‘Normal’: Aussie act in supermarkets stuns British expat

A British expat has shared a now-viral clip warning fellow Brits who plan to move Down Under on what they need to know.

A British expat has shared a now-viral clip warning fellow Brits of the things they “need to know” when moving Down Under.

Visiting or moving to Australia comes with plenty of culture shocks, with some of the most common being the way we say certain things.

But it is one “common Aussie act” which has left this British expat stunned, as she shared her five top things to know before heading to Australia.

The video, which has been viewed almost one million times, was posted by Charlee, who goes by the handle ‘charleedownunder’ on TikTok.

Expat Charlee (pictured) moved from London to Sydney in November – and has listed the ‘five things Brits need to know’ when moving Down Under. Picture: TikTok/charleedownunder

The first thing that left her confused was how supermarkets don’t sell alcohol.

“You need to go to a bottle-o,” she said.

“Why is it called a ‘bottle-o’ and not a bottle shop – what does the ‘O’ stand for? I just don’t understand.”

The 25-year-old, who moved from London to Sydney in November, said the second thing that left her shocked was the act of walking around barefoot.

“People walk around supermarkets without shoes on and it’s normal here,” she said with confusion.

She was really shocked how some Aussies walk around barefoot. Picture: TikTok/charleedownunder

And she’s not the only one – another Brit was also ‘shook’ by it. Picture: TikTok/Robyn Turner

“Just imagine the aneurysm a private school mum would have when they rolled up to Waitrose [high-end grocer in the UK] in their Landrover and their Prada sunglasses head to toe in Lululemon and see someone without their shoes on.

“They would drop dead and drop all the patisserie in their basket, but here it is f***ing normal,” Charlee joked.

She’s not the only Brit to be left stunned by the act.

Robyn Turner, who lives in Melbourne, has been adjusting to a new life in Australia over the past five years.

In a TikTok she revealed that people walking without shoes at indoor public places also caught her off-guard.

“People walking around the supermarket or any other store in bare feet shocked me,” she said.

“You would never catch anyone that wasn’t on a beach with bare feet in the UK.

“It doesn’t appeal to me but I mean, you do you – I just won’t look at the floor.”

She also couldn’t believe supermarkets didn’t sell alcohol.

“I had no idea this wasn’t a thing,” she said.

“I was first like, ‘Where do I go and buy some wine from?’ and someone was like, ‘The bottle-o,’ and I was like, ‘What’s a bottle-o?’

“I had no idea; shocked me to the bones.”

Aussies were quick to weigh in on the no shoes act.

“It’s not normal in all Australian states to walk barefoot! Will not see if at most Melbourne areas! I think it’s a Queensland thing,” one person wrote.

“You don’t wear shoes if you’re quickly running in to grab something,” said another.

A third wrote: “I’m Aussie and it still creeps me out people in bare feet in the supermarket.”

One tourist said they remember when travelling to New Zealand, “the no shoe thing hahahaaaa I loved it though and fully joined in … grounding”.

Other things Charlee listed was how Aussies say capsicum (Brits say pepper) and how we don’t sell alcohol in supermarkets. Picture: TikTok/charleedownunder

Meanwhile, the final three things on Charlee’s list included confusion over the humble capsicum – which Brits refer to as peppers.

“This has not been an issue for me until the other day,” she said.

“If I go to the supermarket looking for a pepper I don’t need to know what it’s called cause I know what it looks like.

“But when I went to order Nandos … it had capsicum in it and I was like, ‘What the f**k is that? Turns out it is a pepper – still not sure why it’s called that.”

Charlee was also baffled to learn most bars aren’t open after midnight, describing it as “perplexing”.

The final piece of advice she had to fellow Brits was not to take offence to a swear word that starts with ‘C’.

“I don’t need to say it. It is one of the most offensive things someone can call me, but here it’s not that offensive,” she said.

“Calling someone a b**ch is more offensive than a ‘C’ word. If someone calls you it, don’t worry.”