Advice to Travellers: Shopping in the UK

There are a few golden rules to follow when shopping in the UK. Abide by these and your shopping trip should run smoothly:

1. Lining up

Yes, what you’ve heard is true! The British love to queue. Whether they’re waiting to pay at the checkout or waiting to choose their bananas, Brits tend to stand patiently in line for their turn, and pushing in is frowned upon.

2. Saying thanks

The British are fond of saying ‘thank you’ when shopping –perhaps a little too much! When they’re paying for their groceries, people may thank the cashier three or four times-don’t be surprised if you hear them do this! On the flip side, when customers forget to thank them, cashiers can get quite annoyed.

3. Haggling/Bargaining

When at the market or when buying a large item such as a house or a car, it is usually okay to try to persuade the seller to lower the price of an item (to haggle). In a supermarket or clothes shop, however, haggling usually only works if an item is faulty in some way.

4. Controlling children

When children misbehave in a supermarket (as kids sometimes do), most parents tell their children off as quietly as possible to avoid attracting attention to themselves.

5. Asking for help

If you’re walking round in circles and can’t find the spaghetti, don’t lose all hope – shop assistants tend to be very helpful. However, being too direct (e.g. saying ‘I want spaghetti’) won’t go down too well. For best results, say something like ‘Excuse me. Could you tell me where to find the spaghetti, please?’.

6. Trolley etiquette

If you are ever tempted to leave your trolley in the middle of a supermarket aisle while you’re choosing your carrots, beware! While most Brits would probably try to squeeze past your trolley wordlessly, in extreme circumstances, blocking an aisle may cause ‘trolley rage’ among other shoppers (this is quite similar to road rage).