• Sweden edition
National

Swedish supermarket sold full strength beer

Published: 1 Aug 12 16:35 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/42368/20120801/

19-year-old friends Jesper and Martin in the Stockholm suburb of Åkersberga received a happy surprise when the beer they were about to purchase at a local supermarket turned out to be full strength and not light beer.


“When we looked closely at the bottles we noticed that one contained 5.4 percent alcohol and not the usual 3.5,” said Jesper to daily Aftonbladet.

In order to buy an alcoholic beverage in one of the state-run alcohol chain Systembolaget’s outlets, customers must be 20 years of age, according to Swedish law.

The conscientious young men therefore went and asked to see the store manager but were told he was unavailable.

They then brought the drinks to the checkout where the cashier wasn’t able to scan in the bar code, according to the paper.

“The girl in the checkout asked us how much it cost without even taking a look at what it was,” said the mean to the paper.

On the receipt the full strength beer turned up as “beverage” and cost the young men the same price as the light beer they had intended to buy.

The store manager for the shop, Shivan Osman told the paper that he has now removed the full strength beer from the shop and that his staff will be more observant on what is in the shop from now on.

“It is a question of a wrong delivery. It must have been an intern at the brewery sending us the wrong product,” said Osman to Aftonbladet.

The Local/rm
twitter.com/thelocalsweden

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Your comments about this article:

The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.

17:54 August 1, 2012 by Spuds MacKenzie
Why on Earth would these kids bust the store manager?! They found a hidden gem in this store and should've kept their mouths shut!
18:10 August 1, 2012 by Roffe
About time someone took the lead. Say NO to Systembolaget!
18:19 August 1, 2012 by Rishonim
What a pair of idiots.
18:54 August 1, 2012 by Smokebox
I agree. What a score that was!!!!
19:09 August 1, 2012 by dizzymoe33
They didn't even have to show their ID to prove their age?! How stupid!! Over here in the States if this happened and was reported in the news the store would be shut down for selling alcohol to minors and a heavy fine would be imposed on that store owner.
19:26 August 1, 2012 by Spuds MacKenzie
@dizzymoe33 The clerk assumed it was the normal "light" beer that you only need to be 18 to purchase, so there was no need to card them. It's only the "strong" beer that isn't suppossed to be sold in grocery stores that has the age 20 requirement.

Also, the whole act of carding is pretty much an American thing. You don't usually have to prove your age here unless it is blatantly obvious you are many, many years under age.
20:17 August 1, 2012 by eurobloke
Considering the supermarket in question was Willys, that says it all (LOL).
21:57 August 1, 2012 by muscle
this is a clear example of how much swedish kids love to follow the rules... even if they loose all the fun :)

but anyway, jokes apart, it was a good job.
07:24 August 2, 2012 by rsmehdihasan
party goes on!!!!
09:35 August 2, 2012 by robban70226
Time to disolve the ridiculous Systembolaget system of control and arbitrary manipulation. I dont understand why the EU allows the monopoly to exist.
10:19 August 2, 2012 by Abe L
#5 - Over here in the rest of Europe you can usually buy alcohol legally starting at the age of 16 and it's commonly available in normal supermarkets and you rarely get asked for ID. The US and Sweden are a few decades behind on this topic, both legally and culturally.

Either way, it's about time the systembolaget monopoly gets disbanded. But as usual Sweden does what's worst for their citizens. The pharmacy monopoly that actually made sense was a good thing and got disbanded, while the systembolaget monopoly has stopped making sense 30 years ago continues to exist.
11:20 August 2, 2012 by Rimbaud
After 10 month in Sweden I still cannot believe that the country has still this crazy legislation in place. The worst of this is that this systems does not help at all the alcohol addiction problems that Sweden has.......
04:41 August 3, 2012 by godnatt
The horror!

In other news Systembolaget sucks.
14:48 August 3, 2012 by Prestonrobsun
Isn't System Bolaget illegal under EU Law? No competition.
03:59 August 4, 2012 by FatherJon
Almost as bad as Canada!
04:37 August 4, 2012 by Eric1
It's a wonder that the shop owner didn't get life in prison for "cheating" the government out of it's puntitive taxes it collects on beer at Systembolaget.
13:38 August 6, 2012 by Opaline
At least they decided to let the staff know, this is the sort of behaviour that will show the government that young adults CAN be responsible with drink and that they wont turn into alcoholics the minute they take a sip, like many people seem to think.
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Today's headlines
Unrest in Stockholm
Parent patrols help quell Stockholm riots

Parent patrols help quell Stockholm riots

Parents and volunteers have been patrolling the streets of Stockholm's immigrant-heavy suburbs to help quell riots that have raged for almost a week, serving as a successful deterrent to troublemakers and winning praise from police. READ () »

Police hunt man after woman found dead

Police are hunting a 40-year-old man after a woman was found dead in a suburb of Stockholm on Saturday. READ () »

Two cars collide as elk gives birth on road

Two cars collide as elk gives birth on road

Two cars collided on a road between Trollhättan and Vänersborg in western Sweden on Friday afternoon due to an elk having chosen the unusual spot to give birth to a calf. READ () »

Dad slams booze delivery to 10-year-old son

Express delivery firm DHL has been criticised for having handed over a load of alcohol ordered from Germany to a 10-year-old boy in southern Sweden who was home alone at the time. READ () »

Unrest in Stockholm
Stockholm riots spread west on sixth night

Stockholm riots spread west on sixth night

A sixth straight night of unrest blighted several Stockholm suburbs on Friday night, spreading briefly to the city of Örebro, 160 kilometres to the west. READ () »

Unrest in Stockholm
Stockholm's not burning

Stockholm's not burning

With international media swooping on the Stockholm riots from every angle, The Local's Oliver Gee explains why Stockholm is not burning, and how the story has been blown out of proportion. READ () »

Unrest in Stockholm
Stockholm riots: causes and consequences

Stockholm riots: causes and consequences

After five nights of rioting throughout the outskirts of Stockholm, many in Sweden and elsewhere are trying to make sense of it all. The Local spoke to a mix of commentators and local politicians to get their views. READ () »

Swedish firms 'clueless' about foreign graduates

Swedish firms 'clueless' about foreign graduates

As white-collar union Saco slammed Sweden for not helping well-educated foreigners into the labour market, The Local spoke to researcher Josefin Edström about the disconnect between foreign professionals and Swedish employers. READ () »

More National

 

RECEIVE OUR NEWSLETTER AND ALERTS
 

 

Highlights
DoToday
LIFESTYLE »
What's On:The Local's guide to upcoming attractions and events in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö
www.finest.se
GALLERY »
People-watching May 20-23
Erik Bloom
LIFESTYLE »
Stockholm's ten best-kept secrets - revealed
Fredrik Sanberg/Scanpix (File)
OPINION »
'The future of freedom on the internet is at stake'
Peter Håkansson/Swedish Fashion Council
SOCIETY »
Fashion prize turns Rookies into players
La Neta
LIFESTYLE »
My Swedish Career: We talk to the founder of Stockholm's favourite Mexican restaurant chain - La Neta
Leif R Jansson/Scanpix
NATIONAL »
Riot police 'resorted to racial slurs' in Husby
Scanpix
SPORT »
Sweden win ice hockey world champs at home
Scanpix
SPORT »
Swedes sweep top French football awards
fastighetsbyrån.se
GALLERY »
Property of the Week: Check out this funky three-room apartment on the Stockholm island of Södermalm
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Sweden win Ice Hockey World Championships. See the celebrations in Stockholm
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Youths burn 100 cars in north Stockholm riots
Finest.se scanpix.se
GALLERY »
People-watching: Nightlife, Ice Hockey Gold celebrations, the royal family... You name it, this week's gallery has it
WikiCommons
BUSINESS & MONEY »
Solna voted best place to live in Sweden
Scanpix
TRAVEL »
Quiz - Think You Know Sweden? This week we head to one of Sweden's ten biggest towns. But which one?
Scanpix
LIFESTYLE »
Eurovision host: 'Not everyone has to like me'
Scanpix
LIFESTYLE »
Denmark wins Eurovision 2013 in Malmö
Paul Hansen/World Press Photo
SOCIETY »
Award-winning Swedish photographer cleared of manipulation
Scanpix
NATIONAL »
A Congolese-Swedish pastor explains the roots to recent cases of parents exorcising demons from their children in Sweden
File photo: AP
NATIONAL »
H&M backs Bangladesh building safety accord
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Eurovision: second semi-final entries
Screenshot: American Apparel
SOCIETY »
Swedes slam American Apparel over 'sexist' ads
Hasse Holmberg/Scanpix (File)
BUSINESS & MONEY »
Housing crunch forces more young Swedes to live with mum and dad
Asif Akbar/sxc.hu (File)
OPINION »
'Not all discrimination in Sweden is racism'
Lana Wimmer
GALLERY »
Hidden Stockholm Gems: Ulriksdal's Palace
Sex in Sweden: condoms optional - study
SOCIETY »
Sex in Sweden: condoms optional - study
AP (File)
POLITICS »
Russia 'lacks capacity' to attack Sweden: Reinfeldt
fastighetsbyrån.se
GALLERY »
Property of the Week: This week, we're looking inside a home from the 1700s just west of Stockholm. Complete with two cannons.
Scanpix (File)
OPINION »
JobTalk: Top ten tips for earning a higher salary in Sweden
Eddie Gee
LIFESTYLE »
Check out the back catalogue of all The Local's Swedes of the Week
Photo: The Local
SPONSORED ARTICLE
Stockholm International School - what’s in IT for students?

 

Latest news from The Local in Germany

More news from Germany at thelocal.de

Latest news from The Local in France

More news from France at thelocal.fr

Latest news from The Local in Norway

More news from Norway at thelocal.no

Latest news from The Local in Switzerland

More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch

Search News


Register

Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss

REGISTER FOR FREE »


Blog Update: The Swedish Teacher

19 March 19:24

“Örngott”, “luttanpluttan” and “chokladglass” »

"Hej! How is your Swedish coming along? I have received many questions on the Facebook page and in my email lately and it seems like a good idea to post the answers here. Enjoy! Question 1 – “får inte” or “måste inte” Could you please clarify for me which is the most commonly used phrase in Swedish for..." READ »

Holiday Luxury Villa in Portugal
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com
The Local's new Marketplace
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Counseling in English
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Trade binary options
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com
Therapy in English
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE