Smokers and alcohol consumers from the United States have a great time visiting Europe. I have learned that it is possible for them to smoke almost everywhere in Spain and to drink beer everywhere in Germany, including the subway.
I noticed that in Italy, people cannot smoke indoors but they can do it everywhere else, even in a subway station. The difference between Italy and Spain may be that in Spain, there are a lot of street-ashtrays and people are used to depositing cigarette butts there. On the contrary, people in Italy just trow them away, it makes some streets, subway and train stations look dirty. In United States, it is not possible even to smoke indoors or in subway stations. Smokers are very restricted and they are just allowed to smoke in open spaces, which means only the street.
So far, I have visited four different countries, Spain, Italy, Germany and Switzerland; where I have observed that cigarettes are so popular that there are cigarette vending machines at almost every corner, restaurant or bar.
In general, alcohol beverages such as wine and beer are very popular and cheap around Europe.
Great observation! It's funny how different countries have different smoking and drinking habits. I think culture has a huge effect on consumer behavior with regards to these things. I've only been to Italy and I agree with you completely. I even saw some random guy peeing on the street! It's important for marketers in these industries to understand how they're product is being consumed and the restriction end-users face when consuming them. Nice choice of pictures, by the way.
ReplyDeleteThat is so funny. I was thinking the same thing! I was amazed by how open it was to walk around with beer and wine on the streets. There are two cigarette machines that are so close to our hostel, and all you need are coins. No IDs or anything. I wonder if it will ever be like this in the States, or if it will forever be a European thing. Great observation!
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