An American living in the UK has shared one of the biggest ‘culture shocks’ that caused great ‘frustration’ and confusion upon first moving to England – and it’s something most Brits enjoy
An American who’s moved over to Britain has revealed a “culture shock” that left them feeling “frustrated” following their relocation from across the Atlantic. Despite both nations speaking the same language, countless cultural and social distinctions exist in how they function.
From local expressions that seem baffling between the countries, to attitudes regarding tips, or even the manner supermarkets arrange and showcase their goods – numerous issues can leave some Americans feeling rather bewildered by British life.
Plenty turn to social media platforms to voice their observations and encounters after moving to these shores.
One American, now living in England, was taken aback by Britain’s interpretation of “closing time” and how it’s enforced over here.
On Reddit, they aired their complaint where they tagged their issue with a “culture shock” tag.
The American wrote: “Something I’ve noticed living in the UK is how differently ‘closing time’ works. In the US, if a place says it closes at 9pm, you can usually walk in at 8:55 and still get served – ‘closing’ means that’s when they stop serving new customers.
“In the UK, closing time is when the employees expect to be walking out the door to go home. Restaurants shut their kitchens an hour before the posted time, and grocery stores might even stop letting people in 20–30 minutes before closing.
“This caused some frustration my first year here: I’d walk into a café ten minutes before closing, hoping to grab a coffee, only to find the machine already turned off.
“Or I’d run out to pick up milk or eggs ten minutes before a grocery store’s closing time, only to find they’d stopped letting people in.”
In an attempt to tackle this bewilderment, they’ve now “mentally pushed back every posted closing time by an hour to reflect British reality”.
In the comments section, fellow Reddit users were eager to share their views, with many backing the British approach to retail.
One person said: “And that’s another reason why I love living in the UK. Staff leaving on time since they have their own lives and family. Bartenders earning a decent wage so they’re not dependent on tips to survive.
“I’ve gotten used to the closing time means closing time. I think back when I used to work in retail and cursed the customers that would show up 5 minutes before [store] closing to buy a hair tie”.
Another revealed: “I used to work in a big box retailer and we were forbidden from telling customers it was time to close, or that the store had already closed and they should pay for their stuff and go. I once had to hang around for an hour after closing because the manager wouldn’t do this.
“I appreciate stores saying ‘hey you’ve got 15 minutes to pay for your stuff because we’re going home’.”
A third commented: “The British way of retail is so much more civilised.”
Another individual disagreed with the original poster’s viewpoint, stating: “Ummm, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but no one, and I mean NOBODY, that works in a restaurant thinks ‘anyone that walks in at 8:55 is [the] last new customer’.
“9pm is when they close, meaning they want you out at 9pm… Any other thinking is entitlement [to] the nth degree”.
