2:55 I think Swedes in general are less afraid of saying "I don´t know" if they don´t know, or fully know the answer to, while my impression of Americans is that they rather say something and act like they´re certain, even if it´s not correct, to come across as decisive. I don´t think that´s about not wanting to commit themselves, it´s about being honest, imho. 6:23 Working for tips aren´t exactly what I would call friendliness, it´s like a starving dog doing tricks to get treats...

Funny thing is, as a European I don't really enjoy American customer service, especially in restaurants. I go there for delicious food that I didn't have to cook myself, not for human interaction with strangers. As long as someone is efficient and not rude, that's good enough for me. But I understand why other people, especially those who grew up in that culture, will see it differently.

As a Swede, it used to give me such a freaking shock when people from English speaking countries would talk about cultural differences and they mentioned the dad pushing strollers thing. It's just such a natural and obvious thing over here (and in Scandinavia overall)

I don’t really like the customer service in america, especially in restaurants or clothing stores. They’re too pushy and it always feels forced and i just want to be in my own bubble. Could be because I’m used to not having someone in my face every time I’m shopping or eating out

The problem with american "customer service" is that it is SO ANNOYING. I don't think Americans will ever "get" that. It bugs me to HECK when they come refill my glass 20 times and pseudo-flirt to try to get tips.... ugh.

I would get so irritated with American customer service, bugging me every 30 seconds when I just want to be enjoying my meal in peace by myself or whomever I'm with. If I'm in a store, I would ask someone if I want any help, don't come bug me if I haven't asked for it. I think only Americans like American customer service.

I'd say the customer service thing is more about specific companies than a general thing. Go to a different camera store next time. I'v had customer service in America calling me sir 10 times/minute and being extremely polite without actually being able to fix my problem/help me.

You should be able to get a new item if the previous one is damaged, in Sweden. Never ran into the scenario you described.

Also the tipping thing still means in Sweden you have a 100% reliable income. And people don't have to spend even MORE money after just having bought food out.

I always have a good laugh about that confusion with Sweden and Swizerland. The countries are quite different.

isn't the tipping culture in America a heritage of it's strong capitalism? it's basicly a way for businesses to get away with lower prices at the cost of their work-force. While a coutry with a historically strong workers movement the tipping culture isn't as prevalent.

Had to laugh about the confusion sweden / switzerland. I come from Austria and we have a similar „problem“ with Austria / Australia. Foreign people are sometimes surprised when I say that we do not have kangaroos here..

1. I think the biggest part to this is the paid parental leave. Public transportation can be crap AND expensive here in Sweden... 2. Absolutely right. In your case it is probably because a different authority will make the final call. But in a lot of surveys in Sweden, like for the EU election this weekend, they actually state that "please don't use the middle range to get a more accurate result". :) 3. Customer Service can be annoying. But there is a truly wide range of it. It would be awesome to do what you say and get a new part right away. 4. That's the socialism here. We've got a minimum wage which is probably higher than in US, because even if your restaurant is having a bad week, you should still be able to pay rent and everything. And your arguments could be used in all professions: if a teacher would get part of their wage in tips they would probably try harder to teach their students, or doctors to cure their patients, or construction workers to be more polite and build better. Sweden, even if it's taking a turn, is trying to "if you work, you should be paid enough by your employer". If that makes sense. 5. I do believe we are more influenced by UK than USA though. But yes, we are fascinated by Americans, both in your ways and in your culture. Right now I do feel we are most fascinated by how Trump can be president. I think most countries in the west world is influenced by each other. USA of course being one of the biggest influencers.

I gotta say the overly friendly and attentive wait staff in America is incredibly annoying, just leave me alone and let me eat in peace. If I need something, I'll let you know.

Pro-tip: Always ask about the store policy on returns upon purchase to avoid difficulty.😊 Most stores does simply exchange the product if you happen to buy something that's faulty, but if they don't offer refunds or replacements maybe take your business elsewhere rather than chance it.💸

I’m a 17 year old exchange student from Sweden and I’ve been living the US for the 18/19 school year. Your videos are really awesome to watch because I notice the same things even tho the roles are switched. It is very interesting how many things you take for granted that they are a certain way in your country. I’m really excited to go back to Sweden soon because I will see everything with a new light. Keep up the good work Stefan!

Tips are included in the price of restsurants, barber and taxidrivers since 1982. I will not pay tip in a restaurant in Sweden if they do not do any extra.

We think america is interesting in a funny way. We look and laugh - trying hard to understand

Trade unions are extremely powerful in Sweden compared to most other countries. They hate companies who don't follow their collective agreement.

I just got back from Stockholm a couple days ago and noticed a lot of the same things. They were reserved but super nice and helpful when you talk to them. I enjoyed my first Swedish Fika in Old towne! I asked a Swedish boy next to me pick out his favorite dessert and boy was he right. I haven’t had any coffee in 3 years so it was a wonderful experience :)

For #2: I can agree in a sense that Swedes are very much on the neutral side of things, that have been like that since Sweden haven't been in any war in over 300 years (from what I can imagine) so it has sort of been grained into our culture. So I believe it is that most are conflict afraid or doesn't wanna rub someone the wrong way for saying something. Most people usually follow a social rule that they might, or might not notice about, which is to treat others as you want to be treated yourself. For #3: In the instance of your customer service story, so have that never happened to me. They usually just give me a new one if it is before 30 days of purchase and that I have a "kvitto" for it to legitimate my purchase from that specific store.

yeah no, the tipping culture is not about customer service, its cause in the 20s the restaurants wanted to cut down on cost so they didn't pay their servers. Just cause you get a livable wage does not mean that you are less polite to customers, it's just that you don't risk losing your apartment or whatever cause you had a bad week and barely got any tips (or get screwed over by rude customers that don't tip enough)

Hi, I feel like I'm blackmailed to pay tip. If not you don't get a good or even not a service/attention at all in America. I got the reason for tipping but I feel forced to do it! There are no regulation or standard for tipping. Let's say that I have a toddler who need a children's chair but the restaurant doesn't have one. The waiter/waitress goes over to another restaurant and borrow one for me. That is service that I didn't expected and for that I would give a tip. In Sweden we normally let the staff keep the change when we go out. Specially when you buy drinks at clubs or bars. I'm a Swede who live in South Korea and we don't have tipping here.

Dads pushing strollers should be as normal as moms doing it, that's obvious

Man! This is so interesting because I’ve lived in the us for a year. I can really see what you’re saying. Great video as always!!

Some of these differences I didn’t even know that you did in America! Awesome video! And the thing I thought was the most interesting one was the “customer service ” one!

I remember When you had 1k subscribers. Bra jobbat Stefan!

You know that in most places in Sweden you need to have a car to get to places. It is only in larger cities like Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Uppsala, Norrköping, Linköping, Umeå, Sundsvall that have good public transportation. Much like you compared many areas in the US to New York, it is actually the same in Sweden. It is a long country with large distances. Where I live I need a car to get me places in the city, since the public transport isn't that good.

In my opinion the system of tipping the waiter is extremely unfair. The waiter do not cook the food. What about the other people working in the restaurant?

The tipping-culture is preatty crap though because america is relaying on it, the bosses are using it as an excuse not to properly pay their staff.

So how would you feel if your students contentedness decided your salary? Maybe not so great to have to rely on them to be able to pay your bills? Why would any profession have to rely on others like that? Companies should take care of their co-workers. Happy co-workers do a better job.

i have an idea, why don't you go to other cities in Sweden and make videos on what you like and dislike about them, that would be really interesting to know from a foreigner. Like my hometown Malmö :D

I'd say it's not so much about not wanting to be held responsible, it's rather about not wanting to "lie" or be wrong. Actually I think it is almost the opposite we assume that we always will be held responsible so we are very scared of saying something wrong or getting our facts wrong. We can be decisive but only if we are 200% sure that we are correct (or if we are emotionally or personally invested). I think Americans tend to take a guess or gamble while the Swedish attitude is more in the lanes of rather safe than sorry. Regarding customer service, we have a lot of rules and laws governing customer support, so I think that pays a big role. Check out "konsumentverket" for more info on our rules and your rights as a customer.

Bro i got a shout-out at 8:10 thanks man love your vids

This was accurate for both cultures. Loved it

Great video!

I've heard most of the cultural differences you mentioned but the one about committing was completely new to me. I've never thought about it, but perhaps its true. Thanks for giving me an insight on that!

The customer server mindset must takes its toll on the waitres in the long term though. Forcing yourself to smile to others on a shitty day for example. Also I feel like many Swedes feel allergic to fake niceness.

About the tip - In Sweden, you don't have to pay taxes on your tip so that is why it's not as high :) If it would be higher they would make you start paying taxes on them or they would remove it and make the hour rate higher. It also depends on what type of bar/restaurant you work in, but the tip standard is between 7-10% and it is more that if you do a good job you get a good tip as an extra thank you, but "you are just doing your job". A discussion among me and my american friends is that we don't thank the restaurant staff for everything because we don't have the word please. And we say thank you but not as much as you do because again "they are doing their job". If two people are served you shouldn't expect that both will say thank you after they have been served. About service - I think that you had bad luck with that camera exchange. Because Swedish customer service is veeery customer oriented. Maybe that company had a special policy or something. There are also laws in Sweden protecting both companies and customers. Because good service is generally integrated into us but it's not so much "in your face". I have a lot of American friends and I always tell them I hate "whats up?" because I don't know what they want me to answer while that is just hello phrase for you & you often don't even answer it. In Sweden we don't say hello in that way. And we usually make a joke that in Sweden you don't ask how someone is doing unless you want to know, haha.

As usual a very nice video when coming to comparing cultures. Do agree with you at most comments. Pls make a video on general knowledge globally of the geography. Nice to see differences between USA and Sweden. Thank You!

Watching your videos is so good because you can see how people from other contrys (stav) see us and sweden

But I must say that Ive experienced a certain difference between customer service in Sthlm vs Göteborg. I think its more serviceminded in gbg. And another thing. It would be interesting if you traveled to the "countryside" of sweden, just to experience the difference in custom to city life. Its more collective in nature 😊 everyone says hello and stuff.

I really enjoy your blog.

i agree with #2 sooooo much, swedes are also very rule following, there is not much grey area i think

Informative video, is there any amusement parks where you could video from a rollercoaster?

Stefan love your vids ❤️❤️❤️

To all the people in the comments complaining about American customer service -- As a waiter in the United States, the majority of my income comes from tips and Americans are HIGH maintenance customers. Making a customer wait 3 minutes for a fresh glass of water could drop that tip from 25% to 10%. So yes, we stop by the table a lot to ask if you need anything. I do not do this to bother you, I do it because I pay hundreds of dollars every month for healthcare and my monthly college loan payment is as much as my rent. Struggling to survive under the even increasing pressures of American capitalism is a struggle, I literally cannot afford to have someone get upset about not getting their ketchup fast enough. Cut us a little slack. If you're not from the US, we probably dont know what kind of restaurant experience you're expecting. We're doing our best.

I was just talking about most of what you talked about with my swedish boyfriend. We both agree with everything you say!

It was interesting seeing some of these cultural differences when I lived there. I personally hate tipping but as a student I couldn’t afford a restaurant that would usually require a tip.

All of those things: 100% true. Interesting that you figured it out on your own! For some reason, Sweden looks up to USA much more than Finland, Norway & Denmark does. I think this comes from the culture that developed here in the 1980's. If you look at Swedish music videos or media from the 70's vs. the 80's, you'll see a big difference. We have become increasingly outgoing, while retaining the cautious, held back and stric mentality from before. Interestingly, Finland has not made that same journey and they have a very similar mentality to what they've had before! I'm a swede living in Finland and here, Swedes are seen as shallow and overly-happy and polished. Just as we Swedes see you Americans, on a completely different level. Culture is so interesting! :)

Why tipping in US is more common is because the people that work as waiter don't have a collective agreement like most waiters in Sweden, so the waiters in the states rely on the tips to make money. It can mean that with tipping you can make more money from it but if you look the other way with collective agreement you always know you will get the same money every month.

I have an interview for a teaching job in Sweden on Tuesday! Does anyone have any tips?

I would say #2 has a lot to do with the fear of conflict and what I call "mjäkighet" ("namby-pambiness" is the best translation I can found) that is general in Sweden, and that I think underlies many of the political and societal problems we have in Sweden.

You should try to do a understanding norwegian challenge on duolingo. By knowing a bit of swedish you should know a little norwegian.

Can’t wait to move back in a year or two, I need to rewatch some videos for how you were able to teach and get your work permit there.

Technically "facket" means *the* union, "union" is just "fack". ...Which I just realised isn't that much better XD I never realised this, thank you for opening my eyes XD

My name is Michael 20 years old and is native Swede! I can agree somewhat with your point about Swedes being cautious. Businesses for sure is that especially in the example you gave! When it comes to individuals I’m torn, it varies from person to person, for me I can be cautious but not for myself but to how other my be effected or how their view of me might change! When it comes to customer service that very much differs from store to store and person to person! I work at the LEGO Store in Mall of Scandinavia and we value customer service really high! When it comes to it it really depends on what the customer wants, some people don’t need any assistance and some does! It really depends I feel!

As a loud ass Mexican/American I find quiet people unnerving. It's always the "Quiet Ones" who go on shooting sprees. You never hear about a loud gregarious type doing that.

Hi Stefan. It's quite the same in sweden as in the US when it comes to public transportation. In the cities, it works well, but up north were I live for example, it'a a whole different story ! Most people outside the cities really need a car to transport themselves. Just FYI. Enjoying your videos BTM.

Perfectly explained.

If you have a child and it's completely up to you, where would you raise it? In the US which is home or here where you will get all the "paternal advantages"?

Sounds strange that the camera store wouldn't fix it quickly. Might be different between big cities and small towns. Where I live, in a small town way down south in Sweden, they would change it straight away. And they always do their best to make sure that you are happy.

I saw you in Stockholm dude!

My experience with an American customer service that i get into a loop of questions and suggestions that make me at the end dizzy and want just to end the conversation. That happened by phone and by the desk. It's not easy to talk to people that think they are trying to help you but in fact they just buy time from you until you give up. Now i am not talking about the majority but i have faced many customer services that gave me pain in ass.

About tipping in the US: I noticed that some restaurants printed on the receipt how much they wanted you to tip. Strange.

Totally agree!

About Costumer Service its all about what kind of agrement with the manufactor. Some companies do you have to sent it to their service point and some companies you can swap unit and get the money back from that company directly. And for restaurang service its more as to respect the personal space and your time at the restaurang. They weitress come to you if you need anything not to interup you all the time.

On your first point: I've been reading (on a Facebook thread featuring Swedes) about how difficult it can be for a woman to handle a stroller when getting on and off subways and busses. It is particularly tricky when the mom has another toddler in tow and has to lift the stroller up steps, holding another child, finding the metro pass, etc. Sadly, many women in these situations find that their Swedish fellow citizens are often reluctant to help, even when they see a woman clearly struggling to get onboard. This gets into another cultural difference, where Swedish reserve and privacy sometimes become a problem. So the reason you see more men with strollers specifically on public trans is very likely influenced by these factors, I think. As a father who has gone through the "stroller phase," I can say I would be eager to help my wife out by taking over this wonderful duty as much as possible.

Do not forget the swedish word "fack" which means box (where you can put things in).

doesn't konsumentköplagen make the stores have to take the item back to see if he damaged the equipment or if there was something wrong from start? Might be completely off lol

Sweden or america is the better in salaries and saving money for a single guy after the basic month expenses example [ drink , eat , rent , transport , internet ] and after taking a tax from salary ( take into consideration that the work in a restaurant or any casual works and work full time and over time ) overall in the end which is better for saving more money ????

Regarding what you said about customer service and what you can expect: there's a lot of things you as a customer are allowed to demand when dealing with faulty products or services that is usually downplayed in customer service. I highly recommend that you take a look at konsumentköplagen and brush up on your consumer's rights. Following link is in English, but is available in Swedish as well. www.hallakonsument.se/other-languages/english-engelska1/

American customer service has improved a lot over the years. I think it started during some recession that we had, and companies realized that they really have to compete for business. Also, restaurants have improved a lot over the years. I hadn't really thought about this much, but your video reminded me of one of the few things in American that has actually gotten better over the years. This video also reminded me that Swedes don't like to commit. I was in Sweden 50 years ago, and noticed it back then, but had actually forgotten about this until I watched this video.

Where did you get that shirt? It looks really good!

tipping maybe isn’t that popular because in sweden it’s pretty pricey to eat at a restaurant in sweden. it’s naybe me thinking about it but that’s my thought. keep up the great content

And Stefan, how are tips good for you in the future? Its not base for your sick leave, maternity leave or pension.

I don't know if you have noticed, but i can discribe swedish people with two words: Conflict Afraid.

Europeans: Americans are so loud and talkative. Mexicans: Hold my cerveza.

Hi!! Can you tell a little bit about the summer that barely nas a night time??

I LOVE American customer service and I really miss it in Sweden.

Tips makes no sense to me, since people are creepy friendly just to make an extra dollar. I love my.friends from the U.S.A. and I've met some of them whilst travelling, and some right here in Denmark.

I handle some customer service cases for goods in sweden and yeah, it can often be time consuming for the customer. If it is about something cheap we can fudge it and the customer can be on his/her way. On the other hand in sweden we have something called "Reklammations rätt" which is similar to a warranty. It lasts for 3 years but the customer has the burden of proof, as in proving it was the manufacturer's fault and not a user error. The first 6 months the burden is not on the customer. I would say the customer service mindset is overall a lot higher in USA.

I remember once when a friend asked me how I was doing and I just said "fine" automatically, but then i got to thinking. Wait a minute. I'm not fine, I'm actually sick. That automatic response is just a reaction to the question. When people ask you how you are, they just want to hear that automatic "fine", they don't really want to hear about your problems. They want to give you the illusion that they care. Yeah, I know. I'm a bit of a cynic.

The thing about giving things back and get a new one is true in certain places. I recommend you to go to elgiganten. 💪

Now in graduation times you should make a video about the differences between American and Swedish graduation ceremony from gymnasiet / college.???

Customer service is not like that in general, normally you get an item changed on the spot as long as you have warranty. I used to work for a computer company earlier, and while their computers were being repaired/installed/whatever we offered them to rent another one, or a monitor or a printer. Larger chain-stores usually swap on the spot, but smaller business may have a similar practice to what you experienced. As for tips, i hate that practice, just pay the waitresses a decent pay instead of having to beg at the table.

It is same if you buy a computer or a phone and something is wrong with it, the company that you bought it from sends it to a workshop to see what is wrong. It happend to me with a computer i bough and they could not find the problem with it so after couple of MONTHS that i have been talking to the costumer service i finally got my moneys back after sending back and forth my computer lol. That is like the policy for the companies in Sweden.

Maybe sending the equipment to see what is wrong with it is better in the long run. If companies know what can go wrong they will improve, and you will also not buy into the idea of buying and throwing things away too quickly. In the future we will have to rely much more on repairs than getting new stuff if we are going to save the planet.

Not all Swedes are honest like you describe them to be. If you are in central Stockholm for example, most people would keep up with an appearance saying that they're fine even if they're not when you ask them how they are.

I hate the rude cashiers in Stockholm. No talking, always that angry in most stores. If you go only a few swedish miles outside there a different way to meet customers. I went to a course at Berga Agriculture College and me and another woman went to buy ice cream in Västerhaninge after we had done the tasks we should at a farm nearby. It was like coming home. Very nice cashier, talking friendly with all and answering if someone asked about things. I love smaller cities and towns were you feel like they care about you. Not like in Kungens kurva where many in staff looks like they hate the customers.

Americans - you are such nice and polite guys! 👍 Do you have a friend who has stayed in dk🇩🇰? I'd love to see an American take on the difference between Sweden and Denmark, cause even though we really think we are different - I suspect it is in a rather (and somewhat less) than Swedes and Danes see it? 🤔 (I'm Danish - and follows an American living in Denmark, I think her channel is called *my new Danish life* and she makes really entertaining videos 👍) Thank you Stefan! Your videos are really great! 😃

About the customer service one, it's because (if I'm remembering correctly) they have to send it back to see if it was faulty to begin with or if the buyer damaged it either on purpose or by accident. I have a friend who got a pair of headphones with a two year warranty/guarantee (I honestly don't know the english word. Affären gav två års garanti). When they started messing up the store agreed to switch them for a new pair but after 6 pairs of headphones they realized it's not headphones, they were just treated badly (pulled when they got tangled, overused, got wet on occasion). So yeah they want to make sure that people aren't ripping them off, that's why it takes time to get a new item

Just need to say something when it comes to tipping. You have already mentioned unions and collective agreements. And in this case it’s actually about that as well. The thing is, that in Sweden a person who is 20 years old (correct me if my info is wrong, it’s been some time since I worked in a restaurant or bar) would make at least 120kr per hour. Which is the equivalent of around 12 dollars. So a full time working waitress would do about 20000 Swedish crowns a month (and this is based on no earlier experience, your salary is higher if you’ve worked longer and also with our the so called “ob” = uncomfortable working hour compensation. Which range from 20 to 50kr per hour.) Taking into account that the food is much more expensive in Sweden and has a 12% tax, that leaves the customer in no need to tip. Of course it’s welcomed and there is an old saying that you should tip 10% but since we have these (in comparing with other countries) beneficial collective agreements the staff of the restaurant, cafe or bar doesn’t actively need the tip to be able to live on their salary. Which is not the case in many places of the world including USA.

I agree ab the service here but can't compare to America coz I haven't been there.

What if you are a waiter at a restaurant that dont get a lot of customers? I have seen such i US too!

I agree with pretty much everything - americans may be more open and chatty etc when it comes to customer service, but I also agree that sometimes it can feel a little superficial, like ”oh that waitress is super nice to me but it’s not because she actually likes me or thinks it’s nice to talk to me, she is like that with all the customers”.. so I think that at least some swedes like a more genuine approach over someone that is super friendly with everyone :)

2:55 That is so me.mi almost never say yes or no to questions.

Excellent customer service in the UK. Actually, they encourage you to take advantage of their free return service. They don't even ask you why do you want to return the product. I was never refused a return and I always received my money back in time.

Agree on the "costumer service" im a brand new resident of Sweden and boy oh boy... what a difference from what you are accustomed back in USA, people here need to say hi and smile more often! will attract more bees to the honey ;p

I know that elgiganten, for example if you bought an item from apple, its apple that has to confirm the fix of problems or malfunctions. Elgiganten is just the seller. So maybe that has something to do with it. Like if it's a certain brand they can't really do anything about it because it's the brand that has to fix it and they might have some kind of agreement with those companies. Never encountered that problem that you described :/