The art of Austrian shopping

I'm just going to come out and say it -- shopping in Austria is strange. If you're looking for a one-stop-shop, well, you're not going to find it. For example, if you're looking for cornmeal, try the drugstore. But if you're looking for medication, skip the drugstore. Any type of medication, prescription or over-the-counter, can only be found at a pharmacy. Do you need cooking spray? Well, you can find it at the grocery store, but out of the six or so chains I've shopped at, it's only available at one.

And while you may not be able to find the groceries you want, you can find some other really strange things at the grocery store. Let's just say that Brian wasn't exactly thrilled the day I came home from the grocery store with a sewing machine. Not because I had bought a sewing machine (I already had permission for that), but because I bought it at a grocery store. I tried to convince him that you can buy nice things at a grocery store by pointing out the Dyson vacuum cleaner at our favorite grocery store. (Because, really, who can deny the goodness of a Dyson?). I'm not sure he's convinced.

Some other things I've seen at grocery stores recently: ski pants, boots, sandwich maker, tool set and, my favorite, a chocolate fountain. These item are usually found in large bins, not on shelves. And mind you, this is a store about the size of your neighborhood Walgreen's. So you may not be able to find what you're looking for, but you're almost certain to find something interesting.