8 Surprising Differences Between the UK and USA that AREN'T Obvious!

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

You're missing out on exclusive weekly videos (and the controversy over how I tiered British food...sorry, Yorkshires are the best!) if you haven't checked me out on Patreon! www.patreon.com/girlgonelondon

[@gordonsmith8899]

The UK has very strict rules on how hens are reared and housed. Since 1st January 2012 chicken farmers who use batteries (cages) must provide cages large enough for the hen to move around. The alternatives are: open floor barns or access to 'free range' outdoor space. In other words, the birds are treated as living creatures not simply as egg producers. Consequently eggs are produced in cleaner surroundings and do not require intense washing.

[@58andyr]

My old UK keyboard didn't have a € sign so when I moved to Spain 10 years ago I had to get one that did. But none of them had an easy access £ sign. As I needed both symbols for work, it was always an annoyance!

[@Blacktolite]

I've always put eggs in the fridge after buying it from the store as a British citizen but also have you noticed that fridge-freezers have always had egg section in the fridges where you can out eggs individually

[@thetruthhurts7675]

Travel insurance is directly related to health cover. Here in the UK we take for granted that health care is free at the point of use, Even going to the Channel islands (rather strangely between the two best health systems in the world France, and the UK) you need travel insurance for illness. I know it does include other things, but they are really only addons. For example my son has pre existing condition for which treatment in the USA is over $2.5 million, so he cannot get health cover in the USA for love nor money, luckily here this treatment is provided free at the point of use by the NHS, and at a considerably lesser charge to the NHS of £600,000. However he does need a card for cover that is preloaded when he has to go to the USA for business, which having a US company or two is quite often.

[@DukeDyson]

Nursery is where the plants are grown. If they are sold at the place where they're grown it's still a nursery; garden centre is a relatively modern term to describe where the plants (and loads of tat) are bought in to be sold

[@elizabethgeorge8463]

The reason for the popularity & the diverse range of items at garden centres is because of an antiquated shopping laws that were not changed until the mid 1990’s. Only restaurants, petrol stations, certain other specific shops/ services were allowed to open on Sunday- Garden Centers were one of the only places to go to on a Sunday, they started having tea room’s & gifts & kept on diversifying as they had a whole market place to themselves on Sundays. It was a real treat on a Sunday to go to the local garden centre- we normally went with grandma as well, met up with other family 😂 what a treat!! But it was what everyone did & now people still treat garden centres like this & most people can’t remember why it started 😂🌺🌼🌹🦋🌸🛍

[@jonathanperrins8432]

I met my late wife in a garden centre over 30 years ago when we bumped into each other while looking for black bamboo individually.We were both Goths and thought it looked cool lol, I still can't see it without remembering that day and her :)

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

Aw, love that story!! You're taking the fondness for garden centres to a new level! :) Thanks for watching!

[@NZKiwi87]

That’s a lovely memory

[@erinnswan7063]

Sounds lovely. Wish they had them in the US!

[@ffotograffydd]

We have plant nurseries in the UK too, I live about ten minutes walk from one. They sell plants, trees, compost, etc, give advice, and that’s it. No cafe or random other things. Plant nurseries cater to a different audience, garden centres are aimed more at family days out, hence the cafes and other items to buy. Most people I know who go to garden centres wander around aimlessly, eat lunch, then maybe buy a house plant or random item that isn’t plant related. Serious gardeners go to nurseries if they can.

[@Crimson_Logic]

There's a plant nursery in Woking, in Surrey. It's half the size it used to be, since they built a school on one half.

[@franl155]

And in plant nurseries you're more likely to be able to find a member of staff who knows what they're talking about, and can give in-depth advice.

[@SvenTviking]

So no serious gardeners go to garden centres? What a load of bollocks.

[@ffotograffydd]

@@SvenTviking I can only assume you have issues with reading comprehension, Sven, because that isn’t what I said.

[@2Treesandahorse]

Oh that reminds me need to get seed potatoes.

[@montyboon4127]

When people say "i went to europe for holiday/vacation" im like "Where??? There a big difference between Romania and France"

[@frag2k12]

Dude, Europe is like the size of the Eastwood mall, you could walk to Berlin from London. - Points for those that get the quote.

[@bluecrimzon3122]

@@frag2k12 Europe may not be massive but the cultural difference between each country is insane

[@frag2k12]

@@bluecrimzon3122 I am well aware of this, I was making a quote from the film Eurotrip.

[@lawrenceglaister4364]

I usually say if they are bragging " so how was the 50yds from the beach" ?

[@coricori1781]

What is the difference??

[@AndySDavies]

No coupon shoppers in the UK as they’ve all been executed by the people waiting behind them, natural selection 😂

[@globetwig4401]

Someone in front of me at the till in B&Q had a coupon for a chainsaw. I've still got the chainsaw. It cleaned up nice.

[@craftyclaira]

🤣🤣

[@geoffpriestley7001]

@@globetwig4401 get a free pressure washer with it 🤣

[@MartinJames389]

Huh! If you're as old as me, you'll remember green shield stamps, pink stamps and numerous rivals. Shops, petrol stations and everywhere else screaming DOUBLE STAMPS!!! TRIPLE STAMPS!! WE STAMP ON YOUR HEAD!! No, not the last one, but it was almost as mad.

[@geoffpriestley7001]

@@MartinJames389 yes remember them we also had a membership number at the coop

[@slashdisco]

I'm a massive fan of UK-US difference videos but this one, which I clicked on accidentally (!), is fantastic as it's the first I've ever watched where all 8 differences are unique. As a Brit this was very educational... thank you!

[@patrickholt2270]

Travel insurance comes to mind when it comes to health, because British people will immediately be aware that if they have an accident or get sick in another country, they might not get treatment for free like we do at home. You don't want to end up in US-style medical debt, so you buy insurance especially for countries which don't have an equivalent of the NHS, especially as a parent. Edit: Americans don't have to worry about health insurance most places they visit, because most places they visit have socialised medicine free at the point of use. Brits, and other Europeans do have to worry about health insurance if they visit the US.

[@Londronable]

Belgian here and yep. Visited the US twice and I checked my health insurance over there more than I checked whether I had my plane ticket. Taxes are high and all but the money I do save is fucking mine. Losing it through no fault of my own is just not a thing that computes for me.

[@jomc20]

Travel insurance also covers you for loss, theft or damage to luggage, cancellation of holiday due to accident illness, or missed flights etc. As with all insurance, its a matter of peace of mind and its a gamble as to whether you might need to claim on it. Maybe americans are more optimistic than Brits?

[@owenshebbeare2999]

Some countries, such as Australia, have/had a reciprocal healthcare arrangement with the NHS, but it is still sensible to have travel insurance for all those other reasons you might need it, and sometimes for health-related reasons too. Always wise to check.

[@jeffgraham6387]

For a Brit to travel to the US without about $5 million worth of medical cover would be unthinkable.

[@Talkathon408]

How many North Americans venture out of the US or Canada anyway? Gawd I hate that term 'North American' too, as it never seems to include Mexicans.

[@filmerfilms6154]

Roundabouts are 70% safer and let 20% more traffic through and they are simple give way to traffic on the right ,can’t really be any more simple.

[@neilgriffiths6427]

Once you get through the initial wobble as a learner driver: "Where the hell are the lines telling you where to go?" - Kinda use the force, eh?

[@RedMW]

Don't think Swindon listened to the simple part. I'm looking at you magic roundabout.

[@RCassinello]

Yeah, never understood drivers who are scared of roundabouts. Even as a learner I was thinking "So I only have to look one way and then I can go?"

[@gillcawthorn7572]

@@RedMW My husband was the world`s worst driver .After a time ,I made sure I did most of the driving ,especially after an horrendous trip round the Swindon `magic roundabout`. Hooted at from all directions , I asked him how he worked it out .His reply was " Oh ,as far as I`m concerned it`s always my right of way" !!

[@smudger671]

Funny how I've seen a lot of accidents on roundabouts.

[@hannahk1306]

I'm British, a few points: - we do have coupons, just not as many (usually you get them if you have a loyalty card for a particular supermarket and can only use them for that chain) - the town I know with the most roundabouts is actually built in a grid, but I get your point - nurseries in the UK are where the plants are grown for the garden centre, so some garden centres have nurseries attached

[@lynnhamps7052]

Good points ...and we tend to call coupons, vouchers. I live on the Isle of Wight and the Ferry company posts out a book of 'coupons' bi-annually with huge discounts for residents, so they do exist but aren't a big part of our culture, we tend to just like being given a fair price in the first place :)

[@eattherich9215]

If you want to start a brawl in the supermarket, get in the queue where someone has coupons. 😂

[@elliotroyston3382]

Milton Keynes is indeed built in a grid. Confusing as hell when trying to follow google maps! Cause you have H 1 and V 1 (horizontal and vertical roads), and if you don’t know the place well, you can get mixed up easily.

[@lynnhamps7052]

@@eattherich9215 LOL

[@sianp5227]

Vouchers here in the UK are usually distributed by brands rather than shops, also. So you might get a coupon for a well known brand in a magazine but its only available to use in participating retailers, which are usually bigger well known stores. Independent shops like the one I work in don't usually participate as they lose out too much.

[@rachsmith4670]

Omg the garden centre point made me laugh so much, I bloody love a garden centre 😂 I love going at Christmas when they have all of the decorations and everything!

[@CARLOS62B]

Us Brits love Garden Centres because they are part of our history ... it goes all the way back to the early explorers who often brought back rare and beautiful plants from unknown parts of the globe. Schools often plan day trips to garden centres to learn children about Horticulture ... I can remember in the early teens going to Batree Garden Centre when it was first opened in Lincolnshire.

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

It's a fascinating history!

[@ianprince1698]

I knew the owner when I lived that way

[@terencejay8845]

Garden Centres are part of the culture, and it goes back, in part, to the restricted shops hours of a few years ago. Shops were not allowed to open on a Sunday. But, garden centres, DIY shops (before the big Sheds came in) and motoring spares places could. So, the Sunday trip out was to the garden centre, hence the cafes. Same with Bank Holidays; Only a lunatic would attempt to go to a garden centre on a bank holiday.

[@ianprince1698]

@@terencejay8845 now days or when I last visited large garden centres cant open on Easter Sunday

[@robertwoodliff2536]

@@GirlGoneLondonofficial........the UK is such a small country that, as fable has it, no where in the country is more than 70 miles from the sea....and when you get to Dover, a very different culture is more that 22 miles away.

[@philipmason9537]

The US is one of the very few countries that wash their eggs and thereby have to refrigerate them. Nearly all Western European countries don’t wash the eggs, which keeps the CUTICLE intact, and they stay fresh for weeks at room temperature. Roundabouts are increasing in the US before they need very little upkeep and are therefore cheaper to maintain than a large junction with many traffic lights where the bulbs need to be changed and cleaned. The roads in Europe were built hundreds of years ago for use by horse and carts which is why they’re narrow and the technology wasn’t available to bore through rock, so the roadway curved around obstructions. The US being a younger country with SO much room (45 times larger than the U.K.) was able to build wider and straighter roads.

[@JanoJ]

With regards to eggs, you are 100% correct with regards to the coating, hence why they dont need to be refridgerated at the store, though many do refridgerate after bringing it home (personal choice, and refridgeration does extend the lifespan of the egg significantly). But there is a second reason. By not havign the intense washing, you can also see how the farm maintains hygene, as washing can hide some very poorly looked after hens in a poor environment, so you can observe from the condition fothe egg, how clean the farm was, and decide whether to buy or not to buy that particular brand of egg. This creates a pressure on the suppliers to up their game in terms of hygene, etc.

[@graemehossack7401]

A plant nursery in the UK will grow plants from seeds, cuttings etc. Garden centres simply sell plants.

[@evelenebray346]

Roundabouts would actually work very well with a grid system! That's sort of the point of them.

[@shellieeyre8758]

Exhibit 1: Milton Keynes.

[@InformingChoices]

Milton Keynes comes to mind

[@scorch1968]

I came to the comments to mention Milton Keynes too 🤣. I went to a gig at the Milton Keynes Bowl and everyone followed the signs causing literal gridlock... not me, two roundabouts to the right, turned left and it was clear almost to the M1..🤣

[@Tony_Regime]

when you get close to your destination in Milton Keynes the GPS gets stuck on a loop of "take the first exit at the next roundabout" and you drive round and round the block ha ha

[@smudger671]

If roundabouts are so effective, why are they fitted with traffic lights? Sort of defeats the object.

[@stevethewanderer1687]

Outdoor shops in the UK tend to be relatively small - mainly outdoor 'all weather' and travel wear, walking shoes, camping equipment, backpacks, etc... in the US outdoor centres are massive - the ammunition section itself can be bigger than most stores in the UK, and then all the guns, rifles (and semiautomatic weapons), hunting knives, decoys, trailers (some with freezers), ... In the US, everything seems larger (such as milk and juices in 2L+), cheaper, but blander, or more sugary

[@basoon]

We have nurseries too in the Uk. They tend to be much simpler garden centres - often where they actually grow the plants.

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

Interesting! I'm not aware of any nurseries near me and often hear of people just talking about the garden centres, so I'll have to do some digging (no pun intended!!)

[@ib9rt]

@@GirlGoneLondonofficial When I was growing up a nursery was the standard name of the place where you would go to buy plants. I think the evolution of nurseries into garden centres was a case of businesses branching out into other product lines to grow and attract more customers. Have you come across any "garden centre rows" (like furniture rows) in the UK where you are? There are some places where there will be several garden centres all right next to each other along the road (Crews Hill in Enfield is an example).

[@Sarah-nd2gy]

We have had several nurseries where I live. They have always tended to specialize in particular types of plants. They really only ever sell plants and maybe plant food or something like that. Certainly from the nurseries I have been to you wouldnt be able to get garden implements or garden furniture or anything like that

[@rhiannonwilmott2950]

To me, the nursery is where the garden centre gets the plants. 🤷‍♀️

[@eddhardy1054]

@@ib9rt as someone who used to work at Crews Hill I can confirm this. 😀

[@phoebus007]

Light switches. In the UK it's down for on, up for off; opposite in the US. Also, most UK power sockets have switches.

[@farmerjohn6192]

Those card readers still exist but their functions are now available in the bank’s App on your smartphone. Garden centres have evolved from nurseries over the last 50 years as part of “retail”. They used to be just some greenhouses that the public could visit and buy plants but then evolved into the destinations they are now.

[@miaschu8175]

That's what I thought, so I was surprised when my banking app required me to use my card reader before it would process a payment to a new person. Of course, I hadn't used it for ages and couldn't find it. I had to go into the bank, the next day, to make my payment and pick up another card reader.

[@GenialHarryGrout]

The popularity of garden centres dates back to before the Sunday trading laws were relaxed in the mid 1990's. Before this the only retail outlets open on a Sunday were the local newsagent and garden centres, so people would have a Sunday afternoon wandering around the local garden centre just for something to do.

[@crcomments8509]

The reason the U.K. keyboards have a dollar sign on them (and almost every other keyboard in the world has them), is that the $ symbol is Wesley used in computer programming.

[@GazilionPT]

Actually, the so-called "dollar" sign is present is most keyboards (as it was in pretty much all type writers before computers even existed) because it is a pretty standard currency symbol (e.g. Brazil's Real is abbreviated R$). Though in some countries, when hand drawn, it has 2 vertical lines, not just 1.

[@Jon1950]

And Excel. I would be quite wealthy if I had an actual dollar for every absolute reference I have inserted into an Excel spreadsheet 😁

[@hannahk1306]

I think it's used for programming and spreadsheets because it was already a common keyboard symbol. Most international prices are quoted in dollars, so it's still common outside of these uses.

[@TheLondonLass]

All my older relatives are obsessed with garden centres! I think one of the reasons Brits tend to travel to India, and some other countries, is because of the historic link between the countries. Indian culture and food has obviously had an impact on the UK so we are interested in seeing the country.

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

Definitely! My parents in law have been to India for that reason! I can get on board with a garden centre, especially if it's bright with a good cafe!

[@albertgrant1017]

Quite true.

[@kphedges1]

My wife’s the gardener in our house and at garden centre she sometimes says “which plant do you like?” I point to something saying “they’re nice” she then gives me a look of disgust as if I’ve just insulted her and says a firm “No!” If I do manage to get something home she puts my choice in a separate patch away from everything else and calls my plant’s “Dave’s Dasies”.

[@neilbuckley1613]

LOL, in our house it is the other way round. I do most of the gardening, but my wife does like what I call showy stuff, Gladiolus, HT Roses, big Blowsy kind of flowers whilst I like species, so I have a mix of wild primroses ,Fritillarys and Summer snowflakes in bloom currently in my area.

[@MorgoUK]

We’ve a system. I keep the green bits green and the brown bits brown - any other colour is the GLW’s responsibility.

[@kurluk04]

Poor dave 😂 just get a cactus 👍

[@amypocock626]

Garden centres are awesome. Where else can you go buy a fleece, some goldfish, an iguana, planter of daffodils and have some lunch. Best places ever

[@ThermoNuclearLlama]

I'm 36 and LOVE garden centres. I live in Hertfordshire and there are about 10 garden centres (me and the missus visit sometimes just to go to the cafe!) within 30 minutes drive, plus one or two nurserys that I can think of that JUST deals in growing plants.

[@michael-pn9po]

Roundabouts are safer than "intersections" without lights and better for traffic flow - this is even true in the US. Nurseries (for plants) do exist in the UK as well - but Garden Centres are the Supermarket to the Nursery "corner shop". Travel Insurance is primarily about Health Insurance - when we were in the EU I rarely bothered with it travelling in Europe - as Healthcare was "inexpensive/free" for all EU citizens - depending on the country.

[@RushfanUK]

It's actually been studied properly now and roundabouts are safer full stop than any other form of intersection, even with lights, the USA has a huge number of accidents at intersections primarily because a driver ignores red lights, every year over 33,000 people are killed on the roads of America. In the UK there has been a deliberate policy by some councils to remove roundabouts and replace them with lights, this has been done to reduce traffic flow in order to dissuade drivers from city and town centres.

[@sammygirl5835]

Also important to note that roundabouts and traffic circles (AKA Rotaries) are not the same, roundabouts are safe and permit faster flow of traffic than intersections. Traffic circles are hideously dangerous.

[@hannahk1306]

@@RushfanUK I wonder if it also makes a difference to safety that in some parts of America they're actually allowed to turn right on a red light! Our closest equivalent is the left filter lane, which still sometimes has its own light.

[@judithhope8970]

I haven't seen coupons like that since the sixties! They were popular then. We are a nation of gardeners, not yarders.

[@jonathanbignall1198]

When I was younger we used to get quite a lot of coupons and vouchers for discounts on products in stores in the UK, but it seems much less common now. Some websites have discount codes sometimes.

[@rickb3645]

Also in the UK, coupons tend to be loaded with stupid conditions in the small print. People just got fed up with having them rejected by checkout staff. Every time customers tried to redeem them in store, there would normally be a queue of other shoppers standing behind them rolling their eyes. It was also seen as something that poor people used to use, simply to make ends meet. In reality 5p off a pint of milk... 15p off a loaf of bread... or 50p off a box of cereal... won't be worth the hassle to most people these days. We just look for the offers in-store. I can honestly say, i haven't seen anyone redeeming coupons in years.

[@stevieinselby]

A lot of the coupons in the UK are based off loyalty cards for particular shops, so rather than getting your coupons from magazines or anywhere else, you "earn" them from what you've bought in the shop previously.

[@claymor8241]

@@stevieinselby Exactly. They give you points at the checkout.

[@craftyclaira]

We also used to call garden centres 'nurseries ' too but now as you point out they serve multiple purposes. I have one near me which has a seperate large arts and crafts shop on site. It also has a large restaurant, a fabulous gift shop, artisan grocery shop, outdoor clothes shop and a pet supplies store. Many people go there on a Sunday for a day out for many years they were the only type of stores allowed to open on a Sunday - which is still the case in France where I used to live.

[@philhand342]

In the section on roundabouts, you showed a photo of the Magic Roundabout (yes, that is its official name) in Swindon. This is atypical (there is another, larger. one in Hemel Hempstead). Most roundabouts in the UK are a single island with traffic flowing clockwise.

[@elistickband]

There's one on one of the exits of London Heathrow Airport. I think it was put there to totally confuse foreigners who had just picked up a rental car.

[@jameswyse5590]

Also, to say roundabouts wouldn't be easy in a USA style grid system, go to Milton Keynes!

[@sjmarham]

Don't forget the Tring one.

[@georgejob7544]

Try.... East Kilbride! Polo mint city! Worst roundabout ... The Whirlies ! 🥴🥴🥴

[@andyp5899]

We also have plant nurseries. They tend to be specialists and grow quantities of specific groups of plants they also supply the garden centres

[@craftyclaira]

I remember going on a coach trip a few years ago and we stopped off at a garden centre on the way home just for refreshments and a toilet stop (pre-areanged with the GC of course). They made a mint from 75 people visiting in a 45 minute window for sure!

[@olivermatley3518]

One garden centre in London has a sign “unattended children will be given a double espresso, and a free puppy”. A 1950s edition of the Highway Code said “there are no special rules at roundabouts”; but there was much less traffic in those days. When I visited west coast USA, I was amused by a very rare roundabout, in the town of Seaside.

[@milespostlethwaite1154]

In the sixties most of the eggs on sale in uk were white. Brown eggs became fashionable maybe because they look less anemic. The colour is dependant on the breed of hen.

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

Really interesting, thank you for sharing!

[@hypsyzygy506]

The move to brown-shelled eggs was partly influenced by a feeling that brown eggs were more 'natural' than white ones, which had a more artificial, sanitised, laboratory, battery-farmed connotation.

[@dopeheaddude9651]

The egg this is right and also as a chef you find if in the fridge some of the water content of the egg will be drawen out of the egg. So when frying a egg that has been in the fridge for some time it will be more likly to explod and spit when frying as the protine in more concentrated

[@daveturner6006]

The English like to do three things; fight (if there's no wars on sport will do), drink, and gardening. If there was a way of doing all three at the same time...well, that would be just great!

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

So true!!

[@mrsiborg]

@@GirlGoneLondonofficial My order would be garden, drink and then fight. Why would you want to have a fight before doing the garden, that's just crazy!

[@UKMonkey]

Isn't that basically football? Sport? Check. Trimming the lawn? Check. Drinking? Most of the time. I think we know why it's the national sport.

[@marvinc9994]

"if there's no wars on sport will do" Or vice-versa - in the unlikely event that Johnny Foreigner is simply beating us at rather TOO many sports (most of which we invented) !

[@theoriginalchefboyoboy6025]

sounds almost Irish...

[@pez230392]

Going to a garden centre in the UK is literally like a day out!

[@hanfran89]

The US are missing out, our Garden Centres are great 🤓! We have a huge one near us, takes a couple of hours to get around and has a Delicatessen, Cafe and all sorts. You'd think it would be the other way around considering the majority of states in the US are usually warmer and sunnier than here, therefore resulting in actually being able to sit in your Garden without being rained on! 😂

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

So true! Though, where I'm from, we're obsessed with our pool stores, not our gardening options - mmm, I can smell the chlorine now!

[@hanfran89]

@@GirlGoneLondonofficial To be fair I would be too if I lived there! We used to have an Inflatable Hot Tub (unfortunately it broke 😞) but we would go into the shop we got it from for all the cleaning products (and dream of the day we can actually get a fixed/built in one) and they smell like Chlorine because they have the show Hot Tubs in there, so I can imagine half what it must be like 😂

[@BrianG61UK]

I'm sure there are garden centres in the US. There even used to be an association to promote them called "Garden Centers of America".

[@hoifeikwok7457]

The card reader is part of a 2 factor authentication method. You need your pin or password but also the device. The reader that you showed is only used for Barclays. If you are with another bank, they will give you another device. Some may not need you to insert a card and some banks like HSBC (personal accounts) have gotten rid of the security device but use your phone as the security device. 2 factor authentication method gives an additional layer of security when you try to log in to your account.

[@mosless1]

When I go online and log on to my account apart from the three random characters from my memorable word, I get sent a 6 digit code to my mobile and have to enter it in or speak it on the mobile. This part of the authentication can be disabled if you have set your computer as a trusted device.

[@corleth2868]

Or you could bank with Lloyds, they don't have them at all. I don't think I'd bank with a bank that required me to put my card in a device to use internet banking, the security measures I have to go through seem more than enough. Id, password, random characters from my passphrase and entering a code that's either text to my mobile or phoned through to my landline if I'm on a new 'untrusted' device..

[@4premiere]

yeah HSBC has much easier security system from your own device. I saw Barclays reader long time ago I think they got rid of that recently.

[@joyridgway6398]

Thats correct I have one for my Barclays and nationwide accounts. But my brother Hsbc accould has a very small device, I doubt he will use though.

[@corleth2868]

@Michael Sharp Yes I know how they work, I didn't say they had internet connectivity and I don't really think anyone would expect something that looks like a pocket calculator would do. There's a balance between usability and security and for me Barclays go too far along the security path which impacts usability. When Barclays first started using them I was accessing my Lloyds/TSB account at home, at work and using my phone (before there were banking apps). So I'd have had to carry the token generator with me, had I been with Barclays. Don't they still use PINsentry readers? So if you want to access your account at home and work via a PC you'd still need to take the reader with you?

[@IanDarley]

Plant nurseries are also a thing in the UK. BTW, in it's simplest terms a roundabout is just a one-way road bent into a circle, all of the intersecting roads form tee junctions. If nobody's coming on the one way road, then you can go.

[@CinobiteReacts]

The "dollar" sign is used in programming languages to prefix variables and what not

[@COMEINTOMYWORLD]

Garden centres are an interesting example. Most people in the UK, I feel, would judge a garden centre not on its range of plants, but whether they had a cafe and if so was it any good. Also if they had a decent Christmas section and grotto in December! And further this seems a natural antidote as a place to go versus endless coffee chain stores on your local high street.

[@djlads]

The dollar symbol is only there because it's used as a specific function in Excel. It freezes part of a formula to 1 cell e.g. =sum($A$1*B1) when I populate that down A1 will remain the number all the others are multiplied by which would be B2,B3 etc

[@nam3l3ss32]

In terms of couponing the UK has got club cards from Tesco’s and other places I think that’s worth mentioning as well.

[@Simon-hb9rf]

as a kid our parents used to drag us to a local garden centre, it had a café, restaurant, aquatic centre(the pond shop), pet shop, playground, ice cream vans and a large plastic camel that doubled as a slide. all this was vital as parents would often disappear into "the plant bit" for hours on end. everything else was just to keep the kids entertained lol

[@duncancallum]

Eggs in Australia are found on the shelf , same as the UK.

[@nickjacobs1770]

The evidence for Roundabouts is quite conclusive. They move traffic faster & safer, than using lights at an intersection.

[@zendog7212]

Intersection? Oh, I thought she said innersection.

[@kinkyflipflop46]

The clothing in most garden centres is for gardening in all weathers, which is why you can buy weatherproof coats and wellies there too.

[@AnneDowson-vp8lg]

Some Garden Centres do actually sell normal clothing, for example, Tong Garden Centre near Bradford, West Yorkshire has a branch of Bon Marche attached. About insurance, it is absolutely necessary to have insurance when you travel. I've never needed it abroad, but when I stayed in an hotel in Felixstowe, Suffolk a few years ago, I got a virus and was unable to travel home when the time came. Having insurance meant I could stay in bed another day to recover properly, meals for me and my friend were upgraded and after 3 days, a taxi took us home, a distance of over 200 miles, and it didn't cost us anything. So it's worth it to insure.

[@postie48]

Hi - Roundabouts and gridded roads, well I live in Milton Keynes, England and we have roundabouts and a grid of roads. Many of our grid road 'intersections' use roundabouts (we have 103 grid road roundabouts -in an area of about 34 sq miles. We actually have more as we ALSO have small/mini roundabouts (some people say between 300 and a thousand - nobody has counted) on many of our neighbourhood roads (actually I designed a few back in the 1970's.) They work well and yes we do have accidents on them but they are usually just fender benders. As traffic densities increase we are converting some of the grid road roundabouts to partly traffic lights or with dedicated left turn lanes, or even a change FROM a roundabout TO a traffic light controlled junction. (PS I enjoy your videos!)

[@quietdavedevon]

Coupons used to be quite big in the UK. At one time some of the big supermarket chains, such as Tesco would accept coupons that were meant to be used in their rivals as long as the product available in their store. I remember a couple of times one of the local Tesco's accepting my coupons even if I hadn't got the item in my basket.

[@danielhayton9438]

In New Hampshire there's a place that was "Epsom Four Corners" on one, older, road map I had. They upgraded to a roundabout and renamed it "Espom Circle" on the map supplied by the car hire company.

[@StephenButlerOne]

Us btits my be known to love queuing, however if one pulls a coupon out at the till, they will receive a big chain of tut's

[@terencejay8845]

British women out shopping are the World Champions at Tutting.

[@stephensaines7100]

RE: Your first topic on keyboards. Where various keys are on a keyboard is often more than just the nation they're sold in. It changes by make. Anyone switching between an Apple and a 'Standard' keyboard will attest to that readily. But it's even more than that. You can assign different characters to your keyboard too. In fact, when doing so in the software, you can buy stick-on labels to indicate the change you've assigned to a given key.

[@WanderingRavens]

Hi Kalyn! Just stumbled across your channel thanks to KZbin recommendations and am so glad I did! Love your content and your style of presenting info and telling stories! Time to binge the rest of your videos 😂

[@jackblazer2180]

Aye up, Ravens 😘

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

Thanks so much for watching and your kind words! Looking forward to checking out your channel as well! :)

[@WanderingRavens]

@@GirlGoneLondonofficial 💕

[@vickytaylor9155]

Nurseries are smaller garden centres. Most big garden centres are not allowed to open on Sundays, but garden nurseries are usually between 10 and 4pm which is also when supermarkets are normally allowed to open. Covid permitting.

[@EricIrl]

Most garden centres of all sizes open on Sundays. In fact, before 1994 there was very restricted Sunday retail legislation in place and one of the few types of shops that COULD open were garden centres. I am pretty sure that is where the tradition of garden centres selling groceries, furniture, books, household goods etc began - because the "normal"places where you could buy these things were closed on Sundays.

[@terencejay8845]

@@EricIrl True; Garden centres, DIY shops and motoring spares had Sunday opening.

[@MsPaulathomas]

The reason why UK keyboards have a '$' key is because several programming languages use the '$' in their syntax and so has to be available for programmers.

[@AndreiTupolev]

Plus it's the near-global currency for business and so on

[@Londronable]

=$A$2*A3 and all that.

[@catherinerobilliard7662]

String

[@Joanna-il2ur]

If you use spreadsheets you’ll know that if you need to refer to a specific cell, the formula will be (=$A$1) for example. Blame Microsoft.

[@mericet39]

British keyboards with a dollar sign: yes they do. They are probably not used much by most people, but as a software developer in the UK, I use the dollar key a lot.

[@hannahk1306]

A lot of international prices are also often quoted in dollars. A lot of our keyboards also have a Euro sign too.

[@claymor8241]

She says they do. And in any case they are needed for example in Excel to fix cell locations when copying formulas.

[@capitalb5889]

Useful in Excel functions too

[@Bangkok-travel-ideas]

It is 19-20 hours from the US to Bangkok, whereas the UK is around 12 hours, so I think it is just a distance thing. Most US visitors to Thailand seem related to the Military as maybe they were stationed in the Asia region at some point. Interesting video for me to learn about these less well-known differences.

[@djlads]

No a direct flight is 12hrs but if you want to pay under £400 for flights, which the majority will, your looking at 14 to 19hrs depending on the lay over. The difference is we have the time, we get 28 days paid hoilday (vacation) minimum a lot will get more, I for example have 35 days, compared to USA whose workers get 0 to 10 days (which also has to incorporate sick leave, again we get that as a seperate paid thing). So it's cheaper and we don't have to worry about having no vacation time.

[@angelvids6024]

They don't keep eggs in the refrigerator here in Germany either, it's the same as the UK. Another difference you may have noticed, you mention the kitchen surface as being called "the counter". The counter in the UK is what you get at shop checkout areas (more so smaller shops), in the home, the kitchen surfaces are called just that, or kitchen work top. I lived in America for a while so I got used to hearing them referred to as 'counters'. My German boyfriend is fascinated with UK garden centres, I never really thought about them before, but it's funny you mention them too :)

[@adamski6312]

I call it the kitchen bench

[@davidw1518]

Here in the UK, a nursery is where plants are grown (and yes, it's also the name given to an institution where young children will begin their education in an informal way), whereas a garden centre is where plants (and lots of other things) are sold. A nursery might sell to the public, or it might only sell to retailers such as garden centres. A garden centre might also grow the plants it sells, but in that case it is more likely to call itself a nursery.

[@granthostheflatulent]

The travel insurance "thing" is borne out of being used to our NHS always there to provide free medical care when we need it. Within EU we (certainly used to) have reciprocal free medical care but outside Europe we don't - and if necessary we have to pay for emergency repatriation to an NHS facility or pay for local medical services. Having equivalent protection to that provided by the NHS at home is just common sense and because we pay relatively high taxes I think we don't have savings culture - I have read that many Americans have a culture of saving a proportion of their pay against things like medical bills.

[@mr.balloffur]

I've never heard of one American having a special savings account for their medical expenses 😆 Where do you people come up with this stuff? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@MathewODonoghue]

A lot of coupons are now on supermarket apps you often have to select them weekly, also eggs are often in the home baking section. I work in a supermarket

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

Didn't know about coupons on supermarket apps, will have to check that out! We also love coupons for restaurants in the US, which I haven't seen that much of here!

[@hannahk1306]

@@GirlGoneLondonofficial If you get supermarket loyalty cards they often give you tailored coupons (either paper or digital) in exchange for data about your shopping habits. They use this data to decide which products to put near each other, especially for promotions - the famous one is beer and nappies often get bought together

[@kinkyflipflop46]

Yes, the UK is more digitised than the US

[@LEWIS1992]

Roundabouts are WAY simpler than people think. If there's nothing coming, drive on; if someone is already on the roundabout and coming round, wait. (Obviously for 2-lane roundabouts you need to remember to stay in the LEFT lane for left/forward, and RIGHT lane for right).

[@debbiepoole2247]

There used to be coupons used in UK shops. I remember my mum giving in coupons.

[@frankmitchell3594]

Yes, many years ago they were the thing

[@debbiepoole2247]

I remember fighting with my brother to stick the Green Shield Stamps in the book, and mum and dad both collected cards from cigarettes. They got some good things with them.

[@mikejamesporter]

Even as a 90s kid I remember some of them. You tend to only really find them now in loyalty card schemes, the back of cereal boxes, paper bus tickets, random products (like hand-wash) or given out from store deliveries. Though all of these seem to be a dying breed now things are replaced by smart bus cards/apps, online ordering and savings communities (like hotukdeals/groupon)

[@debbiepoole2247]

Mike I think America still use a lot of coupons. I think its a great idea and should be brought back over here. People on low wage could really benefit from collecting coupons from news papers.

[@geoffpriestley7001]

So do i it was called a ration book

[@lewilewis3944]

The egg thing is simple. The minimum mineral content in UK chicken feed ensures that the shell is thick enough to protect against infection, especially salmonella. The US has no such requirement, so the eggs are treated against it, but are still refrigerated just in case. If they're on the counter in the US then they're probably organic and free range. Travel insurance? I never thought I'd say this but if you have American Express use it to book your travel/flights. The insurance included is amazing including instant cash for lost luggage (so you can buy clothes and toiletries immediately) and medical insurance. It even provides an express courier service to get your lost luggage to your door asap. The more 'exclusive' cards provide a ton of other insurance services too. Roundabouts are just a very civilised way of doing things. Milton Keynes is an excellent example of a grid system using roundabouts. It works (most of the time).

[@elizabethharris6427]

In the UK it is very common for young adults on a "gap year" to travel to SE Asia including Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, or Australia and New Zealand!

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

Yes, I've definitely noticed gap years are way more common here - another difference I should mention in a future video! Thanks for watching!

[@colinpearce5856]

I met a similar age American couple in New York & mentioned having been to Thailand & they were like “why ?” Turns out that Vietnam & all the S.E. Asia region resonates with the 70’s & war there & therefore not a happy place. Incidentally it is a fantastic place & especially Vietnam.

[@markwhickman351]

Ghap Yah Dahling

[@blackvulcan100]

@@colinpearce5856 As an English man of a certain age I can understand that, for me in my mind Vietnam and Thailand will always remind me of the Vietnam war.That would however not stop me wanting to visit, but maybe that may not now happen.

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

@@blackvulcan100 Since I have family that live in Edinburgh, Thailand is, to me, where ladyboys come from, since they've been a regular feature at the festival fringe for years.

[@jenniferscott8856]

I live in the midwest USA and round-abouts ( yep, what we call them) are getting to be the common thing here!

[@neilchetwood4625]

I’ve been to Thailand and Vietnam many times-would be unthinkable to not have full travel insurance -imagine something going wrong six thousand miles away.......

[@miaschu8175]

I don't have to. My dad decided to retire to Thailand. He had a few good years there, then found out he had cancer early this year. He booked a flight back to the UK and the NHS, but he collapsed and became paralysed just a few days before setting off. He hadn't taken out health insurance, as private medical care was relatively cheap there. However, paying for a medical repatriation is incredibly expensive. And Covid restrictions, especially quarantine, made things more difficult. It took me over two months to organise for my father to be flown home, accompanied by health care professionals, at a cost of over £20,000. (I was lucky that he could still sit in a wheelchair, otherwise he would have needed a flying ambulance, at a cost of over £100,000). I had to organise everything, without the cooperation of the Thai hospital, which would have been easier if an insurance company was dealing with it all. My dad died 6 weeks after arriving in the UK. I'd urge everyone to make sure that they take out insurance when travelling abroad.

[@AJ_the_Dragon]

we do have 'coupons' just to a much lesser degree. Vouchers from the sun, macdonalds vouchers from WHSmiths and a few others. Nice vid, i'll defintly look out for more from you!

[@megapangolin1093]

Very interesting, great that you do your videos not covered in makeup and with snazzy clothes. You look real and act real, this is a real bonus, also you come over as more honest and your videos have more credibiilty. You seem real and not a manic/weird "it is all about me" vlogger. Well done.

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

Thank you so much for watching and your nice comments! That is exactly what I'm going for - real - so I'm glad that comes across!

[@Twirlyhead]

Barclays "PINsentry". The buggers make you buy your own replacement batteries for those. No all banks operating in the UK use these BTW.

[@moiragoddard592]

We used to keep eggs in the fridge in the shop I worked at years ago. We were then told that getting the eggs cold then the probability of them getting warm on the journey home then people putting them in the fridge when home was not a good idea.

[@claymor8241]

Yes standards covering storage and sale of all foods in the UK are actually stricter than they are in the US.

[@terencejay8845]

If you prefer boiled eggs, it's also better to not keep them in the fridge because they can crack easily when cooking them.

[@JonathanReynolds1]

Although the eggs aren’t refrigerated in Supermarkets we will still stick them in the fridge when we take them home. Although we don’t have a coupon culture the Supermarkets have loyalty card schemes (e.g. Nectar Cards in Sainsbury’s Supermarkets) where you can build up points with each purchase.

[@hannahcallow6374]

I heard 'roundabout' I thought 'Swindon' and low and behold, the magic roundabout

[@elisabethatkin9297]

Love Swindon's magic roundabout!

[@petervaughan6854]

It's so confusing until you just stop thinking, work out where you're going and kinda point and go

[@kurluk04]

Its not too complicated after 1 or 2 times, take it a mini roundabout at a time 😂

[@sammygirl5835]

One of the biggest differences I notice, is that in the US there is the lack of enclosed gardens. I have traveled to a lot of ‘off the tourist track’ places in the USA, mostly in the east. Outside of city centres very few gardens are enclosed, if they are it seems to be about keeping kids or dogs in not privacy.

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

This is so true! My British husband comments on that a lot. Mine were enclosed as a kid in multiple houses in the suburbs, but there are definitely plenty of areas where it's uncommon. Whereas here in the UK, I've NEVER seen a garden that isn't enclosed!

[@philipmason3218]

Look up Green Shield stamps, it was a mad 60's / 70's thing. My mum had thousands of them when they ended, very weird.

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

Oooh, interesting, will look it up! Thanks!

[@nicksavage567]

That takes me back...

[@ItsMeJenBB]

We had them in the US too! They were called S & H Green stamps! Could fill up a book with the stamps and trade them in for certain products.

[@grapeman63]

The Green Shield Stamp company morphed into Argos - named after the Greek resort where the CEO was holidaying at the time.

[@stevearmstrong9213]

Don't forget the old CO-OP dividend stamps.

[@jayjay4spurs]

My local garden centre Dobbies (which backs onto Brighton Racecourse) has got a pet shop with a pet parlour as well as a little Sainsbury's convenient store that's open plan that took over what used to be the aquarium, so you can watch horse racing then shop at the garden centre

[@stevegiles4549]

We also use Nursery for places that sell plants

[@GaryHayward]

I don't think I'd ever noticed a lack of grocery coupons until you mentioned it. Up until, say, a couple of decades ago, there were coupons everywhere, such as in newspapers and magazines, as part of product labels, as well as some attached to free miniature product samples, posted with the (other) junk mail through the letterbox. I think the only ones I've seen sort of recently have been Macdonald's promotions on the back of bus tickets.

[@AndreiTupolev]

I've never known of a personal card reader. I've certainly never known of needing one when ordering anything online

[@carriemummy]

They're really used in digital banking where you need it to add a new payee.

[@miaschu8175]

I use mine. Like Carol says, it's essential when you add a new payee. Perhaps different banks have different rules.

[@Chris_GY1]

In America you wash eggs affecting the protective coating on the shell in Britain we don’t wash eggs, we put eggs in the fridge after buying them. Travel insurance is essential when travelling abroad.

[@shellieeyre8758]

I don't put eggs in the fridge - why would I?

[@ItsMeJenBB]

They added a bunch of round abouts in residential neighborhoods near downtown Orlando. You’d think they installed a UFO in the road hahaha

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

Oh man, can't wait to see that!!

[@ItsMeJenBB]

@@GirlGoneLondonofficial The speed bumps didn't slow people down, so they opted for the round abouts. LOL

[@terencejay8845]

I've seen a video on here about a USA town that moved over to roundabouts wherever they could fit one. Dozens of them. After the initial confusions, the consensus was that the vast majority of folk preferred them.

[@nicholasthorn1539]

Here's another difference which is not obvious, most likely because it's sung rather than said: UK - "For he's a jolly good fellow ... and so say all of us ..." ; US - "For he's [also] a jolly good fellow ... which nobody can deny ..."

[@proffzzix9139]

Never seen in US supermarket a 'BOGOF'' deal (Buy One Get One Free) which appear a lot in UK

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

Interesting! We do have these where I'm from in Florida, but I definitely have more memories of coupon clipping for specific brands instead of the grocery store deals.

[@redjacc7581]

they used to have coupons in the UK but i guess the supermarkets werent making enough money.

[@brunokeyworth]

I'm from the UK and have never seen a card reader like that. I think I've heard them mentioned, but I don't think they're really used anymore.

[@frankmitchell3594]

Maybe only for Barclays. I have one for their accounts but not for Lloyds.

[@Xenon0000000000001]

I've got one for my NatWest account, but it's only used when setting up a new payee or making a large payment (like over £1000).

[@bpf5666]

I have one for Barclays Bank

[@fawltytowers137]

a nursery is also a place to buy plants in the uk, unlike garden centres they tend to sell just plants

[@enlathestrange]

There’s a dollar sign because other counties use dollars such as Australia, Hong Kong and Canada : ) We have to use it more often than other countries need the pound symbol

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

A great point my American-centric self didn't think about!

[@Swansea32]

Dollar sign is used computer programming as well

[@ianprince1698]

learnt to type on my dad's old typewriter It had $ and£ signs on it

[@eanjamesmogg9488]

Years ago the Crown coin was known as a Dollar and Half a Crown was known as you guessed it Half a Dollar before the USA adopted it as their national monetary system. 🤓

[@salfordnurse]

Nothing like to the extent you mentioned but we do have coupons in the U.K. A lot of the major supermarkets have loyalty cards where we present it, and get points then around every month or so we get vouchers/coupons that can be used towards our shopping, also some have offers on items if you present the loyalty card

[@margaretvassallo5015]

I can’t imagine an Australian travelling without travel insurance....first thing we tell our kids when they start wandering the world

[@rhiannonwilmott2950]

I’ve never critically reflected on garden centres before, but now you mention it, it’s so true! We’re collectively nuts for them. In normal times I have work meetings at garden centres fairly regularly. Nicely observed. ♥️

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

Haha, thank you - nothing much to do in lockdown than reflect on garden centres, haha!

[@terencejay8845]

My mother, 94, has a regular 'girls lunch' at the big garden centre cafe, Dobbies.

[@leedsman54]

Having to mess about with card readers is a bit of a nuisance but it’s another level of security.

[@lordkabal2010]

They still around... Wow I remember having one but no longer.... Using the app in conjunction instead of reader is easier but I think they are still

[@TheJamiebaby15]

Most people use the apps these days...

[@Chillmax]

Before garden centres became what they are now, over the last 20-30 years, we also called them Nurseries! Some will still call themselves this, especially if they are smaller & without all the extra stuff like cafes, clothing & candles.

[@EddyBunter]

Numerous studies have shown that roundabouts are safer and faster. Also traffic lights fail, roundabouts don't.

[@jakecarter1955]

Even the American TV series Myth Busters proofed that!

[@jackybraun2705]

I can remember the days, back in the 60s, maybe early 70s, in the UK, when you used to go shopping with your purse stuffed full with coupons cut out from magazines or from cereal packets. Green Shield stamps were issued by some shops, which you stuck in a book and could redeem for household items.

[@captvimes]

historically we did have a big coupon culture just google green shield stamps but it has now been replaced with loyalty cards like nectar and tesco cards and other shops giving us decent prices without the need for "loyalty"

[@emmanix6317]

I'm from the UK I always put eggs in the fridge, I really wish we could coupon like the USA in the UK you do every now and then get coupons from the supermarkets for eg tesco send out money off coupons throughout the year, I've never met anyone in the UK who have been to Thailand its usually either Spain or Greece

[@LISA75_]

My family has been to America numerous times, and the idea of going to the US with no travel insurance is horrific, knowing how much you pay for medical. We don't want to go on holiday and have to sell our house because we broke a leg lol.

[@dalemoore8582]

I have broken my leg in the US without insurance. It was less than &1000 dollars for all treatments. Unless you have a very cheap house I think you will be ok😂. But yes travel insurance is always a good idea. But stop with the scare tactics. I wouldn't travel to the UK without travel insurance after seeing what bad shape the NHS is in😂

[@LEWIS1992]

@@dalemoore8582 It's not a scare tactic, lots of people are forced to pay 5 or 6 figures for a medical emergency in USA. Absolutely nothing wrong with the NHS, people just like to hate on it because they're jealous.