I was surprised to learn that calling banks or customer service costs the caller.

 

Those coming from US find customer service well behind the times. In UK we have never had the same degree of service-oriented attitude that you have in US, and while staff are usually polite, they don't normally go out of their way to help you, and they regard you as their equal, expecting as much courtesy from you as they are giving you. So use 'thank you' and 'please' frequently, and you are more likely to get better service. The same goes for restaurant service. While you normally get reasonable service from servers, for many it's just a job. Many London restaurants levy 'optional' 12.5% service charge instead of tips, and people just pay it instead of rewarding servers individually. In many cheaper, family restaurants, service charge is rare and tips are optional, and many customers don't leave any.

 

Personally, I find the American style of restaurant service *way* too intrusive and overly familiar, and hence when dining in the States I offer my 'server' a handsome tip if he/she promises to steer clear of my table until/unless summoned by one of my party.

teuchter

 

^
I absolutely agree with you on customer service. Scottish stores have chairs for them to sit in. CHAIRS. Also they got rid of bags, so now if you want to bag your things, generally the people do it because they have to bring their own or buy them. Thats so uncommon here as well. People just let the cashier do everything. I hated working retail, but...actually I might like it in the UK!

Also I don't think its "weird" per se, but I find it adorable to see things like signs that say
"twenty's plenty" haha.
In America its just a number sign.

I also love just how much people use public services like trains and buses.
Thats so uncommon where I live. So so uncommon! It's so easier to get around in the UK.
Shops don't stay open long, but at least you can get takeaway almost no matter where you are. (Well, despite being in the highlands, those close at like 5pm ugh).

My finace appreciates the NHS a lot, especially after he accompanied me to the ER when he visited. I was there for an hour for something and charged $1000 for a bag of saline.
It's pretty ridiculous! That surcharge I'm going to pay when I get my FLR visa? TOTALLY WORTH. It'll be so much easier with Scotland's free prescriptions and just paying a single payment for healthcare than 1k for one appointment.

Also food is pretty nice, since they use less dyes, extra ingredients and whatnot
My life will be so much easier to live in the UK.

 

My finace appreciates the NHS a lot, especially after he accompanied me to the ER when he visited. I was there for an hour for something and charged $1000 for a bag of saline.
It's pretty ridiculous! That surcharge I'm going to pay when I get my FLR visa? TOTALLY WORTH. It'll be so much easier with Scotland's free prescriptions and just paying a single payment for healthcare than 1k for one appointment.

+1

This was amply illustrated to me recently, when a relative in the US was quoted in excess of $10,000 for a hip replacement - whereas I had the same operation on the NHS two years ago.

teuchter

 

I think that the IHS charge is actually fairly reasonable, even coming from socialised health care that is Canada. If I were living back in British Columbia, I'd be paying £440/yr in s (CAD 72$/mo = £36.57) plus 100% of my prescription costs ($10 dispensing fee per item + the cost of the medicine) and dental costs out of pocket. If I was fortunate enough to have a good extended medical plan from my employer (which I did in the job I had just before I came over), those costs would come down somewhat (I'd have to pay up to 20% of prescription charges and a varying amount for dental)... there is a minimum yearly spend required by the extended health insurance in order for those co-pay charges to be $0... I was fortunate enough to hit the minimum spend one year, just prior to needing a AP machine (>$2k in cost), so as painful as it was to have to pony up, does have its perks.

An ex-boyfriend of mine spent 3 weeks in a US hospital a couple of years ago because of a gangrene diabetic toe that had to be amputated. His bill was over USD $100,000 for his treatment. He is fortunate to have good health insurance, so his co-pay was about 1% of the final bill.



In regards to the cashiers at the grocery store sitting down while they process your order... each and every time I see them, I think to myself "Boy, they'd never survive in a North American grocery store!" because the cashiers at the stores in Canada and the US all have to stand for the duration of their shift. They do have a comfort mat to stand on, but unless they're on their break, they're standing at the til.

 

In regards to the cashiers at the grocery store sitting down while they process your order... each and every time I see them, I think to myself "Boy, they'd never survive in a North American grocery store!" because the cashiers at the stores in Canada and the US all have to stand for the duration of their shift. They do have a comfort mat to stand on, but unless they're on their break, they're standing at the til.

I completely agree with this. It is the same in Australia - people working on the checkout are always standing. I spent the majority of my university years working at a fantastic independent book store in Sydney and I was on my feet all day. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now I have my first I suppose you would call "office job" and I can't stand being sat at a desk all day. I much prefered the jobs I had when I was on my feet for 8+ hours!

Can't think of anything "strange" about living in the UK, but I do wish that shops didn't close so early on a Sunday. I still forget that I'm not able to go to the supermarket after 4pm and someone has to remind me. Shops are open so much later in Australia (near where I lived anyway).

 

One from me this time (although I'm a UKC, not an expat) - British people seem to think it's okay/no big deal to park on a disabled 'blue badge' parking space, when they are able-bodied. (It's actually a prosecutable offence.) Really annoys me

We recently returned from a three-week/seven country European roadtrip, and we didn't once see a non-disabled person's car in a blue badge parking space - interestingly, in Luxembourg, blue badge parking spaces had a sign which (translated) read "If you take my space, then take my disability too!"

teuchter

 

This sort of thing happens all the time, and annoys me too, it is not just a Bristish thing, I have seen disability parking spaces in Europe taken up by able bodied people, I.e fit healthy young people jumping out of their 4x4s because the disabled spots are wider for them to park in.
When I lived in the UK, my mum had a blue badge, so occasionally I used it when I was accompanying and driving her anywhere. She got hers because she was partially sighted, totally blind in one eye, and limited vision in the other, she also had severe heart problems so couldn't walk far. It was far easier for me when helping her, and for her, she kept her limited mobility by only having short distances to walk.
Later in my now Late mums life, she got inoperable cancer, and we brought her to Spain as much as possible, we had a wheelchair to take her around, but she had not renewed her blue badge, so we had to struggle, getting her wheelchair out of the car, and getting her out of the car seat, in the limited space of an ordinary parking space, I saw empty disabled spaces, but didn't dare use them, as she had not renewed her blue badge, yet I still did see not disabled using these spaces!

 

In America you have a mark on the back of your license plate that shows you have a disability, its a blue man in a wheel chair. I'm not sure if thats there in the UK, I just know you guys have something you put in the window I think?

Anyway, because its on the plate, and usually they have a hanging symbol in the car, it makes it really hard for people steal spots and they really crack down on it, at least in my state.

 

It's a "blue badge" which is a bit of cardboard in a plastic wallet so the holder can use any car but has to leave it displayed in the car window when parked.

 

I find the use of inches/feet/miles/pints/pounds/stone bizarre as since about 1973 (47 years ago) they stopped teaching the imperial measurements in schools so anyone under about 60 has never been taught in feet/inches/stones/pints/miles.

In the end it just confuses people as they say "my car does 45 miles a gallon" but buy their fuel in liters. Kids get confused as at school their weight is in kilogrammes and at home their weight is in stones and pounds so making a lot of them switch off from basic weight and measure maths.

 

Fortunately, imperial measures are used for very few things nowadays (eg the UK gained an EU exemption for milk, cider and beer to continue to be sold in pints and for road signs to continue to display miles); otherwise, all goods are sold in litres/metres/kilogrammes by law and most aspects of life are metric...I would opine that the use of mpg/stones are more by way of ingrained habit than anything else.

On a related note - the UK Met Office has been exclusively using degrees Centigrade for temperature since 1970, yet whenever there is a 'heatwave' (as has been the case these past few days in SE England), the media magically start quoting the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit...presumably because 100F 'sounds' hotter than 38C? (Ironically in winter, they stick with C, presumably because -10C 'sounds' colder than 14F?!)

teuchter

 

I think the thing to put in the window is a bad idea because it could be shared with others.
I've actually heard of that done once. I think the plate thing is the most verifiable thing because you cant just take that off and share it around haha!

 

Thing is! That the card version of blue badge UK has, can be used by other drivers, as long as their enger is disabled. My mum never had a driving licence or car, because she was ed blind, so whether it was me, my brother, or a kindly neighbour taking her out, the card (when it was valid) could be placed on anybody's dash board, as long as we were helping disabled mum.
The card is only ed for the person it is applicable to, in this case my mum,so couldn't be used for any body else.

 

What I still find strange here is that you can park on any side of the road. Will take some getting used to.

 

I find that one odd too.

And my husband saying things like, "oh, that's too far away".................and it's TEN miles! Then we drive it (after he notes the pout) and he's right, it takes 30+ minutes to get there. In CA ten miles is running to the store for one missing ingredient, not having to plan a week's shopping.

And when he tells me the shops will be closed (evening/weekend/holiday), I struggle believing that's possible.

And we've been looking for a new rental for over a year now......................real estate offices are closed on Sundays! How do these people expect to make money when they are closed when people are out looking? And there is no such thing as multiple listings (yes, I know about Zoopla, RightMove, etc.), each office maintains their own listings, even if it is the same company.

 

And when he tells me the shops will be closed (evening/weekend/holiday), I struggle believing that's possible.

Be thankful you weren't here 10+ years ago, when nothing was open on Sundays or public holidays!

And we've been looking for a new rental for over a year now......................real estate offices are closed on Sundays! How do these people expect to make money when they are closed when people are out looking?

That's odd - they're open here (Scotland) on Sundays - although then again, our Sunday opening laws are much more relaxed than England's.

teuchter

 

I agree 100% on customer service. In the US we get so accustomed to the overly bright and cheery CSR with a "customer is always right" kind of attitude. This is not so in the UK where CSRs do not act as though they constantly need to win your approval. I actually find the sincerity kind of refreshing.

Driving... The fact that the majority British drivers actually adhere to speed limits takes a bit of getting used to. In the US, a 60MPH limit means you can usually drive up to 75MPH before you're in danger of being noticed by highway patrol.

Watching British TV, I'm still sometimes amazed to see women with average body types. In the US you rarely see anyone of "average" weight in TV or films. Everyone in American media is either very thin, or the butt of a joke, and anything above "skinny" is considered "fat". My husband comments on this often. I know we have an obesity problem in the US (this is not to say that Britain doesn't) but I feel as though British women are more accepted for having different body types.

I still don't understand why I can't shop at Tesco after 4pm on a Sunday. If I don't have anything in the refrigerator, I have to dig for tubers in the garden or starve.

 

Ha! I am still amazed that I CAN shop on Sundays!

 

There was a rear-guard action by a coalition of Christians and other believers, trade unionists and some retailers (esp John Lewis and Waitrose) called 'Keep Sunday Special' opposed to Sunday Trading. Prior to the change in law in 1994, it was a criminal act for most shops to open on Sundays in England and Wales with very few exceptions, such as small corner shops, garden centres and those catering to travelling public such as service stations, though the enforcement was sporadic and some retailers flagrantly defied the law regularly and paid the fine (which was less than the profit they were making). The 1994 law permitted the opening of all stores (but not compelled to) on Sundays for 6 hours, with those with a floor space of 280 square metres or less allowed to open all day. There is still a general ban on trading on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. But with no public transport on Christmas Day, there is little demand for it.

 

There was a rear-guard action by a coalition of Christians and other believers, trade unionists and some retailers (esp John Lewis and Waitrose) called 'Keep Sunday Special' opposed to Sunday Trading. Prior to the change in law in 1994, it was a criminal act for most shops to open on Sundays in England and Wales with very few exceptions, such as small corner shops, garden centres and those catering to travelling public such as service stations, though the enforcement was sporadic and some retailers flagrantly defied the law regularly and paid the fine (which was less than the profit they were making). The 1994 law permitted the opening of all stores (but not compelled to) on Sundays for 6 hours, with those with a floor space of 280 square metres or less allowed to open all day. There is still a general ban on trading on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. But with no public transport on Christmas Day, there is little demand for it.

Which is how it should be... while I'm very much for wider Sunday trading hours and am not overly religious (I was raised Anglican/C of E but don't attend services regularly), I agree with the ban on most shops being open on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day... it just seems wrong, somehow, to allow it on those two days of the year.... in my drinkier youth, I was very glad that most firms I worked for were closed on New Years day.

 

There's no mashed potato and gravy at KFC. Just gravy. Why???

(Honestly this still annoys me 9 months after my last trip to UK, I'm sure I'll pick up on other weird things once im there permanently- one more week until I arrive!!)

 

Mashed potatoes are not available at KFC in Canada either. While mashed potatoes are widely eaten in Canada and the UK, they are not usually used as a side dish with fried chicken and most certainly are not used as a side dish with fast food.

 

Driving in Britain for the uninitiated is quite mysterious. I've been reading the UK driving manual, and have learned quite a bit that's useful. For instance, the National Speed Limit sign... I had no idea what that was either by name or by sight...

Here's an explanation:

https://www.askthe.police.uk/Content/Q594.htm

It doesn't mention that the speed limit is 30mph in built up areas, except it might be higher if there are lamp posts (street lights).

Hoping to be a safer and more confident driver the next time we hire a car in Britain!

 

Yes, the German 'Ladenschlussgesetz'! Much more liberal now except for Sunday opening compared to when I lived there in 1970s.

 

What I have found so far isn't necessarily weird to me in all cases, but definitely different!

- Cashiers at the grocery stores get to sit in chairs! Awesome!
- Some stores don't offer bags, so we bring our own (which is a good thing to do anyway!).
- Stuff is closed on Sunday! Oops!
- The mixed imperial/metric measurements confuse me a little.
- People seem to think that something 10 miles away is too far away, but then I realize it's a 30 minute drive; when I lived in Virginia, the nearest grocery store was 9 miles away and it seems like it took far less time to get there.
- People seem to cross at pedestrian crossings well before the light comes on.
- I never got used to the winding, often super-narrow roads.
- Paying at some places before getting your food.
- Mushy peas. My new fave!


I know there are a lot more, but I can't think of any at the moment.

 

Lack of common reference in some areas, for example people not knowing about Italian La Linea cartoon, not being familiar with how absolutely hilarious French Gaston comic book is, and not even seeing Disney's Little Toot. Come on, it's Disney! Or One Froggy Evening *headdesks*... Then again I may have just been run over by time while in my 30s...

Not even gonna try and mention Emilio Salgari as a children's author... given up on that.

 

Oh yes, nearly forgot, dodgy attitude towards Eurovision (not to be mentioned in polite society... or any other for that matter if you want to keep your friends!) which means no serious band actually tries to win it for the UK cause I've been reliably informed that would ruin their careers while at the same time everyone whines about the UK not winning it? I'm still scratching my head over it... if that's not weird, I don't know what is...

 

Weird indeed. Eurovision elicits the most contradictory emotions in a Brit: publicly, they feel they must be seen to be mocking it and dismissing it as a twee/tasteless/camp Euro-kitschfest* - whereas privately they are rooting for the UK's entry and hoping beyond hope that the hapless (hopeless?!) British representative(s) can yet somehow reign supreme and show 'them foreigners' how it's done

*hence Graham Norton being the perfect choice of host

teuchter

 

Actually, I've got a list of things here in the US that seem weird to me having spent time in the UK and the continent in the past few years...

• Why are we still not metric? Why is the USA the only first world country dragging our heels on this? Granted, the UK has a blended system, but pints of beer and miles per hour work for me. Cooking is metric.
• If diesel cars are so much more efficient, why are they relatively rare here in the US?
• Why don't we have more interesting food products from other parts of the world? Here in Boston we get our fruits and veggies from the west coast (3000 miles away) and meat from the midwest (1500 miles away). How about some amazing cheese from around the world? Biscuits? Sweets? More variety would be nice... Real Cadbury's too. I fear that the the monopolistic grocery conglomerates like Kraft have a great deal to do with this...
• Why do Americans insist that public transport and trains themselves, yet don't hold roads to the same standard?
• Why do so few Americans travel abroad? I've read that 35% of Americans have ports, but in reality it's only the same 5% actually doing the travelling. The UK is the top destination of jet-setting Americans.
• Why are we okay with crumbling infrastructure? Surely I wasn't the only person horrified by the collapse of the highway bridge in Minneapolis with people in cars on it?
• How did it come to be that there are no work contracts in the US, and why are we okay with that?
• Why does US news, both television and newspapers, ignore world news unless it is a really extreme event?
• Why do Americans have so little annual holiday leave, and why are we reluctant to take what we do earn?

OK, rant over. I really do appreciate some of the things that the UK and the continent have.

 

Although I am the UKC (my husband is the expat), I personally found quite a number of things weird (often in a good way) here, returning as I did after 28 years of living abroad in Asia and the Middle East:

- cashiers/checkout staff in supermarkets etc are really chatty. Love it!
- broadband is really fast - and cheap
- recycling is a *big* thing here
- we can 'direct debit' ALL of our bills - so convenient
- smoking is banned practically everywhere
- the wonderful NHS: amazing treatment
- the many (many) shades of green
- clocks changing: forward in Spring/back in Autumn
- daylight hours (it's currently daylight here from around 3.30am until 10.30pm, whereas in mid-winter it's only from around 9.30am to 3.00pm)
- winter/snow/ice - yuck!
- the obsession with the weather/weather forecasts
- central heating
- no motorway/bridge/tunnel tolls (<- in Scotland)
- young men all seem to wear grey jogging tros/sweatpants
- tattoos everywhere

teuchter

 

I really like that you pay up front at pubs and if you've ordered food, they bring it over. Tipping may not be the norm, but most people working there seem to be pleasant and friendly. And when you're ready to go, you just get up and leave. Pubs have a cosiness that American bars do not have. There is a social aspect to British pubs; being a barfly in the US will not achieve the same result.

I also like that the check for a meal at a nicer restaurant comes when you ask for it, and the servers are not constantly hovering with a pitcher of water. We've had some lovely relaxed meals with friends/families whilst in London, Maidenhead, and Liverpool.

 

I have found Eurovision Song Contest as a 'comedy', especially since Europe has changed its boundaries, to include some of the old 'eastern block' countries, there is predictive and political votes between neighbouring countries.
The older version of Eurovision, used to be introduced by Terry Wogan, he is Irish with a great sense of comedy, for those who might not him,Graham Norton also comes from Ireland and has a great humouress way of presenting the show.
The older version of Eurovision, came from a smaller Europe, and each country mainly sang in their own languages,then if the song won, the encore often changed to the English language, to make the lyrics more popular in other European countries, and many more artists were discovered and became famous.
Abba, represented Sweden, and sang Waterloo, in Swedish, which sounded really great, then when it was sang in English, whoopee! Their career took off as world renowned artists.
Celine Dionne, as a very young performer once represented (I think ?) in the Eurovision Song Contest, as she is FrenchCanadian, her career took off after that, when people realised what a great voice she had, and still has.
UK entries, many years ago have been Cliff Richard, Bucks Fizz, and their entry songs are still played at 70-80s discos.
The Eurovision Song Contest of today, allows any European country to sing lyrics in English if they wish, maybe it is an easier language for rhyming! But it is definitely only predictive as to which country will vote for their neighbouring country, not necessarily the best voice, or singer, so you can understand why any famous artist, with a career already is reluctant to enter these days.
Still the contest is entertaining for a nights TV viewing.

 

-People wearing jackets when it's 18C outside
-Hot dogs in jars
-Cars parked on kerbs

 

Eurovision changed the rules for this year's competition to avoid overt politically-motivated 'block' voting. Final voting figures for each country comprise independent, professional assessment (conducted before the show is aired) plus a limited amount of popular vote on the night.

 

I seem to the English and the Irish giving each other low marks in the Eurovision Song Contest back in the 70s... Times perhaps have changed?