REWE & PENNY: The Shiny Mask and the Dark Reality Behind It

Why do I flood shopping carts with food and leave them behind like a protest sign on wheels? Because someone has to expose the harmful neuromarketing tricks that grocery chains use every single day — tricks that quietly shape our choices, our habits, and our health.

It's the beginning of 2026. Since March 2024, I've been sending electronic complaints to major supermarket chains, urging them to place warning labels and images on shopping carts to alert customers about overbuying. In my articles, I publish the responses I receive. This time, I'm revealing the reaction of PENNY, the chain owned by the German REWE Group.

REWE is not a small player. It is a corporate empire — 380,000 employees, 96 billion euros in revenue in 2024. And according to their website, they are nothing short of heroic. Their homepage is a cathedral of self‑praise: conscious nutrition, animal welfare, human rights, packaging responsibility, biodiversity, climate protection. They present themselves as guardians of the planet and protectors of humanity.

But when you look past the glossy words, the reality is far less noble.

I wrote to PENNY, asking them to place warning signs on shopping carts about the dangers of overbuying. Below are the English translations of their replies.

First reply – April 5, 2024

"Dear Zoltán Bíró, our valued customer,

Thank you for honoring our company with your trust. The primary goal of Penny Market Kft. is to welcome our customers in a friendly environment with a constantly renewed and wide assortment of goods, and of course to ensure that every one of our customers is satisfied both with our products and with the helpful, high‑quality service provided in our stores.

We hereby inform you that we have forwarded the contents of your letter to our relevant colleagues. Thank you for your comments and suggestions.

We sincerely regret that, despite our efforts, you have encountered an issue. We hope that you will continue to honor Penny Market Kft. with your trust, and should you have any further questions, comments, or complaints, we remain at your disposal.

Respectfully, Penny‑Market Kft."

Second reply – April 10, 2024

"Dear Zoltán Bíró, our valued customer,

Thank you for contacting us again.

We hereby inform you that we previously sent you our response, which we are attaching once more for your convenience.

Furthermore, we would like to inform you that our company strives to provide quick responses in all cases; however, if this is not possible, we follow the 30‑day deadline prescribed by the Consumer Protection Act. Thank you for your understanding.

Should you have any further questions, comments, or complaints, we remain at your disposal.

Respectfully, Penny‑Market Kft."

Third reply – May 18, 2024

"Dear Zoltán Bíró, valued customer,

Thank you for your response.

We would like to inform you that a decision regarding the possible introduction of smaller shopping baskets may be made at a later time; however, unfortunately, we cannot guarantee this. Thank you for your understanding.

We sincerely regret that, despite our efforts, you have encountered an issue. We hope you will continue to honor Penny Market Ltd. with your trust, and should you have any further questions, comments, or complaints, we remain at your disposal.

Respectfully, Penny Market Ltd."

Fourth reply – September 30, 2025

"Dear Zoltán Bíró, valued customer,

Thank you for your repeated response.

As we mentioned previously, a decision regarding the possible introduction of smaller shopping baskets may be made at a later time; however, unfortunately, we cannot guarantee this. Until further notice, we kindly ask you to use the shopping cart. Thank you for your understanding.

We sincerely regret that, despite our efforts, you have encountered an issue. We hope you will continue to honor Penny Market Ltd. with your trust, and should you have any further questions, comments, or complaints, we remain at your disposal.

Respectfully, Penny Market Ltd."

Nearly two years have passed since PENNY — part of the REWE Group — forwarded my suggestion to their "relevant colleagues." Two years. And nothing has changed.

Not a single warning label. Not a single acknowledgment of the problem. Not a single step toward protecting customers from engineered overconsumption.

This isn't a slow response. This is a refusal.

Meanwhile, PENNY continues to use neuromarketing without hesitation, pushing far more food onto customers than they actually need — feeding a global obesity crisis that is destroying lives, families, and futures.

And yet REWE dares to present itself as a champion of conscious nutrition.

• If they truly cared about conscious nutrition, they would stop using destructive neuromarketing that drives overconsumption. 
• If they cared about animal welfare, why don't they care about human well‑being and health? 
• If they cared about human rights, why do they manipulate people's freedom of choice with psychological tricks? 
• If they cared about reducing packaging waste, they would stop pushing unnecessary quantities of food onto customers. 
• If they cared about biodiversity and climate protection, they would acknowledge that the Amazon rainforest isn't burning because Brazilians are "evil," but because global overconsumption demands more beef — and cattle need land.

To me, the REWE Group is like a devil dressed in angel skin. They present themselves as a wonderful, responsible corporation, while they share responsibility for the global obesity crisis — a crisis fueling widespread illness, suffering, and premature death.

This is why I continue the NOPE HAUL challenge again and again. Because the system refuses to change. Because the corporations refuse to listen. Because someone has to strike the mask until it cracks — until the truth behind their polished, self‑congratulatory facade is finally exposed.

I won't stop until that mask shatters. Until the public sees who's really behind it. Until the illusion breaks, and the machinery of manipulation stands naked in the flames.

Zoltán Bíró — Nope Haul Revolutionary | Debrecen, Hungary.