Originally Posted by whirledtraveler
Wasn't quite sure where to post this thread, but here it goes. I just got into Munich and I'm staying at a hotel about 35km away from the airport. AA and/or BA lost my bags and I am totally without clothes. I have meetings on Tuesday, only the grubby clothes that I wore over.
The people at the hotel tell me that in all of Munich the airport is the only place I can buy clothes tomorrow because it is a public holiday. I can't even get my only pair of underwear laundered.
Do I have any other options. Are there places in MUN which sell smart casual clothes (and underwear)? All I saw were suits.
Again, no idea where to post this other than this forum. It certainly isn't a travel buzz item.
As a German here's my €0,02 worth:
Tomorrow, May 1st, is Labor Day for most of the world, and you will definitely not find an open store anywhere in Western Europe (with the possible exception of the British Isles, don't know if it's a holiday there as well).
The stores at MUC can be used by anyone, and if the police tries to bother you, an American accent and/or passport will usually take care of it. They're mainly looking for locals who are trying to bypass the regulations concerning the opening hours of shops.
One option you may have to buy some basic necessities would be gas stations - their shops are usually open on holidays, and they tend to have a very ecclectic selection of goods. Their biggest sellers tend to be beer and frozen pizza, but it's not that unlikely that you'll find some laundry detergent there.
As for underwear, you might be able to pick up some souvenir "Munich" boxer shorts and t-shirts in the touristy areas.
Other than that, I'm afraid it doesn't look good. Good luck!