266
votes
Accepted
Why is the price on the shelves for drinks often different from what I actually pay in supermarkets in Germany?
You are paying for the drink and a deposit for the bottle. The deposit should be listed on the shelves, but usually in small print. Look for something like "zzgl. 0,15 Pfand". As to your initial ...
- 35.8k
155
votes
Accepted
Can I eat only a crème brûlée in Paris?
Except for upper class restaurants serving only fixed multi-course menus, I have never (neither in France nor anywhere else) experienced a restaurant, where you could not order only a part of what is ...
- 53.4k
104
votes
Accepted
Why is onboard/inflight shopping still a thing?
From the media release on guestlogix.com:
The airline onboard retail industry has been growing annually at an
average rate of 12.9% since 2012, and totaled more than $5 billion in
sales in 2014....
- 159k
92
votes
Can I eat only a crème brûlée in Paris?
You're overthinking it.
We're french, weird but not that much.
Just walk in any restaurant, order anything you'd like, would it be just appetizers or a dessert, pay your bill and walk out.
I would be ...
- 871
74
votes
Why are the shops open in Geneva today (on a Sunday)?
In Geneva, following a 2018 vote, shops are allowed to open on three Sundays during the year. France has had similar but more permissive regulations for years (with some nuances between regions and ...
- 104k
51
votes
How can I discern if a bottled drink is carbonated or not in Germany?
Look for the word "Kohlensäure", it's either on the front or in the list of ingredients:
Just make sure it's not accompanied by "ohne" ("without"):
- 677
49
votes
Accepted
Why am I not allowed to buy alcohol at the store after 11pm in Russia?
It's a law that's designed to reduce public drunkenness / alcoholism, especially at night when you don't want loud, rowdy and sometimes violent drunk people in the streets. Sometimes vendors try to ...
- 9,094
48
votes
Accepted
Can someone explain Cuba's two-currency system and the consequences for foreigners?
A little bit of history:
(from the top of my head, there is very little to find about this on the web I think, even in Spanish):
At some point during the Cuban Revolution and before I was born, being ...
- 1,734
47
votes
Why is onboard/inflight shopping still a thing?
For busy executives (and other travellers) who would like to bring back a gift or present, this is heaven-sent. Also, some airlines offer exclusive items you simply cannot buy anywhere else. And it'...
- 571
44
votes
Accepted
How can I discern if a bottled drink is carbonated or not in Germany?
First, carbonated is the standard in Germany, and that's what most people expect, so it would be the default assumption for something you see in the shelves.
Of course, it is written on the drink, ...
- 28.5k
44
votes
Why is the price on the shelves for drinks often different from what I actually pay in supermarkets in Germany?
Prices in supermarkets in Germany always already include VAT. What you've been paying extra is called "Pfand": basically a deposit for the bottle, which can be reused or recycled. You can return the ...
- 826
44
votes
Can I eat only a crème brûlée in Paris?
France has something called "Le Goûter", which is their version of Afternoon tea. The French generally eat late in the evening, after 8 PM, so there is a habit of having something sweet in the ...
- 4,966
42
votes
How can I buy groceries during a mandatory 14 day quarantine?
Unfortunately, there is no official service to help you out. You're supposed to ask someone to buy stuff for you and bring it over. The Ministry assumes that everyone knows someone who is able to help....
- 4,296
38
votes
Accepted
Why are two currency options available when paying via card at airports abroad?
If you select the local currency, it will be converted to your card's currency according to the terms of your cardholder agreement (e.g. in the US and Canada it's often Visa/Mastercard's current rate +...
- 9,094
36
votes
Accepted
Are there large US-style supermarkets in France?
The French seem to go for very small and massive stores. There are some mid-size stores but these seem rather rare. In fact, the French are known around the world for exporting their retail chains and ...
- 12.4k
33
votes
How can I find out where to buy uncommon (for the location) items while traveling?
As you've mentioned in your question, online searches work best when you know the name of the store you're looking for, or what kind of store is likely to carry your item. I recommend instead you talk ...
- 79.8k
32
votes
Accepted
Can a shop in the Netherlands force you to buy clothes if you take a photo?
Being Dutch, I have never heard of such law.
I also doubt there is a law that would cover this, I would take it as a try to intimidate you. But also as a 'please really, really do not do this.'
If ...
- 58.4k
28
votes
Why is onboard/inflight shopping still a thing?
As other answers have pointed out, the mere fact that airlines still do it proves that it earns them money. But why would it make money even if most people don’t buy?
You have very good conditions ...
- 15.9k
25
votes
Why am I not allowed to buy alcohol at the store after 11pm in Russia?
Rules regarding alcohol production, sales and consumption are governed by Federal law N 171-ФЗ. Chapter II article 16 paragraph 5 says:
Не допускается розничная продажа алкогольной продукции с ...
- 9,972
25
votes
Why are two currency options available when paying via card at airports abroad?
The service you are referring to is called "dynamic currency conversion" and is sold as an extra convenience in locales with a heavy tourist presence, not just in airports. Many people are tempted to ...
- 84.7k
25
votes
Why is the price on the shelves for drinks often different from what I actually pay in supermarkets in Germany?
Here's a picture of the logo which is printed on recyclable bottles/cans which carry a deposit (typically €0.25):
Considering the amount you paid (€0.15), the juice you bought was in a refillable ...
- 9,972
25
votes
Convenience stores in India
Yes, you can buy prepackaged food in convenience stores throughout India and there are many. Even in small shops you can buy prepackaged food like cakes, or ready to eat stuff etc. which you can ...
- 2,189
22
votes
Are there large US-style supermarkets in France?
Real estate in Paris is too expensive for really large supermarkets, you need to get outside the dense part of the city (which - for Paris - is quite some way out). You wouldn't expect a quarter-...
- 28.5k
21
votes
How can I buy groceries during a mandatory 14 day quarantine?
Many grocery delivery services exist that will allow you to order online and have them delivered to your door.
Here's an article: Groceries Delivery Services in Berlin
It lists two delivery services ...
- 385
20
votes
Can I eat only a crème brûlée in Paris?
Once in Lille, France, we went only for desert, since it was not dinner time yet, and we were on holiday, to a restaurant that was fancy enough to have a table d'hote menu, but not fancy enough to not ...
- 307
19
votes
Are there large US-style supermarkets in France?
Of the Top 100 largest supermarkets in France, none is inside Paris. As highlighted in others' answers, this is because of real estate pricing.
So if you are looking to go to a large supermarket, you ...
- 6,148
19
votes
Why is onboard/inflight shopping still a thing?
The crew come through with a trolley of merchandise - that nobody buys.
I did a quick price comparison for alcohol - I live in a locale whose sin taxes are among the top 10 in the world - in the ...
- 291
18
votes
How can I discern if a bottled drink is carbonated or not in Germany?
In addition to points already mentioned, there is another indicator for plastic bottles: Try to press and see how easily you are able to dent them. The air in bottles of carbonated drinks is under ...
- 391
17
votes
Accepted
Taking a photo in a US supermarket
In general, in the US it is legal to take photographs in any "public" property (eg, streets, parks, etc), unless it is somewhere that there would be an expectation of privacy (eg, toilets or changing ...
- 118k
17
votes
Accepted
Asking for VAT refund on online purchases in Europe
According to Amazon's web site,
As a purely internet-based mail-order company, Amazon.co.uk is legally
ineligible to participate in the VAT Retail Export Scheme, which
reimburses VAT to ...
- 12.9k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible