There are some undeniable truths about Sweden (lots of Volvos, lots of trees) but when asked, most people don’t get far past the usual clichés. And nor did I.
A well-organized country full of high tax paying, IKEA flatpack-loving, slightly distant Fika fanatics, all happily queuing to buy some much-needed state-controlled booze to get through the never-ending cold and dark winters.
In this series, I give my take on some of the more commonly heard assumptions about life in Sweden and how I experience them.
When you are visiting family back home after your move to Sweden, you will note that nothing seems to get a tipsy uncle quite as riled up as your story about the state-controlled alcohol market. It’s also something that comes up surprisingly often when you tell people you live in Sweden. The mere mention of having to go to a special shop to purchase alcohol seems to set people off in a certain way.
That the shops are called Systembolaget, like some Soviet-era holdover obviously does little to calm your uncle down.
To start with the concept itself. Having grown up in The Netherlands, I was not bowled over with indignation at the idea of having to go to a separate shop to purchase my poison. Although supermarkets in the Netherlands do sell alcohol, it is pretty common to buy your wine, as well as any stronger stuff, at what Australians call a ‘bottle shop’ (which rather misses the point of what’s actually for sale).
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Apart from having a larger assortment than supermarkets, these shops also have specialized staff that can recommend wines with your food.
But with plenty of well-stocked and reasonably priced Systembolagets around and one right outside my local supermarket, I don’t think the airtime this topic gets when people talk about life in Sweden is actually justified.
For the now properly drunk uncle at your family dinner, the Systembolaget is of course a sign of a bigger problem with Sweden: the all-controlling state. The outrageous combination of high taxes, free healthcare and schooling and state-controlled alcohol must mean that the government has a finger in every aspect of life.
It turns out your uncle is engaging in a long-standing tradition that has been dubbed ‘Sweden bashing’. It started with Eisenhower, but in more recent years lesser statesmen dabbled in it as well. Although there is no clear definition, it seems to involve cherry-picking facts about Sweden – or alternatively just making them up – in order to ridicule the Swedish model. It’s a model that, according to the ideology of the bashers, should fail miserably but somehow stubbornly refuses to do so.
Despite the long-standing tradition of Sweden bashing, I think anyone who lives here will agree that in everyday life there is nothing particularly invasive about enjoying free education and healthcare in exchange for higher taxes. Come to think of it, that is pretty much the model applied in the Netherlands and they never got stuck with a reputation for an overbearing government. On the other hand, Holland does get bashed for easy access to drugs and euthanasia, so I guess you have to be careful what you wish for.
Considering it now really only functions as a lightning rod for politicians, it may not be a bad idea to let go of the state monopoly on alcohol sales.
As for the bashing itself, I think the current Swedish response to it works just fine: a light shrug of the shoulders and let the system speak for itself.
Alexander de Nerée moved to Stockholm with his husband in October 2020. He is Dutch, but moved from Zürich, Switzerland, after having lived in Hong Kong for 10 years. Not having been to Sweden before the move, Alexander had some broad assumptions about what life in Sweden would be like. In this series, he revisits these assumptions and gives his take. Alexander wrote for series for The Local before about his “firsts” in Sweden.
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You might be interested to know that a state monopoly on alcohol sale is not a unique feature of Sweden. Eighteen (of 50) U.S. states have a state monopoly on alcohol sales. Furthermore, 10% of US counties have “local option” bans on some or all alcohol sales. This local option prohibition was at one time, right after repeal of nationwide prohibition, very common. Now 16 U.S. States prohibit local option restriction on alcohol sale but the rest allow it. Since it is a local option, it is at the expressed preference of the voters in each jurisdiction and is gradually being reversed across the nation. Don’t forget that from 1920 to 1933, the U.S. had nationwide prohibition of the production and sale of alcohol for human consumption. It proved to be very difficult to enforce and a state monopoly on sales was widely adopted as a fall back measure to somewhat restrict alcohol availability. Nowadays, in most states it is simply a revenue earning measure and, as such, is often criticised.
What surprises me about Systembolaget is that prices for European wines and spirits are considerably cheaper than in the US. I don’t mind that the state has a monopoly and that you can only buy at certain times if it means that i spend considerably less for my purchases. I’m told that the relatively cheap prices are because Systembolaget purchases in such huge quantities and that within the EU there are no import duties. What’s not to like?
I grew up in New Jersey, USA which had a state monopoly on alcohol until only recently. I remember having to go to the liquor store and needing to plan in advance because it wasn’t open on Sundays. My town voted to allow liquor licenses for restaurants when I was in high school (my mom was excited about getting better restaurants to come to our town as a result), and the beach town my family went to every summer was a dry town. You had to make sure you went to the liquor store outside the city limits before coming in for vacation. At some point in the last 10+ years (I left New Jersey and the US in 2010), they lifted the restrictions. There is now alcohol sold in grocery stores when I am home visiting family. It seems to be the large, cheap types of alcohol and mixers, so I still go to the liquor stores for a bigger variety. The dry beach town my family still vacations in still does not have a liquor store, but they have allowed liquor licenses for restaurants on the boardwalk. I think it is still illegal to drink in public, though, which is why places like New Orleans (Louisiana) seem to have a novelty to them because you can drink on the street, bars give you the option to take your drinks to go, and you could always buy your alcohol anywhere. I remember visiting in 2016 and surprised I could buy alcohol at the pharmacy! I have lived in Singapore for the last 7 years (moving to Sweden over the summer), and you cannot buy alcohol in any store after 10.30pm. Before delivery services, there was no way to get alcohol unless you were in a restaurant, bar or club after 10.30pm (you can now circumvent this because the delivery services are “restaurants” so you can order after 10.30pm if you need/want). So, I don’t think it’s weird and am surprised to read the history of Swedish bashing, as if it is the only country that regulates the consumption of alcohol! Now that I think about it, it’s very similar to how people react to living in Singapore because of all of the restrictions/fines, but it’s interesting what Singapore bans (chewing gum) and what it regulates (prostitution). That’s a conversation for another day/website though…