Penny — Supermarket in Friedrichshain, Berlin

This is one branch of the Penny chain, in the basement at Ostbahnhof in Friedrichshain, and its own draw is simple: it trades every day of the week, Sunday included, from 8 am to 10 pm. If you arrive on a Sunday or late in the evening and need to fill a fridge, this is the branch that is still lit.

What goes in the basket first is the organic range, which is priced low enough to stock up on rather than pick through, and the weekly promotions that rotate through the shelves. Fresh produce comes in several varieties of fruit and vegetables, so a quick shop for the week is workable here.

The shop is a basement supermarket rather than anything grander, and the practical rhythm of it is a bottle return machine by the entrance and checkouts that can queue up when the station is busy. Bring your own bags and expect a straightforward till transaction.

Spending stays modest: a basket runs €10–30, and the weekly deals are where the money goes furthest. Sunday evening, after 6 pm, is when the branch fills up most, so a morning or early afternoon trip on a Sunday is the calmer choice.

What you will meet alongside the low prices is friction: the bottle return machines have been out of order.