Penny — Supermarket in Charlottenburg, Berlin

This is a branch of Penny, the German supermarket chain, sitting on Leibnizstraße in Charlottenburg. It is the kind of shop you drop into on the way home rather than plan a trip around, and its size is what makes it work: not too big, not too small, so you can find what you need quickly.

The shelves cover everyday household needs in a broad sense. Sausages sit alongside washcloths, and the range runs from food to basic household goods, so a single stop can cover both. Nothing here is a specialty counter or a destination product; it is the everyday range, and that is the point.

The layout is compact, and that is what keeps a short trip short. You walk in, find the aisle you need, and you are out again. The pace of the place shows at busy moments.

On cost, the picture is mixed. Some items come in cheaper than at other supermarkets, and the chain's own products are where the savings tend to sit. But not everything is a bargain: on some grocery items the price is the same as at Rewe, and occasionally higher.

Queues can be long and the wait at the till can stretch, which undercuts the speed of the shop itself. There is also no parking at the location, and the store sits right next to a busy single-lane road, so arriving by car is not the easy option here. Come for a quick basket on foot, not for a big load.