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Being offered whether actually planning to buy on credit are different things. I'm German and would never buy furniture for which I don't have the money (exception maybe if the oven breaks and I don't have enough at hand) - but I'd never buy a sofa paying as instalments.

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Culturally, Germany seems to have a strong aversion to personal debt. In the UK and Ireland, consumer behavior is very much in line with the US.

This is absolutely the case for Germany yeah. We only take credits out for cars and houses mostly. Taking out a credit for common or ordinary items is very uncommon and looked down upon. It "shows" that the person can't handle money well or lives above their means.

Each time I've got a sofa I've done it on credit. It's always been 0% interest and it seems sensible to keep money liquid if someone wants to give me credit for free.

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