a quiet revolution

I know a friend whose boyfriend shops for everything online - I mean everything...like, even masking tape. At first I thought it was a little ridiculous, but I'm slowly changing my mind. I've always been hesitant about shopping online. Living in Jakarta for a couple of years has taught me that, and in Australia, it's not really the thing to do - but in Germany? wow, it's like a quiet revolution taking over the retail world. Personally, I like the thrill of the hunt...and the searching...and the window shopping. But after yesterday's day of "nein!" from retail assistants, I can completely understand this quiet revolution. We ordered something online, nothing expensive, but we paid for an express delivery to be received before midday today. It wasn't here at 11:30, nor at 12:30 or at 2pm (which to me was not a surprise) but what was surprising was the HELPFUL customer service person, Jan, from amazon.de. Not only did he tried to speak to me in english but he also: - offered to call DHL to find out the status of the package - will have DHL send my package by today or tomorrow before midday - refunded the express fee - and most importantly, the first words to come out of his mouth was not "nein" Oh Germany, I have faith in you yet!