Originally Posted by
JR67
Most states have alcohol laws - the difference between Sweden and the US is that the employees at Systembolaget know what they are talking about, and the prices are higher. If it is opening hours you are worried about then you need to plan your days better.
Well, don’t want to bash Sweden as I really love this country but you bring up a good example. As a true wine lover, Systembolaget is a nightmare. No! Most employees have absolutely no idea about the wine they are selling. They can just read to you what is written on the label and the store card. Have you ever been to a good wine shop in northern CA like KL Wines or a good German, Italien or French guy? These guys know what they are talking about… I have yet to meet a Systembolaget employee which knows their stuff… example: I recently asked for Marsala and the girl had no idea what I was talking about. Which is kind of super basic stuff for a liquor dealer, right?
And it actually starts with the problem that Systembolaget doesn’t even buy great wines. Well… they do… the Systembolaget close to the embassies in Stockholm carry a pretty impressive stock of very expensive wine. But for the rest of the country…. It is cheap and blunt mass produced wine. Which you can buy in any grocery shop in Germany, Denmark or Poland (just to name a few countries around) for a fraction of the cost. And probably with the same amount of help from the store clerks.
But somehow, someone established the myth that Systembolaget employees are real connoisseurs and know their stuff. I have to meet one of these guys yet. Just because a lot of people say it, doesn’t make it so.
same for spirits or other stuff. Come on… they don’t even carry Amaro Ramazzotti. They just don’t. A very basic but common Italien drink. No matter if you like it or not. Yea, you can order it. It tried that once… took 6 weeks until I finally got the message “sorry we couldn’t get it and canceled your order”. Or the poor selection of gin. Yeah, they have the usual industrial stuff like Sapphire, Gordon’s, Hendrick’s or Tanqueray… but real good small batch gins? No way. You just cannot get it.
And here we are… instead of complaining why a state-run monopoly cannot even manage to order and distribute regular and not that absurd things like Ramazzotti people in Sweden say “it’s fine, I just don’t drink it”
i mean… what the hell?
It is not that I’m dead set on getting those things (and found my ways around it). But be real, the system is not that great. It is pretty messed up and doesn’t work well.
so why are people saying it is great? That is what I just don’t get.