# Things you've seen abroad you wish were adopted world wide **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 28, 2021, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094 "2021-05-28T14:31:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/263 "2021-06-09T11:45:35Z")
Ah, I see I misunderstood what “dollar store” meant. As mentioned “pound shops” (also often people just say the brand: Poundland) in the UK literally sell most things for £1. Also, here in China, there are 10 kuai stores (kuai is the measure word for currency) which sell things for 10 RMB, apart from select items like bluetooth speakers say. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/264 "2021-06-09T12:15:00Z")
Thirty or so years ago, it was possible to sell many of the things in dollar stores in the U.S. for a dollar or even less. Prices have risen enough that that’s no longer possible. Some items in dollar stores still sell for a dollar or less, but it’s not typical. There’s a chain called Five Below that sell everything for five dollars or below (although they often have a section for a few products that are ten dollars or below). There has always been inflation, so it’s too difficult to keep prices below some arbitrary point. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there were a lot of five and dime stores, because at that point it was possible to sell things at five to ten cents. Gradually those stores had to increase prices too, so the name fell out of use. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/265 "2021-06-09T12:22:47Z")
I understand that some televisions in Europe can record programs (onto a flash drive?) for viewing later. No fussing with an internet connection or streaming service is necessary. This feature has not been available in the United States. The closest thing available are “digital television tuner” set top boxes with recording capability. (TCL televisions might have some sort of reduced-feature recorder.) ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/266 "2021-06-09T12:42:38Z")
Dollar Tree is - unless it’s changed since the pandemic started - an exception. Everything’s a dollar or less plus tax. The downside is the stuff is cheaply made and looks it\* and the food is often really close to expired. \*Oddly I’ve gotten some nice looking picture frames there, though. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/267 "2021-06-09T12:44:43Z")
Dollar Store. Where hundreds of items worth twenty seven cents are sold for one dollar. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/268 "2021-06-09T12:46:48Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > But in US dollar stores, are the items actually $1 + N pennies? Does the store indicate this price anywhere (it’s one thing to not display the actual price on every item, but in a store where virtually everything is $1.12, it might be worth putting it on a notice somewhere)? Everyone (well, not everyone. But people who have spent a reasonable amount of time to most of their lives in a system that charges sales tax that’s added on at the cash register) knows. It’s not a surprise. It might be kind of a surprise the first time you go shopping with your own money when you’re 5 or 6 and the toy that you want is more than the number it says on the sign. But by the time you’re buying things on a regular basis this is just how it works. There’s no reason to put it on notice. But yes, at the dollar store when I see a sign that says “all wine glasses $1,” I will need to hand over $1.10 to take the wine glass home with me. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/269 "2021-06-09T12:55:34Z")
> [@Bonum\_Legatum](#): > > I understand that some televisions in Europe can record programs (onto a flash drive?) for viewing later. No fussing with an internet connection or streaming service is necessary. This feature has not been available in the United States. Pretty much all TV’s in the UK come with that feature as standard. Plug in a memory stick, format it then record to it. They are often “locked” to the TV in question though, you can’t record a load on the stick and then unplug it to play on your laptop or another device. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/270 "2021-06-09T13:07:33Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I’ve heard legends speak of countries where grocery cashiers are given chairs or stools at the register to sit down in while they do their jobs. Why _wouldn’t_ they give a cashier a chair to sit down in? That seems highly unreasonable to me. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/271 "2021-06-09T13:31:53Z")
Alas, chairs for cashiers are not a thing in America. Apparently California requires them to be available on request, but where I work you need a doctor’s note or an ADA accommodation to be able to sit down while checking. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/272 "2021-06-09T14:17:45Z")
Cashiers at Aldi get chairs. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/273 "2021-06-09T14:22:52Z")
I nominate the metal roller shutters that are ubiquitous in France and seem to be built into the construction of most residential buildings. You have a handle inside next to the window (or a patio style door) and you can roll down a big metal shutter. The shutter rolls down to the floor with gaps but if you keep winding the shutter will compress and completely black out the window. And I mean a total black out. Great for sleeping, security, noise reduction and for keeping a room cool from the morning sun. The shutter is hidden completely in the wall above the window so it doesn’t ruin the look of your property. If I was building a property from scratch I’d get one of these fitted. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/274 "2021-06-09T15:10:19Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > When I was in France, the showers had the mixing valves out in the open rather than behind the walls. I thought that was a good idea since it would be easier to swap them out if there was any problem. When they are behind the wall, you have to tear up the wall if they need to be fixed. Something like this: > > [https://www.amazon.com/MODONA-European-Style-Shower-Mixer/dp/B00ZLIEEV2](https://www.amazon.com/MODONA-European-Style-Shower-Mixer/dp/B00ZLIEEV2) My house (in Michigan) has in-wall mixing valves for the showers. For each shower, the backside of the wet wall has a removal panel that facilitates access to the valve for service/replacement; no “tear up the wall” is necessary, the access panel is held in place with a few screws. My house is about 27 years old, but I suspect it’s common to a lot of houses; I saw the same thing on a previous house I lived in that was much older. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/275 "2021-06-09T16:31:35Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > Ah. I find that idea silly because most people aren’t eating by weight. I don’t know anyone who weighs out breakfast cereal, or canned corn or peanut butter, for example. Trust me, if you’re on Weight Watchers, that’s exactly what you do. But the most important and valuable point to the consumer is, by every packet stipulating how many calories are in 100g, you can easily compare products. You don’t need the maths, you just need to know that pack of cheese A has less calories per 100g than pack B. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/276 "2021-06-09T16:34:38Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Alas, chairs for cashiers are not a thing in America. Apparently California requires them to be available on request, but where I work you need a doctor’s note or an ADA accommodation to be able to sit down while checking. Positively cruel! It’s been the practice for some time amongst major supermarkets in the UK to employ otherwise retired people as cashiers (they are more reliable, and do it for the extra pocket money and social life). Not giving them chairs would discriminate against them. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/277 "2021-06-09T17:01:18Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > But the most important and valuable point to the consumer is, by every packet stipulating how many calories are in 100g, you can easily compare products. You don’t need the maths, you just need to know that pack of cheese A has less calories per 100g than pack B. Also, in places such the UK (can’t believe I’m bigging up my home country so much; normally moaning is a national obsession), they’re color coded too. So you might pick up a pack of granola bars, say, notice that the fat and sugar boxes are both red, and immediately realize that this brand is not as healthy as you’d normally expect for this kind of product. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/278 "2021-06-09T22:36:08Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > And yes, you just close the lid and lean over the bowl to wash hands in the little sink. See, that is something I’d hate to see adopted worldwide. Arthritis means that it’d be really hard for me to get to the sink - the same goes for many other disabilities and heavy pregnancy. Shorter people (and kids) might not be able to reach it at all. If it were on top but accessible from the side that’d be a different matter. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/279 "2021-06-09T23:16:36Z")
U.S. cashiers don’t have time to sit. “Time to lean, time to clean” is a common motto. When I was a cashier I was also supposed to shelve and price merchandise, keep the two aisles closest to me neat and clean, mop the floor around my checkstand, clean the glass on the front doors, salt the doorstep and sidewalk in winter, stock the coolers, answer the phones…when could I sit? (And that’s not even a complete list of duties.) Think I’m exaggerating? Ask your clerk what their side duties are next time you go to Walmart, CVS, Dollar Tree, McDonalds, Wendy’s or anywhere else, really. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/280 "2021-06-09T23:29:24Z")
I saw a video from an unknown country where they had a guy whose entire job was to whack people with sticks for not wearing their masks in public. I’d support global adoption of this policy. In fact, I’ll volunteer for the position! ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/281 "2021-06-10T00:47:38Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > If it were on top but accessible from the side that’d be a different matter. It’s totally accessible from the side if there’s not a wall there. Also, the tank tends to be pretty tall vs a non-sink toilet, probably for ergonomics, which would help. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094/282 "2021-06-10T01:06:32Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Cashiers at Aldi get chairs. I think they’re the only chain where I’ve ever seen this. Personally, I’ve worked a buncha retail jobs. At every one, chairs or stools were absolutely verboten. NO SIT FOR YOU! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-seen-abroad-you-wish-were-adopted-world-wide/943094.md?page=15)