整個德國似乎都在為世界盃熬夜，包括商店在內。和往常看到的貨架之間擁擠的下班購物潮不同，德國人和數以百萬計的到訪者拿著歐元開始享受購物的樂趣。在德國，商店大都下午6點即關門，週日也停業，是世界盃給了理由使商店們的營業時間延長。一位在柏林Potsdamer Arkaden購物的消費者説：“現在我買東西可以慢慢來了，銷售人員們還有很多時間來等我。”

　　德國的法律規定商店只能從早上6點營業至晚上8點，從週一到週六。星期天，除了飯店和土耳其式的點心鋪，幾乎所有商家都關門了。然而在世界盃期間，一些商店開始開的很晚，還是有些按時關門的，因為各地規定不同。大部分商店晚上10點的時候還是會關門，而在威斯巴登市有一家沃爾瑪則是全天24小時營業。馬裏蘭大學的一位國際經濟學教授Peter Morici説：“世界盃期間延長的時間對零售商來説會是一個很大的利潤增長，因為有很多的遊客。”德國零售協會稱世界盃期間商家延長銷售時間將會創造26億美元的額外花費。這不僅包括約150完的外國遊客將在世界盃結束前遊覽德國，同時德國人也會去12個主辦球賽的城市旅遊。

　　鏈結： http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=ap-wcup-openlate&prov=ap&type=lgns

　　原文：Store hour laws relaxed, Germans and World Cup visitors can shop at their leisure

　　By MATT MOORE, AP Business Writer

　　June 15, 2006

　　MUNICH, Germany (AP) -- All of Germany, it seems, is staying up late for the World Cup -- including the shops.

　　Instead of a post-work rush through the aisles, Germans -- and millions of visitors with euros to spare -- can browse the shelves and chat with clerks regardless of dusk's dimming light. In a country where many shops close by 6 p.m. and don't open at all on Sundays, the soccer tournament offers an excuse to relax rigid laws dictating store hours.

　　"I can take my time to do my shopping," said Ina Andrees, who was shopping at Potsdamer Arkaden in Berlin late Wednesday night. "The sales people here have a lot of time to wait on me."

　　German law allows shops to be open only from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. On Sunday, nearly everything is closed except for some restaurants and snack kiosks.

　　During the World Cup, some stores are staying open late, some are not, and regulations vary from region to region. Most stores are still closed by 10 p.m., though a Wal-Mart in Wiesbaden is staying open 24 hours a day.

　　Some politicians and industry groups have been pushing to make the change permanent, arguing extra hours would give the economy a boost. But some employee groups have been resisting, anxious to protect the cherished personal time and freedom that comes with getting home, in most cases, by 7 p.m. on weekdays and having to work only four to six hours on Saturdays.

　　Germans are accustomed to the hours and have learned to adapt. But in a world where globalization is not just a rallying cry but a reality, it's time to rethink the rules, said Harry Bird, a 35-year-old financial trader originally from France.

　　"When I was in the (United) States and I needed something, it was very, very cool to be able go and get it," he said, "no matter how late it was."

　　Analysts say that Germany's retail sector has lagged behind other countries in part because of rigid shop hours laws. Other European countries such as Sweden, Britain and neighboring Poland and the Czech Republic don't have such strict requirements.

　　"Longer hours for the World Cup will be a big boost to retailers, because of the many tourists," said Peter Morici, a professor of international business at the University of Maryland. "Much of the additional sales will be a net gain to retailers."

　　The German retailing association said it expects that World Cup to contribute $2.6 billion in additional spending. And that's not simply from the estimated 1.5 million visitors who will visit Germany before the tournament ends July 9. Another 1.5 million Germans are expected to visit the 12 cities hosting the tournament's games, too.

　　German retailers are closely watching the experiment to see whether it pays to stay open later.

　　KarstadtQuelle AG, one of Europe's largest department store operators, is staying open until 10 p.m. nightly. So far, the extended hours are proving popular with customers shopping not only for soccer shirts, but electronics and even groceries, said Joerg Howe, a spokesman for the Essen-based retailer.

　　"What is running tremendously well is the fan stores," Howe said.

　　Karstadt has exclusive rights to sell World Cup-themed merchandise, ranging from pins to T-shirts to caps. On game days, those boutiques routinely run low on merchandise, and fans come in before and after games, sometimes as late as 9 p.m. to pick up a must-have Argentina jersey or Sweden-themed backpack.

　　If parliament does pass legislation to extend shopping hours, Howe said the company will have a decision to make.

　　"We will do it if it works in different cities and areas," Howe said. "You have to simply weigh what you're spending for the extra hours on staffing and what you're receiving in the extra income. It all depends on the numbers."

　　作者-北京第二外國語大學英語系王帥

責編：佟杉杉