You can't miss the American Food Store.
The American Food Store in London sells everyday grocery items as luxury products.
Campbell's soup can is three times more expensive than the US price, and Tide laundry detergent is more than six times more expensive.
There are several shelves of cereals and treats.
I grew up in the UK and remember hearing US expats talk about the American Food Store in London.
I wanted to check out the American Food Store as an adult.
I spent most of my childhood in the UK. My mom and dad are both Dutch, so they put me in an international school.
When I was a student at that school, I was fascinated with the various snacks and treats the Americans brought to class from the American Food Store.
I wanted to see if an American food store was selling overpriced groceries in the UK.
The shop's location in one of London's most expensive residential neighborhoods was an early indication that it would be bougie.
The American Food Store is surrounded by expensive real estate.
In busy tourist areas like Piccadilly and Oxford Circus, you can find most of London's fast-food and candy stores. Holland Park is one of the city's posher residential areas.
It's only a few minutes' walk from the station, but I thought it was odd for the store that sold pop tarts and Doritos to be surrounded by mansions and apartment blocks.
The shop has all the stars and stripes, and it was just as patriotic inside.
The cashier said that the prices have gone up because of the EU.
The American Food Store is like getting a full shock of American patriotism. There are flags all over the place, from the counter to the cups and plates for sale. I took a count of the ones hanging from the walls.
The store is owned by a British family. The American Food Store used to be a regular newsagents shop, but was converted after a trip to New York inspired the owners to indulge in their love for American foods.
I got to check out every shelf because it was empty. The Betty Crocker section was the first area I found interesting.
There were many Betty Crocker varieties on the shelves.
I've never seen so many different flavors of Betty Crocker cake mix in London, but I was pleasantly surprised to find such a variety.
My suspicions about the prices of these items were proved correct. The Red Velvet cake mix was priced at $5.50, which is about a third of the price. The same product in different packaging is sold by the UK's largest grocery store, Tesco, for just over $2.
The Red Velvet cake mix is less than $1 at Walmart.
Tide laundry detergent is sold for just over $60 and shocked me even more.
Customers should be prepared to pay for laundry detergent here.
I was not expecting to find laundry detergents on the bottom shelf of the food store that advertised itself as a food store.
Tide laundry detergent was the most expensive item I found during the entire visit. The pricing was high even though the labeling said it would last for 89 loads.
Walmart's online store sells the same sized Tide product for just $17.94, a mere £13.
I loved seeing American items for sale in the store, even though it was a theme of the store.
Windex reminds me of the dad in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."
Windex was the only product in the store that brought me back to my childhood. The first time I heard the name was when I watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."
It made me think that even though the items are overpriced, customers will feel nostalgic browsing through the shelves.
The prices can definitely affect that feeling. The price of a bottle of Windex at Target is almost double that at this one.
The Campbell's Soup cans made me think of Andy Warhol's famous pop-art paintings.
My high-school art classes used to include Campbell's soup.
It was cool to see the red-and-white Campbell's Soup cans in person, I had seen them in Andy Warhol paintings. I've never tried them.
I'm not sure if it's worth testing them out here in the UK at a higher price than in the US.
The breakfast aisle is close to the entrance of the store.
The breakfast aisle is full of cereals and pancake mix.
If you've never been to America or met an American, you'll think pancakes and cereals are eaten for breakfast every day.
The variety and sheer dessert-like flavors on offer in America are unparalleled, even though cereals are still a go-to here in the UK. I've never seen an Eggos product in the UK.
clam juice and bottled corn syrup were items I've never seen in the UK.
I've never seen similar food items in the UK.
There were a few products I had never seen in the UK. The clam juice was definitely one of them.
I've never been able to find corn syrup in the UK. It's hard to find liquid glucose in the UK, and it's not easy to incorporate it into a recipe here.
I know where to get corn syrup in the future.
I'll stick to buying my cans at regular UK grocery stores, even though I'm a fan of tuna sandwiches.
I didn't know a brand called "Chicken of the Sea" existed.
I love tuna sandwiches because they are easy to make and can be kept in the pantry for years. I'm going to stick to the canned tuna that's sold in regular UK grocery stores.
The same product costs $6.18 in the US, according to Walmart.
The prices in the coffee section were very high.
There is a luxury item here.
Coffee at the American Food Store is expensive. The price for a pack of ground French Vanilla coffee from Dunkin' is about 15. The cost of the Classic Roast is about $11.70.
I was surprised that the US has a fast-food chain like Dunkin'. I'm not sure if I'd buy this if I could just go to the store and get it for less.
It's surprising that a similar-size pack costs $7.72 on Walmart's online store.
I've never heard of Irish Spring, or have seen anything labeled as "deodorant soap" here in the UK.
I was confused by the Irish Spring Deodorant Soap.
I've lived in the UK since I was a kid and I've never seen "deodorant soap" advertised in grocery stores here. I need to hear from Americans if it works before I buy a set for $16.
There's no shortage of American soda in the UK, but it's hard to find a different flavor of Coke in larger quantities.
I was not expecting the store to sell household cleaning items.
When I was a kid, I remember having a coke in Puerto Rico and thinking it was the most brilliant idea in the world. It's usually sold as single cans in the UK and I've rarely seen it there.
I know I'll have to go to the American Food Store if I ever feel like stocking up.
I think the two mostquintessentially American products are Macaroni and Cheese and Goldfish.
I like the sound of Macaroni & Cheese and Goldfish.
Europe has better cheese than America. America has some strong competitors when it comes to cheese snacks.
The American Food Store sells two classic American snacks, Goldfish andKraft Macaroni & Cheese. It was not surprising that the cost was the most surprising thing.
Goldfish is sold for less than $2 at Walmart in the US, but it's more expensive at this store. The macaroni and cheese packs at Walmart cost four times as much as here, about $4.
I asked the cashier about the high prices when I came to pay because I was happy with my small haul of items.
I'm a happy customer but probably won't be back again soon.
The cashier was very open about why the prices were so high. The rising costs of import taxes were the reason for it. He was clear that the store had a loyal customer base with Americans living in the area.
The cashier said that Holland Park is a popular area with US expats and they often drop by before American holidays, like Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July, to make sure they can celebrate properly here in the UK.
It makes sense to me that Americans living in London are willing to spend more to have a taste of home. I don't think the American Food Store in London sees a lot of regulars.
The original article is on Insider.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
