SHOCKING things about living in the Netherlands as an American

[@leahbrening]

From $37K to $45K that's the minimum range of profit return every week I thinks it's not a bad one for me, now I have enough to pay bills and take care of my family.

[@kislyjdozhdik1618]

Could you please explain how beginners like me can start making this much

[@kislyjdozhdik1618]

Last week, I tried trading on my own and ended up losing $3K

[@leahbrening]

I have Charlotte Junko Walsh to thank

[@leahbrening]

She is a licensed broker and a FINRA AGENT here in the States.

[@marylandla]

Sounds familiar, I have heard her names on several occasions.. And both her success stories on wall street journey!

[@krakakapaul]

Dutch people hate it when you ask questions if you don’t want to know the answer. So if a Dutch person stops and asks you hi, how are you. They are sincerely interested in how you are. You also won’t see the over friendly restaurant staff. As restaurant staff earns a decent wage and are not dependent on tips to make a decent wage. they will leave you alone while you are enjoying your food. They expect you to call them over when you need anything. Once you live a few years in the Netherlands and travel back to the US you will start to get annoyed by all the fake small talk.

[@vogel2280]

Ah the small talk. How are you doing? (but don't tell me because I don't really want to know). I'm fine (but really I'm dying of some horrible disease), thanks (for nothing). Yeah...we call that fake interest. Why would 2 reasonable human beings lie to each other and call it polite/friendly? To a Dutchman there nothing polite or friendly about lying to each other. Ever more important...if neither party really cares about the conversation......it's not efficient to have it.

[@JodyGrogu]

Inderdaad, zo is het

[@urbnctrl]

lol true, my social bs radar would probably go off and send me right back home

[@goudwaard8880]

Dutch people are all about small talk, what are you talking about?😂

[@vogel2280]

@@goudwaard8880 True, about the weather being crap or the elevator being slow/smelly. But it is not likely you are asked extremely personal questions like "How are you" (unless you were just involved in an accident, but then the question is relevant.)

[@AwoudeX]

@@goudwaard8880 true, but not in that setting

[@janeising3585]

I would not call it an air raid system, it is an warning system these days!

[@boomdoze]

ah, true!! thank goodness 😅

[@ilyrana]

removing the warning system is a bad idea, not everyone has a mobile or even wants a mobile phone (or their mobile are empty and or not with them). the current system reaches more people and is alot harder to miss. also there are some evening shops like the avondwinkel, that operates from 3pm to like, 2am

[@williamgeardener2509]

And don't forget that in a real case emergency the communication system of the Netherlands could be totally disabled, making all the alarms sent by sms useless. But as always, the Dutch authorities do not think about actions and their consequences, until it's too late. The Russians will have the time of their life when they invade the Netherlands and all mobile phones are useless.

[@puracy3452]

The biggest problem with removing the sirens, is the fact that you are hoping the phone system is fully functional at the moment of disaster. The siren system is more independent then the phone systems. Even better is having both systems, because that creates a backup if one of them fails

[@faisalhalabeya6371]

Just wanted to say, I never comment on videos but yours are so nice to watch! I love hearing about your journey in the Netherlands and I hope you keep sharing your story! :)

[@AwoudeX]

0:33 The air raid sirens used to be old fashioned air horns when i grew up, a much scarier and haunting sound and much louder too. They are monthly tested so in case of calamity they can be used to warn the people and not just for air raids.

[@AwoudeX]

ah, explained later

[@r.m.97]

Here in Landgraaf Plus and Jumbo are open from 7.30/8.00am to 10pm every day including saturday and sunday. I find it ridiculous, i never found the need to do groceries on a sunday or even saturday evening. I used to work night shift and late shift in week days, you really don't have family life then, but at least i had the weekend. I once had a job working from tuesday to saturday, but at least i was single without kids. Ever since i'm married and having a kid i try to avoid shifts but mostly i try to avoid working in weekends. I got a new job since a couple of months 8 to 5 monday to friday 🥳. Many people say it's boring, i love it, family time every evening and every weekend 🎉.

[@peet4921]

Small talk with strangers ? I guess because Americans live in the suburbs far away from friends and never go outside, except for the time spend in their cars doing groceries, they need this little bit of human interaction. We don't have that problem.

[@Nobody-ishere]

I really don't like the system going away, they are also to let people know when there are toxins in the air because of bad fire or something that went from with a big factory which can cause risks etc. Also, not everyone has a phone or always has one on hand. It just feels very unsafe to assume that you can warn everyone, no matter where they are. Also, the dog thing is mostly in smaller cities and towns or at places where it won't cause problems. An example would be walking areas. Officially, dogs off leash are illegal but as long as your dog listens and doesn't disturb anyone, no one really cares.

[@Bramfly]

I think it’s shocking that cashiers in the US are not allowed to sit at all and are required to be all smiles and have to fake interest on top of that. About supermarkets, in my city (Utrecht) the supermarkets close at 22.00, sundays all shops open till 17.00 or 18.00 and supermarkets at 20.00.

[@boomdoze]

yes!! that is weird that they can’t really sit in the US - I never even thought about it. That’s the funny thing about these videos, I learned that some things I think are shocking are totally normal to dutch people and they don’t notice these things either until I point them out

[@wanneske1969]

The small talk in American grocery stores is probably fake. I'm Belgian and I don't need a cashier that I don't know asking me what I'm going to do in the weekend.

[@AwoudeX]

imagine the queue... every cashier needs to take 5-10 minutes more doing the small talk routine instead of just efficiently help you out of there with the stuff you want... In the Netherlands only in smaller towns and mostly only women sometimes chat a bit, but most of the time it's hi, thanks, bye and not more.

[@koffiewolf]

In the 1950's the air raid sirens got replaced by more modern ones and placed literally everywhere not only in big cities because of the cold war. The idea of warning people about other stuff then war happend in the 1970 and the current day siren system is from 1990. The offical name of the dutch siren system is waarschuwins en alarmerinstelsel or W.A.S. The monthly test is a cold war heritage and the goverment tried to replace it with a cell phone based warning system but people argue a EMP from a nuculear strike could blast out telecommunication and thus this old system is still in use. But yet again its not the cold war anymore and its a false sense of safety in case of a nuculear war anyway although for cities with a airforce base it might be usefull.

[@boomdoze]

thanks for the info!! I haven’t heard that argument about nuclear strikes cutting telecommunication. But yeah, I can’t see that happening anyway so cell phones for weather and national emergency alerts might be the more reasonable option instead of wwii sirens 😆

[@mormacil]

@@boomdoze I admit having both your work and private phone go off and needing a manual action to turn them off is way more annoying than an alarm outside

[@ronaldderooij1774]

I have news for you. The Cold War is back. And worse than before.

[@LeopoldoGhielmetti]

The sirens are not present only in the Netherlands, here in Switzerland we have too. The small talk is weird, really! Stores close early because the workers should also have rest time 😛 For "American food", you can also think about "Italian food" or "French food" or "Whatever food" in America, it's exactly the same thing, they simply adapt it to the taste of the locals.

[@Saarloos1960]

These drinks are for kids, not for adults. And yeah, stores close...duh.. we have a life. How on earth you can get anxious because you can not shop. It's called privilege. These kind of criticisms are hard to hear because it's about nonsense. Sleep during the night.

[@spinshade]

98% of those American products are banned in the EU due to the dangerous products in them. Even those "American candy products" Like nerd ropes for example are all still made in the EU just with American branding on them and it won't taste the same either. There are 24/7 stores in The Netherlands in places like Amsterdam but the only way to get there right now is by going in with a bulletproof vest and riot gear.

[@boomdoze]

Yeah, it’s best that they’re banned here. I do like the idea of 24/7 stores in Amsterdam but it’s a bit of a trip from Amersfoort!

[@ronaldderooij1774]

As for shops closing times it is complicated. The general rule is that shops close at 6 pm and on sundays. But..... if a town/city council can convince the Ministry of the Interior that their place has a significant tourist function, they are allowed to put in their local laws that shops may open until 10 pm AND on sundays until 5 pm. This is not obligatory. Ultimately it is then up to the shop owner. I see a shop near me that is allowed to open on sunday, but won't, because the owner is a very devout christian. In extra special cases there is a possibility in big cities to have a very limited number of shops open 24/7. But this is extremely rare and requires a lot of extra permits.

[@wouko]

There is a nachtwinkel here in the city centre of Amersfoort. It is open during the night. It's located at de Kamp. And the air raid is not so much used for bad weather, but for big fires with toxic smoke/clouds.

[@boomdoze]

ooh! does it only sell snacks or is it a pharmacy as well? i searched it on google but there aren’t many photos.

[@wouko]

@@boomdoze I must admit I never entered it, only walked by it many many times, as I used to work in the outdoor & travel store next to it. I know for sure they have snacks/drinks, and might have paracetamol, since that is our magic medicine... and every store sells it. I would suggest to visit it at least once, so you know what they serve. The AH at the Eemplein used to be open till 23:00, but since not so many people came that last hour, they switched it to 22:00.

[@marieke3032]

When it comes to medicine, I'm sure you've noticed that a lot of medication that is sold over the counter in the US is prescription only in the Netherlands. That might take some getting used to. Hope you won't need it, btw. 😊

[@peterhulleman5407]

In the south of the Netherlands we have in all cities , Eindhoven , Breda, 's-Hertogenbosch etc night shops open 24/7. The sirens are a general disaster warning system. We don't do small talk. Dogs in our so called nature are obliged to be on a leash causse of the risk that the dogs may atack small animals. Don't be so often shocked about all the things you experience.

[@urbnctrl]

The convenience store you look for is called Xenos (even tho its also closed at the same time as all the others) - By the way, what was the forest called you went to? I believe recognized the Totempole from childhood! I wanna visit again sometime.

[@boomdoze]

oh thanks! I’ll look it up!! I’ve been looking for something comparable to a boots here. The forest is called Klein Zwitserland 💗 hope you can visit, it’s really pretty and peaceful!

[@RH-ro3sg]

Air sirens - this is basically a thing we forget until it happens again, so that people don't warn you it will happen isn't that strange. Stores closing early - you'll learn to adapt. In larger cities, there often are 'nachtwinkels' (night stores- most often of the tiny supermarket kind) where you can get a (limited) selection of supplies. For medication, there's the 'spoedapotheek', but this is only for really serious cases (prescription grade medicines) - don't count on casually buying some paracetamol there just because you have a slight headache. Fake 'American' food - this happens all over the world. I don't mean with _American_ dishes specifically, just that when you order a 'country A' dish in 'country B', often what you get really isn't much like the original (especially when country A is far from country B). For example, we have 'Chinese' restaurants here, but most of the dishes are nothing like authentic Chinese dishes- unless you happen to be in a really _good_ traditional Chinese restaurant, perhaps. In the US, you may find atrocious fakes of so-called 'italian' or 'german' dishes - but the Mexican food often is a lot better than here. Same continent I suppose.

[@thejasminediaz]

If you had children, would you relocate there? I have a trip scheduled, but we are considering relocating.

[@boomdoze]

yes! I actually think I’d be happier relocating here with children. As of right now I think being an American outside of Amsterdam is pretty tough for people without kids. There are a lot of support circles for people with kids here and kids are just so happy!!

[@hunchbackaudio]

Leave it up to the marketing guys to totally mess up your cuisine. Surinamese food is pretty popular in the Netherlands, but the Surinamese Roti for instance you can find in the supermarket is not even remotely the same as what you get from the Surinamese restaurants. You have to visit a toko to get the right stuff to make your own. So I'm not at all surprised the "American" food is totally different to the real thing. They just want to profit from the food that is popular on the streets, or the phrase "American" in this case.

[@boomdoze]

true!! I think they do this in America as well, it’s all to increase profits but not actually provide what they say. I am interested in what the american labeled food here tastes like though!

[@back2nature608]

I want the sirene to work 5 min before my salary hits my bank account.

[@robertvermaat2124]

No comments about closing times? Well, that actually is one of of those big differences between us (also: Europe) and the USofA. We have much better working conditions and store workers actually get to be home by dinner time. Of course we could have a night shift, but store owners in the past never wanted to pay workers more for those hours, and it never took off. During the 90s there was talk of starting a '24hrs economy' here, but it never happened. These days there's a shortage of workers for low-paid jobs anyway, so apart from the big convenience stores (who found out longer opening hours do NOT generate higher revenue btw) the opening hours are getting less (Monday closings etc).

[@MisterGrassHoppa]

Im greatly in favor of the airraid system. We have the towers ands its not that obnoxious. It also can warn for things like gas leaks or industrial problems. The mid 2000s anthem was "close your windows, put on the national news broadcast if you hear the siren for more information". I dont think closing down the free access (esp to foreigners or people with low financial options or old people without enough technical knowledge) is anything smart esp since we have the infrastructure already

[@Harbie]

The Dutch are direct, but you already know that by now 😜 When my American customer would ask how inwas doing I gave a honest answer. Nah, it could be better. I've had a rough week, bla bla.. That wasn't what he expected 😂😂 In smaller towns it is normal to greet everyone you meet. With a 'goedemorgen' or 'morgen'. In bigger towns and cities that isn't the case sadly.

[@Kzoiks]

I hope they don't switch to cellphone alarms, that's terrible. And unless they're somehow still able to reach phones that have the phone-network turned off they're not gonna reach me. I use it as a quick mini-pc on wifi to look things up and as a waking alarm clock at most, so I have the phone network service turned off most of the time unless I need it. It's just an "in case of emergency" phone.

[@robertvermaat2124]

The sirens are not so much WW2 but Cold War relics. Many visitors to our coutry are surprised. If you were shocked, imagine the refugees from Ukraine, fresh from a hot war and equally uninformed about our 'first-of-the-month-surprise'!

[@dux_bellorum]

I'd keep the air raids, especially because its a tried and true tested system. And in the case of emergencies a phone might not always work.....

[@Blackadder75]

I am almost 50 and I don;t think the sirens were ever used in my lifetime in my area, so I say get rid of them.... I think they were used a few times for real, locally, when a fire in a chemical plant or something like that occurred

[@raoulv]

We mostly rely on stock, we have some night stores, where you can get some basics, but you probably don't want to use them, because of their prices. For medical aid, try to keep your first aid kit up to date, have basic painkillers ready, and ways to cover a wound, if it's more severe, go to a hospital, it has 24 hours cover. A paracetamol will fix the headache, but when you have a appendix burst, you want to use the hospital.

[@vogel2280]

Which is covered by your medical insurance, including ambulance or taxi/Uber to get there. Might also be shocking to Americans

[@fionaalgera3391]

You can have small talk in your supermarket in the Netherlands. I always have a talk with the cashier. I know them all and I know the names of their kids and they know me. A regular customer is something different than a tourist or a one time customer. Give it sone time and invest in start a conversation. You will be surprised.

[@EugeneVanWell]

In urban areas supermarket are too busy to have small talk, in rural area's people do have conversations, also because they know each other. Often also there the bigger supermarkets are region oriented. Small talk belongs to the " shop around the corner" . But , in Utrecht, where I live, I do have small talk at my neighbouhood bakery, the hairdresser, certain markets boots where I regular come, cafe's, galleries. It depends a lot to your own attitude. Bringing your kids too school, walking your dog, in the waitingroom of a doctor it's more common to have small talk. If you compare trainriding behaviour you'll see the north- west european behaviour is to take a seat, put your luggage in the seat next to you in the hope no one will come and sit there, so you can sit quietly on your own, while in south europe, my reference is now spain, people enter a train, look around where other people are sitting, and go sit there, so they can talk. During my life, i am 70, the tempo of living has gone up, and the anonimity of people in cities has grown. For instance in sauna's in the past it was teally normal to talk with other visitors, today you go with a friend and talk only to them. In my town of origin, venlo in the south, it was normal to go out to cafe's or coffeeshops on your own, and meet at random people there. In west netherlands urban areas that has become very uncoming behaviour, although I am sure in places like Volendam it's still normall to have small talk, and meet people at random. In general if there is a sense of community, in other words, if you live in a town or area you " belong" too it's normal to have small talk. People have that behaviour staying on a camping, or in trailor areas, or in places were it feels local. As a foreigner just start with learning the language, and do you shopping in the small businesses of your own neighbourhood. Struggle with the language and ask for how things are called, or how things are done here. In a video before you wanted a working space in a coffeeshop and met a policy of no laptopwork please there. Did you start a conversation about if they could give you tips where to go then? Dutch are very direct in that way. And ask to the point. Ask for instance: would you mind if I sat here, in a restaurant or cafe or train. And if yes is the replie, start a conversation.

[@geertsimons8453]

How very shocking they do things differently outsider the USA

[@vullings1968]

I am also pleasantly shocked when I go abroad. I think travelling makes you see things different and makes you think about things we consider "normal" and/or take for granted. Especially when you live in a country as big as US (basically a continent on itself). Here in the Netherlands we have the benefit of visiting multiple different countries (and slightly different cultures) within a couple of hours drive.

[@michelmayhem]

Spar City Amersfoort (also at de Kamp) is open untill 2200hr everyday. It's like a little supermarket and it provides me with those snacky delights when needed. I live one street over, so it's truly a convenient store :D (sorry)

[@boomdoze]

Oh that’s good to know! tbh I dont like shopping there because it’s so much more expensive than other stores but it’s nice to have the option!

[@michelmayhem]

@@boomdoze I totally agree. Only for those emergency snacks, i'll pay some extra.

[@bitfighterrosemoor797]

@@boomdoze Its expensive there becuase its student 'rich' area. its skummy behavour of that Spar totally kapitalishing on thse students. the Spar know what its doing bluh

[@EugeneVanWell]

Concerning the dogs: in more woody or heather of beach area's it's quit normal to let dog run around freely., if it's allowed or not. Dutch are anarchist in that way. What is or is not allowed they tend to decide for themselves. And...the dog in the film was friendly enough, wasn't he. And you film in a wood. So what's the problem? What more has become a norm is that you take the poop of the dog with you in a plastic bag and throw it away later in s litter can.

[@boomdoze]

I stopped to pet him. I love all the puppies here 🥰 never said I had a problem with it. I was just curious because I see them off leash on the sidewalks as well and that doesn’t happen in the US.

[@EugeneVanWell]

That happens too. If the dog is not a problem, and knows how to behave on a sidewalk, so hé don't run under a car or a passing bike. The same anarchistic behaviour applies: owners will decide for themselves it will not be a problem. Police will ad most ask friendly to put him on a leach. The same goes for biking on a side walk, or parking a car there. Not allowed but people do it because they consider it themselves in their situation not a problem. Police at most wil ask you to step down and go on fout, or people on the sidewalk will make a remark on it.

[@sonnylatchstring]

What else when radio and internet are hacked??

[@raoulv]

Software Engineer here. These are low level services, if they can hack this, I don't think that is the biggest problem when a nuke is coming your way.

[@SimonRaahauge1973]

In Denmark, we have both systems.. area sirens (they sound very alarming), and text messages to peoples' mobile phones.

[@urbnctrl]

We do here as well, its called the NL Alert system, every once in a while your phone will go off erradically to test the system with a test message. Sometimes the phone goes off and its a local crisis that you need to respond to asap. The Air alarm is more for severe national issues.

[@boomdoze]

ooh! that makes sense. I read an article that said they were moving the air raid sirens to cell phone alerts in 2025 so that’s why I mentioned it. Makes sense to keep it for bigger issues though

[@BabzV]

Nederlanders doen wel aan small talk maar ik kan me voorstellen dat tov American small talk wij misschien wat minder makkelijk te benaderen zijn. Plus we zijn een praktisch volkje dus als we vragen hoe het met je gaat dan willen we het ook echt weten, zo niet dan vragen we het ook niet. 😉 Ik waardeer jouw Amerikaanse perspectief op onze NLse samenleving, altijd leuk om ons eigen landje door de ogen van een ander te zien. 😊🌷

[@FacelessJanus]

Just as an aside, Trader Joe's os owned by Aldi. (If memory serves, Aldi Nord)

[@boomdoze]

yes!! I see some trader joes branded items in the aldi near me but they are actually very different. I was surprised because I thought I would see some things from back home

[@mavadelo]

Although we are starting to get to an era where everybody NEEDS to have a smartphone for everyday things, we are not there yet. There is still a large group of elderly people that will never get used to the new technology. Not because they don't want but simply because it came to late for them to "get it". For those people I would like to see the alarm system to remain for at least a decade more (and for pure nostalgic reasons tbf). It is not the first time btw that they try to stop with them. It didn't sit well with the public the first time either. 3:40 And that is why we don't do small talk the "American way". Small talk is done here, just not willy-nilly. When I go to my local shops here I often have some small talk with the people working there. But I have been coming in their stores for decades, they know me, I know them. I am not going to small talk with the people at Zeeman. I am getting underwear, I am not here to discuss my vacation plans. 4:15 Shops closing: It has nothing to do with "want", It is (sadly) literally the law. We have what is called the "Winkeltijdenwet" or "Shopping times law". This law says it is illegal to have people inside your store from 22:00 - 06:00. It also prohiibits stores to be open on Sundays. Local authorities can give excemptions which is why many stores are open on Sundays. However, being open between 19:00 - 22:00 is only allowed for supermarkets and "to go" shops. Shops that want t be open after 22:00 are considered "night shops", in my city (Utrecht) it would mean they can be open until 02:00 but currently no shops have this license as far as I know. 5:45 Probablly specific to the specific location. In general your dog needs to be on a leash but in basically every city and town there will be free roam / play areas where they can roam free. Usually there will be some sign with rules at the (main"entrances of parks and woods etc. for outdoor areas (woods, hills etc) these signs are probably rectangle and green as main color, most but not all cities and towns use a similar look. Did you know the Netherlands officialy does not have stray dogs? (sadly we all know that occasionally that might not be true) 6:30 "American food" in Dutch stores. It depends a bit. Many stores will have "A Dutch/European view on American food". Yes, a bit what "we think" you eat. But the Jumbo near me also sells things that are very much American. Mike&Ike's for example and Nerds. Truth however is that these probably are not the same as in the USA since most of the American foods are banned in Europe due to it containing all sorts of bad. I think that is why most US brands probably don't bother making their products for the EU, it needs :"edible" ingredients.

[@Dizdogs]

I think it depends where you live, but there are night shops. These are small supermarkets where you can buy things when the bigger supermarkets are closed. Usually you find these night shops in cities. You can unleash your dog in special dog area's. Most of the times there are signs in parks where you can walk with a dog unleashed or not. I am not sure if I would like the alarm only on my phone.....

[@boomdoze]

yeah I heard that amsterdam has night shops so I’d like that. I think in Amersfoort people just train their dogs really well because they’re unleashed everywhere here but I don’t mind ☺️

[@ArnoutVanderMolen-fr8gi]

The forrested area were you sat talking, is an area in which it is specificaly allowed to let your dog roam free. It is on the green signs when entering the area. It is in dutch tough.​@@boomdoze

[@Dizdogs]

@@boomdoze Yes, I live in Den Haag (The Hague), there are many night shops over here, Rotterdam also...I do not know about Amersfoort...

[@AnnetteLudke-je5ll]

You will hear theses sirenes in Germany, too.

[@johannessugito1686]

An important element is that for work in the evening, night and weekend employees get a surcharge on the salary. So, higher salary cost and lower turnover in the evening and night cost a store holder money.

[@ElMariachi1337]

Ever seen an American "Dutch Applepie" in NL? Yeah I doubt it. That's because that's not a Dutch applepie at all, ours is totally different. So I guess the same goes for some of our "American" things in the grocery stores here which are clearly not American products. A good example is the "American fritesaus" which is totally not American, but basically called that cause it's the same sauce McDonalds sells for their fries in NL. Also if you ever order Chinese in NL and would ask in China which dish they would advise you to order, they probably never even heard of any of the ones you can order here, because they are dishes that where basically invented and specialized for the local Europeans.

[@boomdoze]

true! I think my family will ask for me to bring back "dutch apple pie" when I go back home to visit. Although, I wonder if it's referring to our American Dutch, because I do see dutch apple pies in their stores. And people assume that must mean the Netherlands has the original dutch apple pie (even though our American Dutch people are german lol)

[@vrijvolk]

Trader Jo’s is a German company Aldi

[@jaapster1273]

Smalltalk in a supermarkt about all the things you bought and you are "super shocked" about it?. Come on. Allso calling everything "shocked" and "supershocked" sounds a bit hysterical.

[@AwoudeX]

welcome to USA culture ^^

[@vullings1968]

A cultural thing, I guess. My observation that in US the norm is more superlative, while in nort western Europe the understatement is the preferred tone. As in "doe vooral normaal". In general, the Dutch also don'tlike boasting, even if the person did something remarkable or succesfull. Better be modestly proud about it.

[@Paul9601EX]

Those sirens are still necessary because there’s a war going on in Europe between Russia and Ukraine. NATO member states are very involved in Europe in supporting Ukraine. So there’s a chance of a war at the moment

[@raboratory]

In the rare situation when I find myself in line for a cashier, I always try to brighten the day of the person checking out my groceries.. I don't expect them to make me feel special..; it's hard & mind-numbing enough to sit there all day.. But usually íf I go to my grocery store/supermarkets - like once every 2-3 months - I use a handscanner or my phone to scan & check out without having to wait in line. Plus, every larger grocery chain has home delivery service.., so you order a lot more than you could ever carry, for 1-2 weeks, which is the ultimate convenience.. & if you crave an S-tier pizza or Sushi, or Thai whatever at 4 AM, or a couple of bottles of booze if the party's still going at 7 AM, you can pretty much order anything in Amsterdam.. & have a fun conversation.

[@SimonRaahauge1973]

regarding the munchies, I have a certain cache of munchable things around. :oD

[@groenekever]

If you want to do a q and a with a dutchie hit me up. Also can be a tour guide

[@boomdoze]

feel free to email me!

[@groenekever]

@@boomdoze did not find it but send you message on Instagram

[@TheBorgfelder]

Small Talk? That is a form of time wasting, right?

[@DavidV328]

The sirenes are not airraid sirenes, they are BB srenes, Bescherming Burgerbevolking, Civilian Protection. Shopping at night anxiety? No better time to get over that than the present. Meaningless conversations with casssiers are highly overrated. Smalltalk with people who could care less about you is stupid.

[@JesperMilling]

Why are americans shocked all the time, when out in the real world?

[@StevenvanderGraaf]

Small talk, fake conversations and interest. Credit card, money that you don’t have. You need to get used to down to earth mentality and spend what you can afford.

[@klausolekristiansen2960]

Here in Denmark, the sirens are only tested once a year. When I was a child, it was every Wednesday. We did not think of them as air raid sirens, though they were also that. They were used to summon the volunteer firemen. This was before pagers and mobile phones.

[@LUVMUSIC504]

There are alot of snooty people in these comments. Get over yourselves. Her opinion on things is hers and hers only. If you dont agree, that's fine, but dont talk down to her. Of course, she is going to think and feel differently than someone who is born in a particular place. People on here think very highly of themselves when only you are different and shes really speaking to others who are not from your country.

[@oilslick7010]

Nothing snooty about correcting some opinions when they're clearly the result of not informing yourself well. If she had, the notion of not being able to shop 24/7 in a fairly sleepy town on the edge of our little 'bible belt' would not be 'sHoCKiNg', it would be something to expect.'

[@LUVMUSIC504]

@oilslick7010 you can't correct someone else's opinion, lol

[@andrekamsteeg4567]

Amersfoort has a map on the website that shows where you are allowed to let your dog off the leash. So it is allowed under circumstances. Other towns have something like this.

[@ChristiaanHW]

yeah, most city government websites have maps with all needed info for pet owners. for example: my city has a city map showing where you need to clean up after your dog, and where you're allowed to let it stay/lay (mostly in those green spaces between the road and cycle lane) and we have a few places where dogs are allowed off leash, a big park, the dog beach, an big field next to the city center and a certain area of the forest (het hondenbos).

[@Michel-r6m]

Come on, if you can have imaginairy children let us have imaginairy American food 😅

[@johnvandezilver1388]

There are night stores almost everywhere.. look up on Google.

[@boomdoze]

really?? I live in Amersfoort and there are none by me. Are you nearer to Amsterdam?

[@LalaDepala_00]

​@@boomdoze I live in a small dorp near Breda, we have a night store. You must have one too in a big city.

[@wanneske1969]

They are more expensive than regular stores.

[@DrErikEvrard]

Air raid siren tests are pretty common in many other countries, too: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_defense_siren

[@WendyFange]

In amersfoort worden parken druk bezocht door mensen met hun hond. Vooral het bos rond de dierentuin en Soesterduin.

[@patrickhendrikskingston9303]

All the videos I see from American shops are totally opposite cry what you say. Very rude cashiers and customers.

[@MrLittle3vil]

Dogs can only be off the leash in certain area's. Not everybody follows that rule and you can be fined for it. There's probably a sign at the entrance of the park/wood that says that dogs should be leashed or are allowed off leash

[@janwesten1317]

In the Netherlands, we have supermarkets (Jumbo) with a special "chat checkout" for people who are in the mood for a chat.

[@bloodyfluffybunny7411]

loved it keep up the good work

[@boomdoze]

thank you!! 🥰💗

[@tonypino2858]

Hel Luchtalarm willen ze gaan Afschaffen

[@pvds2009]

In north holland and the south you have the gasstations that are open 24 hrs. In the east not. And every gasstation have a smal supermarket/grocerystore inside them

[@pvds2009]

We already have them by phone, they test those also but not as much as the sirene. They also use the text with weather warnings.

[@zokilauda]

I was born in the Netherlands and I still live in the Netherlands but I am not Dutch as my parents were not and are not Dutch either. What I am saying now is purely because of the fact that I am giving my personal opinion. I am and will remain of the opinion that the two systems should exist side by side. The normal air raid siren for most people. But notifications via smartphone for deaf/hard of hearing people. Air raid siren also because it can reach a much wider audience. Especially because if your smartphone battery is empty then there is a chance that you will not read the notifications in time.

[@rolandlemmers6462]

So if you are not dutch why are you here?

[@zokilauda]

@rolandlemmers6462 Om mensen zoals jij te irriteren. (And in case you don't speak or read Dutch) To irritate people like you. Otherwise there is a big chance that you will get bored. And FYI I'm not some kid you're talking to. (Chances are you'll probably say you're older than me..) But I am a 48 year old adult male. And I don't care whether you believe me or not about my age. In that case your words are like dust in the wind. Present but useless.

[@zokilauda]

@moon-moth1 Mocht je het willen weten Ik heb gewoon een Nederlandse paspoort. Juist vanwege het feit dat ik in Nederland ben geboren. Dat gezegd hebbende. Grote kans dat je het verschil niet weet tussen een Nederlander en een Nederlandse staatsburger. Voornamelijk in betrekking tot mij. En mensen zoals ik. Ik ben wel een Nederlandse staatsburger maar geen Nederlander. Dat houdt in dat ik dezelfde rechten en plichten heb als ze een Nederlander maar geen Nederlander ben. Mijn bloed is mijn afkomst maar het bepaalt niet mijn karakter.. Je karakter wordt gevormd door de jaren heen hoe je bent opgevoed en wat je in je leven hebt meegemaakt en hoe je ermee omgaat of hoe je ermee om hebt gegaan.

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

In most towns dogs should be on leash by law, except in special dog areas.....It is bad behaviour to let your dog runaround outside these areas.. In the Netherlands, people work in shops, so usually shops close at 18:00h., open at 09:00h ot 10:00h. Workers still have rights here. Big shops are starting to open at odd hours, and even on Sunday, I refuse to do shopping on a Sunday, so good luck with that...

[@boomdoze]

ooh! I always see so many dogs here unleashed. But they do seem well trained, so no complaints from me ☺️

[@Bramfly]

Just because a random costumer wants to go shopping in the middle of the night should not be a reason to have to work at night in a supermarket, besides how many times the normal pay would have to be paid before employees would be willing to work those hours. Not feasible in our country thankfully

[@johannetje1980]

supermarkets are open until 9 p.m or 8 p.m

[@jandenijmegen5842]

Americans are shocked so easily. So it is the first day of the month at exactly 12:00. What a coincidence.... Have little gray cells and use them. Have sirens in Alaska: Russia is only 55 miles away!

[@Dutch-Power]

Love you video 😉

[@wil6043]

Next time you do a video like this please inform yourself better before talking trash.

[@boomdoze]

where did I talk trash? 🧐

[@AnnetteLudke-je5ll]

Don' t be offensive.Better tell us where there are mistakes - if there are some...

[@rob2hae445]

Medication you can get 24/7, so get yourself well informed before you talk nonsens.

[@boomdoze]

I’m not talking nonsense. Please treat people nicely even if you’re behind a screen. In the U.S. you can get medicine in grocery stores any time of the day 24/7. I know I can travel to a hospital pharmacy in the netherlands to get medicine in the middle of the night but I was just pointing out the differences and how I’m used to going to the store in the US.

[@LalaDepala_00]

​@@boomdoze Do you realize you are not in the U.S. anymore? Because we have no wish to turn into the U.S.

[@Kap3lka]

Je kunt ook gewoon normaal info geven in plaats van te reageren als een stomme koe.

[@Kap3lka]

@@LalaDepala_00 Nergens heeft ze gezegd dat het hier moet als in de VS. Doe Normaal! dan doe je al gek genoeg.

[@InfiniteCyclus]

Why so rude? I'm all for some direct communication, but this is insane. And even if it's nonsense, how is she supposed to know that you can get medication 24/7? Even I don't know that.