Norway is famously pricey, but the bigger culture shock for most visitors isn't the bill — it's how shopping actually works. A new guide from Life in Norway pulls together the practicalities, and several of them matter if you're heading there on holiday.

Start with payments. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, contactless and mobile wallets included, and you can happily go a whole week without touching a banknote. Interestingly, Norway isn't legally cashless: shoppers have the right to pay cash in most staffed shops for purchases up to NOK 20,000. What you probably can't get is Vipps, the ubiquitous Norwegian mobile payment app used for everything from splitting dinner bills to buying waffles at school fêtes. It requires Norwegian ID and a Norwegian bank account, so tourists are out of luck — although since February 2025, Swedes can pay with their own Vipps app and Danes and Finns with MobilePay. For everyone else, a normal contactless card is the answer. The one gap: small unmanned stalls and local events where Vipps may be the only option.

Prices on the shelf include tax. Norway's standard VAT is a hefty 25% (15% on food), but displayed prices are final — no checkout surprises like in the US.

Then there's Sunday. Most ordinary shops, big supermarkets and shopping centres shut down entirely. Exceptions include small grocers under 100 square metres, petrol stations, chains like Narvesen and 7-Eleven, and shops in officially designated tourist resorts — which is why some ski towns look open while everywhere else is dark. Plan around it: don't leave essential shopping for Sunday. Reading hours helps too; they're posted on the 24-hour clock, usually with weekday hours first and Saturday in brackets, and "stengt" means closed.

If you're self-catering, discount chains Rema 1000, Kiwi and Extra are the budget picks, while Meny offers wider ranges at higher prices. Expect smaller supermarkets than you're used to — Norway spreads neighbourhood-scale stores through residential areas rather than building mega-markets. International grocery stores in most towns are a good bet for cheaper fresh herbs, spices, rice and pulses. Household runs have their own chain map: Clas Ohlson, Jula and Biltema for tools and practical bits, Europris and Normal for cheap household basics, Elkjøp and Power for electronics, IKEA plus Bohus, Skeidar and JYSK for furniture.

Ordering online? Packages usually go to a pickup point in a supermarket or a parcel locker rather than your door, and there's no Norwegian Amazon. If you order from abroad, look for retailers registered with the VOEC scheme, which charges Norwegian VAT at checkout on items under NOK 3,000 so your parcel clears customs without extra fees.

Why care? Because a bit of insider knowledge — the Sunday closure rule, the card-first payment culture, which supermarket chains are cheap — makes a Norway trip noticeably smoother and cheaper, whether you're stocking an Airbnb cabin or hunting for souvenirs beyond the usual tourist tat.

Via Life in Norway.