10+ Peculiarities in Supermarkets in Different Countries That Make Foreigners Gasp With Surprise

A supermarket can tell you a lot about the residents of a country, like what people eat, what goods they buy most often, and how they behave in public places. Store staff members show the level of service while shelves display goods that can say way more about the culture of the country than any tourist attraction.

The British public is so desperate to grab a bargain quiche that the supermarket has erected a protective barricade around their staff.

“So, I bought sanitary pads in Japan. Gentle male psyche is saved.”

Sushi from a regular Japanese supermarket

You can see such special holders on carts in some supermarkets. You put small, thin items in the holder, like pens or batteries.

And you use the corner gap to stand a baguette or flowers in to stop them from getting crushed under other items.

In some Finnish supermarkets, you can find food that is served on Finnair flights.

In one of the German supermarkets, you can buy bread from such a dispenser.

You can get milk too. You just buy a glass bottle and fill it with fresh milk.

One supermarket in Israel prints brain teasers on the backs of their receipts.

Some Swedish supermarkets started farming their own greens.

A supermarket in Finland makes juice out of unsold fruits.

If you forget a bag, an Australian supermarket can loan you one. Just don’t forget to return it.

This photo was taken in one of the Philippine stores. Packages contain chicken eggs without shells.

Some supermarkets have parking spots in the pastry section where you can park your shopping cart while you wait in line.

This Italian supermarket has its own dedicated vegetarian section.

This supermarket has handles to use with your elbow.

This is a regular supermarket in Estonia. The basket with free fruit for children says, “Fresh fruit for every child.”

If your spouse gets lost in this supermarket, you know where to find them.

Each customer of this Swedish supermarket should take a ball and put it in their cart. This way, the store keeps count of how many customers are inside.

“Who wants a jelly with tomatoes? I saw it today in a supermarket in Tokyo.”

We sought out supermarket employees to teach us their best tricks and felt that sharing them with the world was the best thing we could do.