r/Norway • u/[deleted] • 6d ago

Working in Norway Etiquette? Common courtesy?

This may offend people and get down voted. It is what it is. Do Norwegians not learn common courtesy or street etiquette when they are kids? For real. So sick of this. Always stopping and standing in the middle of an aisle or sidewalk to talk, fix a bag, etc. Don't care about the people behind you. When they're walking down a sidewalk, they just walk in the middle, on the wrong side, walk 2 or 3 abreast, not caring about people walking towards you. Don't let other people off public transport before you push your way on. The last straw was tonight when I was at Meny, and a lady didn't even let me finish my order before she was pushing her way into my self checkout. I go to grab my receipt with my barcode to get out, she looks at me and goes "Ja". You guys don't give a shit about anyone but yourself, for real. This needs to be said

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u/ThinkbigShrinktofit 6d ago

My family first moved to Norway in 1969, and my American grandma commented on how Norwegians walk and stop wherever they want on a sidewalk or path. "They walk like farmers," she said. Meaning, they haven't learned to walk where there are more people. Solution? Walk slalom-style, wait for a space and speed around, etc.

I speak the lingo so I'm not beyond telling a pushy next customer to wait. But honestly, while the three-abreast-with-baby-carriages is annoying as hell (to everyone, not just foreigners), in general, I don't find Norwegians rude.

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u/BradleyEchoes 5d ago edited 5d ago

«Walk like farmers» is the perfect description - most Norwegians were farmers not too long ago, and the farmer mentality is still strong - you should be self sufficient and take care of yourself and your family first. And of course there was, and for the most part still is, so much space per person that it doesn’t really matter how you move around - it only becomes a real problem in some of our cities.

Sometimes I just walk into people who stop right at the top of escalators or in doorways on purpose, and if I get really annoyed add a «dere kan ikke stoppe her!» as I pass, but it doesn’t seem like people get the point at all.

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u/riktigtmaxat 4d ago

Most Norwegians are many generations removed from being farmers. In 1950 only 20% worked in agriculture. Even back in 1900 the number was only 38% which is less than the neighboring countries.