To the checkout situation here in CZ: My parents taught me that I shouldn't waste the time of the cashier so she could have some break. So they showed me how to properly put all of those groceries in the same order on the counter as I will stack them in the bag/backpack. Mostly all of my friends were taught the same system when they were younger. Usually bottles of beverages first then cans and jars, then heavy/hard stuff like potatoes, carrots and on top of that light stuff like rohlíky, potato chips, packs of hams/salami etc. and if you go to some local "večerka" where the lady has a huge checkout counter and all the stuff they are selling are behind her on the shelves, you should be prepared and tell her the stuff in the same/similar order as I already mentioned.
Trik v supermarketu u pokladny: skládat zboží na pás tak, jak si ho budeš dávat do tašky. Tzn.těžké, tvrdé věci první a křehké nakonec. Tak abys ty křehké měl v tašce nahoře. Nebo házet to zpátky do nákupního vozíku a do tašky si to dat v klidu po zaplacení. Pěkný den :)
To máte samozřejmě pravdu. Nejčastěji chodím nakupovat do Hypermarketu Albert. Ale některé prodavačky neberou věci, tak jak jsem vyskládala na pás. Třeba dávám první brambory, džus apod... . ale ony si nějak podle sebe berou potraviny z prostřed. Vůbec to nechápu. A jiné prodavačky i prodavači ani nepočkají, až všechny věci naskládám na pás a jedou takovým fofrem, že to ani nestíhám házet zpět do vozíku, natož si to pěkně poskládat do tašky. Taky se mi stalo, že jsem brala nanuky a měla jsem u nich nachystaný sáček. A prodavačka ho chtěla vyhodit. Ještě, že jsem rychle zareagovala, že mám ten sáček na ty nanuky. Oni totiž nesmějí mít sáčky u pokladny. Je to divné, ale v Lidlu se sáčkama u pokladny neměli žádný problém. Tu a tam napočítají nějakou věc navíc. A kdybych se někoho zeptala, co bude dělat o víkendu, tak se na mě zamračí, že je to jasné - opět u pokladny, jak jinak. Ale na druhé straně, musím prodavačky politovat. Kolikrát nemají čas si zajít ani na WC. Někteří zákazníci jsou protivní. No, je to nevděčná práce, nedělala bych ji ani za nic.
Tak to je přesný. :D Pokud by to bylo milé, ne vlezlé a přesto odvážné, přesně tak by to česká žena mohla vyhodnotit. Ale na druhou stranu nadáváme, že čeští muži ženy nedobývají, neoslovují, nejsou aktivní. Ono se není čemu divit, když by jim ženská nejspíš nevěřila a považovala je za úchyla, nebo obšourníka. :D
The cashier in the Czech Republic are paid by the hour, but they only have a certain time to mark one product. If the cashier is too slow, he may lose his job. It's sad, but it works that way in some stores. For example in Lidl. Every month, a list of cashiers according to speed is placed on the bulletin board. Those that are too slow are highlighted in red and everyone sees it. Therefore, let us not judge them.
I would like to add my sisters experience…she used to work as a cashier at store called Kaufland. She would always complain how stressful the job was. Did you know that the company actually hired people, “under covers”, and they would try to catch cashiers doing things wrong? Basically, they would pose as regular costumes with carts full of items; however, they were there to make sure that every single item was scanned correctly + nothing was overlooked or forgotten . Ugh! As far as helping with bagging costumers items goes that is strictly prohibited! Ugh again! And I know…don’t get me started!
one thing i like about lidl is the fact that they have two of these little "stations" where you can bag your things!! so if you're still getting your stuff and they're done scanning everything they'll just go on to the next person.
Where did you see that? It's hard to believe such thing really exists, that's like from some American movie. Quality of cashier is not only about maximal speed and I think visible showing to other employees that you are slow or bad worker could be even illegal or at least very discourteously, it's your personal thing between you and your employer.
Jen & Honza, great video as always. I wish it lasted twice as long to be honest :D What I would be really interested in is how your family and friends "saw" you after such a long time and if they noticed any changes about your attitude to certain things, new habits in your behaviour you might make in CZ and how they look at your life in CZ...
The check out lady story is the best. I am a Czech living in California and I keep spoiling them over here by bagging the groceries myself. They always can't believe it 😂🤣
I am from Scandinavia, Sweden, a literally “do it your self” - country. But... when I was just recently in Prague they told me that I have to weight fruits my self and it was said NOT in the very nice way despite being absolutely clear that I am a tourist. It was Strange! So.. is there any logical explanation for that? Is it like very extremely low paid? Or are their work hours long like hell?
@@jammmy30 Firstly, the not nice way, is often (but not always) just an automatic neutral response (bambillion of people ask, people get tired, ...), it's often not meant in a mean way (again not always ;)) and sometimes you can strike a quick conersation and realize the person is actually very nice. Now back to the topic, to weight your fruit and vegetable, this came with the surge of automatic cashier machines, to be precise it came a bit earlier in some places but it was part of the plan. The reason why it came earlier was because there were long lines of people waiting while now things are surprisingly a lot quicker. Main reason now is that you don't really need to meet a cashier if you don't want but you still need to get the weight/price of your items ;). Have a nice time in Sweden!
Jammy: ive just got my 783 euros in czech crowns the very first time after working for one company after 9 fricking years... Its not really much for someone who has to eat gluten free food only.
@@jammmy30 The reason is pretty simple: The cash register, the machine, cant weight the things. There's just not any weighing-machine built in it. It's not like the lady doesn't want to do it, she actually can't do it :D And now the funny part: Some supermarkets have these 'dumb' cash registers and some have 'smarter' and the lady does the job :D So even I as a Czech don't know if I should weight it myself or not :D
@@ElstromF problem je to s kosikama. Ale s vozikem casto resim nakup az treba u auta nebo tak. Je to pohodlnejsi nahazet to zpet a pak si v pohode a klidu resit taskovani.
@@Kkkk-pu3ez Teď už bohužel ne, ještě před pár lety to nebyl žádný problém... nevím, co se změnilo. Celý život jsem normálně dal věci zpět do košíku, odnes si ho někam bokem (dokonce na to byly takový odkládací pultíky), tam si v klidu přendal nákup do tašek a při odchodu dal košík ke dveřím k ostatním, kde si je mohli lidi brát... fungovalo to nádherně. Teď se košík musí nechat před kasou - proč? Takže je potřeba další clověk, který je občas sebere a donese ke dveřím, aby si je lidi mohli brát - proč? Naprosto zbytečně, jen to komplikuje situaci... když jsem se s tím setkal poprví, tak jsem jen čuměl co to má znamenat, proč by někdo vymýšlel takovou píčovinu... ale je to tak, pořád to nechápu. Košíky jsou teď úplně k ničemu, klidně je můžou vyhodit... buď je ten nákup tak malej, že to poberu do ruky a košík nepotřebuju, nebo je větší a musím si stejně vzít vozík, abych měl kam dát věci po zaplacení.
So much in the US is nonperishable though... Even the bread!! We aren't Czech enough yet to buy daily rohlíky, but it was kind of crazy to me to see my family in the US eating bread they bought weeks ago like that's normal
I am not fond of shopping in supermarkets, because of time I spent finding items I need. If I would live in USA I would make list of titems i need and where to find them even then it would take too much time.(too much stuff i do not need)
A pro někoho, kdo nějakou alergii má je to ohromná výhoda. Když se pouze zeptáte servírky, poví vám cokoliv. V lepším případě, že neví. V ještě lepší případě se jde zeptat do kuchyně. Ale - co je psáno, to je dáno. (musím se vyhnout 1 - lepek)
@@vaclavkucera4098 99,99% lidí nemusí, ale nakecalo si, že musí. Výhoda pro alergiky - jsou bezlepkové potraviny. Nevýhoda pro mne - sehnat něco co bylo ze přenice a teď najednou v tom pšenice není. Nevýhoda pro kuchyni - drahé řešení a nikdy nikdo neví, jestli je to opravdu alergie, nebo jen "moderní".
@@vaclavkucera4098 souhlasím, je to výhoda. Bohužel se setkávám i s restauracemi, které alergeny uvedeny nemají a mají tam tu úžasnou hlášku "informace u obsluhy" ... tak se zeptám, jestli to jídlo obsahuje lepek a řekne mi, že vůbec neví co to je. 🙄🙄 že mi ti informace nemůže dát, tak ji poprosím, ať se zeptá kuchaře a přijde s informací, že asi ne ......
I've just recently moved back to Texas after spending 15 years in Prague. Slowly trying to re-adjust. Everyone has noticed drastic change in me, and I feel like "home" is a foreign place now. I never thought I'd say that I have to culturally adjust to being where I was born and raised.
I moved back to Czech after 22 years in TX. Same feelings you have. Im back 15 years and i could tell you, you will never change like it was. But actually this is good :)
I moved back to Czech after 22 years in TX. Same feelings you have. Im back 15 years and i could tell you, you will never change like it was. But actually this is good :)
Sympatické, vtipné video jako vždy.👍 V USA průměrně více vyděláte, ale zase na různých, skrytých a často nepřehledných poplatcích snadno utratíte, obere Vás kde kdo. Kapitalizmus je tam doveden až do absurdity, žel i my se k tomu pomalu blížíme. I tak jsem rád, že žiji v Evropě a v ČR zvlášť. Ať se i Vám zde daří. Málo komunikační povaha má v Česku složité historické kořeny vyplývající z nedůvěry, to je ale příliš široké téma. Pokud nemám z různých důvodů náladu jsem rád, že mě nikdo zbytečně neotravuje. Je příjemné pozorovat, že začínáte být doma spíše tady
In Czechia (Austria,Germany) you get approached and asked by beggars on the streets only,in the USA i got approached many times by strangers who just wanted to chat,weird.I feared them but they were nice and politely walked away.NYC is like Prague,you better avoid strangers.Loud talking on the buses or metro is considered rude and hillbilish in Central Europe.
I live in NYC. People occasionally approach me on the street to ask directions, etc., because I look approachable, I guess. But I don't get strangers wanting to chat, maybe because I'm older. NYC is a lonely place - people sometimes chat on the street or in a bus just to make a connection with somebody. If they know you are a "foreigner", they may be trying to make you feel welcome.
Je to zábavné, já pocházím ze Slovenska před 20 lety jsem přijela do Prahy a byl to rozdíl i když jsme podobná země, jsou rozdíly v temperamentu. Když jsem po 10 letech přijela na Slovensko tak si říkám jak jsou všichni hlučný a takový že když Vás od srdce chtějí někam poslat tak to prostě udělají. A když se Vám zdají prodavačky tady nepříjemné tak na Slovensko ani nejezděte. Pracovala jsem taky jako pokladní a musím říct, že pomáhání skládání do tašek opravdu není starost prodavaček a bere se to jako že zdržujete. Nejlepší je si vzít vozík a věci si tam zpátky naložit a po té si je uložit do tašek. Po 15 letech v Praze jsem se s manželem který je rozený Pražák ( takže vše co není Praha je vesnice) rozhodli odstěhovat do vesnice poblíž malého města. To byl také šok, nejprve jsme zjistili jak je vše levnější mhd, parkovné. Dokonce se i dá zaparkovat na různých místech ve městě. Mnohem menší výběr v obchodě a taky počítat s tím, že večer už nic nekoupíte. Byly jsme zvyklí chodit nakupovat do nonstop tesca klidně v noci a vše jsme koupili. Ale netrvalo to dlouho a zvykli jsme si rychle na to jsme přišli když asi po dvou letech jsem se rozhodla, že pojedeme na Vánoce nakoupit do Globusu do Prahy. Bylo to asi stejné jako to co popisujete koukali jsme kolem sebe, toho zboží, toho výběru, tolik druhů pečiva a tak, jak malé děti přitom ještě nedávno jsme to považovali za normální. Ale rozhodně jsme si taky vzpomněli na ty davy lidí a na klid a pohodu u nás. Už vím že takový výběr nepotřebuji u nás je hodně a více různých pekáren a farmářských prodejen. Takže takové malé šoky se dají zažít i v malém měřítku.😊
Hi, yes, know exactly how it feels, Jen and Honza. I had a reverse culture shock - I am Czech who came back to Prague for 8 month, after 8 years of life in USA, including LA. It was tough. I cried every day. :) But this was back in 2005 when both, Czech and LA were far from what they are now. Now the transition seems much less painful. Not sure if it's the cultures or me, probably both. I learned not to compare, instead of embrace the difference and enjoy it! Good observations on your side as always, thanks for the video!
I was horrified to see a glass of Barefoot wine for $12. That's more than the price for a whole bottle at the store, and it's not like it's even good wine!
I've lived here (CZ) for 4 years but I go home to Michigan quite often (a few times a year) and one of my favorite things of returning home is talking to strangers. I'll be in the restaurant bathroom or the grocery store and the stranger will say something to me. At first, I'm a bit shocked but then I'm reminded of how much I love it and miss it. Sometimes here in CZ, I'll reach for something in the store and a stranger will reach for something next to me and I have to remind myself not to start talking about the product and how I use it, etc. Then I immediately feel sad that strangers in this country are so disconnected. As for the distance in driving. Ugh, it drives me crazy. My Czech husband and I lived in the States together for 17 years and driving 30 minutes to get somewhere seemed like nothing and just an everyday part of life. Here, we live in a village about 5 miles outside of České Budějovice and my husband's brain switches back to Czech thinking. To drive to the city (5 miles away) twice in one day is completely unheard of. If I ask him to go somewhere a 1/2 hour away, he responds with "that's so far!" I have to remind him how it's not far and how often we did it in America and he thought nothing of it there.
The thing with the checkout lady at the groceries, they are horribly underpaid and there is a pressure from the management, they basically track every single code scan and forcing them to be faster and scan it faster… There’s a whole documentary out there on UA-cam about this.
I feel these every time my family and I come back from visiting my in-laws in Czechia and we're only there for a few weeks at a time. The last thing I want to do after being trapped in airports and a flying metal cylinder for 14 hours is deal with a chatty shuttlebus driver.
nedokážu si představit jak bych reagoval ve veřejné dopravě, když na mě bude mluvit celý autobus, zatímco si budu šeptat s členy mé rodiny. a zase toto pěkné video mi připomíná že jsem rád že žiju tam kde žiju. ve státě kde si věci z nákupáku musím dát sám do tašky a nějaká otrava mi do toho nekecá.
I actually found the calories really useful when I was at a business trip in the US. We went to some cafe to eat and saw some salad on the board. It was the highest calories dish on the menu so we figured that it is not the kind of salad we expected :D
I am still trying to get used to non talkative Czechs after 3 years here. Even Covid times I travelled back and forth between US and CR. When I land in US I start a conversation with the van driver because I missed it so much. 😄😃
I worked in Czechia for a few years, and I have had culture shock going there, reverse culture shock coming home, and reverse reverse culture shock going back after quite a few years. One of the things I found was that Czech people where I lived were more talkative, and Americans of your generation or younger are not very willing to talk to strangers because instead of neighborliness, they were taught as kids that almost any stranger is dangerous. When I lived in CZ, I sometimes ran into the situation that American parents from the Greatest Generation were excited to have a conversation, while their Xer or millennial kids thought the parents were being reckless talking to strangers. When I lived there, I found that Czechs were not very concerned about safety, so among other things, they didn't clear the ice off the sidewalk. On snowy or icy days, the local emergency room was always full of people with broken limbs or cracked heads from slipping on that ice. On the other hand, Czechs had developed a skill since childhood of walking up and down steep hills covered with ice without (usually) falling. When I went back a couple years ago, I was surprised to discover that Czech supermarket cashiers are as crabby as they were under communism. I had also forgotten how much meat Czechs consume and how much alcohol I'd be expected to drink. Everything was meat and alcohol. I also found I was now unwilling again to strip in a coed locker room at the local dojo in front of 12-year-old girls, which Czechs take as normal. (Czechs will strip nude and change into their bathing suits out in the open on public beaches.) Another thing I noticed when I went back was that things will never be as convenient in Czechia as they are in the US, because while entrepreneurial types can add a veneer of digital convenience on top of a service, if they try to make the whole service convenient (such as shuttle buses waiting for you to transfer from a private-run train), there's always some bureaucratic lunkhead with a communist-era mentality throwing a monkey wrench into the whole thing. Also, the quality of the produce in Prague supermarkets would be second- or third-rate in the US, Germany, France or Hungary. Many of the vegetables are rather rubbery.
When you are at the checkout in store just put everything scanned back to the basket, pay and you have time to straighten everything into a bag like you want to. And the others behind you don't have to wait for you to straighten it up. :)
@@marcelaprazakova3726 for the same reason i hate self-checkouts. You first have put all your shopping on the scale and bag it only after paying. A god save you if you put your bag on the scale in attempt to put your shopping right into it, you wont even be able to proceed to scanning your items. Who the hell came up with this idea?! Not only do i take twice as long to scan my shopping than the cashier lady, but moving all the items twice makes my 5 min shopping a 15 min hell!
@@martinajurickova5750 I always get some sort of error at the self-checkout, and then have to wait for an employee to come over and fix it. I would rather wait in line for a person than deal with that stress.
Well, the size thing is really more a density and urban planning thing. Prague is actually much bigger than what is shown on the picture (although indeed smaller than LA). The difference is that European cities are generally planned as mixed zones where everything is together - apartments, shops, offices, services, etc. This allows people to generally stay within a small distance from their home, since everything they need is there. On the other hand, in the US such zoning is generally prohibited by local regulations + there is a strong car culture, leading to bigger distances between places one visits often.
Super video 👍 K těm pokladním. Teda vůbec se mi to nelíbí. Raději používám samoobslužné pokladny. Ale vím, že pokladní jsou hodnocené za rychlost. K tomuto chování je tlačí systém zaměstnavatelů. Rychlost, optimalizace, tlak na snížení nákladů. Čím větší rychlost = méně pokladních = zisk. Neobsahuji to. Pouze objasňuji.
Prodavačky to nemají jednoduché. Sama jsem taky dělala. Chvátají, protože okem vidí tu spoustu nervozních a nepříjemných lidí, co čekají ve frontě. Pokud by prohodila pár slov se známým, dostane od dalšího zákazníka vynadáno, že zdržují, někdy ještě hrozí, že si na ní budou stěžovat u vedoucí, pokud není dost rychlá. Stačí obyčejné stornování. Jde jí o rychlost, protože i za tu je hodnocena a odměňována. Naštvaní zákazníci, co čekají ve frontě několik minut si opravdu nechtějí povídat a už je naštve i zbytečné nabídnutí další klubové karty. Pokud jste v malém krámku, nebo u pokladny a nikdo za vámi nestojí, jednu dvě přátelské věty rádi přijmou. Pokud si budete chtít povídat a za vámi bude deset lidí, vyslechnete si nehezké věci od čekajících.
New to the Channel. As a Czech/American, living in a predominantly Czech community in America, interesting to see an American's perspective of Czechs' while living in the Czech Republic. This channel gives a lot more meaning and understanding of encounters and experiences while being rared as an American by mostly Czechs.
@@DreamPrague Here is the location of West, Tx and a little bit of History as described in the Wikipedia: ------ West is a city in McLennan County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 2,531. It is named after K. West, the first postmaster of the city. The city is located in the north-central part of Texas, approximately 70 miles (110 km) south of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, 20 miles north of Waco and 120 miles north of Austin, the state's capital. Despite its name, the city is not located within the region of West Texas; area residents sometimes call the community "West comma Texas" to avoid repetition. As of 2012 it has one of the largest concentrations of Czech Texans of any city in the state. Contents History The first settlers of northern McLennan County arrived in the 1840s. They were farm and ranch families drawn from the east by the rich lands made available by the government sale of land to build schools in Texas. The area farmers cultivated the land and grew cotton, wheat, and grain sorghum, and raised cattle. The farming community centered around a freshwater spring that became known as Bold Springs. In 1860, Bold Springs had a population of about 300 and provided services such as a blacksmith, churches, and a post office.[8] The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was laid between Hillsboro and Waco in the fall of 1881. The path of the railroad passed through land owned by Thomas West, who had moved to the area in 1859. He farmed land that he had purchased and served as postmaster of Bold Springs. A train depot was built on the land he sold to the railroad company and the land running beside the tracks was divided into small sections and sold to people wanting to start businesses. The new depot included a post office, and from that time forward it was known as the West Post Office. Mr. West served as postmaster and opened the first general store. He became a successful businessman and later owned a hotel, a furniture store, and a bank.[8] The railroad brought prosperity to the area during the 1880s. More businesses were opened and more surrounding land was purchased. Czech immigrants came to the area, purchasing the rich lands to farm and start a fresh life in the new world. They also opened businesses, sharing their European culture. By the 1890s, the Czech businesses flourished in West.[8] On June 11, 1892, West was officially organized into a town. It had become the center of commerce for the area. There were cotton gins, grocery stores, churches, schools, and doctors' offices.[8] The temporary city Crush, Texas, located just three miles (5 km) south of West, was the location of The Crash at Crush,[10] a head-on collision between two locomotives that was staged on September 15, 1896, as a publicity stunt for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. Over 30,000 spectators gathered at the crash site, named "crush" for MKT passenger agent William Crush, who conceived the idea. About 4 p.m. the trains were sent speeding toward each other. Contrary to mechanics' predictions, the steam boilers exploded on impact, propelling pieces of metal into the crowd. Two people were killed and many others injured, including Jarvis Deane of Waco, who was photographing the event and lost an eye. Texas Historical Marker 5315, located on Interstate 35 northbound frontage road, between Mangrum and Wiggins Road, commemorates the event.[11] The turn of the century brought electricity, running water, and natural gas. The population of West and surrounding area grew. Many of the descendants of the original settlers continue to farm the lands and run the businesses today. Czech is still spoken by some of the older residents.[12] ====== We still have a working farm(Ranching and Corps) that has been in our family since 1912 which I still manage today. Both my parents are Czech, Zatopek + Marak, came over in the 1880's through the port of Galveston from Frenstat Moravia, first settled in La Grange which is a city in Fayette County, Texas.
My dialogue with the cashier is limited to "Dobrý den" and "Nashledanou, přeji vám příjemný den". But most of them smile when I wish them a pleasant day. I can't remember meeting one that would be unpleasant or that would try to rush me.
Maybe you dont go shopping a lot or you go to a particular store with nice chechout ladies😉I go shopping one or twice a week to various stores and unfortunatelly it still surely happens to me at least half of the time I pay there.
Wow. Awesome video. Really enjoyed it. I was excited to hear that it might be normal to help during putting your shopping to the trolley. I was pregnant during this spring And shopping was one of the most challanging things for me. I was so thankful for cashier ladies who closed the pokladna after I did my shopping because I could do it slower. ONCE even the cashier lady put all my shopping into my trolley - that was surprising for me and I was really glad. However after certain month of pregnancy I told my husband I cannot do this anymore And did ONLY online shops or wrote a shopping list to him but it Is not the same as shopping on my own ;-)))))
Also it kinda fits the Czech mentality. I am not in "chore places" to socialise. I am there to do my chores. Be it at the doctor's waiting room, public transport or grocery store. When we go out to socialise you can tell we are out to socialise. No avoidance of eye contact, no book in hand or headphones, no "looking past you" absent minded looks. And we do that in places that make sense like pubs (even there we mostly keep to ourselves there), clubs, parks, beaches, stadiums, concerts etc. But in the grocery store, the only thing that interests me is getting out of the grocery store. I am not there to be inefficient. Check out ladies have trouble of their own and I do not care about hers as much as she does not care about mine. I'll honestly wish her a nice day because I worked in retail and I know the rat race it is and carry on.
Oh, but some are friendly :). I usually shop late in the evening, less people, and I find it amazing that after a long day the cashier is able to ad some sincere "have good evening, it´s finally colder outside" or something like that. They must feel like a non-person machine there, so it is nice for them as well to communicate a bit.. I often slip some nice word there as well, and I always get a nice reply. (and I hate small talk otherwise).
Nobody wants to wait in line for too long. I think that´s why Czechs prefer those self-check outs. When I decide to go through a cashier, and there´s a male cashier and a female cashier, I decide to go through the female cashier because they are usually much faster...
Hi Jen, Honza, that's great one, very nice. Thank you for this. Just very small notice ... on one side, you are happy, you don't need to talk to strange people in bus or metro ... on the other side you require to be asked by cashier about your weekend plans. I do understand that the speed and behaviour of our cashiers is a bit crazy, but the last thing I wish is to talk with them about my private plans or things :)
Hey, I just found your channel… I am a Czech girl and I’ve enjoyed every single video so far!🙌🏻 It’s strange… I’ve never been to the US, but there’re so many things that influenced me during growing up. Most of them coming from the US… not all bad. When the first Starbucks opened in Prague, I was so basic…😂😂 nevermind.. it’s nice see your pov:)
Práce pokladní je v ČR strašná, příšerně placená a tlak od zaměstnavatele na pokladní je neuvěřitelný. Nedivím se, že jsou nepříjemné, kyselé, protivné.
Your US-stadium experience reminds me of what you've mentioned in one of your previous videos on restaurants; i.e. that going to a restaurant with friends in the US is a once in a month time event, therefore it must be luxurious and expensive. This mentality possibly affects your expectations regarding the stadium and your mind is more willing to accept that the prices are ok. It's interesting how much you've changed living in Czechia. :) ... Though I don't get the sentiment about somebody bagging your items in a store. Why would I want a stranger touching my food to pack it? Just put it in a cart and organize it later.
exactly.. the bagging part..dont touch my stuff! And I can bag it as quickly as she scans, you can learn it, not dificult, key is to put the stuff from troley in order you want to put them in a bag..easy
Hello! I'm from Slovakia (I lived in the US) and all of these things also apply over here! BTW, I've been binging your videos for the past few days and they're really good!
Tak já se zeptám co dělá paní pokladní o víkendu a její manžel nebo moje manželka my rozbije hubu. To v Čechách asi nebude fungovat. Jinak pěkné video.
Very interesing insights, as always. Thank you for your videos! And yes, we do have a rather disreputable supermarket checkout culture in Czechia... not always but often.
Great to have you both back! I missed your videos. Thanks for the interesting chat. I look forward to the next part. "Flavor of vaccine" :-D :-D :-D From my experience there is also a difference between prices at sporting events or concert and outside in Czechia, although they are not that outrageous of course. I remember in 2019 Radegast 12 cost 55 CZK at a festival and 36 CZK right outside in the town. :-)
Ono jde o to že kdyby prodavačka v ČR nebyla extrémně rychlá tak si stěžují lidi ve frontě že to trvá. A většina čechů není na doporučování a nějaké jiné prupovídky prodavačky vůbec zvědavá. Je to prostě o té mentalitě a není na tom nic špatného. Pomoc při balení do tašky je fajn ale kdyby si se mnou chtěla pokladní pokaždé povídat nevim jestli bych z toho byl úplně nadšený. =D Češi totiž obecně nesnáší strojenou konverzaci. Nestojím o to aby se mě pokladní ptala jak se mám když vím že je jí to ve skutečnosti úplně volný. =D
To comment on the whole payment/bagging situation in Czechia. It most certainly is not stressful for most Czechs. When I buy groceries, I let the woman stare as much as she likes. As you said, they are paid hourly. It's not that they judge you, they just have nothing better to do when you're occupying their bagging tray. Just ignore it, if you want to talk to them, try striking up a conversation yourself, they'll be immediately taken out of their comfort zone and will suddenly need to improvise, which will turn them back into human beings :D
Not true. It's always very stressful for me as I feel the pressure to pay & get out quickly, esp. from the customers behind me. I think it's very rude from the businesses to put their customers in that position. A horrible Czech habit. In this area Americans really do better!
Well I just came back from Prague and I can verify the experience with Pokladna ladies. Here in Greece we are used to deal with e really helpful checkout ladies . They always offer assistance when the "slider" doesn't have a separator. Separators allow you to fill your bags while the next client is checking her things right next to you without getting your items mixed.
Oh, God, I honestly *hate* listening to other people's conversations. I don't particularly like talking at any significant volume on the bus, and I especially hate talking on the phone on the bus. I only do it if I *have* to, and even then, only really quietly. It honestly seems really rude, and it might just be me, but I end up being rather embarrassed that I was talking on the phone on the bus, where other people could hear my conversation. I wouldn't be lying if I said I'd rather keep phone boxes on the street and in squares even if they were only there to talk on a mobile phone. And it'd be even worse if I was talking about what vaccine I'd had, especially in front of strangers. Perhaps in front of family and friends (if only to see what kinds of side effects I should expect), but definitely not in front of strangers.
Did you know that in the Czech Republic they don’t have privacy curtains around beds in the hospital? This is when I got my biggest cultural shock in my life. The local nurses and doctors also complain about it, but nothing ever done 🤷♀️
@@MyTarasik Wow, that’s honestly insane. Here in the UK, in all the hospitals I’ve been to (as a patient or a visitor), there’s always been one. Wonder if there’s any organisations that advocate for patients that could get them installed
And in Czech Republic if you don't want to receive any marketing calls from this company, you can explicitly state this, and they will not dare to contact you anymore. Didi it with my Vodafone, my bank, and they really have some tick in the system that says "do not contact this person anymore". Awesome stuff!
Pěkný opruz je, že když má člověk něčeho víc kusů, tak si musí odpípat každý zvlášť, pokud tedy nejde např. o pečivo. Kupovat deset piv nebo patnáct tatranek je asi fakt lepší u obsluhy, která má povolené i násobit.
.... nepoužívám samoobslužné pokladny .... neberu lidem práci , raději půjdu k naštvané pokladní , nežli bych zvyšoval marži majiteli . A při těch samoobslužek mě i napadlo co si vymyslejí příště - --vypěstujte si zeleninu a k nám jí příjdte jen zaplatit a slogan k tomu dají " víte co jíte , jelikož jste si to vypěstovali sami "
As someone living in the US it’s hilarious to see your reactions as AMERICANS to these staples of American life!!! 😅 Great video! (The unsolicited calls are OUT OF CONTROL. 😡)
Faster checkout ladies are, slower is my packing. I dont care how long it will take me but generally the trick is to put items on belt in order you want to pack them so heavy items first since you want them at the bottom, then items you can easily toss to your bag and nothing will happen to them and at the end soft items like eggs or soft veggie at least thats my tactic however as I said I dont care about speed of packing and actually looking forward to those situation where I can slow down and piss the entire queue at the same time :D
I think you hit the nail on the head in the bit about choice. It's not there to give you more options it's just there to try to get you to buy stuff you don't really want or need
The allergen lists on menus are actually EU legal requirement :) (I am not completely sure it has to be written directly on the menu BUT it definitely has to be available to every customer in any restaurant, buffet or food stand in the EU, write it right next to the meal is probably the most convenient)
The alergen list can be right on the menu or the waiter can tell you (in such case there must be a sentence on the menu stating "For the list of allergens in particular meals/bevarages ask the service.").
Great video! In regards to tipping, not all states in the US have raised their minimum wage for tipped workers. In Nebraska the minimum tipped wage is still $2.13 per hour so I always tip really well.
I haven't been back to the USA in more than twenty years. As a result I'm a changed man the idea of visiting NYC makes me ill. Life in Czechia is becoming more Americanized year on year which may not necessarily be a good thing. I have witnessed the changes since my first visit in 1991.
Slovakia had a similar sidewalk law, at least as far as winter maintanance was considered, for a couple of years. The sidewalks went back under the village/city responsibility about two years ago. The check out ladies are actually monitored for the speed of scanning the items. The do have limits on how many items per minute she has to scan.
I agree with you, American cashiers are mostly friendly, but sometimes it can be annoying when you have to wait until she finishes her conversation with the customer ahead of you 😂
Yeah, I was also panicking when my favourite channel tuned dead last week. And only yesterday I realized - oh, it is summer, haven't they gone for a vacation? And what a vacation it was! No mere Europe, but States!
I'm from Northern California and have been living here in the Czech Republic for almost 20 years now. During these 20 years I haven't been back to the States at all. Last year I finally decided to take my daughter to the States to visit family, but then COVID came and we had to cancel our trip, so I still haven't been back to the States. I'm curious what kind of reverse culture shock I'll have once I finally get back there. I liked what you had to say about choice at the supermarkets. I lived in Mozambique for two years from 1999 to 2001 and when I finished up there and went back to the States, I also experienced quite a bit of anxiety when I went shopping for the first time after coming back. But anyway, great video 👍 I enjoyed it.
Tak normálně když má člověk větší nákup, tak už při vykládání zboží na pás má nějakou rámcovou představu, co s ním bude dělat, až mu z pásu vyjede. A pokud chodí člověk nakupovat na stejné místo, tak si časem ten postup optimalizuje a získá rutinu. Pochopitelně v těch obchodech, kde prostor za pásem nemají dělený na dva oddíly nebo tam je místa vůbec málo, je nakupování o něco nepříjemnější.
I don't know if you read Czech books, but you reminded me of Tall Tale of America by Josef Škvorecký which contains his experiences from the U. S. more than 50 years ago. Škvorecký also writes about supermarkets - by the time it must have been quite incomparable to Czechoslovakia - but as you say, there is still a difference. He also says: "I know it is just professional smile, but I will always prefer it over Czechoslovak professional frown." To put it short, I really recommend this book
about distances: I had the same thing when i moved to Prague from a town. I used to walk everywhere, i tried Prague... well I gave up, got metro or a tram. If you ask a checkout lady what is she doing this weekend, its like inviting her for a date :D (btw maybe dont go to tesco or albert, try other shops) beer prices: we would smuggle some beer inside :) phone calls: we actually get some anonymous phone calls that try to make you become a customer, but its once in a while.
It really depends where you want to walk. I can walk from where I live (Southern Prague) to my work in the centre. It will take me 4 hours but I did it in past couple times. Pretty pleasant walk actually albeit fairly long one and the 20km starts to hurt halfway through (and to be fair the road is bike friendly but I am just fairly afraid to bike in city centre). But I do walk daily (to get some baseline movement) as I get off metro 2 stations before I need to and just walk. It takes extra 35 minutes (so doubles my commute time) but most of it is parks and I oftem get groceries on the way too or grab a take away for dinner etc. Can't really imagine doing that anywhere near Smichov tho.
Prague is very walkable. I can imagine some of the outskirts can be worse but walking to a restaurant or a shop is very easy, walking around the whole "extended city center" as well.
@@VanBourner anything is possible... my colegue runs accross prague from work to home. BUT if you need to get somewhere, you cant really spend 4 hours not using bus or metro :)
@@MarvinCZ sure it is, when you are not in a hurry and when you walk just in some area. But I usually was getting about 35+ min by public transport to work... imaging if i just walked. I would have to wake up at 5 am and walk for hours :D In a town you usually walk for half an hour to hour to get across the town and usuall travel time is like 15-20 min. You can say you dont need a bus there. Not in Prague if you dont go to the nearest večerka only.
@@bitkarek Going to work is different, that's often in a different part of the city. You may need to take the public transport. But for shopping or eating out? No, that's all walkable. And I don't go just to the nearest večerka. I can go to 4 different supermarkets, about 10 different restaurants and many other shops, all within easy walking distance.
9 times out of ten I visit supermarkets where you can scan your products (with a zebra or with an app on your phone) and put them in your bag right away. At the checkout, you just scan one code, all of the purchases goods are loaded in, you beep your card and off you go. It's very convenient, bacause you only need to bag once. And basically no cashier interaction.
I went to Czechia this summer and was shocked when a bartender didn’t want to give me a beer sample. He said ‘where did u come from? Where do they let you taste a beer before you order one?’ And then: ‘Jooo, děvče, tady nejsi v americe’ 😂😂😂
Just some random thoughts: 1) I´ve learned in marketing that there are distances according to how often you need the goods - so food was the most importatnt so that it should be within 5-10 minutes of walk from your house. After that goes "drogerie", pharmacy, clothing, books, electronics etc. At the end was a car or a furniture seller because if you realy want it you are able to go there even more than 10 km. The more expensive or luxury good you want the bigger distance to the shop you will accept. Maybe it changed since than (15 -25 years ago) but I think that is probably different here in Europe than in USA. 2)Cashier has to be quick because people don´t like the shoping so much and they like to use their time for leisure activities. Nobody wants to stay in a queue waiting 10 minutes till he gets to the front of the queue. As they say - why I had the badluck for the slow cashier?! 3) There is common to pay more money for your food or drink at the concert because the seller has to pay for the stand place - he gets more customers from the concert or match but he is usually selling for higher prices to earn more money. But the difference is not so big as you spoke about - I´ve seen maximum twice as much as normal. And there is a big risk that people don´t want to buy the too expensive drink. That´s why you are not able to take your own water into the concert area - to buy the water there. That´s why they even open the bottle and take you the bottle cap (for example in O2 in Prague) when they sell it to you because they know that a lot of people split their water on the ground accidentaly by droping it or kickin the bottle by foot (standing on the floor) and they had to go for a new one. If they had a bottle cap they would just pick up the bottle and it would be alrigt. I told it once to my friend and she smiled - she didn´t believe me. Ten minutes later she splited her cola to the ground and understood. She went for a new one. That´s why I always go to concert with some bottle cap in my pocket. It helps very much because usually all the PET bottles has the same size of the cap - realy there are just two different types of thread.
Completely agree on the whole cashier point - including the “superficial” argument. I do not need to talk philosophy with them, but the fact that they are talkative and make the interaction pleasant is a game changer. And it looks like AT&T is the worst for spam calls. I’ve been with T-mobile and have yet to receive a spam call, which is shocking knowing that my husband who is with AT&T got 9 just today. But you really are fairly Czech integrated :)
I had no idea that the spam calls varied by carrier - that's scandalous! I would drop AT&T like a bad habit! And I agree, a little superficial talk and a smile beats a grumpy interaction any day.
Trader Joe's cashiers have to be chatty with the customers. Is part of job description and culture of the store. Manager is standing behind them on elevated pedestal and listening/watching how they interact. Customers think it's natural conversation. :-) Wholefoods less but same story. Also cashiers can be more talkative in US and less focused because 90 % transactions are cashless. In Czech cashiers handle a lot of cash transactions and must stay razor sharp focused, you can't talk when counting in your head.
Já osobně, též dávám nákup zpět do vozíku a pak si ho sama v klidu uložím do tašek, tak jak potřebuji...upřímně, kdyby mi prodavačka házela( dávala) nákup do tašky tak jak jí to přijde pod ruku, nevím v jakém stavu bych jej donesla domů, např. dole jogurty a na tom třeba brambory:-)
This is interesting. I was in a few US cities briefly: Salt Lake City, Washington, NY, Buffalo, SF, LA, Phoenix and they all feel completely different. Salt lake city has rather small center with villas to one direction and lot of one or two story houses in the valley along the highway. But even in place around small hotel in residential area there were some small shops and restaurants or fast foods, including Bohemian restaurant with not exactly Czech cuisine, but they tried. I guess Buffalo is somewhat similar, but city center felt like ghost town in the evening. Maybe because it was like 8C with gale strong winds in May, but shops were closed as well. Washington feels like big European city. NYC/Manhattan was overpopulated with only supply and garbage trucks as road traffic, only way to get around city was underground (or walk), I felt like it's somewhat dirty and falling apart cause sky scrapers are 100 years old. Lots of fast food, not sure about smaller shops - however it seems that CVS pharmacy is everywhere and it has basic food. LA and Phoenix felt like there is residential area with copy&paste houses and nothing else. But hotels were far from center. San Francisco is special cause even Main street feels like ghetto, whereas SLC or Buffalo felt like clean and safe places where I can imagine living
Check out lady trying to brighten my day sounds genuinelly terrifying! 😂 I'm serious. Just sit there auietly and wait for me to bag my stuff as i want to. I don't want anyone else to touch my stuff or help me to do something i need no help with. I love the hands off / i don't give a fuck approach of Czech check out ladies.
Very relatable, coming back from Poland. Talkative strangers. Having to show ID all the time. Fake smiles/cheerfulness. Having to own a car. Rushhour! Nothing within walking distance. Public transit being a sad joke. Everything being 2-3x as expensive. I never missed the States in Poland. But I miss Poland A LOT back in the States.
The States aren’t all bad. If drinkable tap water, guns, and laundry dryers are the priority, then it’s a better place. I prefer Europe, big time. And when I go back, I’ll be staying long term. :)
If you are slower than the checkout lady in Czech or Slovakia, just initiate a smalltalk, give her a compliment how fast she is that you are astounded :) She will smile and greet you nicely. Those people work under pressure not just from management, but also other impatient grumpy people unwilling to wait longer at the cashdesh. Silence is golden, however a few words and a smile on your face (or in eyes when wearing a respirator) help :)
It was a parmesan chicken salad (on page 3 here: www.macaronigrill.com/Assets/romanos-macaroni-grill-nutrition-facts.pdf). It's also massive in size so a normal European portion would probably have been 550 calories ;)
To the checkout situation here in CZ: My parents taught me that I shouldn't waste the time of the cashier so she could have some break. So they showed me how to properly put all of those groceries in the same order on the counter as I will stack them in the bag/backpack. Mostly all of my friends were taught the same system when they were younger. Usually bottles of beverages first then cans and jars, then heavy/hard stuff like potatoes, carrots and on top of that light stuff like rohlíky, potato chips, packs of hams/salami etc.
and if you go to some local "večerka" where the lady has a huge checkout counter and all the stuff they are selling are behind her on the shelves, you should be prepared and tell her the stuff in the same/similar order as I already mentioned.
Trik v supermarketu u pokladny: skládat zboží na pás tak, jak si ho budeš dávat do tašky. Tzn.těžké, tvrdé věci první a křehké nakonec. Tak abys ty křehké měl v tašce nahoře.
Nebo házet to zpátky do nákupního vozíku a do tašky si to dat v klidu po zaplacení. Pěkný den :)
To máte samozřejmě pravdu. Nejčastěji chodím nakupovat do Hypermarketu Albert. Ale některé prodavačky neberou věci, tak jak jsem vyskládala na pás. Třeba dávám první brambory, džus apod... . ale ony si nějak podle sebe berou potraviny z prostřed. Vůbec to nechápu. A jiné prodavačky i prodavači ani nepočkají, až všechny věci naskládám na pás a jedou takovým fofrem, že to ani nestíhám házet zpět do vozíku, natož si to pěkně poskládat do tašky. Taky se mi stalo, že jsem brala nanuky a měla jsem u nich nachystaný sáček. A prodavačka ho chtěla vyhodit. Ještě, že jsem rychle zareagovala, že mám ten sáček na ty nanuky. Oni totiž nesmějí mít sáčky u pokladny. Je to divné, ale v Lidlu se sáčkama u pokladny neměli žádný problém. Tu a tam napočítají nějakou věc navíc. A kdybych se někoho zeptala, co bude dělat o víkendu, tak se na mě zamračí, že je to jasné - opět u pokladny, jak jinak. Ale na druhé straně, musím prodavačky politovat. Kolikrát nemají čas si zajít ani na WC. Někteří zákazníci jsou protivní. No, je to nevděčná práce, nedělala bych ji ani za nic.
@Jan Krynicky Asi, jak kde.
Jestli se Honza zepta ceske podkladni, co bude delat o vikendu, tak si bude myslet, ze ji zve na rande.
nebo řekne: CO BYCH JAKO MĚLA DĚLAT??? BUDU TADY SEDĚT!!!
Ja jsem se ji chtel take zeptat, ale mal jsem tam manzelku ... :)
ja som v prahe v alberte musel vysvetlovat pani v pokladne ako planujem otvorit kokosovy orech, ktory som si prave kupil... :D
Tak to je přesný. :D Pokud by to bylo milé, ne vlezlé a přesto odvážné, přesně tak by to česká žena mohla vyhodnotit. Ale na druhou stranu nadáváme, že čeští muži ženy nedobývají, neoslovují, nejsou aktivní. Ono se není čemu divit, když by jim ženská nejspíš nevěřila a považovala je za úchyla, nebo obšourníka. :D
@@lusisali7188 Zajímal by mne překlad pojmu "obšourník" do angličtiny. :-D
The cashier in the Czech Republic are paid by the hour, but they only have a certain time to mark one product. If the cashier is too slow, he may lose his job. It's sad, but it works that way in some stores. For example in Lidl. Every month, a list of cashiers according to speed is placed on the bulletin board. Those that are too slow are highlighted in red and everyone sees it. Therefore, let us not judge them.
This is so fascinating Teresa! I feel like I need to do a further exploration of the cashier working conditions!
My cashier this week told me about her twelve year old dog and how he needed surgery!!😂
I would like to add my sisters experience…she used to work as a cashier at store called Kaufland. She would always complain how stressful the job was. Did you know that the company actually hired people, “under covers”, and they would try to catch cashiers doing things wrong? Basically, they would pose as regular costumes with carts full of items; however, they were there to make sure that every single item was scanned correctly + nothing was overlooked or forgotten . Ugh!
As far as helping with bagging costumers items goes that is strictly prohibited! Ugh again! And I know…don’t get me started!
one thing i like about lidl is the fact that they have two of these little "stations" where you can bag your things!! so if you're still getting your stuff and they're done scanning everything they'll just go on to the next person.
Where did you see that? It's hard to believe such thing really exists, that's like from some American movie. Quality of cashier is not only about maximal speed and I think visible showing to other employees that you are slow or bad worker could be even illegal or at least very discourteously, it's your personal thing between you and your employer.
Jen & Honza, great video as always. I wish it lasted twice as long to be honest :D What I would be really interested in is how your family and friends "saw" you after such a long time and if they noticed any changes about your attitude to certain things, new habits in your behaviour you might make in CZ and how they look at your life in CZ...
Great question!!!
Good question, but it can be a little bit too personal question. :)
That would be a great video!
Especialy forbiden talks about LGBT/Neomarx and other things. At CZ is normal to critize or have a debate about these. But at US!?
The check out lady story is the best. I am a Czech living in California and I keep spoiling them over here by bagging the groceries myself. They always can't believe it 😂🤣
I am from Scandinavia, Sweden, a literally “do it your self” - country. But... when I was just recently in Prague they told me that I have to weight fruits my self and it was said NOT in the very nice way despite being absolutely clear that I am a tourist. It was Strange! So.. is there any logical explanation for that? Is it like very extremely low paid? Or are their work hours long like hell?
@@jammmy30 Firstly, the not nice way, is often (but not always) just an automatic neutral response (bambillion of people ask, people get tired, ...), it's often not meant in a mean way (again not always ;)) and sometimes you can strike a quick conersation and realize the person is actually very nice.
Now back to the topic, to weight your fruit and vegetable, this came with the surge of automatic cashier machines, to be precise it came a bit earlier in some places but it was part of the plan. The reason why it came earlier was because there were long lines of people waiting while now things are surprisingly a lot quicker.
Main reason now is that you don't really need to meet a cashier if you don't want but you still need to get the weight/price of your items ;).
Have a nice time in Sweden!
Jammy: ive just got my 783 euros in czech crowns the very first time after working for one company after 9 fricking years... Its not really much for someone who has to eat gluten free food only.
@@jammmy30 The reason is pretty simple: The cash register, the machine, cant weight the things. There's just not any weighing-machine
built in it. It's not like the lady doesn't want to do it, she actually can't do it :D And now the funny part: Some supermarkets have these 'dumb' cash registers and some have 'smarter' and the lady does the job :D So even I as a Czech don't know if I should weight it myself or not :D
@@IQEGO thanks for a very good answer
Tak já ten nákup narvu zpět do vozíku a do tašek si ho pak v klidu přendám někde na chodbě,klidně i před obchodem.
@@ElstromF problem je to s kosikama. Ale s vozikem casto resim nakup az treba u auta nebo tak. Je to pohodlnejsi nahazet to zpet a pak si v pohode a klidu resit taskovani.
@@ElstromF Nikdo ti nedovolí vzít košík za kasu :D Možná to máte na Slovensku jiný.
Ja si to balim vzdy v pohode a cim su oni rychlejsi tym som ja pomalsi. Proste taka symbioza :D
@@Kkkk-pu3ez Teď už bohužel ne, ještě před pár lety to nebyl žádný problém... nevím, co se změnilo.
Celý život jsem normálně dal věci zpět do košíku, odnes si ho někam bokem (dokonce na to byly takový odkládací pultíky), tam si v klidu přendal nákup do tašek a při odchodu dal košík ke dveřím k ostatním, kde si je mohli lidi brát... fungovalo to nádherně. Teď se košík musí nechat před kasou - proč? Takže je potřeba další clověk, který je občas sebere a donese ke dveřím, aby si je lidi mohli brát - proč? Naprosto zbytečně, jen to komplikuje situaci... když jsem se s tím setkal poprví, tak jsem jen čuměl co to má znamenat, proč by někdo vymýšlel takovou píčovinu... ale je to tak, pořád to nechápu.
Košíky jsou teď úplně k ničemu, klidně je můžou vyhodit... buď je ten nákup tak malej, že to poberu do ruky a košík nepotřebuju, nebo je větší a musím si stejně vzít vozík, abych měl kam dát věci po zaplacení.
@@Kkkk-pu3ez Nesmysl, vozík si beru většinou před obchodem a tam ho vracím, mám na mysli supermarkety.
The crazy amount of items in supermarkets definitely has to lead to crazy amount of waste. Sadly.
Yeah, I realized with so much options, they certainly can't sell everything, so the amount of waste is probably pretty big.
So much in the US is nonperishable though... Even the bread!! We aren't Czech enough yet to buy daily rohlíky, but it was kind of crazy to me to see my family in the US eating bread they bought weeks ago like that's normal
how can you even know whats good? stupid wasting
I am not fond of shopping in supermarkets, because of time I spent finding items I need. If I would live in USA I would make list of titems i need and where to find them even then it would take too much time.(too much stuff i do not need)
Supermarkets are in Czech Republic also. Wasting happens on both side of the globe.
You guys looks so happy to be back in the "normal" world at home :)
We are happy! Thanks for the welcome!
The allergen information is a legal requirement in the Czech Republic, and in the rest of the EU, based on the EU Council Directive 1169/2011.
A pro někoho, kdo nějakou alergii má je to ohromná výhoda. Když se pouze zeptáte servírky, poví vám cokoliv. V lepším případě, že neví. V ještě lepší případě se jde zeptat do kuchyně. Ale - co je psáno, to je dáno. (musím se vyhnout 1 - lepek)
@@vaclavkucera4098 99,99% lidí nemusí, ale nakecalo si, že musí. Výhoda pro alergiky - jsou bezlepkové potraviny. Nevýhoda pro mne - sehnat něco co bylo ze přenice a teď najednou v tom pšenice není. Nevýhoda pro kuchyni - drahé řešení a nikdy nikdo neví, jestli je to opravdu alergie, nebo jen "moderní".
@@vaclavkucera4098 souhlasím, je to výhoda. Bohužel se setkávám i s restauracemi, které alergeny uvedeny nemají a mají tam tu úžasnou hlášku "informace u obsluhy" ... tak se zeptám, jestli to jídlo obsahuje lepek a řekne mi, že vůbec neví co to je. 🙄🙄 že mi ti informace nemůže dát, tak ji poprosím, ať se zeptá kuchaře a přijde s informací, že asi ne ......
žer seno a trávu a máš po starostech
Hodí se to i u klobásek a šumek, tie s lepkem taky obcházím, kalorická nálož jídla je taky zaujímavý príspevok...
I've just recently moved back to Texas after spending 15 years in Prague. Slowly trying to re-adjust. Everyone has noticed drastic change in me, and I feel like "home" is a foreign place now. I never thought I'd say that I have to culturally adjust to being where I was born and raised.
I moved back to Czech after 22 years in TX. Same feelings you have. Im back 15 years and i could tell you, you will never change like it was. But actually this is good :)
I moved back to Czech after 22 years in TX. Same feelings you have. Im back 15 years and i could tell you, you will never change like it was. But actually this is good :)
Texas sucks.
Sympatické, vtipné video jako vždy.👍 V USA průměrně více vyděláte, ale zase na různých, skrytých a často nepřehledných poplatcích snadno utratíte, obere Vás kde kdo. Kapitalizmus je tam doveden až do absurdity, žel i my se k tomu pomalu blížíme. I tak jsem rád, že žiji v Evropě a v ČR zvlášť. Ať se i Vám zde daří. Málo komunikační povaha má v Česku složité historické kořeny vyplývající z nedůvěry, to je ale příliš široké téma. Pokud nemám z různých důvodů náladu jsem rád, že mě nikdo zbytečně neotravuje. Je příjemné pozorovat, že začínáte být doma spíše tady
Jn pravda ta komunikace od revoluce vázne...
13-16 dollars for beer? That is attrocity.
Martin, I am with you on this.
@@DreamPrague It is directly racketeering!
It's like in Monaco or Paris.
U nás taky máme místa s extrémně předraženými věcmi, pasti na odrbávání nepozorných turistů.
@@breznik1197 Ale tam okrádají místní a ne jen turisty.
In Czechia (Austria,Germany) you get approached and asked by beggars on the streets only,in the USA i got approached many times by strangers who just wanted to chat,weird.I feared them but they were nice and politely walked away.NYC is like Prague,you better avoid strangers.Loud talking on the buses or metro is considered rude and hillbilish in Central Europe.
I live in NYC. People occasionally approach me on the street to ask directions, etc., because I look approachable, I guess. But I don't get strangers wanting to chat, maybe because I'm older. NYC is a lonely place - people sometimes chat on the street or in a bus just to make a connection with somebody. If they know you are a "foreigner", they may be trying to make you feel welcome.
Je to zábavné, já pocházím ze Slovenska před 20 lety jsem přijela do Prahy a byl to rozdíl i když jsme podobná země, jsou rozdíly v temperamentu. Když jsem po 10 letech přijela na Slovensko tak si říkám jak jsou všichni hlučný a takový že když Vás od srdce chtějí někam poslat tak to prostě udělají. A když se Vám zdají prodavačky tady nepříjemné tak na Slovensko ani nejezděte. Pracovala jsem taky jako pokladní a musím říct, že pomáhání skládání do tašek opravdu není starost prodavaček a bere se to jako že zdržujete. Nejlepší je si vzít vozík a věci si tam zpátky naložit a po té si je uložit do tašek.
Po 15 letech v Praze jsem se s manželem který je rozený Pražák ( takže vše co není Praha je vesnice) rozhodli odstěhovat do vesnice poblíž malého města. To byl také šok, nejprve jsme zjistili jak je vše levnější mhd, parkovné. Dokonce se i dá zaparkovat na různých místech ve městě. Mnohem menší výběr v obchodě a taky počítat s tím, že večer už nic nekoupíte. Byly jsme zvyklí chodit nakupovat do nonstop tesca klidně v noci a vše jsme koupili. Ale netrvalo to dlouho a zvykli jsme si rychle na to jsme přišli když asi po dvou letech jsem se rozhodla, že pojedeme na Vánoce nakoupit do Globusu do Prahy. Bylo to asi stejné jako to co popisujete koukali jsme kolem sebe, toho zboží, toho výběru, tolik druhů pečiva a tak, jak malé děti přitom ještě nedávno jsme to považovali za normální. Ale rozhodně jsme si taky vzpomněli na ty davy lidí a na klid a pohodu u nás. Už vím že takový výběr nepotřebuji u nás je hodně a více různých pekáren a farmářských prodejen. Takže takové malé šoky se dají zažít i v malém měřítku.😊
Mě by zajímalo, jak se na Vaše "poevropštění" dívali známí, kamarádi, rodina. Jestli se divili některým zvykům nebo na co se vyptávali.
Hi, yes, know exactly how it feels, Jen and Honza. I had a reverse culture shock - I am Czech who came back to Prague for 8 month, after 8 years of life in USA, including LA. It was tough. I cried every day. :) But this was back in 2005 when both, Czech and LA were far from what they are now. Now the transition seems much less painful. Not sure if it's the cultures or me, probably both. I learned not to compare, instead of embrace the difference and enjoy it! Good observations on your side as always, thanks for the video!
I almost choked on what I was eating when I saw those beer prices. That's a long jacket with lots of inside pockets event.
I was horrified to see a glass of Barefoot wine for $12. That's more than the price for a whole bottle at the store, and it's not like it's even good wine!
I've lived here (CZ) for 4 years but I go home to Michigan quite often (a few times a year) and one of my favorite things of returning home is talking to strangers. I'll be in the restaurant bathroom or the grocery store and the stranger will say something to me. At first, I'm a bit shocked but then I'm reminded of how much I love it and miss it. Sometimes here in CZ, I'll reach for something in the store and a stranger will reach for something next to me and I have to remind myself not to start talking about the product and how I use it, etc. Then I immediately feel sad that strangers in this country are so disconnected.
As for the distance in driving. Ugh, it drives me crazy. My Czech husband and I lived in the States together for 17 years and driving 30 minutes to get somewhere seemed like nothing and just an everyday part of life. Here, we live in a village about 5 miles outside of České Budějovice and my husband's brain switches back to Czech thinking. To drive to the city (5 miles away) twice in one day is completely unheard of. If I ask him to go somewhere a 1/2 hour away, he responds with "that's so far!" I have to remind him how it's not far and how often we did it in America and he thought nothing of it there.
The thing with the checkout lady at the groceries, they are horribly underpaid and there is a pressure from the management, they basically track every single code scan and forcing them to be faster and scan it faster… There’s a whole documentary out there on UA-cam about this.
I feel these every time my family and I come back from visiting my in-laws in Czechia and we're only there for a few weeks at a time. The last thing I want to do after being trapped in airports and a flying metal cylinder for 14 hours is deal with a chatty shuttlebus driver.
“The check out ladies are…..special.” No truer words!! 😂😂😂
nedokážu si představit jak bych reagoval ve veřejné dopravě, když na mě bude mluvit celý autobus, zatímco si budu šeptat s členy mé rodiny. a zase toto pěkné video mi připomíná že jsem rád že žiju tam kde žiju. ve státě kde si věci z nákupáku musím dát sám do tašky a nějaká otrava mi do toho nekecá.
I actually found the calories really useful when I was at a business trip in the US. We went to some cafe to eat and saw some salad on the board. It was the highest calories dish on the menu so we figured that it is not the kind of salad we expected :D
I am still trying to get used to non talkative Czechs after 3 years here. Even Covid times I travelled back and forth between US and CR. When I land in US I start a conversation with the van driver because I missed it so much. 😄😃
někdo se v dopravě chce občas i vyspat, aspoň to je se domnívám důvod toho, že jsou lidi z ticha :-)
Jen a Honzo děkuji za další skvělé video a těším se na další. 👍🍀🌻
I worked in Czechia for a few years, and I have had culture shock going there, reverse culture shock coming home, and reverse reverse culture shock going back after quite a few years. One of the things I found was that Czech people where I lived were more talkative, and Americans of your generation or younger are not very willing to talk to strangers because instead of neighborliness, they were taught as kids that almost any stranger is dangerous. When I lived in CZ, I sometimes ran into the situation that American parents from the Greatest Generation were excited to have a conversation, while their Xer or millennial kids thought the parents were being reckless talking to strangers. When I lived there, I found that Czechs were not very concerned about safety, so among other things, they didn't clear the ice off the sidewalk. On snowy or icy days, the local emergency room was always full of people with broken limbs or cracked heads from slipping on that ice. On the other hand, Czechs had developed a skill since childhood of walking up and down steep hills covered with ice without (usually) falling. When I went back a couple years ago, I was surprised to discover that Czech supermarket cashiers are as crabby as they were under communism. I had also forgotten how much meat Czechs consume and how much alcohol I'd be expected to drink. Everything was meat and alcohol. I also found I was now unwilling again to strip in a coed locker room at the local dojo in front of 12-year-old girls, which Czechs take as normal. (Czechs will strip nude and change into their bathing suits out in the open on public beaches.) Another thing I noticed when I went back was that things will never be as convenient in Czechia as they are in the US, because while entrepreneurial types can add a veneer of digital convenience on top of a service, if they try to make the whole service convenient (such as shuttle buses waiting for you to transfer from a private-run train), there's always some bureaucratic lunkhead with a communist-era mentality throwing a monkey wrench into the whole thing. Also, the quality of the produce in Prague supermarkets would be second- or third-rate in the US, Germany, France or Hungary. Many of the vegetables are rather rubbery.
When you are at the checkout in store just put everything scanned back to the basket, pay and you have time to straighten everything into a bag like you want to. And the others behind you don't have to wait for you to straighten it up. :)
This is really the best approach, but for some reason, I still find myself trying to bag at light speed.
But this is a double job.
@@marcelaprazakova3726 for the same reason i hate self-checkouts. You first have put all your shopping on the scale and bag it only after paying. A god save you if you put your bag on the scale in attempt to put your shopping right into it, you wont even be able to proceed to scanning your items. Who the hell came up with this idea?! Not only do i take twice as long to scan my shopping than the cashier lady, but moving all the items twice makes my 5 min shopping a 15 min hell!
@@martinajurickova5750 I think I've seen the option "my own bag" on self-checkouts at some chains. But never tried it yet.
@@martinajurickova5750 I always get some sort of error at the self-checkout, and then have to wait for an employee to come over and fix it. I would rather wait in line for a person than deal with that stress.
Well, the size thing is really more a density and urban planning thing.
Prague is actually much bigger than what is shown on the picture (although indeed smaller than LA). The difference is that European cities are generally planned as mixed zones where everything is together - apartments, shops, offices, services, etc. This allows people to generally stay within a small distance from their home, since everything they need is there. On the other hand, in the US such zoning is generally prohibited by local regulations + there is a strong car culture, leading to bigger distances between places one visits often.
As someone from Woodland Hills/Calabasas looking at moving to Prague, this extra touch of familiarity is really comforting :)
Thanks god you are back in Prague 🙏😊 we were missing you 😂👍
Aw thanks Mira!
Jen Dekuji Vam a Vasemu sympatickemu manzelovi za sdileni zajimavych zazitku! :)
Super video 👍
K těm pokladním. Teda vůbec se mi to nelíbí. Raději používám samoobslužné pokladny.
Ale vím, že pokladní jsou hodnocené za rychlost. K tomuto chování je tlačí systém zaměstnavatelů. Rychlost, optimalizace, tlak na snížení nákladů. Čím větší rychlost = méně pokladních = zisk.
Neobsahuji to. Pouze objasňuji.
Prodavačky to nemají jednoduché. Sama jsem taky dělala. Chvátají, protože okem vidí tu spoustu nervozních a nepříjemných lidí, co čekají ve frontě. Pokud by prohodila pár slov se známým, dostane od dalšího zákazníka vynadáno, že zdržují, někdy ještě hrozí, že si na ní budou stěžovat u vedoucí, pokud není dost rychlá. Stačí obyčejné stornování. Jde jí o rychlost, protože i za tu je hodnocena a odměňována. Naštvaní zákazníci, co čekají ve frontě několik minut si opravdu nechtějí povídat a už je naštve i zbytečné nabídnutí další klubové karty.
Pokud jste v malém krámku, nebo u pokladny a nikdo za vámi nestojí, jednu dvě přátelské věty rádi přijmou. Pokud si budete chtít povídat a za vámi bude deset lidí, vyslechnete si nehezké věci od čekajících.
Jsem rád, že jste zpátky
Jsem ráda, že jste sledoval!
New to the Channel. As a Czech/American, living in a predominantly Czech community in America, interesting to see an American's perspective of Czechs' while living in the Czech Republic. This channel gives a lot more meaning and understanding of encounters and experiences while being rared as an American by mostly Czechs.
Oooh, cool! Where is the predominantly Czech community you live in? I bet you have so many interesting stories to tell about being dual-culture!
@@DreamPrague Here is the location of West, Tx and a little bit of History as described in the Wikipedia:
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West is a city in McLennan County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 2,531. It is named after K. West, the first postmaster of the city. The city is located in the north-central part of Texas, approximately 70 miles (110 km) south of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, 20 miles north of Waco and 120 miles north of Austin, the state's capital.
Despite its name, the city is not located within the region of West Texas; area residents sometimes call the community "West comma Texas" to avoid repetition.
As of 2012 it has one of the largest concentrations of Czech Texans of any city in the state.
Contents
History
The first settlers of northern McLennan County arrived in the 1840s. They were farm and ranch families drawn from the east by the rich lands made available by the government sale of land to build schools in Texas. The area farmers cultivated the land and grew cotton, wheat, and grain sorghum, and raised cattle. The farming community centered around a freshwater spring that became known as Bold Springs. In 1860, Bold Springs had a population of about 300 and provided services such as a blacksmith, churches, and a post office.[8]
The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was laid between Hillsboro and Waco in the fall of 1881. The path of the railroad passed through land owned by Thomas West, who had moved to the area in 1859. He farmed land that he had purchased and served as postmaster of Bold Springs. A train depot was built on the land he sold to the railroad company and the land running beside the tracks was divided into small sections and sold to people wanting to start businesses. The new depot included a post office, and from that time forward it was known as the West Post Office. Mr. West served as postmaster and opened the first general store. He became a successful businessman and later owned a hotel, a furniture store, and a bank.[8]
The railroad brought prosperity to the area during the 1880s. More businesses were opened and more surrounding land was purchased. Czech immigrants came to the area, purchasing the rich lands to farm and start a fresh life in the new world. They also opened businesses, sharing their European culture. By the 1890s, the Czech businesses flourished in West.[8] On June 11, 1892, West was officially organized into a town. It had become the center of commerce for the area. There were cotton gins, grocery stores, churches, schools, and doctors' offices.[8]
The temporary city Crush, Texas, located just three miles (5 km) south of West, was the location of The Crash at Crush,[10] a head-on collision between two locomotives that was staged on September 15, 1896, as a publicity stunt for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. Over 30,000 spectators gathered at the crash site, named "crush" for MKT passenger agent William Crush, who conceived the idea. About 4 p.m. the trains were sent speeding toward each other. Contrary to mechanics' predictions, the steam boilers exploded on impact, propelling pieces of metal into the crowd. Two people were killed and many others injured, including Jarvis Deane of Waco, who was photographing the event and lost an eye. Texas Historical Marker 5315, located on Interstate 35 northbound frontage road, between Mangrum and Wiggins Road, commemorates the event.[11]
The turn of the century brought electricity, running water, and natural gas. The population of West and surrounding area grew. Many of the descendants of the original settlers continue to farm the lands and run the businesses today. Czech is still spoken by some of the older residents.[12]
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We still have a working farm(Ranching and Corps) that has been in our family since 1912 which I still manage today. Both my parents are Czech, Zatopek + Marak, came over in the 1880's through the port of Galveston from Frenstat Moravia, first settled in La Grange which is a city in Fayette County, Texas.
LOL. We've truly asimilated these two :D
So true! Love this comparison! I'm Czech but lived in California for some time and totally agree on all the points!
This video was pretty refreshing in that that you were 2 people talking, it makes the video much more interesting ...
Glad you enjoyed it! I’ll ask Honza to join me in more videos😎
My dialogue with the cashier is limited to "Dobrý den" and "Nashledanou, přeji vám příjemný den". But most of them smile when I wish them a pleasant day. I can't remember meeting one that would be unpleasant or that would try to rush me.
Maybe you dont go shopping a lot or you go to a particular store with nice chechout ladies😉I go shopping one or twice a week to various stores and unfortunatelly it still surely happens to me at least half of the time I pay there.
Wow. Awesome video. Really enjoyed it. I was excited to hear that it might be normal to help during putting your shopping to the trolley. I was pregnant during this spring And shopping was one of the most challanging things for me. I was so thankful for cashier ladies who closed the pokladna after I did my shopping because I could do it slower. ONCE even the cashier lady put all my shopping into my trolley - that was surprising for me and I was really glad. However after certain month of pregnancy I told my husband I cannot do this anymore And did ONLY online shops or wrote a shopping list to him but it Is not the same as shopping on my own ;-)))))
12:15 that sounds like a nightmare. It slows down the process. Czech czechout ladies are not friendly but they are fast and efficient.
Haha, you might have a point Jakub.
Ono za těch pár korun, co dělají, by možná někteří chtěli, aby jim ho u toho ještě vykouřila :P
Also it kinda fits the Czech mentality. I am not in "chore places" to socialise. I am there to do my chores. Be it at the doctor's waiting room, public transport or grocery store.
When we go out to socialise you can tell we are out to socialise. No avoidance of eye contact, no book in hand or headphones, no "looking past you" absent minded looks. And we do that in places that make sense like pubs (even there we mostly keep to ourselves there), clubs, parks, beaches, stadiums, concerts etc. But in the grocery store, the only thing that interests me is getting out of the grocery store. I am not there to be inefficient. Check out ladies have trouble of their own and I do not care about hers as much as she does not care about mine. I'll honestly wish her a nice day because I worked in retail and I know the rat race it is and carry on.
Oh, but some are friendly :). I usually shop late in the evening, less people, and I find it amazing that after a long day the cashier is able to ad some sincere "have good evening, it´s finally colder outside" or something like that. They must feel like a non-person machine there, so it is nice for them as well to communicate a bit.. I often slip some nice word there as well, and I always get a nice reply. (and I hate small talk otherwise).
Nobody wants to wait in line for too long. I think that´s why Czechs prefer those self-check outs. When I decide to go through a cashier, and there´s a male cashier and a female cashier, I decide to go through the female cashier because they are usually much faster...
Thank you for this video. You both are very nice and I sort grow fond of you. You became my virtual friends :))))
Thanks Jan! Happy that you’re watching!
I'm so proud of you.
Hi Jen, Honza, that's great one, very nice. Thank you for this.
Just very small notice ... on one side, you are happy, you don't need to talk to strange people in bus or metro ... on the other side you require to be asked by cashier about your weekend plans.
I do understand that the speed and behaviour of our cashiers is a bit crazy, but the last thing I wish is to talk with them about my private plans or things :)
It's really nice to see you guys together in a video, I enjoy seeing your dynamics :)
Thank you Ica! Glad you enjoyed it :)
Hey, I just found your channel… I am a Czech girl and I’ve enjoyed every single video so far!🙌🏻
It’s strange… I’ve never been to the US, but there’re so many things that influenced me during growing up. Most of them coming from the US… not all bad. When the first Starbucks opened in Prague, I was so basic…😂😂 nevermind.. it’s nice see your pov:)
Hi @MSeliskaZ! 👋 Ráda slyším, že se Vám videa líbí. 💚 Thank you so much for the kind words!
Ty prodavačky a krátké pásy v ČR mě taky štvou. Je to stres. V Paříži jsem zažila, že nám zboží ukládala prodavačka do tašek. To bylo moc milé.
Práce pokladní je v ČR strašná, příšerně placená a tlak od zaměstnavatele na pokladní je neuvěřitelný. Nedivím se, že jsou nepříjemné, kyselé, protivné.
Your US-stadium experience reminds me of what you've mentioned in one of your previous videos on restaurants; i.e. that going to a restaurant with friends in the US is a once in a month time event, therefore it must be luxurious and expensive. This mentality possibly affects your expectations regarding the stadium and your mind is more willing to accept that the prices are ok.
It's interesting how much you've changed living in Czechia. :) ... Though I don't get the sentiment about somebody bagging your items in a store. Why would I want a stranger touching my food to pack it? Just put it in a cart and organize it later.
exactly.. the bagging part..dont touch my stuff! And I can bag it as quickly as she scans, you can learn it, not dificult, key is to put the stuff from troley in order you want to put them in a bag..easy
Jídlo máte zabalené takže se pokladní dotýká obalů a ne jídla a lidé to berou.
i would feel totally incompetent if someone tried to pack my food for me at a store 🤷
Hello! I'm from Slovakia (I lived in the US) and all of these things also apply over here! BTW, I've been binging your videos for the past few days and they're really good!
Thank you Ben!
@@DreamPrague You're welcome! Za málo!
Tak já se zeptám co dělá paní pokladní o víkendu a její manžel nebo moje manželka my rozbije hubu. To v Čechách asi nebude fungovat. Jinak pěkné video.
Very interesing insights, as always. Thank you for your videos! And yes, we do have a rather disreputable supermarket checkout culture in Czechia... not always but often.
Great to have you both back! I missed your videos. Thanks for the interesting chat. I look forward to the next part.
"Flavor of vaccine" :-D :-D :-D
From my experience there is also a difference between prices at sporting events or concert and outside in Czechia, although they are not that outrageous of course. I remember in 2019 Radegast 12 cost 55 CZK at a festival and 36 CZK right outside in the town. :-)
I always talk to the checkout people to brighten their day since they work so hard and I can see it makes them happy.
Ono jde o to že kdyby prodavačka v ČR nebyla extrémně rychlá tak si stěžují lidi ve frontě že to trvá. A většina čechů není na doporučování a nějaké jiné prupovídky prodavačky vůbec zvědavá. Je to prostě o té mentalitě a není na tom nic špatného. Pomoc při balení do tašky je fajn ale kdyby si se mnou chtěla pokladní pokaždé povídat nevim jestli bych z toho byl úplně nadšený. =D Češi totiž obecně nesnáší strojenou konverzaci. Nestojím o to aby se mě pokladní ptala jak se mám když vím že je jí to ve skutečnosti úplně volný. =D
Great video! Good to have you back in Prague! :) both of you look super chilled and Jen - you look absolutely flawless! ☺️
To comment on the whole payment/bagging situation in Czechia. It most certainly is not stressful for most Czechs. When I buy groceries, I let the woman stare as much as she likes. As you said, they are paid hourly. It's not that they judge you, they just have nothing better to do when you're occupying their bagging tray. Just ignore it, if you want to talk to them, try striking up a conversation yourself, they'll be immediately taken out of their comfort zone and will suddenly need to improvise, which will turn them back into human beings :D
Not true. It's always very stressful for me as I feel the pressure to pay & get out quickly, esp. from the customers behind me. I think it's very rude from the businesses to put their customers in that position. A horrible Czech habit. In this area Americans really do better!
Well I just came back from Prague and I can verify the experience with Pokladna ladies. Here in Greece we are used to deal with e really helpful checkout ladies . They always offer assistance when the "slider" doesn't have a separator. Separators allow you to fill your bags while the next client is checking her things right next to you without getting your items mixed.
Oh, God, I honestly *hate* listening to other people's conversations. I don't particularly like talking at any significant volume on the bus, and I especially hate talking on the phone on the bus. I only do it if I *have* to, and even then, only really quietly. It honestly seems really rude, and it might just be me, but I end up being rather embarrassed that I was talking on the phone on the bus, where other people could hear my conversation. I wouldn't be lying if I said I'd rather keep phone boxes on the street and in squares even if they were only there to talk on a mobile phone. And it'd be even worse if I was talking about what vaccine I'd had, especially in front of strangers. Perhaps in front of family and friends (if only to see what kinds of side effects I should expect), but definitely not in front of strangers.
I 100% agree with you Alex
Did you know that in the Czech Republic they don’t have privacy curtains around beds in the hospital? This is when I got my biggest cultural shock in my life. The local nurses and doctors also complain about it, but nothing ever done 🤷♀️
I took me ages to get used to grumpy Czech shop assistants, poor products choice and prices here 😭
@@MyTarasik Wow, that’s honestly insane. Here in the UK, in all the hospitals I’ve been to (as a patient or a visitor), there’s always been one. Wonder if there’s any organisations that advocate for patients that could get them installed
Jj.
And in Czech Republic if you don't want to receive any marketing calls from this company, you can explicitly state this, and they will not dare to contact you anymore. Didi it with my Vodafone, my bank, and they really have some tick in the system that says "do not contact this person anymore". Awesome stuff!
od té doby co jsem začal používat self-checkout nemám problém :) ... dokud se teda ten krám nezasekne :D pak začíná horor
Pecka tam kupovat 5 pytlicku vanilkoveho cukru treba 😅 kdyz ty mrchy nekdy nezaznamenaj ten 1g balicek.
Mám pocit, že mně se častěji zasekne, než ne. A pokud zkusím platit stravenkovou kartou, tak to vždy vyžaduje potvrzení obsluhy.
Pěkný opruz je, že když má člověk něčeho víc kusů, tak si musí odpípat každý zvlášť, pokud tedy nejde např. o pečivo. Kupovat deset piv nebo patnáct tatranek je asi fakt lepší u obsluhy, která má povolené i násobit.
.... nepoužívám samoobslužné pokladny .... neberu lidem práci , raději půjdu k naštvané pokladní , nežli bych zvyšoval marži majiteli . A při těch samoobslužek mě i napadlo co si vymyslejí příště - --vypěstujte si zeleninu a k nám jí příjdte jen zaplatit a slogan k tomu dají " víte co jíte , jelikož jste si to vypěstovali sami "
@@sujamich super. Jsme na vas vsichni moc hrdi.
I was so happy to have my phone ding with a new video! These were some really great perspectives on things I haven't thought about out here before.
Já v obchodech nejraději chodím k samoobslužným pokladnám, abych se nemusel s nikým bavit.
Ubohost
abych nemusela říkat nemám a nechci věrnostní kartičku :D
@@alenanecidova2502 :D To taky
Krtek - dyt ses taky krtek ne??? 🙃 🤣
Just kidding......
@@yomama6942 důvod?
As someone living in the US it’s hilarious to see your reactions as AMERICANS to these staples of American life!!! 😅 Great video! (The unsolicited calls are OUT OF CONTROL. 😡)
Faster checkout ladies are, slower is my packing. I dont care how long it will take me but generally the trick is to put items on belt in order you want to pack them so heavy items first since you want them at the bottom, then items you can easily toss to your bag and nothing will happen to them and at the end soft items like eggs or soft veggie at least thats my tactic however as I said I dont care about speed of packing and actually looking forward to those situation where I can slow down and piss the entire queue at the same time :D
Peter, you are a role model for us all. I'll try it.
I think you hit the nail on the head in the bit about choice. It's not there to give you more options it's just there to try to get you to buy stuff you don't really want or need
Totally. But it still makes me FEEL like I need it at the moment.
The allergen lists on menus are actually EU legal requirement :)
(I am not completely sure it has to be written directly on the menu BUT it definitely has to be available to every customer in any restaurant, buffet or food stand in the EU, write it right next to the meal is probably the most convenient)
The alergen list can be right on the menu or the waiter can tell you (in such case there must be a sentence on the menu stating "For the list of allergens in particular meals/bevarages ask the service.").
Great video! In regards to tipping, not all states in the US have raised their minimum wage for tipped workers. In Nebraska the minimum tipped wage is still $2.13 per hour so I always tip really well.
I haven't been back to the USA in more than twenty years. As a result I'm a changed man the idea of visiting NYC makes me ill. Life in Czechia is becoming more Americanized year on year which may not necessarily be a good thing. I have witnessed the changes since my first visit in 1991.
Slovakia had a similar sidewalk law, at least as far as winter maintanance was considered, for a couple of years. The sidewalks went back under the village/city responsibility about two years ago.
The check out ladies are actually monitored for the speed of scanning the items. The do have limits on how many items per minute she has to scan.
Nakupujte v mensich obchodech a krasne si s pokladni popovidate. Vetsina lidi stiha nandavat do kosiku, do tasek, takze to chce trenovat:D:D.
I know exactly, you speaking about. I worked at US for one year. I must smile. You are great.
I agree with you, American cashiers are mostly friendly, but sometimes it can be annoying when you have to wait until she finishes her conversation with the customer ahead of you 😂
Yeah, I was also panicking when my favourite channel tuned dead last week. And only yesterday I realized - oh, it is summer, haven't they gone for a vacation? And what a vacation it was! No mere Europe, but States!
We all are in panic mode when we are nearing the checkout lady!
Cashiers are actually judged on their performance by the store management based on their speed.
I'm from Northern California and have been living here in the Czech Republic for almost 20 years now. During these 20 years I haven't been back to the States at all. Last year I finally decided to take my daughter to the States to visit family, but then COVID came and we had to cancel our trip, so I still haven't been back to the States. I'm curious what kind of reverse culture shock I'll have once I finally get back there. I liked what you had to say about choice at the supermarkets. I lived in Mozambique for two years from 1999 to 2001 and when I finished up there and went back to the States, I also experienced quite a bit of anxiety when I went shopping for the first time after coming back. But anyway, great video 👍 I enjoyed it.
Oh wow, you are really going to have a culture shock then! I hope you get to travel there soon!
S těma nákupama, normální Čech si dá věci zpátky do vozíku (u pokladny) a do tašky si je dá potom, až zaplatí a poodejde bokem :-)
Tak to nejsem normalni cech. Nevidim duvod to zbytecne prehazovat jeste jednou.
Always nice to see you. I miss you Jen
Is overwhelming really everything what you pointed I am totally agree
Třeba já když jdu do obchodu tak to je v pohodě a nikde na mě prodavač(ka) netlačí ( samozřejmě se ty věci snažím rychle naskládat do tašky)
Tak normálně když má člověk větší nákup, tak už při vykládání zboží na pás má nějakou rámcovou představu, co s ním bude dělat, až mu z pásu vyjede. A pokud chodí člověk nakupovat na stejné místo, tak si časem ten postup optimalizuje a získá rutinu. Pochopitelně v těch obchodech, kde prostor za pásem nemají dělený na dva oddíly nebo tam je místa vůbec málo, je nakupování o něco nepříjemnější.
I don't know if you read Czech books, but you reminded me of Tall Tale of America by Josef Škvorecký which contains his experiences from the U. S. more than 50 years ago. Škvorecký also writes about supermarkets - by the time it must have been quite incomparable to Czechoslovakia - but as you say, there is still a difference. He also says: "I know it is just professional smile, but I will always prefer it over Czechoslovak professional frown." To put it short, I really recommend this book
about distances: I had the same thing when i moved to Prague from a town. I used to walk everywhere, i tried Prague... well I gave up, got metro or a tram.
If you ask a checkout lady what is she doing this weekend, its like inviting her for a date :D (btw maybe dont go to tesco or albert, try other shops)
beer prices: we would smuggle some beer inside :)
phone calls: we actually get some anonymous phone calls that try to make you become a customer, but its once in a while.
It really depends where you want to walk. I can walk from where I live (Southern Prague) to my work in the centre. It will take me 4 hours but I did it in past couple times. Pretty pleasant walk actually albeit fairly long one and the 20km starts to hurt halfway through (and to be fair the road is bike friendly but I am just fairly afraid to bike in city centre). But I do walk daily (to get some baseline movement) as I get off metro 2 stations before I need to and just walk. It takes extra 35 minutes (so doubles my commute time) but most of it is parks and I oftem get groceries on the way too or grab a take away for dinner etc.
Can't really imagine doing that anywhere near Smichov tho.
Prague is very walkable. I can imagine some of the outskirts can be worse but walking to a restaurant or a shop is very easy, walking around the whole "extended city center" as well.
@@VanBourner anything is possible... my colegue runs accross prague from work to home. BUT if you need to get somewhere, you cant really spend 4 hours not using bus or metro :)
@@MarvinCZ sure it is, when you are not in a hurry and when you walk just in some area. But I usually was getting about 35+ min by public transport to work... imaging if i just walked. I would have to wake up at 5 am and walk for hours :D
In a town you usually walk for half an hour to hour to get across the town and usuall travel time is like 15-20 min. You can say you dont need a bus there. Not in Prague if you dont go to the nearest večerka only.
@@bitkarek Going to work is different, that's often in a different part of the city. You may need to take the public transport.
But for shopping or eating out? No, that's all walkable. And I don't go just to the nearest večerka. I can go to 4 different supermarkets, about 10 different restaurants and many other shops, all within easy walking distance.
Great episode !!
9 times out of ten I visit supermarkets where you can scan your products (with a zebra or with an app on your phone) and put them in your bag right away. At the checkout, you just scan one code, all of the purchases goods are loaded in, you beep your card and off you go. It's very convenient, bacause you only need to bag once. And basically no cashier interaction.
I went to Czechia this summer and was shocked when a bartender didn’t want to give me a beer sample. He said ‘where did u come from? Where do they let you taste a beer before you order one?’ And then: ‘Jooo, děvče, tady nejsi v americe’ 😂😂😂
I had the opposite experience in the US. They let me taste 3 beers. The result was: OK, no good, I can wait 2 more days to have a beer in CZ! :-D
👽😁Tak vítejte doma děcka a buďte sví. Dnes to bylo skvělé. 👌👌👍🍀🌈😉
This was awesome! Really loved this
Just some random thoughts:
1) I´ve learned in marketing that there are distances according to how often you need the goods - so food was the most importatnt so that it should be within 5-10 minutes of walk from your house. After that goes "drogerie", pharmacy, clothing, books, electronics etc. At the end was a car or a furniture seller because if you realy want it you are able to go there even more than 10 km. The more expensive or luxury good you want the bigger distance to the shop you will accept. Maybe it changed since than (15 -25 years ago) but I think that is probably different here in Europe than in USA.
2)Cashier has to be quick because people don´t like the shoping so much and they like to use their time for leisure activities. Nobody wants to stay in a queue waiting 10 minutes till he gets to the front of the queue. As they say - why I had the badluck for the slow cashier?!
3) There is common to pay more money for your food or drink at the concert because the seller has to pay for the stand place - he gets more customers from the concert or match but he is usually selling for higher prices to earn more money. But the difference is not so big as you spoke about - I´ve seen maximum twice as much as normal. And there is a big risk that people don´t want to buy the too expensive drink. That´s why you are not able to take your own water into the concert area - to buy the water there. That´s why they even open the bottle and take you the bottle cap (for example in O2 in Prague) when they sell it to you because they know that a lot of people split their water on the ground accidentaly by droping it or kickin the bottle by foot (standing on the floor) and they had to go for a new one. If they had a bottle cap they would just pick up the bottle and it would be alrigt. I told it once to my friend and she smiled - she didn´t believe me. Ten minutes later she splited her cola to the ground and understood. She went for a new one. That´s why I always go to concert with some bottle cap in my pocket. It helps very much because usually all the PET bottles has the same size of the cap - realy there are just two different types of thread.
Completely agree on the whole cashier point - including the “superficial” argument. I do not need to talk philosophy with them, but the fact that they are talkative and make the interaction pleasant is a game changer.
And it looks like AT&T is the worst for spam calls. I’ve been with T-mobile and have yet to receive a spam call, which is shocking knowing that my husband who is with AT&T got 9 just today.
But you really are fairly Czech integrated :)
I had no idea that the spam calls varied by carrier - that's scandalous! I would drop AT&T like a bad habit! And I agree, a little superficial talk and a smile beats a grumpy interaction any day.
Trader Joe's cashiers have to be chatty with the customers. Is part of job description and culture of the store. Manager is standing behind them on elevated pedestal and listening/watching how they interact. Customers think it's natural conversation. :-) Wholefoods less but same story. Also cashiers can be more talkative in US and less focused because 90 % transactions are cashless. In Czech cashiers handle a lot of cash transactions and must stay razor sharp focused, you can't talk when counting in your head.
Já osobně, též dávám nákup zpět do vozíku a pak si ho sama v klidu uložím do tašek, tak jak potřebuji...upřímně, kdyby mi prodavačka házela( dávala) nákup do tašky tak jak jí to přijde pod ruku, nevím v jakém stavu bych jej donesla domů, např. dole jogurty a na tom třeba brambory:-)
The philosophy of Tipping is best described by Steve Buscemi in Reservoir Dogs 😁
This is interesting. I was in a few US cities briefly: Salt Lake City, Washington, NY, Buffalo, SF, LA, Phoenix and they all feel completely different.
Salt lake city has rather small center with villas to one direction and lot of one or two story houses in the valley along the highway. But even in place around small hotel in residential area there were some small shops and restaurants or fast foods, including Bohemian restaurant with not exactly Czech cuisine, but they tried. I guess Buffalo is somewhat similar, but city center felt like ghost town in the evening. Maybe because it was like 8C with gale strong winds in May, but shops were closed as well. Washington feels like big European city. NYC/Manhattan was overpopulated with only supply and garbage trucks as road traffic, only way to get around city was underground (or walk), I felt like it's somewhat dirty and falling apart cause sky scrapers are 100 years old. Lots of fast food, not sure about smaller shops - however it seems that CVS pharmacy is everywhere and it has basic food. LA and Phoenix felt like there is residential area with copy&paste houses and nothing else. But hotels were far from center. San Francisco is special cause even Main street feels like ghetto, whereas SLC or Buffalo felt like clean and safe places where I can imagine living
The checkout lady asking me about my weekend plans is not really something I miss :-)
I am looking forward to watch this episode !! Cheers ;-)
Check out lady trying to brighten my day sounds genuinelly terrifying! 😂 I'm serious. Just sit there auietly and wait for me to bag my stuff as i want to. I don't want anyone else to touch my stuff or help me to do something i need no help with. I love the hands off / i don't give a fuck approach of Czech check out ladies.
Love Honza´s kind of dry humor:))
He's a real wit, that one. :)
Very relatable, coming back from Poland.
Talkative strangers.
Having to show ID all the time.
Fake smiles/cheerfulness.
Having to own a car. Rushhour!
Nothing within walking distance.
Public transit being a sad joke.
Everything being 2-3x as expensive.
I never missed the States in Poland. But I miss Poland A LOT back in the States.
I’m sorry to hear it! Poland sounds lovely though…
The States aren’t all bad. If drinkable tap water, guns, and laundry dryers are the priority, then it’s a better place. I prefer Europe, big time. And when I go back, I’ll be staying long term. :)
If you are slower than the checkout lady in Czech or Slovakia, just initiate a smalltalk, give her a compliment how fast she is that you are astounded :) She will smile and greet you nicely. Those people work under pressure not just from management, but also other impatient grumpy people unwilling to wait longer at the cashdesh. Silence is golden, however a few words and a smile on your face (or in eyes when wearing a respirator) help :)
What is in the salad that makes it 1100 calories? Is it drowning in a white sauce dressing?
It was a parmesan chicken salad (on page 3 here: www.macaronigrill.com/Assets/romanos-macaroni-grill-nutrition-facts.pdf). It's also massive in size so a normal European portion would probably have been 550 calories ;)
I’m moving to Czechia in October from Seattle a we hate small talk with strangers so I think I’ll blend well haha