LIST: Things about The UK you wish you had known

Tea towels= kitchen towels.
Toilet roll= toilet paper.
Kitchen roll= paper towels.
Ill= sick. I think in the U.S. when we've come down with something we say "I'm sick" as opposed to "I'm ill."
Torch= flashlight.
Car park= parking lot.
Store= shop. "I'm gonna pop round to the shop, Mum."

-At some supermarkets like Co-Op, you have to put a pound in to get a shopping cart (er, trolley  ). But when you put it back, you get your pound back. A bit pointless if you ask me....
-You have to pay to park nearly EVERYWHERE.
-Don't expect to get very many compliments in Great Britain, Yankees. Here, it may be typical for a stranger to approach you on the street and tell you that you're wearing a fabulous outfit. Compliments in GB aren't widely accepted/given. In the four trips I've had there, I've maybe gotten 2-3 compliments.
-Most malls/shopping centers in the U.S. close around 10pm. Stores closing that late in GB isn't very common. I think most stores like in town centers close around 8 or so. Oh, I think most supermarkets close at 4pm on Sundays.
-In a movie theatre (er, cinema  ), you have a choice of sweet or salty kettle-style popcorn. No buttered popcorn.
-My boyfriend does this: when he's given the check at a restaurant and pays for it, he'll just include the tip in with the amount. In the U.S. it's typical to pay your bill, then give the tip separately.
-I have to stop this now, on a roll! From personal experience *if you're going out late at night and park in a parking garage, it is very important to check the times of it to see if it closes.* Me and my boyfriend took a day trip to Lincoln once and ended the day with late night movie. When we got to the parking garage to go home, we were both shocked to see that it was closed!! I had never in my life heard of a parking garage closing! Apparently it closed at 11pm and the next time it would be open was like 6am next day. We were stranded and had to get a hotel for the night.

My boyfriend does this: when he's given the check at a restaurant and pays for it, he'll just include the tip in with the amount. In the U.S. it's typical to pay your bill, then give the tip separately.]My boyfriend does this: when he's given the check at a restaurant and pays for it, he'll just include the tip in with the amount. In the U.S. it's typical to pay your bill, then give the tip separately.

Actually, and you maybe you don't know this because your boyfriend is picking up the tab, he isn't giving a tip separately because the tip, which is referred to as service here, is usually included in the check, which is usually referred to as the bill here.

-Most malls/shopping centers in the U.S. close around 10pm. Stores closing that late in GB isn't very common. I think most stores like in town centers close around 8 or so. Oh, I think most supermarkets close at 4pm on Sundays.

Most high street stores in town centres close around 5 or 5.30 p.m. - 8 p.m. is pretty late and in some cities is reserved only for late-night shopping on Thursdays.

There are trading laws for Sundays - larger stores are only legally allowed to trade for 6 hours on a Sunday... so most of them will open either 10-4, 10.30-4.30 or 11-5.

-In a movie theatre (er, cinema  ), you have a choice of sweet or salty kettle-style popcorn. No buttered popcorn.

Interestingly, even salty popcorn is a relatively new thing in the UK - it used to be sweet only. I had never heard of salty popcorn until I visited the US as a teenager.

-My boyfriend does this: when he's given the check at a restaurant and pays for it, he'll just include the tip in with the amount. In the U.S. it's typical to pay your bill, then give the tip separately.

This isn't a standard thing in the UK though - everyone has their own preferences. If I'm paying by credit card, I like to leave a separate tip in cash on the table, because I've heard that the tips on a credit card don't always make it to the waiter/waitress. If I'm paying in cash, then I'll get out the amount given on the bill and then put in a bit extra for the tip.

Me and my boyfriend took a day trip to Lincoln once and ended the day with late night movie. When we got to the parking garage to go home, we were both shocked to see that it was closed!! I had never in my life heard of a parking garage closing!

Conversely, I've never heard of a parking garage NOT closing - I don't think I've ever seen one in the UK that stays open all the time .

I live in Lincoln though, and the parking is a nightmare... I'm from Bristol and there are loads of places to park in Bristol for free (I only pay for parking in the city centre if I'm feeling lazy and don't want to walk far to the shops), but in Lincoln it seems you have to pay for parking everywhere .

Putting a pound in the trolley isn't pointless, it means that you are more likely to return it to the trolley park rather than leaving it in a random location in the car park!

The only thing that bothers me about putting in a pound for the trolley is when I return it, I forget that you can get it back and I just walk away thus losing the pound. I always returned my carriage in the US so it feels normal to me to just return it and walk away. I have to get into the habit of taking back my pound.

Arg, made a typo. I was thinking of the Westfield Shopping Centers, not town centers. I've seen the Westfield ones close as late as 9pm (the one in Dudley, Merry Hill, is a dream). Although we almost had to leave because it took us easily over half hour to find a parking space, it was packed.

Me and my BF must be living under a rock then. He's English and even he wasn't aware that parking garages closed! Small town boy...

-Don't expect to get very many compliments in Great Britain, Yankees. Here, it may be typical for a stranger to approach you on the street and tell you that you're wearing a fabulous outfit. Compliments in GB aren't widely accepted/given. In the four trips I've had there, I've maybe gotten 2-3 compliments.

I actually think its more strange for you to expect to get compliments from strangers!  (and I'm American).

Re: pounds for shopping trolleys - you can get a fake pound that you keep on your keychain that will also release the shopping cart.  This way, you dont always need to have a pound coin handy.

Re: pounds for shopping trolleys - you can get a fake pound that you keep on your keychain that will also release the shopping cart.  This way, you dont always need to have a pound coin handy.

Good to know! Thanks for that!

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-Don't expect to get very many compliments in Great Britain, Yankees. Here, it may be typical for a stranger to approach you on the street and tell you that you're wearing a fabulous outfit. Compliments in GB aren't widely accepted/given. In the four trips I've had there, I've maybe gotten 2-3 compliments.
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I don't know wh3ere you're from but I have lived in a few different states in the US and nowhere I have ever lived was it 'typical' to receive or expect compliments from random strangers.  I think that is just weird and maybe even scarey! 

Yeah, people in New Jersey don't generally compliment each other randomly. It's more likely that they'll swear at you than anything else. 

Sheesh, guys, I was just giving an example! lol. I live in Ohio and I have gotten compliments from strangers before, either at work or other places. Meh, a compliment is a compliment, no matter who it comes from... A creepy/pervy compliment from a stranger though is way weird and not well received at all, natch.

I wish I would have known how shite Hull is.

Fortunately I had been warned... my bf and several others who have either been to hull or know of hull.

Still though, he's here and the uni's good so I'm not complaining too much.

And I really don't get the no rinsing off of the dishes.  BF doesn't do it, his parents don't either.  I do and he thinks it's a waste of time.  I hate not having a denny's or anything similar.  I don't like that things close up about 6.

I knew about the washing machines but not having a dryer sucks.  And no garbage disposal is just backwards.  He has no idea how good we have it back home but he's willing to find out!

Ok, I'm American, but I have never had a garbage disposal ever in my life. Can someone explain what I'm missing? 

I had a composter and that was pretty great. I plan to have one again!

My British colleagues are lovely and always give compliments!  I think this is a situation-by-situation and not US vs UK thing. 

I didn't have a garbage disposal in the US either!

I had a disposal in one place I lived in the US, but nowhere else. And I never used it, so it stopped working! Composting is infinitely better.

As for compliments, my friends and I regularly compliment each other on clothes, hair, etc. ... but never in my life in any country has a stranger approached me on the street to tell me I'm wearing a fabulous outfit. That's weird. Or maybe my outfits just aren't fabulous enough.