A Rose for no Reason

An ICA salesman hands a flower to a customer leaving with her groceries. October, 2013

ON my way home from the dentist, I stopped at ICA.  ICA, which I used to spell out, 'I-C-A" after international communication association, is based on the Walmart idea. ICA --say it like a word. Like IKEA--ICA.  

When I saw this young man hand a flower to each customer as they left with their groceries, I could not but let out a little sound of joy.  He saw me, I smiled and shrugged.  A rose!! for no reason I thought.

I was treated to a rose too, as I left the store.

‘Why?¨ I asked. 

‘Just because we have such good customers’ said the nice young man --which to me sounded like, ‘Please keep shopping here.’

I loved the rose, thanked him for it, asked him if I could get a picture of him.  But as I walked away, I thought, I can smell the slight change in Sweden and I do not like it.  This commercialization, this pandering for nothing.  The joke was, that you got nothing for free in Sweden.  

Sweden is an expensive country. 

But the reality is that it takes care of its people. The minimum wage is still much higher than most of the world, and health care, except the dental is all inclusive in your citizenship and even when you work here. 

This slight move towards commercialism and the American style shopping ---sort of upsets me.  

But since I know that the young man meant no harm, that the people here are generally good, I smiled graciously and walked away, seriously hoping that Sweden remains the way it is...Simple, sorted out, stunningly beautiful, sacredly loyal to its citizen, and well, Swedish!!