The other day I went to a drugstore to buy a hand wash. While I was browsing through the products, I noticed that they were selling a hand wash by Aveeno, our popular American brand.
My surprise quickly turned into shock when I checked the price: € 8.79, which is $13.11! I can understand the quality of the product and (probably) the import fees, but is this enough to justify why this item is 6 times more expensive than other brands?
Obviously, I opted for another product, as you can see from the empty spot on the right.

The learning here is that popular US brands might carry a much higher sticker price in Italy than what we are used to see at home. Coupled with the fact that the Euro is particularly strong these days, don’t assume that the same inexpensive item found at your neighbor’s market might be as convenient when you visit an Italian store.

I personally love grocery shopping in Italy. The variety and quality of the food available is simply excellent. If you are used to shop in US stores, you may notice a few differences:
– Carts are free to use but you often need a Euro coin deposit to unlock the cart from the rack
– At the cash register, you’ll have only one option: plastic bags
– Bags are subject to an ‘environmental’ fee of about Euro 0.05
– No one will help you place your groceries in the bags