Shopping & Everyday Life in the Netherlands

Once you start living in the Netherlands, it is usually the small everyday things that take the most time to figure out. Where should you buy groceries? Which supermarket is cheaper? Where can you find household products? Can you pay with cash? What happens to empty bottles and cans? Where do you buy medicine when you have a headache? And why do Dutch people seem to send payment requests for absolutely everything?

None of these things are particularly difficult, but everyday life can feel surprisingly unfamiliar during your first weeks in a new country. After a while, you develop your own routine and stop thinking about most of it. This guide covers some of the practical things that can make that transition easier.

Supermarkets in the Netherlands

You will find supermarkets almost everywhere in the Netherlands, although the choice depends on where you live. Large cities usually have several different chains within a relatively small area, while smaller towns may have fewer options.

Some of the best-known supermarket chains include Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Lidl, Aldi, PLUS and Dirk. Prices and product ranges differ, so it is worth trying several stores before deciding where to do most of your shopping. Discount supermarkets can be useful if keeping grocery costs down is important, while larger supermarkets may offer a wider selection of products and prepared food.

You do not necessarily need to buy everything from one supermarket. Many people shop at different stores depending on prices, weekly promotions and what they need.

Discounts and Weekly Offers

Special offers are a big part of supermarket shopping in the Netherlands. One expression you will quickly recognise is 1+1 gratis, meaning buy one and get one free. Supermarkets regularly offer discounts on food, drinks, household products and personal-care items.

Most major supermarkets have their own apps or loyalty programmes where you can see current offers. If you regularly shop at the same supermarket, using its app or loyalty card can be worthwhile.

However, a discount is only useful if you actually need the product. Buying three months' worth of something simply because there is a promotion is still spending money.

Markets and Local Shops

Supermarkets are convenient, but they are not your only option. Many Dutch towns and cities have weekly outdoor markets where you can buy fruit, vegetables, cheese, bread, fish, flowers and other products.

Larger cities also have plenty of international supermarkets and specialist shops. Depending on where you live, you may find Turkish, Polish, Asian, Surinamese, Eastern European, Middle Eastern and other international grocery stores.

These can be particularly useful when you're looking for ingredients or products that are difficult to find in a regular Dutch supermarket. They can also sometimes be cheaper for particular types of food.

Exploring the shops around your neighbourhood is one of the easiest ways to discover what is available locally rather than relying entirely on the biggest supermarket chains.

Drugstores and Personal-Care Products

In the Netherlands, shops such as Kruidvat and Etos are common places to buy toiletries, cosmetics, vitamins, baby products, cleaning items and certain non-prescription medicines.

This is useful to know because a Dutch drogist is not exactly the same thing as a pharmacy. If you simply need shampoo, toothpaste or certain basic medicines, you will often go to a drugstore rather than an apotheek.

A pharmacy, or apotheek, is more closely connected with prescription medicines and pharmaceutical care. If your GP prescribes medication, this is normally where you will collect it.

Household Shopping

When you first move into a Dutch home, you will probably discover that you need far more household items than you expected. Kitchen equipment, towels, bedding, cleaning products, storage boxes, lamps and other small purchases can quickly add up.

There are plenty of places to buy these products, from department and household stores to furniture shops and online retailers. Comparing prices can be worthwhile, particularly when you are furnishing an entire apartment.

If you have just arrived and are trying to keep costs under control, you also do not need to buy everything new.

Second-Hand Shopping

Buying and selling second-hand items is very common in the Netherlands. It can be particularly useful when furnishing your first home, buying a bicycle or finding furniture and household equipment without spending too much.

You will also see kringloopwinkels, which are Dutch second-hand or thrift stores. These shops can sell furniture, clothing, books, kitchen equipment, decorations and many other household items.

Second-hand shopping can save a significant amount of money when you first move. It also makes sense if you know you will only be living in the Netherlands temporarily and do not want to invest heavily in new furniture.

Just be practical when buying used products. Check their condition carefully, particularly electronics, bicycles and expensive items.

Online Shopping

Online shopping is extremely common in the Netherlands. Home delivery is widely available, and parcel collection points are convenient if you are not usually at home during the day.

One Dutch term you may see frequently is afhaalpunt, meaning a collection point. Depending on the delivery company, you may be able to have a parcel sent directly to a nearby shop, locker or other collection location.

When ordering online, check delivery costs and return conditions. Dutch and EU consumer-protection rules provide important rights for online purchases, but exceptions can apply depending on the product.

For expensive purchases, it is also worth checking whether the website and company are legitimate before entering payment information.

Paying in the Netherlands

The Netherlands is a highly digital country when it comes to payments. Debit cards and contactless payments are widely used, and many people carry very little cash.

You may also encounter businesses that prefer or accept only card payments. For everyday life, having access to a suitable debit card or mobile-payment method is therefore very useful.

Online payments are also common. If you have a Dutch bank account, you will quickly become familiar with iDEAL, which is widely used for online purchases and payments in the Netherlands.

Cash is still used, but it is no longer the main payment method for many people.

Tikkie and Payment Requests

Sooner or later, someone will probably send you a Tikkie or another bank payment request.

Payment requests are extremely common in Dutch everyday life. If one person pays for dinner, tickets, drinks or a group activity, they may simply send everyone a payment link afterwards.

Splitting costs is normal and generally not considered rude. If someone sends you a request for a relatively small amount, don't take it personally — it is simply part of how many people handle shared expenses.

Once you've lived in the Netherlands for a while, you may find yourself doing exactly the same thing.

Shop Opening Hours

Opening hours vary depending on the town, city and type of shop. Supermarkets often stay open into the evening, particularly in larger cities, while smaller shops may close earlier.

Sunday shopping is common in many places, but the situation can differ between municipalities and individual stores. Public holidays can also affect opening hours.

If you need something urgently, check the opening hours online before travelling rather than assuming that every store follows the same schedule.

You may also hear the term koopavond, which refers to an evening when shops traditionally stay open later. The exact day varies by location.

Bringing Your Own Shopping Bag

Reusable shopping bags are worth keeping with you. Shops generally charge for plastic bags rather than automatically giving them away for free.

After forgetting your bag several times and buying yet another reusable one at the checkout, you will probably eventually start keeping one in your backpack, handbag, bicycle or car.

It is a small thing, but it quickly becomes part of everyday Dutch shopping.

Bottle and Can Deposits

When buying certain bottles and cans in the Netherlands, you pay statiegeld, or a deposit. You can get this money back when you return the eligible empty containers.

Supermarkets commonly have machines where you insert the bottles and cans. The machine then gives you a receipt or voucher that can normally be used at the checkout or redeemed according to the store's procedure.

So don't automatically throw every empty bottle or can into your normal recycling. Look for the deposit symbol first.

The system can seem slightly inconvenient at the beginning, but after a while keeping a bag of empty bottles and cans ready for your next supermarket trip becomes completely normal.

Recycling and Household Waste

Waste collection can differ significantly between municipalities. Depending on where you live, you may have separate containers for paper, glass, organic waste, residual waste and other materials, or you may use communal underground containers.

Some municipalities use passes or cards to access certain waste containers. Collection schedules and recycling rules can also vary locally.

When you move into a new home, check your municipality's website to see how waste works at your address. Don't rely entirely on what someone living in another Dutch city tells you because their system may be different.

For larger items such as furniture, mattresses or broken appliances, there are separate disposal arrangements. Your municipality will usually explain how to arrange collection or where to take bulky waste.

Drinking Water

Tap water in the Netherlands is safe to drink and is widely consumed. Buying bottled water for everyday use is generally unnecessary unless you simply prefer it.

This is one of those small things that can save money if you come from a country where buying bottled drinking water is part of normal daily life.

A reusable bottle is useful when travelling, working or studying, and you will often see people carrying one.

Eating Lunch the Dutch Way

Food habits are part of everyday culture too. Dutch lunches are often relatively simple compared with what people from some other countries are used to.

Sandwiches are extremely common, and many workplaces have employees bringing their own lunch from home. Bread with cheese, cold meats or other toppings is a very normal weekday lunch.

Of course, nobody is going to stop you from bringing a completely different lunch. International workplaces in particular tend to have a mixture of food cultures.

But if you see your colleague eating several slices of bread with cheese every day at noon, you have discovered a fairly ordinary part of Dutch working life.

Cycling for Everyday Tasks

A bicycle isn't only for exercise in the Netherlands. For many people it is simply the easiest way to get groceries, visit friends, go to work or reach the train station.

You will quickly notice bicycles carrying shopping bags, children, flowers, furniture and occasionally objects that make you wonder how they are still balanced.

If you buy a bicycle, invest in a good lock. Bicycle theft is something to take seriously, particularly around busy stations and city centres.

Also learn the basic cycling rules before joining Dutch traffic. Dutch cycling infrastructure is excellent, but that also means cyclists move quickly and expect other road users to understand how the system works.

Weather and Everyday Life

Dutch weather can be unpredictable, and rain is a normal part of life. A morning that looks perfectly dry can become very different by the time you cycle home.

A decent waterproof jacket is therefore a surprisingly useful purchase. If you cycle regularly, you may eventually become much less interested in whether it is raining and much more interested in whether the wind is working with you or against you.

Weather apps become part of everyday planning, particularly if your main form of transport has two wheels.

Public Toilets

One small difference that surprises some newcomers is that public toilets are not always free or as widely available as they may be in other countries. In some shopping centres, stations and other public locations, you may need to pay a small amount to use the toilet.

Card payment is increasingly common, so not having coins does not necessarily mean you cannot use one.

It is not exactly the most exciting part of moving to the Netherlands, but it is useful information when you're spending an entire day exploring a city.

Everyday Dutch Words Worth Knowing

Even if you don't speak Dutch yet, learning a few shopping-related words can make everyday life easier. Aanbieding means offer or promotion, korting means discount, op = op means that once something is sold out it is gone, kassa means checkout, bon means receipt and pinnen refers to paying by card.

You will also quickly recognise open, gesloten, ingang and uitgang — open, closed, entrance and exit.

You don't need perfect Dutch to go shopping, and staff in many places can communicate in English. Still, learning the words you see every day is one of the easiest ways to start building your Dutch vocabulary naturally.

Sundays and Public Holidays

The Netherlands is generally convenient for everyday shopping, particularly in larger cities, but opening hours can change on Sundays and public holidays.

Christmas Day, King's Day, New Year's Day and other holidays can affect shops, supermarkets, public transport and services. Some places remain open with reduced hours while others close completely.

If you know a public holiday is approaching, check opening times in advance. This is particularly useful if you have just moved and do not yet know which holidays have the biggest effect on everyday life.

Everyday Life Becomes Routine

During your first weeks in the Netherlands, even buying groceries can feel like a small project. You are comparing unfamiliar brands, trying to understand labels, figuring out which shops sell what and discovering that the product you always bought at home apparently doesn't exist here.

A few months later, most of these things become automatic. You'll know which supermarket you prefer, where to buy household products, which market is worth visiting and which shop has the coffee you actually like.

That is part of settling into a new country. Everyday life gradually stops feeling foreign and simply becomes your normal routine.

You don't need to understand everything immediately. Explore your neighbourhood, try different shops, learn a few Dutch words and ask people around you when you're unsure. Eventually, you'll probably develop very strong opinions about supermarkets, cycling routes and where to find the best weekly offers — which is a pretty good sign that the Netherlands is starting to feel like home.