Border Trade – Don’t make these Harryhandel mistakes

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Although the Swedish price level for both food and a number of other goods is lower than that of Norway, the Swedes have also recently experienced a sharp rise in prices.

The Swedish Statistical Authority writes that the August inflation rate, which shows the change from the same month last year, was 9 percent, while the monthly change from July to August was 1.5. percent. Although particularly high electricity prices are causing the rise, there is also a sharp rise in prices of, among other things, food, home furniture and restaurant prices, they write on their website.

This does not mean that a shopping trip to the neighboring country is not worth it. But you need to think smart and follow these good tips to make travel even more profitable.

1. Coordinate with someone else

As is well known, fuel and electricity prices have risen significantly over the past year. Therefore, a trip to and from Sweden can be a relatively expensive affair, but if you drive together with your family, a neighbor or a friend, you keep these costs down.

2. Choose the correct currency when paying by card

You may have heard that you have been asked if you want to pay in Swedish or Norwegian kroner when paying at the cashier in Sweden? Here is the correct answer Swedish kroner: So you get the current exchange rate set by Visa or MasterCard, while you get a rate set by the store itself when you respond to Norwegian kroner – and it’s rarely that favorable.

3. Buy medicines and pharmaceuticals in Sweden

If there’s one thing you can save a lot on when shopping in Sweden, it’s the pharmacy visit: both over-the-counter products and dry skin creams, which Vi.no has done a price check beforeand prescription medicines cost much less in Sweden than in Norway.

4. Handle correct goods

You shouldn’t think that alt it is cheaper in Sweden before shopping, because here too, as mentioned, there has been a rise in prices. Therefore, it pays to stick to products that you know are cheaper and feel free to check prices in Norway before traveling.

Tobacco and alcohol are known to have a lower price level in Sweden. Also remember that you can bring more alcohol than the quota allows, as long as you clear customs before crossing the border. And it can be even cheaper than buying goods in Norway, depending on what you buy.

Even products such as sweets, meat and grain products and foods suitable for celiacs or lactose intolerance are usually cheaper in Sweden than in Norway.

5. Bring shopping nets and shopping bags

As of May 1, 2020, Sweden has introduced a new tariff for plastic bags that amounts to much more than the corresponding tariff in Norway:

This means you have to shell out around NOK 7 for a single plastic bag in Swedish supermarkets. So it’s worth bringing shopping bags or grocery nets from home, especially if you’re planning on making large purchases.

The purpose of the tax was to reduce the consumption of ea plastic bags report produced by Swedish Environmental Emission Data prepared for the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency since spring 2022 it shows, among other things, that the consumption of plastic bags has fallen sharply after the introduction of the tax.