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Anyone who wants to shop in the Karstadt branch in Bielefeld has been able to sleep a little longer since this summer. The department store in the pedestrian zone only opens at 10 a.m. On a mid-October morning, two dozen people are waiting for a security guard to unlock the doors. When asked why the sale started so late, an employee replies: "Save energy." And adds after a short break: "That's the official reason."

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