sozialmarkt, strict rules have to be followed: max. 700,- to 900,- Euro monthly net-income and documents that proof that people are on welfare or similar. Also the weekly shopping volume is limited.

Currently 40 Sozialmärkte with a sales area of approx. 7.000sqm can be found in Austria – with a strong upward trend.