Non-Americans who have been to the US.. What is the weirdest thing about America that Americans don't realize is weird?

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Canadian, so it's not all that different, but why. can. I. buy. liquor. in. a. PHARMACY?
Don't know if this is just a California thing, but it was weird as fuck. What's even weirder, in light of this, is they didn't go whole hog and sell cigarettes too. 'Cause helf.
Side story: Went into a Dollar General and bought a can of Sapporo. Ok, not so weird, it's functionally a super basic grocery store with a bunch of other cheap goods. Guy at the counter said, "Oh yeah, they make this beer in some place very far away". Looked at the can - I'm pretty sure he meant Japan, not Guelph, ON Canada.
He wasn't wrong but I did chuckle.
- i like that there's this post where it's weird to be able to buy liquor in a pharmacy (canadian in california) and another where it's weird to only be able to buy liquor in a liquor store (brit in florida)
- Liquor laws vary wildly throughout the US. The one good thing about Ohio is drive through liquor stores.
  
  I always wondered how that isn't encouraging drinking and driving. Indiana has them as well.
  
  Drinking and driving is legal, as long as you’re under the limit. Well, some places have laws against open containers, but usually not the places with drive through liquor stores.
- In some states you can buy booze pretty much anywhere. I moved out of the country for awhile and when I went back home I stopped into an ice cream shop slash convenience store, and when I was surprised to see the 6 coolers of beer along the back wall I realized I'd been gone a long time.
  
  Here in the UK you can buy booze more or less anywhere that you can buy food. Almost any supermarket or corner shop will supply you what you want.
  
  In the US with all the variety there are places like that, but then places where you seemingly can't find alcohol to buy and take home anywhere.
  There's differences between how wine & beer, and hard liquor are treated. I'd say the "average" experience is beer in any corner shop or gas station, beer and wine in a grocery store, and hard liquor in specific liquor stores.
- Walgreens and CVS stopped selling cigarettes as corporate decisions around 2010, there's no law against it, they probably had a family member die of lung cancer.
  Getting any entity that jumps through as many hoops as one has to jump through to get a liquor sales license to voluntarily give up that profit isn't nearly as likely in the current US societal climate. Maybe once we have legal weed, but not while it is the current drug of choice.
  
  Not to mention that Walgreens became as big as they are specifically because of prescription alcohol sales during prohibition.
- Pharmacies/drug stores in America have unique laws and ordinances that go back to prohibition. During that time, they took over the role of saloons in communities, since they were able to sell medicinal whisky.
- Walgreens and I think Rite Aid stopped selling alcohol several years back. Idk why they stopped. Maybe they heard that you thought it was weird.
  
  If I have this kind of influence, please let me know where I can guffaw so y'all can get some socialized health care.
- Pharmacy liquor is a new one to me, lol.
- well i mean, depending on which state you're in, canada can very well be "far away" it's not the other side of the earth far away, but it's a long trip.
  
  Oh, 100%, dude was factually correct and I didn't chuckle at him, just found the whole "Canadian in a Californian dollar store buying 'exotic' Japanese beer that is actually Canadian macrobrew from a brewery 5 hours west of his home" thing really amusing.
  It was from far away - like, the other side of the continent - but not the kind of far away you'd expect given the branding.
  Edit: That said, this was several years ago - a little Googling suggests that if I did this now, it would be even less exotic, and brewed by Stone Brewing in Escondido, CA.

689 comments