A simple trip to the supermarket turned into an unexpected moment of culture shock for a woman who has been living in London for the past three years. Returning to the United States, she found herself stunned by the sheer number of products lining the shelves, saying the endless variety left her unable to make a choice.
Shared on X by Melissa Chen, the post recounts how something as ordinary as standing in the granola aisle made her reflect on the difference in consumer culture between the United Kingdom and the United States.
Why US supermarkets felt overwhelming
In her post, Chen wrote, "I have been living in London for three years and every time I come back to the US, I have to recalibrate. When you are overseas, you tend to forget what real abundance feels like. I just stood there in the granola aisle, mouth open, brain completely short circuited, staring at a ridiculous wall of infinite choice."
She went on to describe shelves packed with countless varieties, including chocolate peanut butter banana crunch, maple pecan espresso, keto, paleo, collagen packed, probiotic, gluten free and protein rich options.
"I was straight up paralysed by options," she wrote.
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Chen also referred to the French phrase embarras de choix, which translates to "embarrassment of choice". She explained that it describes the feeling of having so many attractive options that making a decision becomes difficult.
According to her, Americans rarely see abundance as something overwhelming. "They do not feel guilty about having more. It is the Land of Plenty for a reason," she wrote.
She added that the ease of starting food businesses, building brands and creating new products in the United States has led to constant innovation and an enormous range of consumer choices. "American abundance is a policy and cultural choice," she concluded.
Check out her post below:
Internet reacts
Many people related to Chen's experience, while others pointed out that having more choice does not always mean a better quality of life.
One user commented, "America definitely has more consumer choice than most countries, but standing in front of 47 granola brands is not exactly proof that everything is better."
Another wrote, "We were talking about this at the office over lunch today in London."
A third user shared, "When I lived in the Middle East, every business trip to the US included a visit to Whole Foods, where I would simply stand and admire the endless nut butter options."
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Others highlighted the downsides of abundance. "Do you also notice how much more obese everyone is? I am not criticising choice and innovation, but the constant drive for more does have its drawbacks," one person wrote.
Another user argued that stricter regulations in Europe often limit the variety of products available, adding that this is one reason American supermarkets appear to offer significantly more choice than their European counterparts.