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Honestly this is absurd. These death machines shouldn’t be legal in europe. That thing doesn’t even fit in the parking space, even though the parking lot has the biggest spaces in the whole city. The Golf Polo is so small in comparison, it could even hide in front of the engine hood of the truck.
EDIT: It’s a Polo and not a Golf, I don’t know my cars, sorry for that!
How do Europeans get stuff for their house around? Like do appliances just get delivered as part of buying them? Or are there other companies that specialize in that sort of thing? Genuinely curious.
This question baffles me because it seems like a total non-issue to me as a European. How do Americans get stuff for their house around? Do you not have delivery or truck/van/trailer rental services, and are all your appliances (and not just fridges/freezers which are apparently hilariously big in the US) so American-sized that you can’t fit them in an average family hatchback/crossover/SUV? Or do you regularly move all of your stuff from one house to another?
The answer is a resounding yes; in most of the US it’s absolutely normal to have large appliances delivered, installed and your old appliance hauled away as part of a single purchase. Where this isn’t as true is in rural areas that, especially in the west, are often far more remote than anything in Europe apart from, perhaps, Northern Scandinavia and parts of Russia.
I’ve lived in northern sweden and unlike americans we don’t haul appliances around daily. When I would buy one I hooked up my trailer, brought my old broken one to the recycling center and picked up my new from the store going home. Or pay for delivery and disposal if that was an option.
It would take the entire day due to the distance but that’s not really the fault of the trailer or the car.
WTF are you on about? Where did I say that Americans haul appliances around daily?
That’s ludicrous.
Maybe we have a communication failure, I don’t know.
That said, I have family in Sweden and by all accounts it seems like a better place to live than the US, though I live in the Pacific Northwest and would be very hard-pressed to give up the proximity to wild untouched nature that we have here.
Even here in Portland I’m still less than a few boat trips and a bush plane ride away from the deep roadless bush in British Columbia or Alaska.
as someone that’s never owned a truck and moved a lot I will say one of the biggest issues with moving here is truck/car rentals. you have to be 26 to rent one and if like me you have no contact with family and you’re moving across country it becomes a real issue. thankfully I’ve had decent people in my life willing to help me but if that isn’t the case you really are just kinda screwed on a rental here in the United States.
most appliances like that stay with the house when you move. When they get replaced they get delivered and install generally by a box truck or roughly a lori sized vehicle.
here in the states, most home purchase do not include appliances (refrigerators, stoves, etc) unless it is built in. now if you rent an apartment, the apartment complex is responsible for stoves and refrigerators. washer and driers are not normally included in that if the apartment has hookups.
This isn’t the norm in Seattle, but I’m not familiar with anywhere else
Yet every time I have moved my family left to old refrigerator behind. They might replace to old at the new house, but we never took old one with us.
Yes and yes.
My last SUV was quite large and I had a hard time fitting a portable dishwasher in it. Unfortunately the American largeness is in Canada as well.
Also we moved quite a lot sometimes because we can’t afford nice places and end up in places where the landlord painted over mold and shit so we nope the fuck out as soon as our lease is up.
No. One person has a SUV. But I have a house. When I first got my house I did a lot of home repairs. Then a truck was being used every other weekend. A car would not suffice.
Dude, as an American I had all of my appliances delivered. The Home Depot guys showed up with a box truck. It’s free delivery too so why would you even need a truck…. In fact, you can get a lot of stuff delivered for free or very cheaply from Home Depot.
The truck in this picture is so shiny it’s clearly a vanity vehicle. I’m guessing it’s owned by a member of the US armed forces judging by the star on the side? American military personnel are known to bring their vehicles with them from the mainland, to Japan or Europe.
Just a small anecdote from a truck owner. I showed up to Lowe’s to order a fridge to be delivered. It was $1,800 and I ended up buying the exact same thing on clearance for $400 only stipulation was I had to take it then and there no holds and delivery wasn’t even an option. Ya I could have rented a truck from them but it was 9pm and 45 minutes from my house. Without my truck I may not have been able to get it.
Also, I use my truck as a truck at least once a week mostly because I get free garbage at my work so I just throw everything away there and just toss our trash bags in the bed of my truck. It’s also great for small projects around the house. Like when I put up our pool. Needed to get dirt out of the back yard and was able to get my truck back there to load everything and then bringing it the sand for under and rocks for around I can get my pick up back there but a company delivering with a dump truck or something similar.
Right, but that’s still not necessarily grounds for using it as an everyday driver the way a lot of North Americans do.
And I say “North Americans” advisedly, since big oversized pick-ups are very popular in both Canada and Mexico as well.
No doubt just saying that some people who drive them as normal people everyday do have a use for it.
Dude. People can’t ask a question without your rude response?
Some people are too busy to fit around a delivery schedule and sit around all day for someone to show up.
You don’t get to pick the hour it’s scheduled for delivery? Or atleast am/pm/evening?
You can
Sadly, you only can if the service is good, which is not always the case. But lately, I started to value convenience over price, so I would choose one where I can be certain of a specific delivery time, too.
Not with my washer and dryer. I was waiting around all day.
But not too busy to drive around themselves? Yeah, makes sense.
What does that even mean?
You rent a truck or pay for delivery just like 80% of North Americans do.
Also how often do you need to haul furniture, the rental cost will never come close to the price difference between a car and a truck.
Or you use a trailer. Everyone knows someone with a trailer, or, at least where I live, you can rent one for a few hours for free.
here in the states your options are:
A) own a trailer (if you have a place to keep it)
B) borrow a trailer if you know someone with one that is willing to loan it
C) rent a trailer, there is no “free” option on that in the states, there would be no money made if they did that
The free rental services are usually from big department stores like Ikea or storage warehouses, and it’s not always free, but like 5-20$.
Anyway, if you have a truck you most likely also have somewhere to park a trailer. So having a normal car and using the trailer a few times per year would still greatly outweigh the costs and emissions, as I see it.
Our cars are also at least 2-3x more expensive here, depending on its emissions, so that matters I guess.
I have a truck for hauling things for my work, however the community I live in for ids parking trailers on the property, I’m in an apartment complex, and storing off site is expensive. If you don’t have family nearby then you’re pretty much stuck with storing trailers at a storage facility.
B-b-b-but what if some distant family member needs moving, sure I can be of help!
I hate that you’re being downvoted for asking a genuine question about cultural differences. Do better, Lemmy.
I’m not from there. I’m curious how it works. There are many places in the US that are remote. Hauling stuff around is far more common.
Why haul it yourself when you could let professionals do it for you? Faster, better, cheaper, more convenient
Most places in the US will deliver it, however it could take up to a week or two for delivery depending on where you live and what store you are shopping at. This biggest problem, living in the US, is everyone wants instant gratification, they don’t want to wait for their purchase if they don’t have to, and in some case you can’t wait that long.
Depends. Time and money. Some services are crap.
Yes companies deliver. This makes me wonder about something I’ve never thought of: do American shops not do this?
No, they do and typically large appliances even have free delivery. I’m confused by the OC’s confusion. The majority of Americans don’t own those massive trucks, either. Not sure how they think we get by lol.
you definately haven’t been to the southern states. TBH trucks account for about 35%-40% of vehicles on the road in the midwest, northwest and southern states. And to top it off, 90% of those have never hauled a load bigger than groceries that you can fit in a small SUV.
Uh, I live in Texas? Lol. Nothing you said is contrary to my comment so I’m not sure what you’re disagreeing with. Yeah, there’s a ton of trucks that people clearly don’t use. They bug the shit out and are everywhere but that doesn’t mean the majority of Americans own them? Even in states where there are a crap ton of them, the majority don’t own one and we still manage to get by but by the grace of god. You can get your appliances delivered unless you live in the absolute sticks.
Wasn’t disagreeing with anything
I’m not confused. Just asking a question of what their life is like. In the US there are many people in remote areas. Like the entire middle of the country. It takes an hour to even find a grocery store.
The furthest I have ever had to travel to get to a grocery store is about 30 minutes from home, and that is here in Texas. When I lived in the midwest, where I grew up, the furthest that I ever had to drive was 15 minutes. if you dive more than an hour to find a grocery store, then you pretty much live in the sticks and are lucky to have running water.
Placerville CA. There are many sticks. Same the El Dorado Hills. Where Eddie Murphy and Jack Nicklaus own houses. And the next town over is Folsom. Known for the prison, however it is where the biggest Intel Site was 10 years ago. Out in those areas where the big houses are, you are driving at least 45 just to get near a fully stocked store. Sure there are convenience stores but they don’t have fresh produce or meat.
i stand corrected, never been west of the rockies
Some do, some don’t. Some are a pain to schedule. Some don’t deliver everything you need. It’s not a solid system.
UK here. Yes you order an appliance and it gets delivered, and in some cases installed, by the retailer. If you have a plumber or kitchen fitter maybe they will collect it for you in their van. I’m sure you could save a bit of money on shipping if you collected it yourself, but not many people have the means to do so. And this way, if it’s damaged in transit, the retailer are liable.
Where I live in the States, all large retailers include free delivery and removal of your old appliance as part of the purchase of a new dishwasher, fridge, etc.
Even my new water heater was delivered and old one hauled off for free
Of course doing all that myself probably would’ve been cheaper, but I’m not a plumber, and doesn’t occur enough for a huge daily driver vehicle to make sense. Obviously they make sense as work vehicles for contractors etc but most people with a big truck don’t actually use it for those needs 99.9% of the time
In the U.S., giant trucks, which I refer to as shit wagons, outsell cars. Apparently car makers can charge huge amounts of interest to redneckistan cretins who want a $60,000 shit wagon.
Aside from the free delivery of appliances others mentioned, I believe it is an EU law that a store that delivers whitegoods must also take the old one and properly dispose of it.
I ordered a new fridge lately. The delivery was free (I paid the extra €25 to have them install it and plug it in) and I had to clean the old fridge out before they arrived, but they took the old one down the same 3 flights of stairs they carried the new one up.
what is a whitegood?
Appliances that are typically white and large. Things like fridges and washing machines.
Electrodomestics.
Lithuanian here. My brother in law brought a refrigerator and a standard size washing machine in his ~2006 Mazda 3.
Seats can be folded or sometimes removed altogether, you can drive with your trunk not fully closed, just make sure everything is secured well and anything protruding from your car is marked with reflectors or bright coloured strips of cloth.
Oh that’s innovative! In the US the police would see this and pull you over.
Lmao no they wouldn’t. This kind of thing definitely happens in the US.
Hire a trailer? That’s what I do here in Australia with my small car. It can tow a trailer with appliances and furniture just fine.
You can also hire small removalist trucks that you can drive with a standard license if you have a lot of stuff.
It’s an additional fee for them to haul your old stuff. My garbage company allows two “big hauls” for free twice a year. Depends on what it is if I choose to use them.
Basically, yes. Appliances are delivered and installed, usually free of charge (read: the price of delivery and installation is just calculated into the price of the appliance). Same for furniture.
Most home improvement stores either offer a (paid) delivery service or you can rent a small van/truck to get your larger purchases home.
Trailer hitches are quite common too, allowing you to tow a simple trailer (which you can either buy or rent):
All of that is true in the US too. Most Americans have no real need for a big truck they just get them because they like driving a big vehicle… makes them feel safe or whatever, and literally looking down on everyone when they drive
Uh… Ever heard of trailers?
You know. I was asking a perfectly normal question. No disrespect. And you decided to make it disrespectful. Of course trailers are an option, but most passenger cars don’t have hitches. At least in the US.
Sorry, unnecessary way to phrase myself.
It’s pretty common in Sweden with hitches (like, more than 50% if I would make a guess), so even if you don’t have a car or a hitch on your car, you most likely know someone with one.
That’s really different than the US. Cool though.
let alone a way to add one. Plus most of our passenger cars will blow their engines trying to haul a trailer that is loaded with more than one appliance.
…how much house work do you ACTUALLY do? You can’t pay an extra $50 for delivery for that new washing machine you buy once a decade? I owned a house for fifteen years before downsizing and moving into condo life, and never once thought to myself gosh I wish I had a 6 ton gigantic truck to get stuff for my house around.
Oh yea. I have a house too. But it was more of a deal when I first got my house 5 years ago. Now it’s not as common. But there are times when it would be far easier to have my old truck.
In Sweden many lumberyards, furniturestores and shops for appliances got trailers you can borrow for free. For people living more remote it’s amazing what you can pack into a Volvo. That and you likely have a neighbour with a trailer.
Yes amazing what one can fit in a Volvo! Groceries, 65" TV and 2 children in car seats and 2 adults! Love our Volvo.
drop the backseat and you can fit a number of Billys without breaking a sweat
I wish it was free. It’s a few hundred on top of the price depending on what you buy.
Not around here as far as I can tell:
https://freetrailer.com/se/
Of course if you’re late returning or it gets damaged it can get more expensive.
Actually, we do have trucks and SUVs and pickups, too. Though they are usually a bit smaller than an F150 or RAM 3500, so we often use trailers if we need to transport larger items.
Folks living in the center of big cities (which I personally believe are a bit overrepresented in this sub) often live in flats where stuff like dishwashers and washing machines are already provided, so they don’t need to transport that, or even don’t need/have a car at all. For those, there are delivery services and light trucks that can be rented.
lived in the UK for a while… the appliances I saw were small. smaller washers/dryers (often combos), smaller fridges, etc. everything is bigger in the US, including the amount of dead space we refrigerate for no reason. and our electricity bills.
I am not even european but all of my big appliances (refrigerator, stove, washing machine) were delivered to my home by the store I bought them from, either free of charge or super cheap, I can’t remember. I’ve also bought bricks amd had them delivered to my doorstep.
Wagons can hold a huge amount of stuff. For everything else there’s trailers available at most manned fuel stations and also loaner trailers available for chains selling large items.
If we do want a transport vehicle it will almost certainly be a van. Trucks are very rare where I am in Sweden.
Interesting! Vans are almost non existent here. Except for Amazon. They own a lot.
So I heard, it was always fascinating to me, the cultural difference on it. To me (heavy bias) vans just seem better. Excellent weather protection, much better theft prevention. Maybe a tad more limited when it comes to large awkwardly shaped things, but you can still keep a door open and strap down your load.
I also suppose visibility suffers in a panel van.
I think there is a big part that is visibility. I’m not defending it. I am just guessing why they would prefer it to a van. Plus “windowless van” in America has a pedophile connection. Or a serial killer.
My father in law has worked in construction all his life, and had a small company with his brothers. They had vans and light trucks. It is kinda common for other people to just rent it in some cases. And normally furniture, moving, appliances, etc, it is delivered to you by professionals, unless you want to save some money. At IKEA’s door often there are people with vans offering to you to carry the goods, and sometimes even assemble it (at a cost, I mean).
Most household appliances I have ever bought fit in a Polo or similar sized cars, if you wrap the back seat bench.
For > 1.8 m and < 50 kg stuff I use a rack.
To be fair – the older generations of Polo were on the smaller side of compact cars. I’ve used VW Polo Variant, Mitsubishi Wagon R, Mercedes A, Hyundai I 10 and modern Polo myself.
If my car is too small, I ask family/friends/neighbors or rent a van.
Most shops that sell big appliances offer a delivery service as well.
Yea. Appliances were part of my question. Lumber is a bigger issue. Or house goods. Construction needs a bed or a van. Which some do use.
People also use a trailers. You can tow stuff with most types of cars no problem once you fit a tow bar.
I think they are called hatchbacks in english(Kombi meine ich). You can fit most appliances into there when you fold the seats. That’s how my parents always transported large things. For even larger things we just got a trailer.
Since I don’t have a car I usually just get things delivered. And the guys who deliver it just drive vans.
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We get large appliances delivered. Stuff like washing machines or smaller refrigerators easily fit in medium or large hatchbacks. I’ve comfortably transported a washing machine, crapload of fruits and veggies from the countryside, and my 20 kg dog in my Renault Laguna hatchback once.
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I was building a batting cage for my kid last week and needed 10 foot PVC pipe. I was amazed they fit in my Integra. I haven’t tried big appliances. But it can be done with some planning.
Yeah, part of the business.
They often charge based on delivery distance or area, but we’re not a massive country. Odds are you’re within 10 miles of the shop.
New appliances are usually delivered, yes. Big stores have their own delivery service, others use the national postal service or one of the many private ones.
For moving old furniture, there are specialized companies (mostly small sole proprietorships) that come to your house with a van, load your stuff, and drive it to a new location. Or you can rent a van or a truck (I mean an actual cargo vehicle, not what you see in the picture).
Polo is not the only car in Europe. Europeans use cars that i believe Americans would call station wagon. Those cars used to be used widely in US as well AFAIK until car producers figured out they can sell you more expensive cars by making it bigger.
I own “station wagon” car, it’s dwarf compared to these monster trucks but i can make 6.6 ft long double bed in the back where two people can sleep comfortably. I transported single bed sized furniture with that car and it uses approx 1 gallon of gasoline per 62 miles.
Don’t let me start on trailers. Every European car even smallest ones can tow reasonable sized trailer with “dirty” or too bug cargo to fit inside a car. All you need is hook installed once in car life time.
Also if you buy new anything in Europe, most shops will make sure you get it delivered at your doorstep and won’t trow it at your front yard when you are not there. It has to be given “from hand to hand” often even requires verification of receiver.
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American here. All of my appliances have been delivered. Sometimes I even pay to have them installed.
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how often do you move your appliances around?
but yeah most often they deliver it
Not often. But I do buy some here and there. Fences. I have a dog and a little boy. We build stuff.
I have a dog and build stuff and we have a little Toyota Yaris lol
I once fit all the building materials for a super king bed in my little Yaris which still impresses people over here. Absolute worse case scenario, I could get a man with a van to haul something I defo couldn’t haul for like £20, but I’ve never had to. Places like b&q or wicked (uk equivalent to like home depot or lowe’s) will deliver next day for cheap too, so it’s a non issue.
Here it takes more coordination. Especially for lumber stuff. Now and days I fit most in my Integra. But there are time I wish I had more capacity.
At the moment maybe it does, but that’s something that could change. I grew up in the US and I genuinely don’t remember trucks being so huge when I was a kid in the 80s and 90s. My dad had a work truck and the trucks now would eat that thing for breakfast.
Those old Toyota small sized trucks were perfect for short jots. But they are no longer sold.
Wasn’t a Toyota, was a gmc if I remember right. Defo US brand. Brown with a blue stripe :)
Ah yes, activities famously absent in the rest of the world where people drive normal sized vehicles.
“I like having a huge monster of a vehicle and this outweighs the negative impact of my choices for me” is a perfectly fine thing to say instead of scrambling to come up with weird reasons one might want to own a giant car.
I never said I liked it. I don’t even own one. But there are needs for a truck. If you work in construction or even have a new house. Or your hobbies include going outdoors to camp or fish.
The only options where a truck is needed is this giant behemoth or you buy used. And the used ones are almost as big.
I agree that this is bad for the environment. I was curious to the mechanics of Europe because through the conversation it seems they have a different slant. Which with all these answers, they do.