Upside-down products in German stores – strange shopping movement spreads across Europe

Behind the strange shelf arrangement is a new consumer movement called “Buy from EU!”. The initiative aims to draw attention to European-made products and thus encourage shoppers to choose domestic or EU alternatives instead of American products.

Upside-down protest

A recent Reddit post also published two photos showing Heinz baked bean cans and Philadelphia cream cheese boxes upside down on the store shelves. The caption reads: “People in my city got the message.” The author of the post mentions that Twix chocolates were also placed in this way, but Pringles were still in the “official” position.

The movement draws attention to the fact that the given product is not of European origin in a specific way. The inverted placement is both a signal and a solidarity gesture: a silent, visual warning to buyers.

From Europe to Europe

“Buy from EU” is gaining more and more followers, especially on Reddit, where the movement group already has more than 180,000 members. The community aims to promote goods and services made in Europe, favoring them over global (typically American) brands.

The initiative is also closely linked to the online database Go European, which was launched through crowdfunding and offers concrete alternatives to American products.

According to the initiator, Laura Catz, a marketing manager from Romania, this is not a political statement or a call for a boycott. “We are not boycotting – we want to draw people’s attention to European companies,” he emphasizes.