Petty Revenge in the Aisle: The Swedish Supermarket Scanner Saga
Picture this: you’re in a massive Swedish supermarket, your shopping list in hand, your patience in check, and your path suddenly blocked by a rogue, unattended trolley. The owner? Nowhere in sight. What do you do? If you’re like most, maybe you wait a minute, maybe you nudge the cart aside. But if you’re the hero (or villain, depending on your view) of today’s tale, you opt for a deliciously petty act of revenge that has Reddit in stitches.
Welcome to the world of Scan-and-Go shopping, Scandinavian etiquette, and one shopper’s creative lesson in supermarket manners. The story, originally shared by u/DiligentCockroach700 on r/PettyRevenge, has sparked a lively, international conversation on everything from shopping technology to cultural clashes to the fine art of getting even.
Let’s set the scene: Our protagonist (the stepson of the original poster) is on a routine grocery run in Sweden. He’s navigating the aisles when he encounters the bane of every shopper’s existence—a completely blocked aisle, courtesy of a shopper who apparently decided their trolley could double as a “Do Not Enter” sign. The offender wanders off in search of something, leaving behind not just their cart but also their personal handheld scanner (a device used in many European supermarkets for self-scanning groceries as you shop).
Now, in Sweden, the unspoken social contract dictates that you wait politely, maybe even with a hint of existential despair, for the other person to return. And wait he does… until patience gives way to mischief. Our hero picks up the abandoned scanner and, with a flourish that would make Loki proud, scans half a dozen random items into the absent shopper’s cart. Then, he strolls off, leaving behind a ticking time bomb of confusion at checkout.
Cue the applause from Reddit. “I thought this was a masterstroke of pettiness,” the OP writes—and judging by the 1800+ upvotes, so did most of the community.
But this isn’t just a tale of supermarket shenanigans. The post quickly became an unexpected deep dive into global shopping cultures, with commenters from the US, UK, Netherlands, Norway, and beyond chiming in with their own experiences and questions. For many Americans, the whole concept of a customer-operated handheld scanner was a revelation. As u/FluffyApartment596 asked, “Is the scanner for the customer to scan in the items they are purchasing?… So the guy is paying for items he didn’t actually get?” To which others responded: Exactly! In Sweden (and parts of Europe), you scan as you shop, then breeze through checkout—unless, of course, someone’s thrown a wrench into your digital cart.
The conversation soon morphed into a fascinating comparison of global grocery tech. In Sweden and much of Europe, you scan and bag as you go, sometimes with random spot checks or, as u/NightShade13 explains, a final cart weigh-in to ensure honesty. Americans, meanwhile, are more familiar with self-checkouts at the end, often watched over by an eagle-eyed attendant—a setup that, according to u/No-Yam6028, is “not REALLY ‘self service’, it’s actually just ‘sh*tty service’.” Ouch.
Some commenters raised a practical question: Why not just move the cart? “No one waits a ‘few minutes’ (!) for someone to return and move their trolley. You just move it to the side and pass,” insisted u/YeahNahMaybe__. Others, like u/ThinkbigShrinktofit from Norway, confirmed that in their neck of the woods, shoving the offending trolley aside is standard practice, “even if we see its ‘owner’ coming back for it. And nobody minds.”
But for those familiar with Swedish etiquette, the excessive politeness rings true. As u/a_shootin_star wryly put it, “No, no, it’s Sweden. We wait politely, and then we commit fraudulent transactions.” Touché.
Not everyone was on board with our anti-hero’s tactics, though. Some, like u/LagerHead, thought the stepson’s move was a step too far, quipping, “This isn’t petty, your son is a prick. And I think I know where he got it from.” Others mused about simpler forms of trolley-based revenge—wheeling the cart into another aisle or, in one memorable British anecdote, locking it in the disabled toilet.
There were even tales of accidental scanner mischief—like the child at Tesco gleefully scanning nearby yogurts while her mother shopped, or the shopper who lost their trolley entirely, presumably the victim of some parallel petty revenge.
At its core, this story is about the universal battle for aisle-space and the ingenious, sometimes absurd ways we deal with inconsiderate shoppers. Whether you’re a fan of subtle sabotage, a champion of direct action, or just someone who likes their groceries with a side of drama, there’s something oddly satisfying about watching etiquette, technology, and revenge collide.
So what’s the takeaway? Maybe it’s a reminder to be a little more considerate with your cart. Maybe it’s a warning not to leave your scanner unattended in Sweden. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s that a little bit of pettiness—executed with style—can be the secret ingredient to a truly memorable supermarket trip.
What would you have done in this situation? Are you Team Move-The-Cart, Team Scan-and-Sabotage, or Team Zen Patience? Share your own tales of shopping revenge or etiquette fails in the comments below—because in the great supermarket game, we’ve all got a story.
Happy shopping, and may your aisles always be clear!
Original Reddit Post: Blocking that aisle is going to cost you!