Shopping and Groceries

Shopping Hours

The Netherlands does not commonly have 24/7 or late-night stores. Stores such as clothing stores and furniture stores are generally open until 17:00 or 18:00 in the evening. Grocery stores are open longer. Usually, they are open from 08:00 - 20:00 or even 22:00. On Sundays, some stores may be closed or only open from 12:00

Grocery stores

You can choose to buy your groceries from supermarkets or from local stores such as greengrocers, bakeries, butchers etc. You will find these - mostly privately owned - shops in most neighbourhoods, clustered together.

Below is a list of major supermarkets in the Netherlands:

• Aldi (low cost)
• Lidl (low cost)
• Albert Heijn
• PLUS
• Jumbo 
• Spar 

There are also online grocery stores that offer home delivery.

• Gorillas (fast delivery, high cost)
• Flink (fast delivery, high cost)
• Picnic 

You can find an overview of grocery stores in Nijmegen here.

Spaar kaarten and Koopzegels

Most Dutch grocery stores have a system with savings cards (spaarkaart) where you can collect stamps (koopzegels) to save a bit of money on your shopping. Every time you shop you pay a little extra on your groceries to buy a koopzegel. When you have filled a spaarkaart with these stamps, who can cash out the spaarkaart for the full value of it with some interest. Sometimes this can be done for cash and other times just to pay for your groceries in the same store. A more in-depth explanation can be found here.

No free plastic bags

Because of an environmental law you will always have to pay a small fee for a plastic bag at supermarkets and other stores in The Netherlands. Some stores have paper bags that are for free. Of course you can and are recommended to bring your own bag.

Furniture Stores

If you are moving into an unfurnished home when you move to the Netherlands, you'll need to know where to get some furniture. Ikea has affordable furniture options available for home delivery. Leen Bakker is a Dutch furniture store at a slightly higher price point than Ikea. Coolblue is a store that sells electronics and appliances such as washing machines.

WelcomeToNijmegen.nl has a list of affordable furniture stores in Nijmegen, most of which delivery to your home for a small additional fee.

Other Stores

Below is a list of some other miscellaneous stores that you might find useful to know when you first move to the Netherlands.

• Action - an affordable general store that has a mix of household items and some groceries
• Blokker - sells cleaning supplies, kitchenware, appliances and other household items
• Praxis - a hardware/DIY store
• Etos - a drugstore (personal care items, hygiene products, over the counter medicine)
• Kruidvat - a drugstore (personal care items, hygiene products, over the counter medicine)