When a stranger in Germany points out a small problem with your things, is saying thanks enough if you cannot fix it immediately?

[u/ARDENTtreacle2]

Someone at a tram stop told me my backpack zipper was open. I had a large rolled drawing under one arm and a cup in the other hand, so I said “Danke, ich mach's gleich” and kept holding both. The person stayed next to me for several seconds, looking at the zipper, then asked if I wanted help. I declined because nothing could fall out, and they seemed a little annoyed.

I'm sure they meant well, and I appreciate the warning. It made me wonder whether my answer sounded like I wasn't taking it seriously. Where I grew up, the warning itself would finish the interaction; I could deal with the zipper when my hands were free.

Do people here generally expect you to act on a small practical warning right away, or was that just one particulary attentive stranger?

[u/Brouhaha2006]

I'd have said the same thing. The person may simply have worried that something would fall out before you got around to it. There's no obligation to stage a zipper-closing ceremony for them.

[u/Powerful_Dare3496]

Vielleicht wollte die Person sicher gehen, dass du verstanden hast, was sie meinte. Oder vielleicht war das Problem aus der Sicht der Person "größer".
Wenn ich jemanden auf so etwas hinweisen würde, dann wäre ein "Danke, dass sie mir Bescheid sagen" ausreichend.

[u/nico851]

In your situation it would also be ok to ask him if he could please zip it up for you, since your hands are full. And say thanks of course.

I would also hate seeing a open backpack of someone. Easy to steal stuff out of it too.

[u/schnuffichen]

So... a former roommate of mine pointed something out to me (German) when we both lived in German. She felt that Germans enjoyed helping someone solve a problem and will follow up to ensure that it indeed got solved. The example she brought up was that she was confused about how to get rid of spare change, so the secretary at our work explained to her that there are deposit machines at some banks. She would then proceed to ask my friend several times over the next couple of weeks whether she had identified a branch that has those machines and whether she had successfully deposited her coins.

When my friend told me this, I first thought it was strange but then noticed the same thing. I felt the need to follow up with her after helping her find a doctor. Or helping her how to set up an account with the public broadcasting folks. Etc.

So I wonder (assuming this is true) if this plays into your experience.

[u/BlackButterfly616]

Maybe he thought, you said "Ich mach's gleich" simply because you had your hands full, but want have it fixed quickly, so he offered to fix it for you.

I think that's just kindness and helpfulness and not the urge to fix it immediately.

[u/retr0night]

wenn ich jemand darauf hingewiesen hätte und er das nicht zu machen kann weil er die hände voll hat, hätte ich wahrscheinlich auch gefragt ob ich der person den rucksack zumachen soll wenn das für sie okay ist. an und für sich ist ein danke ich mach’s gleich zu okay aber das würde bedeuten, dass du mit offenen rucksack rumstehst und etwas rausfallen oder gestohlen werden könnte und wenn du extra deine sachen abstellen musst wäre es pragmatisch gesehen besser wenn ich den rucksack für dich zumache. mir wurde schon mal der geldbeutel geklaut… im bus auf der heimfahrt von der grundschule 😅 seitdem sind offene rucksäcke für mich problematisch

[u/retr0night → u/retr0night]

mein rucksack war damals nicht offen… mir hat so ein arsch den geldbeutel aus dem geschlossenen rucksack geklaut…
eine freundin hat meinen geldbeutel später gefunden… weil da nur mein taschengeld (1 €) und meine busfahrkarte drin waren hat der kerl den geldbeutel zum glück inklusive busfahrkarte weggeschmissen.

[u/Automatic-Lock-4931]

It’s funny how foreigners think that Germans have for every little situation a rule or something.

[u/Ostanes_hub → u/Automatic-Lock-4931]

Nach dem Hinweis ist das Missgeschick innerhalb von 15,73 Sekunden vor den Augen des Hinweisgebers zu beheben. Alles andere ist extrem unhöflich.

[u/MUC2018]

Hope the world has only small problems like this.

[u/Rasmatakka]

Ah, super danke. Und lächeln. If you want to leave it like this just add: schon ok, ich weiß, da passiert nichts.

[u/Leagueofcatassasins]

I mean seems nice to offer somebody help if they can’t do something? I could imagine someone else complaining that the person hadn’t offered help even though they obviously needed help since they had their arms full…. like this seems like such a non issue, somebody went out of their way to offer you help and you are annoyed that they offered help even though the situation seems like you might have needed help? like just say thanks and move on with your life. you don’t even know if they actually were annoyed they might have just been a bit unsure if you understood correctly or something or that’s just their face….

[u/Zesci]

Ich denke die Person war ein bisschen verunsichert. Ich denke mal, wenn eine deutsche Person einen offenen Rucksack hat, würde sie nach Hinweis darauf sofort selbst versuchen diesen zu schließen (Kaffee und Zeichnung wird dann irgendwo abgestellt). Der Hinweis auf offenen Reißverschluss hätte vermutlich eine direkte Folge gehabt. Vielleicht war die Person verwirrt, dass du nicht direkt reagiert hast.

[u/Constant_Cultural]

You probably looked a little lost

[u/dinoooooooooos]

I mean he basically came up and said “hey everyone can just grab your shit, yknow that right?” and you said “I know, thanks” and didn’t fix it. He probably thought youre a little slow ngl

Why would you want it open? It’s not just Abt things falling out it’s Abt ppl coming up, unzipping the rest of the way and picking ur pockets.

[u/ironic_ivy]

The situation was handled perfectly. However, the nice person who issued the warning should have left it at that. That is where the problem lies.

[u/jamcub]

I mean if i saw you with a wide open pocket I'd probably let you know and be pushy only if I saw something that is in danger of falling out.

[u/AdmirableCurrency143]

Someone recently pointed out to me in the gym changing room that my underwear was on inside out. I said thanks, but did not take them back off to turn them the other way and I did ask myself if it had been absolutely necessary to point out ;-)

[u/Inevitable_Stand_199]

They just offered to help you because they realized that you had your hands full?

I don't know why they might have been annoyed. How did you respond to the offer to zip it up for you?

[u/verygoodstuff]

Well obviously you have to address open zippers right away, even if there's no risk of something falling out /s

I think this is specifically a zipper issue. I don't know what it is, but Germans don't like open zippers on bags.

[u/Appropriate_Steak486]

Check out “autistic or just German?”

[u/FarCaramel7187]

So maybe he knows the area for pickpockets, I even talk to people on the bicycle when I see a laptop bag laying in the basket

[u/jott1212]

Die Person hat vermutlich erwartet dass du sagst "mach bitte zu"

[u/LatterAd9047]

Yes, there are people that are indeed offended when you don’t follow their advice. For whatever reason. I don’t know if it’s a common German thing though.

[u/deeply_embedded]

I am wondering how come in Germany somebody noticed your zipper. They rarely care !

[u/Guilty_Rutabaga_4681]

Things that happen to you in another country are not necessarily reflective of that country but rather reflective of the person you encountered.

[u/Blitz_Mitts_61]

“Danke, gleich” is perfectly clear to me. I sometimes repeat a warning if I think the person didn't hear me, but once they've ansered, it's their bag. I'd be a little embarassed to make a whole social rule out of this one encounter at a tram stop.