Cent Buttek
Twice a week, Luxembourg's largest "Cent Buttek" (cent shop) opens its doors in Bettembourg. Even before the shop opens at 2pm, people can already be seen waiting outside. One father of two explained that people do not arrive early because they fear there will be nothing left, but because they hope for a wider choice.
The volunteers working at the shop have to carefully divide up what is available. If the cheese counter is well stocked, the first customers can be offered more. When supplies are limited, volunteers have to estimate how many people are still likely to come and make sure enough is kept aside, even if that means those arriving later have fewer options.
Around 80 people visit during a typical afternoon to shop for their families. According to Monique Richter, who has been involved with the Bettembourg shop for 15 years and is now responsible for running it, numbers peaked during the pandemic, when as many as 120 people came through the doors in a single day. Richter volunteers around 20 hours a week.
For fresh products in particular, Cent Buttek relies heavily on participating supermarkets donating food approaching its use-by or best-before date. Drivers such as Andre Eiden are responsible for collecting those products. He has noticed that the amount being donated has fallen recently. Supermarkets are buying more precisely and are also increasingly trying to sell products through promotions before donating them.
"When we get the goods, they really are right at the end, when they have to be taken off the shelves," Eiden explained. Sorting everything after collection is therefore an important part of the work. Around 60 volunteers take turns helping at the Bettembourg branch. Across the association's three shops in Bettembourg, Luxembourg City, and Petange, around 130 volunteers are involved. Most are retired.
"We naturally lose people because of age, when they become too old or can no longer lift very much," said Romaine Goergen, vice-president of the Cent Buttek association. "That means we are always dependent on finding new volunteers."
René Casagrande was one of those newcomers three and a half years ago. Speaking from behind the counter during a quiet moment, he said many customers remained understandably reserved about their personal circumstances. But people do not necessarily come only for the food. "They also come for the social side of it, just to exchange a few words. That's nice."
Nearly 500 families visit the Bettembourg branch each month, according to association president Arthur Besch. Across all three locations, the figure rises to around 900 families, with the shops supporting approximately 5'600 people in total.
Eligibility to shop at Cent Buttek is determined by the local social welfare office. Officials assess how much money a household has left at the end of the month after fixed costs such as rent have been deducted. Eligible households receive a card, which must be presented at the entrance. When scanned, the system registers only an anonymous number and tells volunteers how many people the customer is allowed to shop for. The household's situation is reassessed every three months.
For Casagrande, the best outcome is when someone no longer needs to return. "The best moment is when people have been coming for a while and then tell you that it's their last day. It means they've found a job, they're earning enough and they no longer depend on coming here. That's the goal."