Things from other countries to improve ours

[babasaclover]

Every time I go to another country I take back things I think wow wish we did that in uk eg

•beer served in an ice cold glass from the freezer

•always getting water when you sit down in restaurant without asking

•in Ireland castles are free to get into in summer holidays!

what else do you wish we had here?

So many great ones already.
For me the public transport system in Budapest. You know what is coming and when, get on a tram and tell the app that you’ve done so and it will show you where it’s going, connections etc. Cost us about £11 for 3 days unlimited travel this time last year. Meanwhile my London zone 1-3 daily commute is almost £8.

I really like the use of automation and robotics in Japan. I know it's a response to an ageing population, at least in part, but it's very creative and effective.

Margaret Thatcher was in power for 11 years.

Bread-slicing machines. So you can take your freshly baked loaf whole or sliced, as you prefer.

They have them in every bakery where I live.
Have done for years.

I love the Pfand system in Germany for bottles and cans, you take them back yourself and receive a chitty for the deposit money.

Also love my Deutschland ticket, which means I pay €63 Euro a month for unlimited travel on all regional buses, trams and trains. (public transport has been a bit ropey lately with punctuality but the ticket is great)

People being able to drink beer at a festival without it descending into carnage. 🍻

Free public transport. Reasonably priced leisure centres. Longer summer holidays. Cheap/free childcare. Decent, plentiful social housing at genuinely affordable rents/ownership.

All of that is going to mean high taxation, of course. Not popular with everyone!

@PiMCA
Which country offers these facilities?

They used to exist, when Greggs sold bread you could get it sliced.

They still have them in our local bakeries. You can stipulate how thick you want the slices. It's done really quickly!

Helpful bus drivers. Maybe a tourist area thing but I've always found them super helpful if I'm not entirely sure where I'm going.

Our local bus drivers are so unhelpful and grumpy.

I also love countdown traffic lights.

Our local bus drivers are fantastic, it must just be where you live.

When I was last in Germany about 25 years ago the tea pot in cafes came with a little dish to put under it. The dish had a lit tea light which kept the pot of tea warm. Simple but effectivr

When I was mid 20's I hopped on the bus (unplanned emergency thing) and asked the driver if they stopped at our main hospital (rural area). Driver said "No" and that was that, totally dismissed me.

I got off and one of the other passengers ran to the door and said get back on, this bus doesn't stop at the hospital but it meets up with one at the bus station that will take you straight to the hospital door.

Driver was raging at being called out by this nice helpful passenger.

Then, he tried charging me for the first part of the journey which would have cost me twice as much, the nice passenger then got him told that he knows fine well he can give me a 'straight through' ticket that I could use on bus #2 and save myself about 50% of the cost. Nasty bus driver nearly exploded at that 😂.

That's awful. Where do you live?

The produce. We used to spend a lot of time in France and the quality of the fresh fruit and veg was simply outstanding compared to uk supermarkets. Tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber actually tasted of something. It’s the one thing I really miss.

I still have an airing cupboard with the hot water tank in it. I still use it for airing damp laundry and as a storage place for towels and bed linen. I've often wondered where people keep their linens if they live in a house with no airing cupboard.

Supermarkets in Italy and Spain are so much nicer?! They smell nice, the fruit and veg always look healthier and fresher, the meat and fish look nicer. The labels on things are more interesting? I guess it might just be novelty.

Trains where you just turn up, anytime, any day and buy a fixed price ticket. Simple!

In some parts of Spain they have collective bins (different recycling and general waste), with a skip type arrangement below ground. Refuse wagon comes and removes.
My neighbourhood is so tatty, overflowing with each house having three or four bins each, all stood outside, usually on the front as few have space to store them elsewhere.

Utility companies that take pride in roads and pavements rather than shareholder and CEO profits.. Rivers polluted, roads and pavements newly laid, dug up a few days later, patched, dug up again, patched again. A disgraceful mess here.

High streets that are vibrant and tasteful. Owners that take pride in the shop front, and customers, we must shop on the high street if we are to maintain it as part of our community. Online fast fashion is killing local trade.
We spend time in The Netherlands, buzzing markets (flower and food), tasteful shops, plenty of customers, people meeting up, chatting, having a coffee in the market square. A sense of community and connection, customers for thriving businesses.

Well, you've just said it - people in the UK seem to prefer shopping online, so charming markets and high streets buzzing with happy shoppers are dying a death.

Yes, ‘our’ own fault…a downward spiral for lots of reasons.

Indeed. I have a colleague who buys literally everything online. They never go to a shop.

Growing up, shopping was a day out. Me and my mum wandering, looking at items to buy, a couple of purchases and the bus home. We went every Saturday.

Another connection with others.

People want cheap and don’t seem to know what quality is. My town SM page often has business owners asking ‘what do you want to see opened in…’, and a huge list of ideas and responses follow. Clothes, broader range of market stalls, soft play, sports wear, household etc.
Sadly, the vast majority of these businesses have been opened and closed at the end of the six month initial let. People need to realise that the businesses are not volunteers, they need to turn a profit.

I have to say, I enjoy shopping and still go to actual shops. I like seeing what I buy, feeling the fabric of the clothes, trying on shoes etc.