A little advice from Germany concerning the bagging of your own groceries (which is totally normal here, too): don't pack your stuff into the bags right away at the check-out! 😉 No wonder, you're getting stressed, because everything comes at you so fast. If I tried that, I'd get overwhelmed as well. Simply put everythingt back into your shopping cart at the same speed as the cashier is pushing the items over to you. Then pay, and move your shopping cart away to some quiet area where you can now comfortably pack everything into your own bags at your own speed. That's what we do in Germany, and this way it doesn't feel as rushed and stressful as foreigners from countries, where things get packed for you, tend to perceive the check-out experience. 😉

I’ve been to Iceland, and all the cashiers I came across were really nice. Shops have “normal” hours, because people are not robots, and need a break. Fresh foods like milk are not supposed to last for weeks on end. I remember, when I was younger, milk would last for a week at best.

You bag your own groceries at Winco in the US...... they have specially made checkouts so there are two conveyer belts for each clerk... That way, you can bag your groceries, while the clerk is ringing up the other person, and their groceries aren't getting mixed up with yours. It works really pretty well, except when people park their cart in the way so that you can't get around them to your groceries on the other conveyer belt.

I know in the 80's when we lived in Germany, the fridges were smaller & most people shopped daily, & there were more speciality shops. A meat shop, bread shop, veggie stands...we would stop & pick up meat on the way home. Fresh...loved the way we shopped there.

the thing that amazed us most on a brief trip to Iceland was that the supermarket had yarn [good Icelandic wool, ofc!] and knitting notions. i still have a pic of the yarn aisle. 🙂

One thing I love about Iceland is how all the refrigerated stuff are kept in the one refrigerated room instead of having to go to each individual refrigerator to get the items you want. Now that would really cool us down in Australia.

Welcome to Europe 🙂 Everything you described is quite normal in Europe - at least central and south. But if you're shocked about the prices in Iceland, don't ever go to Switzerland.

The US has a few grocery stores as well where you have to bag your own groceries. When my kids wee little I learned quickly that it is far less stressful for everyone involved that I just put all the wrung up groceries back into the empty cart. Once everything is totaled up I found myself an out of the way corner and started bagging at my own speed without inconveniencing anyone else.

Around 3:35 "Don't expect your normal range of snacks and foods from the US because a lot of the ingredients are banned..." This part got me. I found out recently that m&m candies in other countries are colored with vegetable dyes, but the m&ms made for the US--with the same colors--are made with artificial (and very harmful) dyes. There are tons of things in the US, even in our water supplies, that are "generally recognized as safe" (define "safe" lol) by our FDA but are banned as being too harmful in other countries. It's interesting that here in the US, we're so used to it that very few people even think about it. And if you tell someone that the artificial dye or silicone or whatever they're consuming is bad for them, they think you're a nut because they 100% trust the FDA....yet they'll say in the same breath that they don't trust the government. Americans are weird. And I'm an American 🙂

A tip from another European who is used to bagging her own groceries, lay out your groceries on the check-out conveyor belt in the order that things need to go into the bag, ie heavy/bulky stuff first, soft fruit & veg at the end. With time you may find yourself filling your cart in segments to facilitate the check-out. This is just habit that is been passed down by osmosis from parent to kid here so we don't think twice about it but once you know it makes a world of difference.

I lived on a TINY island for about 4 years. I learned to buy ALL of something special that I saw, because, it was only going to come in ONCE, and then I'd never see it again. In some ways, I loved having less choice because there was less decision fatigue, but I did bring a lot of my own products from the USA to be able to cook everything. I even spent $95 on a 2 lb box of tea, so that I could make proper masala chai. I was SERIOUS about my cooking and baking!!! The grocery stores in the USA (although still expensive) are like a trip to Disneyland. I STILL am in awe about what is available. Everything is available in the USA if you are willing to pay the price.

Here in the UK we always bag our groceries ourselves. It's a race to see if you can bag everything by the time the cashier has finished as you don't want to hold up the person behind you.😄

It’s so much fun to see that somebody else finds a trip to the grocery store a fun cultural experience when traveling abroad. I would add to that list going to a laundromat. Don’t overpack do some laundry while you’re on your trip (3wks or more) and meet the locals doing a perfectly normal thing. They’ll help you navigate the differences and you’ll have a wonderful memory from your trip.

When I travel to Iceland the food tasted so much better than in the states. The flavor the freshness amazing! I wish US cared as much about the ingredients in our food!!

As a french, I can't say I was schoked going to a grocery store in Iceland (except by the prices 😅), as a lot of things also apply to mainland Europe, like bagging your own stuff, smaller portions, taking one single can of a pack, etc. Regarding the opening hours, it was not really a problem. Living in the countryside, I'm used to check the schedules before going to a store, and I won't be schoked if it's closed quite early or on sunday. And.. it's weird to say it, but I would be happy to know the people who work there have a nice work like balance so they are able to enjoy dinner with their family... yes, even if I'm currently running out of toilet paper 😅 What I noticed though, and didn't really like to be honest, was that almost every item was wrapped, usually in plastic, even when it was (in my opinion) completely unnecessary, like icelandic cucumbers or ananas. Once, I went to a farmer market, where I thought I would find fresh and local bulk products, but nope, everything was wrapped the exact same way. 😕 For me it makes so much sense to sell unpacked products when it's possible, like bread or solid fruits : it means less costs and processes for the producer, less time to store your groceries once at home, less trash in your bin, better for the environment, etc. I guess it's a cultural thing, but I also missed the "market experience" where you can smell the products, choose the exact amount you need, use your own bags... I think I was also a bit disappointed to see such a waste of plastic in a country that is usually perceived as super "green". Things are far from perfect here when it comes to this topic though !

Australia here. A lot of food from USA is also banned from here due to banned ingredients. The large grocery shops here will put your groceries in your bags & you can help & some you bag yourself. No more bags provided unless you buy a paper bag.

I find our US grocery stores have become overwhelming. Most of what you cover just sounds like the small town grocery stores I grew up with... I think I would feel pretty comfortable. And I agree, I LOVE going grocery shopping when I'm on vacation somewhere very different from home!

The selection and price differences makes total sense. Even in Hawaii prices are high. Here in the Midwest we produce so much food that it isn't that expensive compared to other places. Self checkout and bagging lanes are also pretty common.

Hi, the bagging situation is the same all over Europe (in some places, you greet the cashier, Buongiorno or whatever). Last month I saw a person just put her groceries back in the cart as they were scanned,. After paying, she went over to the front of the store and calmly bagged up her stuff. I had panic-bagged for years before I adopted this. It is almost life-changing. Much less stress all around.

We have a Lidl in town. The cashiers scan items very quickly. Easiest for me is to face the opening of the bag towards the incoming groceries. They go in the bag so much easier, less fumbling

this video makes me really thankful for what we do have in the US. we take so many conveniences for granted.

Good information. Bagging your own groceries is very common in Canada. Many outlets have even stopped giving out plastic bags.

They're not expected to plaster a smile on their faces and honestly, I love it bc forcing a smile while you're working takes extra mental energy.

I worked for a shipping company that imported Iceland Springs & Icelandic Water to the US and we would export M&M and other snacks to Iceland. We would have workers come in to relabel the ingredients list on the packaging.

I find it interesting to see the opening hours posted using the 24 hour clock (17 vs 5 pm). I live in Ontario Canada & many of our grocery stores open at 8 & close 9 or 10 pm. And we’ve been bagging our own grocery’s for years.

The hours of operations was an adjustment! Thankfully, we found the petrol stations had plenty of healthy and filling options for food! That was a surprise, at how great the selections were at a petrol station!

Grocery shopping is one of my favorite things to do when traveling. So many fun discoveries.

Terrifying grocery checkout clerks are also a thing in Germany. My German language teachers even warned me to have money ready, bring your own bags and be ready to pack them while you pay, no chatting and get out of the way quickly. I’m back in the U.S. now, and still have anxiety when I shop at Aldi here (where it’s a friendly place to shop).

Here in Canada (East Coast) we have to bag our own groceries as well, not only that but you must bring your own bags and also what we are seeing more and more is in many places have to scan your own items yourself as they are getting rid of cashiers, ALL the Walmarts got rid of their cashiers earlier this year 2023, you have no choice but to scan your items yourself and place them in a bag, pay the machine. Some people find this strange but...much of our milk is in bags, 3 bags totaling 4 liters, you can still get some of your milk in small cartons like what you see in Iceland.

I’m laughing because I’m so jealous you have Cream of Rice cereal on the shelf in Iceland. That was a staple at my grandmother’s house and I love it. However, we moved from the US west coast to the southeast US. I counted 37 options for grits in the cereal aisle, but I have to resort to Amazon to get Cream of Rice or hot Malt-o-Meal here. Lol

Living out in the 'boonies' - 35 miles to the nearest 'large' city. Your grocery store reminds me of my childhood, small local neighborhood stores. Fresh cut meat / ground burger and very limited supply. I miss those days as there wasn't a 'large' grocery stores like today. Was one larger store in the down town (Jewel) in a town of 8000+. Thank you for the video.

Here in NH my wife and I never even go to the grocery store now. We just order it online through the grocery store website and have it delivered. So much better.

Most stores in the US are going to self-checkout. Pretty much every grocery store around me has it as an option. I went to the store with my brother the other day (Sam's Club), and he was able to ring everything up on his phone which was really cool!

Milk carton. Old lady here remembers when milk in the U.S. was sold that way too.😉

I live in Hawaii....3000 miles from the nearest landmass. We are also volcanic, but luckily we still have a lot of land able to grow food and cattle. Some similarities....we always remove shoes when entering a home! But, we tend to go barefoot rather than wear indoor footwear. Some foods and other goods can be expensive.....but like Iceland....shipping! Luckily, Amazon ships here. Thanks for posting, I'm learning a lot. ❤️

I had no idea that there were no grocery stores in the US that require customers to bag their own groceries. Most stores in canada still do it for us but it certainly isn't uncommon to have to do it yourself. I love this sort of video. It's so very interesting to learn about these little differences between countries.

I'm so glad to have found your site. Iceland is on my bucket list so this will be very helpful.

We bag our own groceries now in the US!

We recently returned from a round-the-island trip of Iceland and it was amazing. Personally, I saw much variety in the bigger stores of Kronnan and Bonus (though I'm from Eastern Europe :)) Thank you for the lovely videos, they were great advice for our trip!

The oddest thing to me when i was grocery shopping in Iceland is the lack of alcohol. Absolutely no drink is allowed to have even 0.01% alcohol. There are 2 specific stores exclusively for boozy drinks, but in all grocery stores no matter what the bottle looks like it’s always 100% non-alcoholic.

In Florida, where I live, almost all of the stores have self check. So bagging groceries is normal now.

Always a pleasure to compare what we do here in the USA to what other people do. Thank you.

We're going through this culture shock thing (still)...but in central Mexico. We've been traveling around different places and living for 7 months now and each city and state is a little different but... Yes, you bag your own groceries, YES labels are all in Spanish, prices in pesos and there are big stores but also the better products are found at small specialty tiendas that only sell bread, or tortillas or seafood, or beef or chicken or veggies/fruits...etc. It's an adjustment but we're up to it... Iceland is way too far north for me climate wise (we moved here because Oregon was too dreary/rainy/grey in winter for us) but I'm fascinated with how things work there. BTW, prices in Mexico are WAY lower than the U.S. so the reverse of what you are experiencing there.

We are from Canada and were in Iceland in May 2022. We loved shopping at Kronan! We would buy a loaf of fresh bread from Sandholt and have them slice it and we would then go to Kronan and buy some lunch meats, super fresh lettuce, cheese and some apples etc. Loved it!! If someone is travelling to Iceland, if they have done proper research, they would know that Iceland is one of the most expensive countries in the world. We knew that before we went, thanks to videos like yours, and we were prepared for the costs. Another tip is that we found little "corner" stores in Reykjavik that were open much later at night. They come in handy!!

Really enjoyed the video. So much for the stuff we gather as to living a very simple moderate life style

New Zealand seems to be exactly the same in many of the same ways - due to the fact we are islands too - just at the opposite ends of the earth. Lol I can't believe you just learned about bagging your own groceries! 😁 We have been doing it for years here, but we also have the option of normal checkouts too.

Great video, as always. Thanks! I remember trying to check out at a Bonus using a self-checkout register. It took a little bit of extra thinking on my part as I didn't initially understand everything the computer put up on the screen, but I made it through unscathed in the end. I later heard that it was possible to change the language being displayed from Icelandic to English, but didn't get a chance to see whether or not that was really the case. Bagging one's own groceries didn't bother me as I had worked in a grocery store in high school, and bagging groceries for customers was one of my jobs. Definitely can't wait to return to Iceland again sometime in the future!

Bringing your own bags and bagging your groceries is rather common in much of Europe. I live in San Francisco and it's becoming more common here as well.

Really interesting as always - topics that appeal to everyone.

Whenever we are in a foreign country we always make a stop at a grocery store. Last year, at a small village in Greenland, they actually had Ben and Jerry's ice cream! Crazy!

Very interesting. In some ways, it sounds like the way grocery stores used to be years ago in the U.S. If I remember correctly, customers could buy single cans of soda by opening the package and taking one. This was 50 years ago or more, when I was a kid. Also, amazingly, our corner store in San Francisco ran a tab for my mom, who would pay when able. But, I'm old now and will not shop where I have to bag my own stuff, or in huge warehouse stores. Trader Joe's suits my needs exactly.

Just had a wonderful trip to Iceland thank you so much for video tips. ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ. Also loved Icelandic skyr !

Wow. Great information.

I LOVE going into grocery stores when i travel. It's so crazy how different each culture can shop, stock, display and sell a common basic necessity. Fascinating. Thank you for sharing!

Hello ! In France too we can just take one can of soda out of the pack ! But if we want yogurts ... then we have to buy the whole pack ( usually 4 , or more ) . And the cashier won't help you putting the food in the bag . You have to do it yourself . And in the bag you brought ( unless you decide to ask for a plastic bag and pay for it ) .

Scanning and bagging your groceries yourself is becoming more and more common. My favorite grocery chain, Wies, has converted the store closest to my home, to all selfcheck lanes except for 2. Some have short check out stations for the smaller orders, or if you absolutely insist on paying in cash regardless of order size, others have the conveyor belt, but still only have the carousel for bagging.... but at those stations, you can only pay by credit or debit (dang it). I hate those squinchy carousels, plus the fact that with my own fabric bags, the machines don't like to play nice with the bag weights. So, I just keep hitting "skip bagging" and run the checkout lane monitors back every time the machine needs to be reset for more "skip bagging" scans. they don't mind. And, I prefer to bag my stuff myself. It is the only way I can guarantee I don't end up with dented cans, bruised produce and squished bakery items (bread in particular). So, the self check out and self bagging would not be a culture shock for me.

Love your vids- I always check out local grocery stores when I travel. In Iceland I got a spice mix from the restaurant we had eaten at, my kind of souvenir.

Thanks for the info! We’re coming to Iceland this week!

For the grocery carts it’s like the IKEA carts most people would know what those are like. Also we have a lot of Aldi stores around in the US now so I think people are getting more used to bagging around groceries it’s not completely unheard of now.

When I was in Iceland the prices of fresh produce depended on what had been delivered by ship…. So apples were cheap when first delivered and got more expensive as stocks ran out for example.

The map and lists are awesome!

Great content and presentation! Thank you for your work! 👍🏻🙂

Thanks for this perspective, Jeannie. The prices are not bad at all, by comparison. The quality is always great, but yeah, the store hours are kind if crummy.

I was actually pleasantly surprised at the grocery stores, we actually found a lot of stuff that we can't get here and so loaded up. My family still craves some of the stuff there. Prices weren't too crazy I thought also.

Jeanie, thanks for the nice video. I knew nothing about Iceland before.

I LOVE going food shopping when we leave the U.S. you can learn so much about the culture and people. It’s amazing.

First thing i hit was the grocery store once i put down my bags in the hotel room.

With respect to the shopping carts, in the USA Ikea has those 4 wheel shopping carts/baskets where all 4 wheels turn in all directions as you described. In the USA standard carts have the two back wheels fixed(i.e. they do not turn) so it is easy to push the cart wherever you desire it to go. Ikea shopping carts have all 4 wheels that turn in any direction so it is very hard for someone unaccustomed to that wheel arrangement to push the cart where they want it to go.

thank you for sharing this

This reminds me of arctic Alaska food shopping.

This is like a us against the world thing. Your sizing and buying habits (and wasting habits) are just so different then the rest of us (I live in Israel, not even Europe) 😂

The meal is not expensive. It’s the same price in the US. The gas is expensive. It’s more expensive than Hawaii.

I can remember when I was a little kid 45 years ago we shopped at grocery stores where you bagged your own, and this is in the United States of America. But it's much more common today. Where I currently live, I would say a vast majority of the grocery stores are bag your own, and in a lot of them you also check yourself out.

great video....thank you, really enjoy your videos!!!

I found the grocery stores to be adequately stocked and easy to navigate

How’s the selection of cured meats? Stuff that doesn’t need to be refrigerated.

The one thing that really surprised me when i went to a grocery store in Iceland was the yarn aisle!

New viewer here. After watching a few of your videos and also being an American, I need to find your video about WHY you wanted to move to Iceland :). I am enjoying your channel! Thanks for sharing!!

It's fun to see how amazed you are by the differences. I remember being amazed when I first went to Europe by the differences between there and the U.S. I married a Dutchman and lived 4 years in Europe in the 80's. I find you are highlighting what my experience in Europe has been, both living there and visiting since we came back to the U.S. We visited Iceland about 9 years ago. We had a wonderful time. I think it's better to buy groceries in smaller packages since your fridge and pantry is smaller. Also, if you walk or bike to the stores, it is much easier to carry back your purchases if the sizes are smaller. Bagging your own groceries is common all over Europe. Bringing your own bags is, also. In the U.S. they are more and more encouraging us to not only bag our groceries, but scan and self pay using self checkout. They are having fewer cashier's and fewer cashier lanes open in lots of grocery stores and Target and pharmacies... I remember when gasoline stations always pumped your gas for you and washed your windshield and checked your oil, etc. It was included with the price of filling up. Really hard to find that kind of included service now. And if you do, it's more expensive for the gas. I would like to see you make a video about all the things you love there, some of the sights you have visited, food you have eaten, entertainment you like. I remember discovering how different Icelandic music is. Sending you love from very warm Arizona (It's 107'F today)!

I'm from Melbourne AUS we shop daily as we live in the city and have a coles supermarket around the corner. We have also been bagging our own groceries for years now even though we do still have cashiers but it's so much easier to do it ourselves. I've been researching pricing in Iceland for a while now because we're travelling there in September and keep watching videos saying how expensive everything is. However I've have found most pricing in supermarkets and restaurants is on par with Melbourne eg. we pay anywhwere from $4.50 - $6.50 per loaf of bread and a burger in a restaurant is between $25 -$28 or a pizza $22 - $30. We pay around $120 for 2 courses + drinks (beer, wine) for 2 people. What we have noticed most videos from iceland are made by Americans and you guys in the US have a low cost of living compared to Aussies so your lucky I suppose. Great vids cheers

I have been packing my own groceries here in Canada for years. We generally have the option to self pack depending on the store and I prefer it as i am particular about how they are packed. Interesting video- would love to visit sometime!

I think it’s only USA that expects stuff to be bagged for them. We’ve been doing that in UK forever. In Wales we stopped providing free plastic bags before most anyone else.

Here is difference #1: Some grocery stories in the USA are larger than Iceland itself.

Americans complain about everything, the world is not American style. Every country has it's own traditions. Learn your geography and educate yourself outside of your country.

I got back from Iceland a few days ago and I already miss the Appelsin soda: so refreshing and delicious!

Every since Covid, all of the grocery stores close here at 10pm, and i am talking mega stores like Krogers, Wal-Mart. No stores in my town open 24 hours like they used to. (I am in ohio)

I was stationed in Iceland for two years back in 1979 but we shopped on base which was about the same as shopping here...however we did occasionally shop off base and I did encounter many of the things you stated here.

I spent some time on the Isle of Wight off the southern coast of England. You bag your own groceries there too. I’m used to it, I always use the “you scan” aisles here in the states. Easier. Often times, if the clerk is backed up and struggling to bag, I help myself and bag my own there as well. It’s an easy thing to do.

Absolutely love bonus! I bought so many chocolate bars from there for less than $3 ea. All souvenirs of course lol. Thanks for the tips on all your videos. It really helped us get through Iceland.

She smiles so uncomfortably about these things: food doesn't last, constant chores, no one cares about you, hours are limited, and no selection... Iceland is great 😉... you won't have much, but no one will!

I was in Iceland in May 2022. Really enjoyed seeing the blue speckled eggs at the grocery! Biggest issue with the grocery hours was in conjunction with the summer day length. May daylight at 6, 7, 8pm looks like mid afternoon making the hours seen even more inconvenient. Don t depend on the look of late afternoon light. Your watch (phone) is your friend!

We travel quite a bit and love going to local grocers as well as the city markets. Often times the city markets have stalls that prepare a great variety of foods from ingredients found t Right there in the market.

Great program 👍🙏😇❤️🥰🇺🇸

We really enjoyed grocery shopping on our vacation to Iceland last year! We were able to stock up on things we needed and were craving. I found the prices to still be cheaper at Icelandic grocery stores compared to the downtown Reykavik shops and at our hotel's convenience store. We were within walking distance to 3 grocery stores from our hotel which was amazing! We went everyday to buy snacks, soda, ice cream, candy, gifts, fruits, really anything that we were craving to eat. It was also Easter time when we went, so I loved seeing all the candy and treats that we do not usually have at home in the US (like the real Kinder eggs). We bagged all our items in our backpacks after checking out. Even though the prices on items are higher as expected, I felt very at home grocery shopping in Iceland.

The grocery sounds like a dream. Less junk and preservatives

Since most US stores have self checkouts, I’m used to bagging my own.

When traveling, my wife and I eat 2 meals a day out of grocery stores. More affordable, but also a glimpse at local culture.

I just visited Iceland with my wife in May for couple of weeks. Itd enjoyable trip with a lot of fun and exciting moment. Shopping in supermarket it’s one of the interesting activities. Yes, it’s pricy but we understand as Iceland is an island country and many food items need to be imported but the surprise is the operating hour , some close at 7 pm , when we tried to grab some food after a long trip and did not aware that it’s after 8pm😅

You know, more people are setting up little micro-garden installations in a closet or corner of their home now. Several companies market products that support this trend. With all of the free volcanic heat to be captured in some areas of your island and the extended summer daylight, you might have fun showing your child the fun of simply growing your own superdwarf fruit tree in a ten gallon pot. There are potted columnar apples in red and yellow varieties now, as well as superdwarf Etrog citrons, tangerines, lemons, limes, peaches, pears, even avocados 😋 🎉

Fun video