This Opinion article is part of a Narcity Media series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
When I moved to Canada from the U.K., I knew I was definitely going to be in for some big culture shocks, but I really didn't realize that going to the grocery store would be one of them.
While I knew there would be a whole new selection of Canadian snacks to choose from, some things really threw me off.
From different names and brands for products to grocery stores in Alberta being a no-alcohol zone, it's taken me a lot of getting used to and there are some things that still really don't make sense to me.
These are the most surprising discoveries I made at Canadian grocery stores.
Eggs are in the fridge?
I've been living in Canada for over 18 months now, but I still find myself having to wander around the entire grocery store every time I'm shopping, purely because the location of some products is completely different from what I'm used to.
In Canada, eggs are kept in the fridge, but that's not a thing in U.K. grocery stores.
My local Safeway also has a spot of regular run-of-the-mill cheese like cheddar, but a completely different place in the store for more specialty cheeses. Bacon is on the completely opposite side of the store to other meats.
The logic is just not there for me!
Cashiers packing bags for you
One of the weirdest experiences I had when I first started buying groceries in Canada is sometimes, the cashier would take your bags and just start packing them for you.
While it's really nice and helpful of them, I usually have a system in my head for how I pack my bags to make unpacking them easier when I get home. Unfortunately, the cashier's system usually doesn't match up with my own.
When I have packed my own bags, the cashiers are also super speedy at scanning so usually can't keep up. Maybe this is just a me problem though?
It's pretty pricey
One thing that I was warned about in advance was that groceries in general are just more expensive than they are in the U.K. For example, a packet of three chicken breasts in the U.K. is around £5, whereas in Walmart, a package roughly the same size is $14 (or £8.66).
It's the same deal for a lot of items too. According to Numbeo, grocery items including milk, bread and rice are all on average more expensive in Canada compared to the U.K.
Let's not even mention that tax gets added to Canadian products at the checkout too so you're always paying more than you realize when shopping.
You can't buy booze at grocery stores in some provinces
This one is truly the most painful to me. In the U.K. if you're working your way through your grocery list and suddenly decide you want some wine to pair with that pasta dish you're making, you can easily just shuffle along to the liquor aisles to pick up something.
However, in Alberta — where I live — this is a no-go as you'll have to go to a separate liquor store. You're asking me to make more than one stop on this journey when I can barely get my act together enough to get to one store? Not cool!
I envy people in B.C. who can buy wine, beer, and other alcoholic drinks while grocery shopping.
There's a new range of brands to explore
I don't know about you, but one thing I love whenever I head to a new country is checking out the grocery store to see all the different snacks on offer.
The first few times I shopped there were a lot of familiar products but with different names or packaging, as well as products that were completely new to me. My grocery bills were definitely way higher back then because the novelty hadn't worn off and I just wanted to try everything.
The lack of recyclable packaging
Something else I really noticed, especially when I recently went back to the U.K., was how different packaging was in terms of using less plastic. The U.K. is absolutely not perfect by any means, but you can get things like laundry detergent in card box packaging instead of bulky plastic tubs.
I'd definitely love to see more options in Canada because whenever I'm at the grocery store, I do feel like it's lacking,
6 Things That Surprised Me About Grocery Shopping In Canada After Moving Here From The UK
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