Self-service shop
When I was in Møn (an island in Denmark), I saw this self-service shop. Such shops are common in both Denmark and Sweden, and perhaps other places too. In northern Sweden where I used to live, there was a self-service shop selling bread, local vegetables, and locally made chocolate. Here in Copenhagen, I saw some plants for sale using this method. Self-service shops are based on trust. There is no sales assistant, and the payment is made via a phone. There is also financial sense, as the cost of stolen goods is lower than the cost of hiring a person. The shops I took a picture of sells sweets. I was thinking about sustainability when I visited the shop, as this is what I write about. I have mixed feeling. On the one hand, it's a small, local, independent business, which I think is good for a post-growth society. On the other hand, perhaps sweets are not necessarily human needs. At the same time, people buy sweets anyway and I don't think they will stop doing it any time soon. In Sweden, there is a tradition called Lördagsgodis. It's when children get sweets on Saturdays (Lördag is Saturday in Swedish, and godis means sweets/candy). I like this tradition as it could (and perhaps does?) help with overconsumption of sugar. I don't like sweets, but at different times in my life I would get something sweet for myself (such as fikabröd) on weekends. It was not a reward for anything, but just a small ritual that I had.
