Being a shop owner is a lot of hard work. You’re competing against massive conglomerates and local stores for a very limited number of customers. Not only do you have to stand out from the crowd, but you also have to find some way to connect with consumers so you can offer them what they truly want, not just what you think they might want. Plus, you have to find a way to cater to hungry tourists and expats from abroad, too!
In an interesting thread, some of the AskReddit members living outside the United States revealed the food items that their local shops have stocked in their ‘American’ aisles. From peanut butter to Lucky Charms and beyond. Scroll down to see what their shopping and dining experience is like.
#1
Candy, candy and more candy.
When what I want is Triscuits, which are obscenely expensive over here in the UK.
You don’t know how lucky you are to be able to get Triscuits so easily.
I have a box and a half now ( boyfriend treated me) and allow myself one at a time. How sad is that?
Image source: kerill333
#2
In the UK Ranch flavour Doritos were launched as “Cool American” flavour and later changed to “Cool Original” because we don’t know what Ranch is.
Image source: zzady, p0laroids
#3
Snyder’s honey mustard pretzels are the s**t and that’s usually the only place I’ll find them.
The_First_Viking:
If you ever want to really understand America, check the nutritional information on those. They’re like a billion calories per serving, and a serving consists of “I looked really close at the package.” You can gain fifty pounds just by thinking about eating some.
Image source: iamahab1987, legodude28
#4
When I lived in Germany there was a little American food section in my store that had “American cookies” (chocolate chip), “American ice cream” (cookies and cream), and the most expensive Oreos ever. All of the packages had US flags on them.
Also around July 4th they had packages labeled “American drinking game” and it was several Solo cups and 2 ping pong balls.
Image source: phucketallthedays, LegalBid5585
#5
A corn dog in Japan is called an “American dog.”.
Image source: Tattoly83, agentsometime
#6
Pickled hotdogs, what’s wrong with your country?
Image source: anon, ARoyaleWithCheese
#7
We don’t have a whole aisle, but there is a three-foot section of weird-looking sweets and biscuits that I’ve seen on US TV. It’s next to the Polish section, which is about eight feet of horrible pickled things.
Image source: Privateer2368, OddSmellingJuice
#8
In American aisle in Ireland you’ll find lucky charms.
anon:
Omg yes! Every time we enter that aisle (during the time when they are in stock, which is very rare), my dad starts going off about how they’re making fun of us and how I should never buy them. I do anyways and I’m still waiting for when he’ll notice and lose his mind. Damn are they ever good.
Image source: anon, Ditzy_Panda
#9
Cheese in spraycans for whatever f*****g reason.
anon:
Uh actually, yeah that’s a thing. It’s called easy cheese. Don’t question it, get some chicken n a biscuit crackers and spray an x on em. Yes cheese in a can sounds like an an abomination, because it is. But it can be good depending on what you put it on.
Image source: Lord-Bird, minda1120
#10
Cans of mashed pumpkin. I don’t know why they import that but it must be import to someone. Also cherry cola and pop tarts. I never buy any of them but I do get the delicious Dutch butter cookies or cinnamon biscuits while I’m there!
dont_slap_my_mama:
It’s how we make pumpkin pie :)
Image source: HargorTheHairy, Sparky-Boom
#11
Don’t know too much about american products where i work, but there’s Dr Pepper, Reeses, Pop Tarts, Cheetos, Hersheys & probably some other stuff…
Btw, im from New Zealand but we call them “international” aisles where there is a mix of products from other countries.
Image source: anon, Brandon Richardson
#12
The one thing I consistently find whenever a store has an American aisle is Mac ‘n’ Cheese boxes. Like those with quick-cook macaronis and the yellow powder you mix in. It can be good as a treat some times since we don’t really have something similar here (Sweden), but it’s ironically really expensive.
Image source: HolyGarbage, iamboobear
#13
Peanut butter, exotic candies, hot chocolate with marshmallows.
Image source: eromeno, Towfiqu barbhuiya
#14
I just took a photo of it (from New Zealand).
Image source: Goblinlord69
#15
Hershey’s, Reese’s Pieces and Pop Tarts.
Image source: Diocletion-Jones, anonymous
#16
Marshmallow fluff in a plastic jar. Do you people eat that in America?
Image source: MootjePangpang, loffredom
#17
A lot of weirdly expensive candies.
Image source: anon, playerz_ofgame
#18
The one thing that I do want is not available anywhere in my country. For some weird reason Dr. Peppers stopped selling in Slovenia some 20 years ago, now when I want some I have to drive to Croatia (where there is a single store that I know of that has a steady suppply). I’d love to know why my country is “embargoed” by Dr. Peppers.
Image source: EnlightenedCorncob, EnlightenedCorncob
#19
Lucky charms, gatorade, arizona drinks, mallow fluff and a bunch of sweets like nerds, mike nd ikes and suchlike
oh yeah, and butterfingers. dang I love those things
i’m from Scotland and this is in my local tesco extra :).
Image source: MacPundit, MacPundit
#20
Over at LIDL, a German store that crossed over to Italy, they make an American Week every now and then, where hot dogs, hamburger buns, wings, American style sweets and snacks can be bought for dirt cheap.
Image source: ThePeccatz, Whoa_This_is_heavy
#21
Donuts, and those cheesies that are in ball form in that giant plastic container with the red lid.
Amie80:
Cheeseballs!
Image source: LunarToast7, SunburntThighs
#22
Swiss miss, root beer, off brand reese’s, and all sorts of taco paraphanilia.
also: imported vanilla coke. wich i don’t understand, as we have vanilla coke in germany.
here’s the deal. if you come to germany, you will notice that there is a lot of american stuff, that we take for granted. we adopted SO many american brands and products. you will NOT find a supermarket that does not have american style sandwich bread, or burger buns. bagles come and go. i don’t know why. i guess because they are just breadbuns with a hole in it, and the average german doesn’t like it when the leberwurst starts dripping out. point being, in germany it has less to do with products and much more with brands, when it comes to the “american aisle”. we even have beef jerky now. what the hell are we supposed to do with beef jerky?
Image source: Wise_Chipmunk_9772, Wise_Chipmunk_9772
#23
Extremely overpriced cheetos.
€3 for a small single serve bag not even a share size. I tray myself sometimes cos I ducking love them, wish they were more common here
Image source: roadrunnner0, allycology
#24
Twinkies, Gatorade, Lucky Charms (ridiculously expensive for some reason) american varieties of Pop Tarts, A1 sauce, Hershey chocolate, Nerds and a few other American sweets. The only thing I ever buy is the pop tarts.
Image source: irishmickguard, 02K30C1
#25
See, there’s this store chain here simply called Americanas, and it has… everything. It’s just a really big-ish store where they sell everything from candy to appliances to clothes and cellphones and other things.
Most stores here in Brazil are specialized, if you want clothes you find a clothes store for example. Not a rule or every one, of course, but as far as my experience goes. After visiting the US a couple times it finally clicked in my head that Americanas supposed to be emulating the Walmart way of doing things.
Image source: berendpronkps4, berendpronkps4
#26
Our local butcher in London has as American section, as there are quite a few expats in the neighborhood. Root beer (impossible to find anywhere else), goldfish crackers, Jif peanut butter (which you can now find at some big supermarkets – so much better than that Sun-Pat c**p), and some specific cold cereals that don’t seem to be sold here normally (eg plain Cheerios – the Cheerios here are all sweetened multi-grain).
Image source: Covert_Tactics, Covert_Tactics
#27
AMERICAN HAMBURGERS!!!!!Yeeeaahhh Ameericcaaa!!!
No but seriously the packaging is rideculously American. Red and white stripes everywhere mixed with blue and some stars…
Image source: I_am_Incaned, amirali mirhashemian
#28
It happens to be American weeks here in lidl.
Bagels, maple syrup, pancake mix, brownie mix, fried chicken, and popcorn
Sometimes something stupid like chocolate with coke flavored candy pieces.
Image source: Natuurschoonheid, TravelAndShop with Me
#29
No American aisle but we do have a chain of American importation stores: https://www.tasteofamerica.es/
We have overpriced cereal (10€ for a box of Froot Loops), beef jerky, Reese’s Cups (my personal favorite), doctor pepper, vanilla coke, and for some reason Yankee Candles, among other things.
I like to buy there occasionally.
Image source: TomTom2536, TomTom2536
#30
* Pop tarts
* Ready made icing
* Root beer
* Bunch of weird sodas with both corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. What’s up with that BTW? Why use both carbs and no carb sweetening?
* Pancake mix
* Reeses pieces
* Hershey chocolate bars (we only have the syrups normally).
Image source: GLORIFIEDLIAR, GLORIFIEDLIAR
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