Sweden is a member of something which is informally referred to as the 'Vodka belt' where it, along with several other countries, produce over 70% of Europe's supply of Vodka. Along this belt is also Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Poland - all of which have their fair share of problems with alcoholism.
So, what does the Swedish government do? It monopolises and controls the source of these problems: Enter Systembolaget.
Systembolaget is the ONLY retail store in the entire country permitted to sell products containing more than 3.5% of alcohol. That means there are no little independent corner stores selling booze and no giant retail alcohol chains battling it out for the consumer -just a one-stop shop with the same name all over the country. You can buy some lite beer at the grocery store or in some cases, even a service station but if you want the hard stuff, Systembolaget it is.
Naturally I've paid a few visits to some of these stores and I wouldn't say there is anything especially different about them -oh, except for the fact you can't purchase in bulk. All products including beer cans and bottles are sold individually, meaning you can't purchase a case of something. * I have been corrected about the err of my ways (by an overly defensive Swede, of course) and have since learnt that yes indeed you can purchase drinks in cases, ranging from 4, 6, 8 to 24 packs however they are not discounted for buying in bulk, i.e. you still pay the same amount per individual bottle/can. The reason why I drew the conclusion was because I haven't really seen any cartons available however I have been informed they are ready upon request (better now, Swede?).
Having thought about it, I actually kind of like that. It's quite amusing to walk around the booze house with a basket picking individual bottles and cans to consume over the course of a night - adds a little variety I suppose. Though interestingly enough, when I visited one particular store in an outer-city area I could not physically hold any of the products. When I walked into the place I was greeted with what appeared to be some sort of giant alcohol display room where one of each bottle and can sold within were displayed in huge glass cases. I didn't quite understand where I'd walked into at first, assuming it must have been some sort of weird alcohol museum but then I noticed some cashier counters where, after getting a ticket from a ticket dispenser, customers would go to request their purchase.
After taking one of these magical tickets and briefly waiting in line, I walked up to the counter but had already forgotten what my decision was after choosing a selection from the display cabinets. I told the shop assistant to get me something nice, dark and red plus a cheaper bottle of red for cooking. My designated alcohol-getterer came back a short while later with two good recommendations, thus concluding my first experience with foreign alcohol regulations being slightly different to what I am used to. Was I bothered? Did it affect my life in any way? Definitely not.
So, what does the Swedish government do? It monopolises and controls the source of these problems: Enter Systembolaget.
Systembolaget is the ONLY retail store in the entire country permitted to sell products containing more than 3.5% of alcohol. That means there are no little independent corner stores selling booze and no giant retail alcohol chains battling it out for the consumer -just a one-stop shop with the same name all over the country. You can buy some lite beer at the grocery store or in some cases, even a service station but if you want the hard stuff, Systembolaget it is.
Naturally I've paid a few visits to some of these stores and I wouldn't say there is anything especially different about them -
Having thought about it, I actually kind of like that. It's quite amusing to walk around the booze house with a basket picking individual bottles and cans to consume over the course of a night - adds a little variety I suppose. Though interestingly enough, when I visited one particular store in an outer-city area I could not physically hold any of the products. When I walked into the place I was greeted with what appeared to be some sort of giant alcohol display room where one of each bottle and can sold within were displayed in huge glass cases. I didn't quite understand where I'd walked into at first, assuming it must have been some sort of weird alcohol museum but then I noticed some cashier counters where, after getting a ticket from a ticket dispenser, customers would go to request their purchase.After taking one of these magical tickets and briefly waiting in line, I walked up to the counter but had already forgotten what my decision was after choosing a selection from the display cabinets. I told the shop assistant to get me something nice, dark and red plus a cheaper bottle of red for cooking. My designated alcohol-getterer came back a short while later with two good recommendations, thus concluding my first experience with foreign alcohol regulations being slightly different to what I am used to. Was I bothered? Did it affect my life in any way? Definitely not.
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