I backed off of leaving 1-star over what happened here on Saturday August 24th, 2019, but it was a very enlightening experience not just in my experience in this store, but on the changes in Stockholm over the past 20 years.
I was cycling on Royal Djurgarden Island earlier (everyone should do this) and rode over to Karlaplan to see if I could find a place for dinner and happened upon Sabis.
Sabis has 2 parts: One a grocery store, (for people in the USA--like a Whole Foods), and a separate sit-down eating area with a few tables that has refrigerated cases of pre-prepared gourmet foods and a microwave oven you can heat it up and eat there. There was no one in the sit-down area that Sat. night--it was empty--it's Saturday Night in a grocery store.
I walked around both and in the grocery store, they had this great looking pre--prepared Salmon, Rice, Vegetables. I asked one of the employees if they have a microwave I can heat it up as I am on the road, hotel not close, no home here. He says they have one in the sitting area section. I take it over to the Sabis seating area section and there is woman behind the register with the microwave. I ask her if I can heat it up in the micro?
She says No! She says in order to use the micro in my section (of the same store!) you have to buy the pre-prepared dinner in my section. I explain that this meal is not available in her section or else I would. She says no again!
So I explain to her that I am not from Stockholm, (you also can tell from my dialect that there is no way I am from Sweden) can't take it home to heat up, hotel is not close, there is no one in your section right now, and there is no microwave in the grocery section. Then she says, Okay, I will will heat it for you, but you cannot stay here afterwards and eat it.
I said to her, there are 8 open tables, no one in her section, it's the same company (Sabis), slow Saturday night at a grocery store, can't I just stay here and eat it? She says NO! You have to buy the dinner in my section in order to eat here.
So I ask her--where else close can I eat it? She says, you can sit outside on a bench.
At this point, because I am a Foreigner on a Visa I am certainly not going cause a scene as I may have in the United States. I went back to the grocery section put the meal back in the refrigerator, and walked out.
The only reason I gave them 2 stars over 1-star was because everyone that I talked to spoke incredible English (better than some folks in the United States) and I appreciated that.
But I have to tell you, the Queen would not be happy if she found out how this business treated a tourist.
The prior day I was on a Stockholm city tour, and the guide was telling us that Stockholm has changed so much over the past 20 years, it's quest to become a big diverse international A rated city. Let me tell you, I would have got a lot better treatment in a grocery store in Los Angeles, a A rated city. I think Stockholm overshot themselves.
This experience at Sabis gave me a negative impression of Stockholm. read more