Online and physical stores
Be informed about the most popular national online stores in Sweden: Ikea.com; Zalando.se Netonnet.se; Elgiganten.se; Webbhallen.com; Hm.com; Mediamarkt.se; Sas.se; Decathlon.se and others.
Zalando
Zalando is an online store, which suits any taste or budget. The pricing policies allow different shoppers to purchase the best clothes at the best price. Here you can buy absolutely everything without leaving your home. It also recommends tracking the discount period, as in most stores there is a possibility of getting a 70-80% discount.
You may visit the website of Zalando in order to check to purchase clothes.
You can also download the “Zalando – fashion, inspiration & online shopping” app to your device.
Apotea.se
Apotea.se is Sweden’s first full-scale pharmacy that has no physical store but is only available online. You may order any type of medicine from the relevant categories for yourself and organic, vegan and eco-labelled products at the website.
You may choose the category relevant for you and then order it online: Allergy, Face, Bed & Stick, Animal, Fever & Pain, Cold, Parent & Child, Home & Household, Aid, Skincare, Hair Removal & Shaving, Haircare, Hands & Feet, Intimate, Dietary supplements, Gastrointestinal, Food, Mouth & Teeth, Trip, Sex & Lust, Stop smoking, Makeup, Sun protection, Wounds & Injuries, Exercise, Weight control, Vitamins & Minerals, Eyes & Ears.
For more information about the current prices and products, you may visit Apotea.se’s website.
IKEA
IKEA stores are usually located away from city centres, so people need to take the time to get to the store and possibly go there by car. So you can’t just drop in and out in 10 minutes as in many other shops. In the middle of all the home inspiration and furniture, IKEA has a lot of small, low priced things spread all over the store that are easy to grab. If you only want to buy a piece of larger furniture, you still have to walk through the store in order to pick it up right before the cash registers.
You may buy from IKEA shelving units, desks & computer desks, decorations, mattresses, sofa-beds, double-beds, bathroom accessories, kitchen textiles and etc.
It is advisable not to bring too much stuff (towels, bedsheets, pillow sheets and etc.) with you when coming to Sweden as you may buy everything in Sweden for cheap prices. You can also find IKEA products in second-hand shops for very low prices.
Grocery stores
While doing your shopping keep in mind that the range of prices can vary between stores. An example range is normally shown on the grocery’s website. You may order food or products online in all of these grocery stores. It is advisable to subscribe to the mailing list of these grocery shops in order to get the latest information about offers and discounts.
Willy’s – Willy’s is one of the cheapest grocery shops in Sweden. It is advisable to register at Willy’s website and become a member in order to get some discounts that are offered very often.
Coop – Coop is one of Sweden’s largest food chains. Its stores are owned by about 3.7 million members. It is advisable to become a member of Coop. As a member, you get points for everything you buy, membership prices, personal offers, discounts from our partners and much more
ICA – The core of ICA Gruppen’s operations is the grocery trade. You can find the nearest shops by searching the website with your postal code or current location.
Hemköp – Hemkop is very similar to ICA in the range of products and brands that they both stock. You can shop online here as well with the option of home delivery or store pick-up.
Lidl – Lidl is the store where you can always shop with common sense for the whole week. There are not so many shops at Lidl compared to the ones mentioned above, however, Lidl is one of the cheapest grocery shops in Sweden. The Lidl Plus app is the customer club for those who shop at Lidl. You may always have access to all new offers, promotions and information directly on the phone. The app is completely free and available on mobile devices with Android and iOS.
Second-hand shops
Sweden is one of the countries with the most widespread second-hand culture. For this reason, you can find second-hand shops regardless of the city you are going to.
Bicycle (bike) shops
For many students, the most popular and economical option is the good bicycle. With so many people riding and wanting to ride bicycles, the market is very active.
You can get a bike from as low as 500 SEK or as high as 5000 SEK. It all depends on where you search and your preferences. There is usually a bike sale at the beginning of the school semester and close to the end when students are leaving.
Social Network stores
Apart from the physical second-hand stores, you can also get products at cheaper prices on the Facebook marketplace. You can usually find these groups by typing the name of your city in the form of “buying-selling groups”. In these groups, you will find cheaper bus or train tickets, as well as second-hand bicycles.
Systembolaget – alcohol beverages
Systembolaget is the monopoly distributor of alcoholic beverages in Sweden. Serving 9.5 million Swedish and more than 400 stores in Sweden, it is one of the largest buyers of wine and spirits from producers in the world. Besides the 400 chain stores, Systembolaget also has a partnership with other 500 stores where consumers can pick up products sold via Systembolaget. It has a great range of alcohol collections which are selected by the strict purchase process.
The Swedish Parliament has decided that a person attains the legal drinking age at 18. It is then possible to buy alcohol at a restaurant. However, at Systembolaget an age threshold of 20 applies. There are two main reasons for this:
- Availability of alcohol to minors would likely creep lower in age with a lower age threshold in our stores. Older partners, friends and siblings are common ways for teenagers to obtain alcohol.
- Under the Swedish Alcohol Act, staff in restaurants are responsible for not serving people who are too intoxicated. The same controls do exist for alcohol purchased at Systembolaget.
To see all the drinks they offer you can visit Systembolaget’s website.
