Grocery Shopping in Prague: It's so different from California!
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- Опубликовано: 6 июн 2024
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Come Grocery Shopping in Prague with me! You can download my map of all the places I talk about in this video: l.linklyhq.com/l/VRYo
00:00 intro
00:44 map of where to shop
00:55 italki summer language challenge
03:02 Grocery shopping in the US
03:31 Convenience stores
05:04 Supermarkets
05:18 Gourmet food stores
07:27 Bio and Zero Waste stores
08:17 Specialty shops
11:31 Farmer's Markets
12:30 Online Grocery Delivery
12:56 Alcohol
13:39 Personal care, shampoo, medicines
16:33 Electronic home goods
It's really different from shopping in California, and most of the United States, where we shop mostly in big box stores. In Prague I end up going to more than 5 or 6 stores, just to find the basics. But I actually think it's more convenient than the typical American shopping trip, which includes giant parking lots and massive stores that I get lost in and spend too much money in. It took us a while to figure out exactly where to find what we needed when we first moved. But there are a ton of options if you know where to go!
Have you experienced both types of grocery shopping? Which do you prefer?
#italki #italkireview #shoppinginprague
There is another huge difference - the price you see on the price tag is actually the price you are going to pay at the cashier's desk :D
That's a very important point, I agree ! The DPH (VAT) is part of the price, and when you shop online, many if not all online shops will note the base price of the product, the added VAT price, and the complete price.
Im so used to that now, i forgot!
Come on now, that is a Sales gimmick!!! Do u honestly believe they don’t filter in the taxes??? In America you pay the taxes when you buy it! Basically same thing but as I said it is a Sales Gimmick!! But, who cares! Taxes are necessary for human survivor
@@mikesmith2875 I'm sorry but I don't get your point. I was talking about the fact that in Czech Republic, if you see 10 CZK on the tag, you are going to pay 10 CZK (VAT is already included in the price). In the USA if you see $1, you will actually pay for example $1.08, because VAT is added also, but it is not included in the dispayed price.
@@mikesmith2875 taxes aren't important for human survivality. We have them only negligible part of human existence
Two things:
1) If you have symptoms, go to doctor. In lékárna they can't give you something strong that wasn't consulted before with a doctor. So they will give you something on your cough but nothing on realy bad cough.
2) If you are going to Plzeň, there is a buidling on the main square with "Lékárna" writen on it. But if you go in there with cough, you will get Becherovka perscribed. Yep, it's a pub... Named Lékárna... Because why not!
Když to člověk tak nějak tohle video pozoroval, tak si vlastně uvědomil kolik speciálních obchodů na různé druhy zboží máme. Jak padlo ve videu - drogerie, lékárna, elektro, řeznictví,... A to máš ještě třeba - optika, zlatnictví, železářství, zverimex, galanterie... Je toho vážně hodně... 😁👍 Díky za uvědomění a jiný pohled na ty obchody, vždy je to zajímavé... 😊👍
Mně na všechno stačí big Albert. :-D (hypermarket)
@@matotuHELL Albert je dobrý pro nákup základních potravin, ale když chci např. lepší maso, jedu do Makra nebo k řezníkovi.
@@RadomilBenes v Albertu (hypermarket) je toho vic nez jenom potraviny, je tam drogerka s kosmetikou, jsou tam domaci potreby, oddeleni auto, zahradni/domaci kutil...
je tam docela slusna vinoteka, ale i vyber piva... a mimochodem, i to maso tam je na velice dobre urovni a pestry vyber... k reznikovi chodime s takovyma vecma jako jsou streva a vnitrnosti pro zabijacku
ale kdybych chtela treba novou, kvalitni a znackovou pracku se susickou, tak to si zajdu o par dveri dal, treba do electroworldu, nebo datartu
@@tafdiz A hlavně ta kvalita elektra, nářadí atd. taky nebude extra zázračná.
Trochu mám pocit, že Jen popisuje, jak to chodívalo na maloměstech před čtyřiceti lety. Dnes už většina lidí jezdí nebo chodí nakupovat do super a hyper-marketů a většina normálních obchodů zkrachovala a zmizela, nebo je nahradily předražené obchůdky pro hipstry, biomatky a oškubatelné cizince.
Jen: when you have symptoms, you go to lekarna
Everyone Czech: Or you go to your GP. It is free.
Never thought about it, but I guess that's true! I guess as an American I only go to a doctor in case of emergency.
@@DreamPrague Yes, that's what I thought,. We only ask for OTC medication for small colds, diarrhoea and similar. When we're really ill, we go to the dr which is free and the medication which he prescribes is affordable.
@@DreamPrague That is hundred percent true. First to GP, get examined, get recipe and ont the way home you get your medicine in lekarna.
@@DreamPrague I think you are doing it right to be honest. My experience is that GPS usually don't really know how to help. Many times it is better to do your own research, try your own treatment, and when you figured it out, then you can go to GP and get prescription, so that the treatment is cheaper. :D
@@tetst_54546 You might need to change your GP, I moved a few times and so changed the GP a few times and I never had this problem
Jen, i know you mentioned it at the beginning of the video, but for anyone who is looking for a typical all in one store way of shopping should be sent to a hyper markets, which is no different than Wall-mart, located in suburbs. They would go there by a car in their country as well, and wouldn’t expect it in a center. I’m super glad these little special stores survived the supermarket invasion. Most people will go to a hyper market at least once a month to get the big things and shop in local mini stores for daily necessities or emergencies. Just so that the foreigners who watch your videos know they can find what they are used to as well. Always love your videos and watch them with delight. 😊
Prague has very different stores in the centre than is usual in the rest of country.
Yeah! I was like: "Wait! Shop with beer only?" And I live in Plzeň! Whole type of beer is named after this city... Pilsen...
@@VailenCZ thats bs i live in BRno and there are many shops with bbeer only and not just in the centre
@@MrMajsterixx Well, on internet I found only Pivoréka Plzeň, but that was closed, nothing else. Yes, you can find shops next to a brewery, but they sell only beer of that brewery, so I don't know if I can count them...
It's not incorrect to call a grocery store "potraviny". When you used the word I understood it immediately. It's just that when talking we Czechs just say "obchod" , a store or a shop, not specifying what they sell. But when I want to find nearby grocery stores on Google I would enter the word "potraviny".
@pepapes That's true but only in the more "touristy" areas like central Prague. On Prague outskirts and in other cities "večerka" is usually a classic grocery store with food. Often run by Vietnamese people for some reason.
@pepapes Večerka has one main goal - it is open till night to buy some necessery goods not to be hungry. It never ment to be full grocery store or anything else. And nowadays is mostly run by Vietnamies because they are not lazy to work till night.
I would absolutely say "Jdu do potravin".
Not all grocery shops are večerkas. If all they sell is groceries, they all are potraviny.
Wow, who give a shit! A STORE is a STORE some sell different commodities than others! You idiots don’t know what your looking for when you start thinking about needing something? Hmmm, I need bread! Oh, ok I need to go to a potraviny! Or is it Obchod? Damn, duhhhhhh, this is confusing! I will just go to the store!!!!!!!!! I would hope you once in your life get to go to a Walmart! Quality not great but sure as hell better than here!!! Bye
@@horsecrazypeep101 It's language as being presented to a foreigner by people who aren't linguists. It gets confusing that way, but in real life, for native speakers, it isn't.
You know what's confusing from my end? The way English is incapable of coming up with specific words for cooking utensils. It's a pan. Do you put it on the stove? Do you put it in the oven? It's a spoon. Do you eat with it? Or is it the big wooden thing you mix dough with?
But I'm not calling English-speaking people idiots because of that.
Ty vietnamské večerky jsou dneska částečně taky součástí obchodního řetězce.
Jinak: Potraviny = grocery store. Večerka = store opened till late evening.
and its not potřaviny but potraviny. ;)
@@bitkarek tak tak Apříl, Apříl, říka se Duben :)
Yes, but I feel like lately every vietnamese shop is simply called večerka by most people no matter what the opening hours are so the meaning slightly shifted :)
To expand upon your comment: "Večerka" (or Slovak "večierka") simply means "eve-shop"/"evening-shop", from večer, "evening". Most grocery shops close by the early evening, evening shops are also open in later evening hours.
Samoobsluha ("self-service shop", colloquially samoška) is the equivalent of a convenience store. Some shops (especially small ones in general and very small rural ones) will have the shopkeeper asking about goods and handing them to you off the (clearly visible) shelves or out of the fridges. However, most grocery shops these days have aisles with products in the manner of a small supermarket or convenience store. Even many small-to-medium-sized rural grocery shops, and self-service grocery shops are completely common in towns and cities, at gas (petrol) stations, etc. In a samoobsluha, the staff is only there to act as cashiers, clean and maintain the place, answer questions if a customer's unsure, or help out with some specialist goods that need preparation (slicing and weighing meat at a butcher's section, sometimes weighing fruit and veg, though self-service scales are more common these days).
In Czechia, at least, besides "Potraviny", a common name for rural grocery shops especially used to be (still is ?) "Zboží", meaning "Goods", "Wares". In Slovakia, besides the standard "Potraviny", you also see terms like "rozličný tovar" or "(z)miešaný tovar". Literally "mixed goods", which usually means a focus on groceries, but with some hygiene products and household products and wares on the side.
I think that just about covers shopping for groceries in central Europe. If you need hygiene products, find a "drogerie"/"drogéria" (drugstore), if you need a pharmacy, find a "lekárna"/"lekáreň". A "lahůdky"/"lahôdky" shop and buffet is a deli (literally, since the word means "delicatessen" or "treats" in English).
@@ZemplinTemplar Great description. I would add that in small villages Czech equivalent of Slovakian "zmiešaný tovar" is "smíšené zboží" coloquially "smíšenka", in US English term would be "General store".
dear jen, if you'd like, pls make a video or series on your life in japan, reasons for moving there, reasons for leaving, pros and cons, small island vs 'mainland', differences and similarities with cz/us, etc. in my limited experience, czechs are japanophiles (as is the rest of the world, after all), so your audience is sure to enjoy learning about this other mysterious side of their favorite ange/pragulino, and the millions of people watching j-vlogs might find your vids and enjoy learning about your mis/adventures in bohemia
I totally agree, a video about a few experiences from Japan would be great!
great idea!
Try google.
It’s awesome that you’ve learned ‘ř’ and now you use it in literally every ‘potraviny’ said in this video :)
POTŘAVINY :-D
OMG, I DO! I have to fix that!
In the hypermarkets (e.g. Tesco Eden) they have everything. Food, home supplies, electronics, garden tools,... I guess it's the same as american Wallmart.
Yes, but about half in size... :D I mean, I don't know about the Prague ones but when I compare the big Tesco in Hradec Králové to my one visit of a Walmart when I was in USA, a Walmart is about the size of a Hornbach.
@@loltadynicneni913 well, but why would you have to go through section of garden rakes and baby toys when you want to buy bread, eggs and beer?
That's why I always shopped at the Tesco near Andel.
@@soniquecat4745 you don’t need to go to every section
There is a two-storey Tesco directly on Anděl in OC Nový Smíchov
What an adventure shopping abroad can be! Once in Tokyo I was in need to buy just a bolt and nut to repare my broken rucksack. In Tokyo, where you can buy almost everything possible in all those fancy stores, I eventually found my bolt and nut after an hour of a tremendeous effort - in an old Japanese craftsman's little shop in a seedy little alley... What a joy after such a success!
Haha,man I had exactelly the same problem with my rucksack ones in HongKong and that's why I love for ex India.....you can find everything coz people are literally working on the street....
Me too, long ago, was looking for a little thing like that. In Arakawa ku, Tokio, a pleasant suburb. It was adventurous.
Just to clarify BIO food and organic food aren´t the same, well every BIO food is organic but not every organic is BIO, because organic is like the farmer himself declared that he isn´t using chemicals on his fields or livestock but for getting BIO quality certificate you actually have to be registered by ministry of agriculture and work really hard to acquire this certificate
Aha, thank you for this clarification!
I love how Americans say:
"Is this organic??"
"No it"s a rock :D
I've just tried searching for "organic salt" on Amazon. I wasn't disappointed XD
Sorry, but Czechs don't? Yes they do.
@@KitKat-kg4ku Eat organic tomato and you will taste the huge difference. Or lemons, I only buy organic lemons.
@@mkuhnert8343 In fact, all tomatoes and lemons are organic, unless they are made from inorganic compounds, such as metals or minerals. Don't eat those.
@@KitKat-kg4ku I would never eat at your house, that's for sure/ have a nice day.
Being born in Czechoslovakia, I got well accustomed to the fact, that there are individual shops for the purpose / item you need, so it is like departments within a supermarket. Therefore they can specialize on certain type of goods, this is how it evolved throughout previous centuries based on ones craftmanship. Like blacksmith would sell you iron tools - you have now "Železářství" etc.
There is always an overlap of good, so therefore you can find some basic cosmetic products within "potraviny", because those shops keep also goods that you might need the most probably within the main cathegory of goods you came for.
Večerka - in Czechoslovakia we used to have "potraviny", "Řeznictví / mäsiarstvo", "pekárna / pekáreň" and "zelovoc". They were open only Monday - Friday 6:00 - 16:30 / 17:00 / 18:00 latest and on Saturdays usually 7:00 - 12:00. "večierka" came to existence in places, where more people ended up working later hours and needed to buy some food or when you forgot to buy something or ran out of something, you had a small shop that had little bit of everything, open later and mainly over the weekend but for a premium.
This was superseded by the rise of supermarkets with late hours and weekend opening hours so "večerka" lost maybe its original idea in the course of the years and transformed a bit. Now they are at places like citycenter allowing you to buy something without need to go only to maxi mega ultra hype supermarkets to buy a 10-pack of eggs for your omelette :)
3:40 I love that you showed us the worst possible looking Žižkov večerka :D :D :D
I know! I was thinking that while editing, I was like, dang that is some gritty Zizkov!
@@DreamPrague Vietnamese are diligent sellers, but their sense of aesthetics lags behind. :-)
We have some like that in Croatia too. When I saw that one I felt at home haha
I must say it's really interesting for me as a czech to watch these types of videos to just imagine how hard it is for strangers here in Czechia and i'm really gratefull that there is someone like you who make these videos for them. I have met few people form around the world and i must say that covid situation makes it even harder for them so thank you, amazing videos. And the kale joke.... spot on! 👏🤣
elisko to je pekna blbost...vsude po svete jsou temer stejny kramy...i na manhattanu je vsude neco jako žabka...takovej kram se zakladnimi potravinami...Jen je jen si mysli ze bude jen 7eleven ...ja myslim , ze je v pohode a jen nevi co by natocila..mrtva sezona..)))
@@petex3909 já nemluvím o tomto videu konkrétně, ale obecně o kontentu který točí, přijde mi že to jako super nápad a kdybych měla přístup k takovým radám treba v korei rozhodně by se mi to v začátcích hodilo 😅
@@petex3909 No mě přijde, že se prostě pohybuje ve své čtvrti. Jasně, že nevybourají kus staré Prahy, aby tam postavili Tescohypermarket.
Ale ty mega-giga obchody jsou v Praze taky. Mě to třeba osobně odrazuje, že když si chci v Globusu koupit pivo/cider/colu, musím se prodrat květináči, hráběmi, lustry a dětskými hračkami. Já chci cider a vypadnout, nechci se koukat na hrábě a kolečkový brusle. Možná rozdílná mentalita. Doba covidová ve mně zadupala poslední zbytky touhy očumovat v obchodech... v dubnu jsem měla strach, že chytím covida... a prostě jsem tomu nějak odvykla. Raději jdu očumovat v ulicích, v přírodě, v parku...
@@soniquecat4745 cider tady asi skoro nikde nekoupis...asi je vas malo co chce cider...asi stejny jako by se divil řek ..proč na každym rohu nekoupí gyros...chapes?...ja se pohybuju po cely republice...a i dost po svete...chapu ze nebudou vsude stejny nabidky...uplne staci chleba nebo hortice...ten nas druh nekoupis nikde....a beru to jako fakt..
a do globusu taky nechodim...nesnasim velky kramy a nevim co mam kde hledat...ale to je stejny i u walmartu,targetu i 2 patrovyho kauflandu..ufff
@@eliskacikotova2670 mozna kdyz rozumny clovek nekam jede tak si zjisti jak to tam funguje..co a jak...napise si tou jejich reci treba .."kde je tento hotel",, kde prodavate potraviny" etc..... zrovna u korejcu jsem zazil anglictinu jen u mladejch 15-20 let...a u jejich rodicu ..nada..))) a to sou lidi co zijou v praze...maj jednoho dustojnika kterej se o ne stara..mezi sebou si rozumej..s nikm jinym nemluvi..a jen deti chodel do skoly a umej eng...ufff
There are actually two different ways to shop in Czechia. The first one is the old fashion way - tiny shops and local businesses for all sorts of needs located around the main squares and surrounding streets.
The other one is the modern one - retail parks near huge housing estates with tall buildings where most people live. There are usually these "hypermarkets", Lidl or Kaufland stores, a pharmacy, a drogerie store, shoe shop, clothing store, some fast food restaurant and all that is located around a parking lot. These retail parks are nowadays in many 10k+ cities for locals so they don't have to drive to larger cities to buy some essentials.
The small shops are minimarkets, standard is just market, bigger ones are supermarkets and the biggest are those hypermarkets - they're usually outside the city with many parking spots, and usually they include other small shops, like newspaper+magazine+cigarettes shops (like Relax or so), jewerly, clothes, restaurants, etc.
The Vietnamese "večerka" can be considered as a brand too as they take the goods from Sapa, which is Vietnamese center in south part of Prague. They offer what is available as B2B in Sapa + they go to hypermarkets and buy stuff that is at a discount.
Jen please never stop making these Prague videos!!! you're funny, witty and very insightful, and I lived the history (and cooking )lesson-particularly history about the Jewish quarter .You're a natural for your tube!!!!
Great vlog, Jen, thanks! Your line "they've one toaster to choose from" reminded me of my childhood, when "hunting for something" was pretty much the way shopping was done, from meat to jeans to washing machines. For a car you had to get on a waitlist for like decades, and you could sell your place in line for a pretty penny. Thank G-d those days are gone!
I recall Tesco U Andela was like Walmart or Target, at least a decade ago, carrying everything from groceries to clothes, shoes, small appliances, electronics, sporting goods, hardware, you name it. Kinda like Babylon goods medley.
Fun fact, The people working in pharmacy must have graduate a pharmaceutical school (5 years in University) to know everything about the drugs. Also they maybe give you only herbal drops bcs when pandemic was starting here, people sold out drugs aganist pain (like paralen or ibalgin) so maybe that's why xD
And also sometimes a few basic drugs have "district" or "local" Doctors (dunno how to translate it - Obvoďák/Obvodní doktor), so when you are ill and your doctor choose you some drug, you don't have to go to the pharmacy store. (but as I said, only basic drugs) :D
V těch řetězcích bývají vystudované jen ty s receptem. Volný prodej mi většinou připadá jako brigádnice, co dostaly jen základní nalejvárnu. Prostě prodavačky. Dostatečným důkazem budiž to, že tahle (federativní) republika (=včetně SVK) rozhodně neprodukuje tolik magister farmacie, aby všechny ty pobočky mohly personálně pokrýt.
@@janadamcak445 Dukaz to neni dostatecny, protoze to neni pravda. Musi mit lekarnickou stredni.
Ah0jtadyHanka Obvoďák/Obvodní doktor = GP/General Practitioner .
I'd definitely prefer shopping for groceries in Prague, rather than in LA. I live in a suburb in the UK, and I'm glad I can walk a few hundred yards to my local Co-Op minimarket if I run out of milk, tea, etc. , rather than always having to drive to it, or to the local Sainsbury's supermarket, which is about a half a mile to a mile away from my house.
And on the "drogerie" front, that sounds like Boots or Superdrug here, but that's also a Pharmacists (colloquially known as a Chemists), and at Boot's at least, you can also get a sandwich, packet of crisps and a bottle of coke for something like 2,99£
Well, we live in San Diego and have tons of Co-Op's, as well as every International market you could ever find. Basically, if you want to eat well ...no problem.
Alex Jenkins Correct, Drogerie is comparable to Boots, Superdrug or Savers...
It depends on which drogerie it is. D&M, mentioned in the video, is a German chain I believe, and they often even have some types of snack food (though usually their own brands). Compared to that, you may have a smaller local privately-owned drogerie that would carry things like toilet paper, cleaning products... and whatever else they may find out their customers will shop for. I have no idea about Prague, but our local drogerie in a smaller town is basically combined drogerie and stationery / office supplies shop, and they even sell seeds and soil. :D But it's the toiletries and cleaning products of all types that make a drogerie a drogerie, regardless of what else they might carry.
I would just recommend you and Honza to go to SAPA (Little Hanoi) that is in the southern part of Prague. Maybe, you have probably already heard about SAPA before. It is a big shopping Vietnamese centre with a lot of markets and restaurants, with specialities that you cannot buy or eat anywhere else in Czechia. Good to have a Vietnamese friend with you, because people there have limited knowledge of Czech and English.
another great video. thank you. it's nice to know I'm not the only one that has these confusions.
Když si jdeš koupit žárovku a odejdeš z obchodu s toustovačem, kráječem a soda stremem :D
Regarding pharmacies - there is non stop servise at pharmacies located within hospital (Motol, Thomayer) or pharmacies with nonstop availability (Vitezne namesti or Belgicka street)
Friends asked me to make guacamole when I moved to Brno 12 years ago. I remember that I had to go to 3 different stores in order to get everything I needed. Much easier now. But even today, I buy lightbulbs in bulk because I hate having to hunt for them.
guacamole: avocado, lemon, tomatos, chilli, onion, garlic... olive oil, salt... 3 different stores? I don´t understand? One below average Potraviny should be enought.
@@miroslavaklimova4597 The problem was I could not get the avocados, jalapeños, and cilantro (coriander) all at one place. That was 12 years ago. Now it is not a problem.
Totally I can relate. To this day my husband and I still have to remember which shops carry chili peppers. Etc.
Oh, you forgot to mention Lidl! :) My personal favourite. Or maybe it's not so popular in Prague?
I'd say it's actaully very popular, I prefer it too and a lot of people I know do so as well ;)
od Jiřáku je nejbližší Lidl 5 zastávek tramvají, co jmenovala tak má v docházkové vzdálenosti...
@@Atenecka Je to tak. Obchody Lidlu jsou dost velké, takže ve staré zástavbě nebývají - není na ně místo. Ovšem nedávno se jeden vecpal do novostavby v Karlíně, i když zvenku nijak nápadný není.
It is popular even in Prague, I would definitely say :D
It depends, some people like it, I do not go there...
A já zase v centru nenakupuji, je to tam drahé a fakt člověk musí oběhnout víc míst. Takže klasika- vzít auto a šup do supermarketu v okrajovějších částí Prahy, kde je vše pod jednou střechou. Například Globus nebo blízký JIP, kam míří čím dál víc Pražanů. Takové prostory se prostě do starobylých a křivolakých uliček v centru Prahy nevejdou.
U nás se říká: Jdu nakoupit, nebo jdu do krámu (význam slova krám viz google) Jeden tip na rybu - pokud máte rádi ryby, nemusí být nutně z moře. Zkuste sladkovodního Candáta (moje nejoblíbenější) a jiné sladkovodní ryby přímo od nás. Také rybářství je český oblíbený koníček a myslím, že je také celkem jiný než rybařina v USA ;)
U nás na vesnici nakupujeme v "Jednotě" sice se to už oficiálně jmenuje "coop", ale kromě malých dětí tomu stejně nikdo neřekne jinak než Jednota... navíc se tam kromě názvu (a měny)
nezměnilo v podstatě nic 😉 a je to vlastně kulturní místo... jen tam člověk vejde už se dozvídá co se kde stalo a kdo co řekl 😉
A jinak pro větší nákup
1-2 týdně do města do hypermarketu...
Máte krásná videa, děkuji....učím se s Vámi anglicky....super provedení, díky....pracovala jsem v Německu a tak vidím rozdíly, Vaše videa mě baví jsou i humorná...
Very helpful! Thank you!
I have been living in Prague for some time, and in this video I found several shop tips :D :D.
This was so interesting, you captured the situation very well! And literally showed shops I go to, one of them located in the building where I live :D I guess we´re kind of neighbours!
#2 The pharmacists in Europe are educated into a level as the physicians.
Hi Jen, you missed one important kind of shops - hobbymarkets - like Hornbach, Bauhaus, Obi... Just try some, if you need new lightbulbs in future :)
The most important shop is "Jednota " 😉... never mind it's called "coop" now, but in our village we still call it Jednota... not only you buy groceries there but you will know everything what's happened in the village 😉
One tip about fish: Kaufland has a variety of fresh fish and seafood. Not many people buy them and eat so there is always a planty of different fish you can choose from.
frankly i'd never buy fish in Kaufland... There is a small chain called Ocean 48, always having fresh sea food (fish, lobsters, etc). And there are also fish stores (rybarna), where they sell local fresh-water fish from the ponds of czech rep.
@@pav85rez I think that with hypermarkets it actually depends on specific ones. I have seen quite a bit of difference even among those from the same chain.
@@NetAndyCz Makro is first part of that chain, best fishes there :)
Fresh seafood in CR? Was that a joke?
@@pav85rez Fresh lobster in CR?
Thank you for confirming my gut feeling that "it's complicated".... !! Helpful, thank you.
Haha, I had fun figuring that out too. In order to avoid the awkwardness at the pharmacy, I always had a Czech colleague or friend write down whichever medicine I needed or brought the empty American bottle with me.
Far wiser than I am. I had athlete's foot once and I thought hard about it and told the lady I had plisen mezi nohama (Fungus between my legs.) She looked kinda embarrassed and the folks in line, after chuckling, leapt in to help me out. Exoderil, yall. That is what you want for that condition.
Dont´worry, it is not awkward. We pharmacists are professionals just like doctors and probably have heard more "interesting" things :D Or do you feel awkward when talking about your health problems to a doctor?
@@js-pb2kf OMG :-)))))))))))))) ROFL :-))))))))))) never say that again unless it's the truth :-)))))))))))))) but you should be more polite LOL
@@samanthas9875 Samantha, If I ever need to say it again, it will most definitely be in private! :D
Zajímavé koukat na tohle video a pohled z jiné strany :)
Druggery ...potřaviny ... love it. This is a very good guide to Czech store idiosyncrasies.
Vecerka is part of the chain as well (Vietnam chain). "Potraviny" was original name for this type of store in CSSR
I love that you mentioned the package free stores! 😍 I recommend Bezobalu or Nebaleno
They’re great! I hope they get more popular.
@@DreamPrague We got one in our town of 10.000 last year!
Díky, že se budu moci příště vyznat alespoň v části záplavy obchodů v Praze
Hey, so I have no idea if this'll reach you of if its way too late to say this, but there are bigger shops that have wider assortion of stuff that are quite easy to reach.
For example you can find a lot of stuff from the "rarer" stuff in Arkády Pankrác, where there are both a Drogerie, and a "big" Albert, that has all the shampoos you could ever wish for. You can also find Datart there, where I believe you should be able to find a lot of appliances like Soda Stream, and lightbulbs.
For light bulbs and other stuff for your home, like building shelves, getting bolts or plumbing or whatever, one of the less out of the way (but smaller) Bauhaus' is also on Pankrác, its has a huge "pyramid" next to it and its in the direction of Budějovická from metro Pankrác. No more desperate hunting for light bulbs!
Hope this helps, or at least doesnt bother, and happy shopping!
Every time my dad and stepmom have a party and run out of beer, my dad says he'll run to the basement to get more beers and he goes across the street to večerka to buy some. it's that close and it was the same at their previous place. so yeah, they're everywhere
When I needed to furnish my kitchen in the Czech Republic I headed to IKEA in Prague and found so much of what I needed. Kaufland, Globus and a kitchen store in a nearby town rounded out my kitchen nicely.
T-that pic of Tobik in a uniform!! :O
Hi, I'm glad to hear, that you discovered Zichovec 😉 It is also a great tip for a nice one day trip, not far from Prague. They have a great restaurant there with delicious Czech cusine.
And if you are there, its a good idea to visit Panenský Týnec (5km nearby). You can find there church which is 600 years old, but the building was never finished.
@@xsc1000 Good point 👍 Wonderful place
IN the 90s, vecerky were often marked as being "non-stop", since they were open until 7 PM!
Hi Jenna, I love your videos! 😍 Especially now when I moved out from my beloved Prague 🥲
Anyway I had same problem with the bulbs, I couldn’t find them anywhere particularly during covid restrictions.. After all I found bulbs also in “Teta drogerie” 💡or in electronic shops like Datart, Okey or Electroworld (more expensive though)
Jen if we want to browse shops for various stuff without really knowing what we would like to buy we go to a mall such as Centrum Černý Most or Harfa etc. or to a really big Tesco or Globus etc. they usually have that clothes and electronics and toys and books sections :) even a bigger Albert in my town has that sort of stuff now even including Tchibo products (electronics, clothes, appliances etc.)
Same when we want to buy something more than just food, so, like you said, we don't have to go to like 9 different places to gather everything.. basically Billa, Albert, Coop etc. is mostly designed for buying food only so you don't have to spend hours at a big mall, shopping park etc. surrounded by hundreds of people.. you just want to quickly do your grocery shopping and go home to cook dinner or something .. so like you go home from work and realize you need pastry plus some ingredient for dinner, you go in, quickly pick what you need, and out without spending hours on end there and wasting your precious free time 😂
Jen, try Globus in Zlicin its quite an experience you can even smell the freshness inside
There are many supermarkets for grocery shopping close to almost every metro station or right in the metro lobby in the historical center of Prague (except M Staroměstská and M Malostranská in green Line A) as Albert, Billa, Tesco, Lidl. They are much bigger and cheaper than different večerka-s, which typically offer overpriced goods.
The great thing about Prague is how cheap and fast home delivery is. With apps like Wolt you pay 39 czk and can order from supermarkets or mini markets, and have your order in 30 minutes. Super! :)
Always enjoy your videos. Gives me the urge to move there every time I watch them :-) One FYI if you (tourist) use your CC at a store (guess it's not just food/grocery stores) When I went to the Billa across from the Dejvicka metro stop, checking out with my card I was asked if I wanted my bank to do the conversion or have the store do it. Always pick your bank. That way your bank will use the current market rate for the Kcs. You'll end up with a better rate. I know this is a little.....ok WAY off topic but something to think about. :-)
Hi, Jennifer,
Sir_Mac here, as always!
First of all, you forgot to mention one big grocery brand called "Globus" (they are German-Hungarian brand originally). They have meat of high quality and products from meat also high quality. Especially the outpost at Zličín.
I heard a lot of stories about how the Americans do the shopping. They grab the biggest trolley and they fill it over the top... It looks like they prepare themselves for a war, when the groceries will be hard to obtain. And than, there is the "storage" part. They bring it home and things to immediate usage are put to the big fridge/freezer in a kitchen, that one with two wing doors. And the rest is put into a fridge / freezer in the garage for later ...
I mean - we also do the shopping for a whole week, but it is not done that massive way. And if anything is missing or there is something interesting, we can buy it, because our fridges / freezers always have some free space...
One suggestion for you, Jennifer, within the "Slezská" street (the street is, I assume, near to your home), there is "Butch's burger" - originally owned by an american expat, and they do the best burgers in Prague if not in the whole country. - butchsburger.cz/
I think Globus doesn's fit in with the premise of shopping in the city center. They are all on the outskirts.
Edit: Jen basically mentions it under "hypermarkets on the outskirts where we never shop"
@@MarvinCZ Yeah, I know, but it's a shame, because Globus provides quality.
Oh my...the "večerka" 3:42...that is...something :D the most scary shop i have ever seen :D
There´s even a tiny shop in our neighbourhood in České Budějovice which just sells hoover dust bags :D
For me is supermaket Globus the same like Target. You can buy anything you looking for and goods from special shops too.
you can find the racks with non-prescription medication in DM, Tesco, probably in TETA and in some others, as well...
There are also racks with non-prescription medication you can chose from, and pay at the till in big Lekarna.....
I think the number and concentration of specialty grocery shops you're describing is very unique to your area. Vinohrady or possibly Letná are the most hipster parts of Prague so no surprises there. I think that the standard for most of Prague's neighborhoods is a supermarket, a večerka, a butcher, a bakery and if you're in an area with a higher concentration of foreign workers, a Russian or Bulgarian grocery store. And in residental areas on the outskirts like Chodov or Letňany, it's mostly just supermarkets and some huge mall or a hypermarket.
It would be almost same If you just use Metro :-D In America you have to drive, here, you can as well. Or ... much simplier... use Metro. That difference is not that much in the concept as you dont want to use Metro, thats it. Big stores are in periferies. There and here. Prague center is specific. Btw. potraviny means food. Večerka means like shop open in the evening.
In US, you can use a GEO Metro...
@@tomc.2808 :-D good one!
Stupid question, but isn’t it hard to carry all the things you bought?
@@songbirdyy I used to take the metro to get to a Makro and they were very particular about our bags in the store so we could not even carry everything we wanted to buy. But the restaurant quality chips and high quality salsa could be carried in my smaller bag. Thankfully, there is now a smaller Mexican grocery near Ceskomoravska/Vysocanska and I can carry LOADS of chips and salsa home from there!
@@songbirdyy Of course it is. But its same, maybe even worst, in America without car. I remember to walk miles to Wallmart because there was not bus stop anywhere near. Here you can reach by public transportation easily almost anywhere. For me would be easy if I have to carry it just through the subway or bus. I life in Observatory so I have to carry everything 1 km up to the hill. Live is not easy. Instead going to the gym, you can carry your shopping bags :-)
I absolutely love Delmart, though mostly for their salads.
Pretty good summary. If you ever do an update I thought of also Sklizeno, Makro, Lidl, Penny, Kaufland, Iceland and Globus :)
Hey Jen! Great video! :) Did you know that BILLA is a form of blending of the German words (der) "billige" (cheap) and "Laden" (shop)? Everytime I tell this to my Czech students they are "But Billa is not cheap at all!!!" :-D In Austria, we also have BIPA (billige Parfümerie), which is a typical drogerie as explained in the video. :)
I live near shinfood love your videos 😊💖
Hey, Jen! Great video as always, but I have a question, do you enjoy making these videos as much as you did when you started? Keep up the grat work!
Edit: P.S here’s alittle tip: there is a very good Indian grocery shop called Swagat in Koubkova 262/11 They have high uality spices and other various indian products, highly recomend!
There are many good Indian shops in Prague including online Dookan. I found them better than Swagat for prices, availability and delivery. Swagat has strange rules like, they deliver above 1000 Kc but the amount should not include rice or flour !
@@nadeemgaikwad906 Yeah, it can be weird.Anyways thanks for the tip, i’ĺl check it out.
there's also a pretty nice farmers market in dejvice with lots of ethnic food every saturday :)
I am so glad that I live next to a hypermarket, where I can get like most of the things and there is no necessary need to visit multiple stores :D
I used to live (in Brno) very close (just behind the corner) to a street with all these shops lined up right next to each other. We called it our supermarket, because it was just as convenient, and in fact more convenient because it was closer at hand. :D
Some light bulbs create a lot of heat, and when you trap 2 or more of them in a tight ceiling glass dome thingy or a tight light fixture, they get overheated and stop working. If you got that kind of light fixture, that might be the cause. So either buy ones that create less heat, don't put many in (but then you don't get enough light...), or get a different light fixture.
Because our health care is free most of the Czechs do not go to pharmacies to "self diagnose" yourself and buy medication, that is also why our pharmacies are 1/3 of the size of USA ones. :) When I first visited USA Pharmacy I was shocked how big it is xD.
Also to the light bulb issue.. I found out that "Eco/LED" lightbulbs are better than the normal ones. The best place to buy lightbulbs is Elektro (like Elektro World, Datart, Planeo Elektro etc.) or even Tesco Supermarket/Hypermarket will have them in the "Home section."
There are lots of little shops in Prague, but have you seen those shopping centres like Obchodní Centrum Černý most or Obchodní Centrum Letňany? Those are huuuge and you can buy there like everything you want. I really enjoyed your video and Hope you'll visit one soon.
Nice picture Tobik :)
it is not normal..))) normal be a picture of son or dauther..)))
@@petex3909
daughter
It's not Tobik, it's his ancestor who served under Napoleon
Fun fact - vast majority of package-free stuff is just a bunch of normal items unpacked from standard-size packages in the back and kept in jars on the shelf.
I imagine there's gonna be a lot of people saying this, but your way of using the word "potraviny" is just so confusing for a Czech :D
Firstly, you're often pronouncing it as potřaviny for some reason :D
And secondly, "potraviny" means groceries. Food. While "večerka" means a store that is open later than the usual ones (let's say a regular small grocery shop would close around 19 while the večerka would stay open until 21, hence the name (from večer - evening)). But since the večerka also sells food, they put the word "potraviny" on the door :)
Jen's pronouncing potraviny as potřaviny is because the r can be "americanized", say i e travel and you will understand.....
I've heard "potraviny" being used for a shop. Maybe you don't use that but some Czech people definitely do! :)
@@safirak7988 yes. A grocery shop.
@@safirak7988 "Potraviny" means simply a shop with food. When we want call the shop where is miscellany of anything, we go "k Vietnamcovi" (to the Vietnamese). "Smíšené zboží" means rather cooperative rural shops in a socialistic style. After the "revolution", the word "koloniál" was revived somewhere.
Lord you people are weird! Who gives a shit how you pronounce a particular word and ESPECIALLY when your talking about one of the hardest languages in the WORLD to learn! Example, in America Brown people cannot pronounce a word with an R like STORE they say Sto!!! They say Dough not door, get it but we r smart enough to know what their trying to say! Maybe that’s it! You folks in Czech are not smart enough to figure it out! What cha think?
Well in general I would say we don't have the shopping-as-leisure mentality yet. I mean we've learned to spend time in department stores but it's more like cruise around a bit than to sit in a food-court and than go for a movie. You don't see many Czechs leaving these places with multiple of bags from diferent stores as it is pictured in U.S.'s TV or movies (tipically The Sex and The City siries).
I LOVE going into different, specialed shops. I can support small local businesses, not huge corporates. People in small shops are often more qualified and able to help you. My favourite are little "one-brand-only" shops, especially with cosmetic, where they recommend the best thing for you and do not focus on selling the most expensive one. But I understand that it could be sometimes really confusing.
Whole separate category is for "hardware stores" - you can buy there light bulbs, nails, water tap... Simply anything you need in your house. I went there for little iron block that connects two sides of door handle (don't know the name) and I was SHOCKED, that such a basic thing comes in different sizes. Shop assistant helped me choose the most common and thanks to her we can use our bathroom door. As I said - people in those small shops know their business well and are really helpful.
Yes, I think Jen urgently needs to visit such a store, she needs a small screw in to the door handle (a "červík" with a point).
@@marekvasku5610 yes, right! I remember that from one of her videos! I can personally recommend hardware store "U Rota" in city center. Super kind, highly qualified stuff, low prices and they have everything.
@@amyv7901 AND they have a long history going back to the 19th century - bonus points! ;-)
www.zelezarstvi-urotta.cz/
(I'm actually not from Prague but I KNOW THAT.)
"Večerka" is only a slang name for shops open until late in the evening ("večer") or into the night. Regardless of the sortimet. The categories of stores that sell food are usually called "potraviny".
[Jen can pronounce the letter "Ř" very well. But she sometimes uses it in words where this letter is not.
Why?]
The "drogerie" sells household chemicals and related industrial goods. Medicines can be obtained at the pharmacy ("lékárna"). Why should flu drugs be sold between kitchen waste cleaner and parquet polish? What's confusing about this?
Eucalyptus drops did not help, because eucalyptus is not from the Czechia :-D There are pharmacies and then other pharmacies. Some are in supermarkets and sold by trained feeders, and in others pharmacies sold by pharmacists, with a medical degree.
Great video, you should explain that vecerka is from word vecer which mean evening, hence vecerka = open till late.
super/hyper not always refer to size. hypermarket means that there are some other small shops (tabák, květinářství, ...) in same building. I don't know how big are supermarkets in your neighborhood but we have small tesco with whole corridor of alcohol and big tesco with 2 corridors of beer and 1 with other alcohol (drogerie 0,75 vs 4 corridors)
In my opinion, even in the centre of Prague there are plenty of supermarkets offering food, goods normally sold in drugstores and even light bulbs. :)
Like Tesco on Anděl and Národní, Albert hypermarket at Flora, Albert supermarket at Palladium and Vaclavske namesti etc
just a quick note to lightbulbs... if you have a chandelier or any king of ceiling light with more than 1 bulb, you always have to split output botween all of them... e.g. you just cannot put 4 120W bulbs in one source... and if I may, buy LED ones :) usually doesn't crack so often
If you take a car to the hyper stores on the outskirts of big cities you will get your US experience shopping
Yeah but why would I do that?
@@DreamPrague
yeah, there are shopping centers where is always some hypermarket and others too. there are, i think, actually 3 shopping parks (if i count globus) on zličín, so in areas like that you can hunt for some goods of your choice :-)
For best beers I recommend going to local breweries, they have amazing beer in there - just to name a few: Spojovna, Olivuv pivovar, Hostivař 1 or 2
Life was hell in my first few months because I had trouble finding things. I had no idea where the vegetable weighing scales were in every grocery store I went to. So for four months I bought ALL my vegetables thru rohlik and the rest at the store.
Some shops do not use scales, they weigh it at place where you pay.
@@mi.chal. Nowadays all of them.
@@qwe5qwe566 Supermarkets, that is.
Your videos are cool to learn the American ways, which also may seem shocking and intimidating to a European)))
btw
Tesco sells light bulbs :) Also there is a lot of shopping malls in Prague, where you find different stores and a few restaurants - sort of everything in one place, including the electronics.
Aaaand what I really love in Prague you have some great shops for artists with ALL quality supplies you need for creation.
Plus if you are curious about ethnic foods - there are some "russian" groceries too)
In the last 15 years, the small grocery stores are the domain of the Vietnamese community because a lot of immigrants are often small entrepreneurs, another nation doing also their business there but in a different kind of store, coffee shops, restaurants, pizzerias, kebab, hotels, many others. Czech people prefer Czech grocery stores but we have a few. Czech citizens like store called "lahudky", now Czech entrepreneurs have chains of bakery shops and the lahudky as well.
jen k těm lékárnám dodávám, že tam stojí za pultem paní s vysokoškolským titulem - v oboru farmacie, kterým právě musíte popsat ty příznaky a dle toho vám prodají lék. to nejsou žádné "jenom" prodavačky. Proto se vás ptají na příznaky a popisujete co přesně potřebujete.
V železářství nebo prodejně sportovních potřeb by taky měli pracovat profesionálové, kterým popíšete své potřeby a ani vám podle toho nabídnou zboží. To je podstatou práce prodavače, pokud to není jen podavač.
Basically, you have stores that sell alcohol and stores that don't. Sometimes, you can buy whisky in a store that specializes on electronics or hobby.
Jen, ale samozrejme, ze tvuj turista se muze realizovat i v hypermarketu za mestem, kde obvykle najde vsechno na jednym miste, nekde dokonce i se stavebninama... (s vyjimkou lekarenskeho zbozi, lekarna bude vzdy samostatny obchod, to tady urcuje zakon) nez aby obihal mesto a zjistoval, kde co lezi a bezi...
spise ho prekvapi, ze takove veci jako napr. "suchy sampon" jsou u nas vzacnosti a zbrane (s vyjimkou kuchynskeho noze) a naboje uz v tom baraku nenajde vubec.
Chodit na nakupy ve smyslu: jenom se divam a snad se inspiruju a nebo se necham nalakat i na nejakej kauf, to se provozuje i tady. To tu nebudou za exoty.
I would just like to point out that Rohlik doesn't have any service fee unless you order the minimum amount.
Your minimal delivery is 500 CZK but if shop over 1200 CZK, it is free. And they can deliver your order to your apartment which might be attractive for people living in the centre of Prague where basic commodities like an elevator don't exist ;D.
I like that they partner with smaller Czech producers and some vegetables from them can be delivered within hours after they were harvested. They also indicate when they drive around, so you can insert yourself into the slot and decrease their CO2 footprint a bit. It would have been great if they offered something like a prepaid box which you could return and they could reuse it.
I am sure somebody has already wrote this but "Večerka" got its name from the time where grocery, gas stops, and other shops closed at 5-7 PM. Vietnamese večerky were the only ones that were able/willing to sell past the time, i.e. during night/evening ("večer").
I second the recommendation to visit SAPA. I think you would like it there. There is even a small Buddhist shrine you can visit :).
I rarely visit small shops and supermarkets and hypermarkets are really close by or on my way home. I don't enjoy shopping, so I like to do everything in one swipe if possible. It is also difficult to find vegetarian/vegan products at smaller stores while larger ones have a solid selection these days.
You might want an electrician to look at your wiring, if you haven't already, IMO. For us, light bulbs last years without popping or burning out, and our home has very old wires. But it also depends on how much you use it, the type of lightbulb.
I’ve been living in Prague since May and I also call it Potraviny because of your channel 😂 I don’t know why, but absolutely EVERY Potraviny (Vecerka) store has the most grumpy staff possible, who don’t even respond to “dobrý den”. I avoid going there because of the service xd
Btw. I think I saw you in Stromovka the other day, totally a fan and would love a pic but didn’t want to disturb xd
This all is descriptiom of how it works in the city centres, whereas on the suburbs and little towns, there are only super(hyper)markets and large stores where you often get by car.
The biggest challenge I have shopping here is my inability to read food labels to see what’s in the food and reading cooking directions. Google Translate’s camera function doesn’t work well on curved packages. I’ve been taking Czech lessons for several months now so maybe one day I’ll overcome this handicap.
Funny thing, I actually keep receipts and boxes from those fancy CFL or LED light-bulbs and do return to claim warranty. Nobody would bother with a cheap glass light-bulb but those fancy bulbs have 2 years warranty and they have to last at least those two years to start saving money on electricity.
15:00 actually teta started to sell basic medication like Ibalgin or paralen
What about Železářství? :) since you mentioned other non grocery stores :D