And, many places in southeastern Pennsylvania bear German names. Along with the language came a tradition of pretzel making. They are almost guaranteed to be stale, soggy, or hard. The best packaging is a brown paper bag. If the pretzels look in the least bit moist, pass them up.
Moisture is caused by the extraction of water by the salt.
This indicates that the pretzel has been sitting around too long. Avoid pretzels that have been reheated by the vendor. They are usually hard. If the pretzel looks good, it probably is good. I like to scrape off most of the salt with my fingers before applying the mustard.