Going to grocery store is real burden to me. In addition to loss of time, whenever I enter these brightly colored, badly layed out and fluorescent lighted halls, I get an apathetic feeling, really don't want to buy anything and leave as soon as possible.

I like eating real food; food that grows somewhere, goes bad rather soon enough and doesn't come in a colored box. So I have to walk all the way to end of the store and back to actually get something I want. Even the store is full on stuff, it's still missing things I would like to buy on a regular basis, like grass fed beef.

In the States, I visited Whole Foods and really liked it. Even though is really upscale and organic whatever to a point that it's maybe too much, but for me it was the first time that I really wanted to buy things in a grocery store.

It's because it Whole Foods has some soul or opinion. They present me maybe only good options and sell them in a pleasant way. So as a customer I'm happier.

I don't have a clear explanation what's wrong in Finland but it's probably a combination of culture and other things.

For one, I don't think Finns have ever valued food that much. Second, there isn't that much good taste or drive for greatness in any Finn endeavour. When you can succeed with good enough, why to bother making something great. Of course is also about population density. Grocery business is a lot about logistics and efficiency, so it's hard for more nichier store to succeed.