40 Bizarre Things That Make European Grocery Stores Totally Unique

In European countries including Germany and the U.K., you’re usually expected to bag your own groceries at the checkout, with no help from the cashier. In fact, these store workers tend to make the task even harder, by speeding through the scanning so that your purchases pile up at the end of the conveyor before you’ve even had time to shake your bags open.

With 3,000 varieties of bread to be found across the country, it seems that Germany takes its loaves pretty seriously. And the freshly baked aisle in the nation’s grocery stores is a reflection of this. Home to a vast array of crusty delights, some of the more classic offerings include the brötchen (bread roll) and the landbrot (farm bread.)

If you’re looking for eggs in a European grocery store, it’s unlikely you’ll find them in the refrigerated section. In countries such as Britain, France and Germany, eggs are kept on the shelf. That’s because chickens on the continent are routinely vaccinated against salmonella. By contrast, in the United States eggs are washed instead. This removes a cuticle coating on the produce, which means they need to be kept at a low temperature.

It seems that many European grocery stores provide more chocolate choices for their customers than their American counterparts. For instance, the U.S. dedicates just 2.87 meters of average aisle space to confectionery, compared to 15.6 meters in the U.K. What’s more, many American ex-pats believe that chocolate tastes better than it does back home, which may have something to do with differing regulations on the products.

When you arrive at the grocery store, don’t expect to pick up a shopping cart for free. To unlock one, you’ll often need a coin – but don’t worry, you get it back when you return the cart. Because of this, most people make sure to place the wheels back in neat lines, keeping the parking lot free of wayward trolleys.

The “American” food aisle should serve as a showcase for all that’s great about Stateside snacks. As such, in many European supermarkets, you’ll find colorful displays dedicated to U.S. products. These often include things like peanut butter, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Pop Tarts, and that old classic – Marshmallow Fluff.

Thousands of kilos of horsemeat are produced for consumption in the European Union each year. And while some countries (including the U.K. and Ireland) tend not to touch the stuff, it’s a popular food in places like the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. There’s also a market for equine food products in Italy, where you can get this delightful-looking horsemeat baby food.

In Germany, it’s common to see people hauling huge bags of glass or plastic bottles to the grocery store where they return them at these so-called Pfand points. In return for the recyclables, the machine prints out vouchers which can be used at the checkout. It works because a redeemable deposit cost is included in the purchase price of some products and is paid back when you return the packaging.

It would seem that American portions have achieved legendary status across the pond. In Finland, for example, a giant jar of mayonnaise is referred to as “American size.” The label boasts 600 grams of the white stuff, but – as some keen-eyed U.S. observers have pointed out – that’s still not as large as Costco’s average jar of mayo.

While loose fruit and vegetables are weighed and priced by the cashier at the checkout in American grocery stores, you’re expected to do this yourself in many European countries, including England and Spain. After bagging your produce, you take them to a scale where you can determine the amount and print out a little barcode that will be scanned upon purchase.

While we may love our chips here in the U.S, the Brits seem to have taken their “crisps” obsession to a new level. Aside from the more regular salted varieties, the U.K. snacks come in an array of crazy flavors. These include beef and onion, roast chicken and even cheddar cheese and bacon.

In the U.S. beer most often comes in the singular or as part of a six-pack. So, when visiting the U.K, it can be quite jarring for Americans to see that beers most often come in packs of four. Bigger quantities of the popular boozy beverage can be purchased at larger stores, but at your regular, neighborhood grocery store, bundles of four are as good as it’s likely to get.

Now this one just seems plain wrong to us, but lots of French milk isn’t kept in the store refrigerator. Because the dairy product is pasteurized at a high temperature in the country, it can be kept for weeks but will turn bad soon after opening. Fresh milk is available in the chiller, but long-life versions are great for filling up the pantry.

France might have a reputation as a cheese producer, but Germany actually makes more of the dairy product than its food-loving neighbor. With that in mind, at many German grocery stores, you can expect to find rows upon rows of refrigerators dedicated to cheese in all its varieties, from hard to holey and (almost) everything in between.

Given the current drive towards sustainability, you might be shocked to see the sheer amount of plastic in U.K. grocery stores. Customers in the British Isles have criticized supermarket giants for the excessive amount of packaging they use; while this is slowly changing, you might still be surprised to see just how much fresh produce continues to be bundled up in unnecessary wrapping.

Posting this photo on Facebook in 2009 user Ben Ellwood pointed out, “Swedish food comes in tubes. Caviar, mayonnaise, various flavors of cheese (yes, that is crab & lobster-flavor).” While squeezy seafood cheese might not sound the most appealing, there’s also a reindeer meat flavor which just makes us sad.

In the U.K. the appeal of ready meals isn’t just in their convenience. That’s because most supermarkets offer a range of gourmet microwave meals that – while affordable – put the emphasis on freshness and flavor. What’s more, they come in a variety of cuisines, from Mexican to Indian, and cater to a number of diets including low-fat, vegan and vegetarian.

In what could be considered a crime against breakfast food, here we have packs of premade pancakes. This photograph was seemingly taken in Belgium, but the product is apparently available in France too. The food is branded as a “Canadian breakfast,” but it’s likely that natives of that country would be inclined to disagree.

In British grocery stores, cheeses are categorized according to their strengths. Numbered one to six, according to one guide found at the Waitrose grocery store, a two would signify a mild flavor, while the highest figure denotes an extra-mature variety. So in short, it’s a way for customers to decide if they might like a certain product before they take the plunge and buy.

For times when you can’t decide which classic snack will tickle your fancy, let us introduce the Pizzaburger Hot Dog. Spotted in the “American Food” aisle of a Swiss grocery store, this Frankenstein-esque creation is surely designed to whet the appetite, but we’re not sure it works…

In larger Spanish grocery stores you’ll likely find a row of lockers by the entrance. You’re supposed to deposit large bags inside them before picking up your groceries in a bid to combat shoplifting. Don’t be tempted to ignore them. If you walk past them without stowing your stuff, there’s a good chance you could get a stern talking-to by a security guard or cashier.

In the U.K. you can buy specially scented ironing water, presumably to make your laundered clothes smell nice. But the need for such a product is under debate. After all, most people already use detergent and fabric softeners in their washloads, so adding plastic-packaged perfumed water to the mix just seems like overkill.

In case you need reminding, a sugar daddy in the U.S. usually refers to a rich, older man who uses their wealth to buy the affection of a younger suitor. In France though, it’s just the name of a brand of sugar available at most grocery stores. All the same, the name is sure to make some American tourists chuckle, even if the joke is lost on most French people...

In the U.S. house brands tend to offer more affordable alternatives to branded household favorites. But over in the U.K. store brands come in a range of price points. With this in mind, the same product might come in a cheap own-name variety, a regular version and a premium option, which is higher in cost and quality.

Berlin in particular is known for being a vegan Mecca, but Germany on the whole is one of the best countries to be vegan in Europe, and its grocery stores reflect this. Expect to find whole sections dedicated to plant-based food, from fake meats like schnitzel, steaks and chicken nuggets, to animal-free snacks, milks and even cheese.

You might have thought that the French would stick to their own traditions when it comes to bread making, but it would seem that other nations have had an influence on their tastes. In grocery stores across France, white loaves are often labeled as “American” though it may also be referred to as pain de mie or crumb bread, which sure sounds cuter.

In a number of countries across Europe, you’ll be expected to pay for any new plastic bags you use when packing up your groceries. The cost of the sacks is not expensive, but enough to put lots of people off buying them. As a result, you’ll often see people lugging their own reusable bags to stores. Every little helps in the fight against climate change!

Mac and Cheese is a comfort food staple in the U.S, but in Europe, the dish comes ready-packaged in the convenience of a can. This offering from Heinz is available in France but is apparently popular in the U.K. – with Scots said to be particular fans of the food.

In Germany, standard beer bottles hold nearly a cup more of the alcoholic beverage than an American version. Most beverages come in quantities of half a liter. And if that wasn’t an insult enough to U.S-based drinkers, the ones we are used to in the States are apparently nicknamed “baby-sized.” Ouch!

Germany is actually the home of Haribo, so it may not come as a surprise that the sweets are popular there. But what might shock visitors to the country is the sheer variety of the gummies on offer, which include flavors such as sour black licorice and even grapefruit. As a result, some grocery stores dedicate a whole aisle to the candy.

In Spain, most grocery stores feature a dedicated fish counter, no matter how far from the ocean they may be. Not only that, but the array of fares on offer is pretty spectacular. So don’t be surprised to find more unusual items like frozen sea snails and razor clams sitting side-by-side with more recognizable forms of seafood.

In France, hot dogs are available to buy in jars. But while they might be labeled as “American-style,” staunch defenders of U.S. cuisine have argued otherwise. When a photo of a glass container full of wieners hit Reddit in 2014, user shinedownsgirl argued, “Definitely not how we do hot dogs here” with a fellow Redditor adding, “We must teach them to hot dog.”

In some countries in Europe, grocery shopping is not an around-the-clock activity. In Germany, for example, supermarkets shut at 8:00 p.m. and don’t open their doors at all on Sundays. And in warmer countries, stores might close for a period in the early afternoon, only to reopen later in the day.

Cured ham – or jamón – is a pretty big deal in Spain, and walking through any grocery store there you might notice whole aisles filled with great hunks of meat that dangle from displays. Speaking to the English-language European news website The Local, New Zealander James Blick said, “It’s like walking through a ham jungle.”

In Sweden, rather than expecting the cashier to help you at the checkout, it’s expected you give them a hand. It’s common practice in the country to line your groceries neatly on the conveyor belt, taking care to make the barcode easily visible so the checkout attendant can easily scan your items.

While picking up fruit and vegetables in an Italian grocery store, it’s important to do so wearing gloves. Disposable hand coverings are available on the fresh produce aisle and it is expected that you put them on before touching anything. Not doing so runs the risk of upsetting the locals, and you wouldn’t want to do that.

It would seem that muesli is a pretty big deal in Germany, given just how much grocery store shelving is dedicated to the breakfast food. You can find it in a range of varieties, including fruit, chocolate and protein. So there’s seemingly something to suit every taste imaginable.

Madeleines are essentially tiny cakes that come in a range of flavors. There are so many of the snacks available, in fact, that many French supermarkets have a whole display dedicated to the light sponges. Traditionally, the recipe calls for finely ground almonds, but lemon versions are also popular.

Beans on toast is a staple meal in British cuisine, so it may not come as a surprise that whole grocery store displays are reserved for the popular breakfast food. U.K. beans differ greatly from their American counterparts. For example, they contain much less sugar and are firmer in texture. What’s more, the British versions are unlikely to come smothered in BBQ sauce...

With more than 1,500 varieties, the Germans take their sausages pretty seriously and grocery stores across the country stock lots of them. From an outsider, it seems that every flavor, color and size has been accounted for. But some popular versions to look out for include the bratwurst, weisswurst and the bockwurst.