Oktoberfest souvenir sellers report sexual harassment

Souvenir sellers at Munich’s Oktoberfest say they have faced repeated sexual harassment and unwanted touching from guests, despite an official zero-tolerance policy in the beer tents, BR24 reports.

Veronika B., whose real name has been withheld, said she cried during her first days at work. The 23-year-old said she often wonders whether she will have to fend off men who try to kiss her or ask her to go home with them, or guests who want her to sit on their laps for photos.

Veronika is one of several hundred souvenir sellers working in the tents. She asked to remain anonymous because she fears losing a job that she relies on to help cover the cost of living in Munich. She hopes to earn nearly 5,000 euros during the festival’s 16 days and receives no financial support from her family.

Her work involves walking between tables to sell items such as glowing bunny ears, chicken hats, pins and heart-shaped badges. Sellers can earn several thousand euros during the festival. Veronika receives 20 percent of sales, but says most of her income comes from tips.

That leaves sellers in a difficult position, she said: reacting firmly to unwanted advances can mean losing tips. Veronika, a student, said flirting with guests was often necessary to earn enough. She said men who spend generously can also be the ones who cross boundaries.

Veronika said guests sometimes touched her while she tried to sell them a hat. Some, she said, bought hats as a pretext to talk to and touch the sellers. She has earned up to 150 euros from a hat that normally costs about 30 euros.

Guests have offered her five euros to pose for photos while sitting beside them or on their laps, she said. She refuses requests to kiss guests or stay with them all night and go home with them. She said many men had made such requests and that she felt afraid.

BR24 spoke with more than half a dozen souvenir sellers, several of whom described similar experiences. One said men had repeatedly reached into her cleavage; others reported guests making sexual gestures. Some sellers said they had heard from colleagues who felt they had been sexually harassed.

Most of the sellers interviewed knew about the Safe Space support service, though none said they had used it. Veronika said she and her colleagues look out for one another as a team.