Shopping in a Czech supermarket may involve a few unfamiliar steps. Depending on the store, you may need to weigh loose produce before checkout, use a loyalty card to receive a discount, or scan your receipt to leave the self-checkout area. This guide explains the main Czech supermarket rules and what to expect during your first visit.
Baskets and Carts in Czech Supermarkets
Shopping baskets are usually available near the entrance and do not require a deposit. Large carts are often locked together outside the store or in the parking area. Insert the coin shown on the handle—usually 5 or 10 CZK—or use a plastic token. You will get it back when you return the cart.
Bring a Bag or Buy One at Checkout
Do not place unpaid products in your personal bag, backpack, or suitcase. Store security may consider this suspicious. If you cannot find a basket, carry the products openly in a free produce bag or an empty cardboard box. Put them in your personal bag only after they have been scanned.
In Czech Supermarkets shopping bags are not free. Bring your own reusable bag if possible. If you need to buy one, bags usually cost about 6–30 CZK, depending on their size and material. They are normally placed near the checkout, often underneath the cash desk. Take one before the cashier starts scanning so that it can be added to your purchase.
Loyalty-Card Prices and Supermarket Discounts
Many Czech supermarkets show two prices on the shelf. The larger or more colorful price may require the store’s loyalty card or app. The regular price is usually shown nearby in smaller text.
How to Recognize Loyalty-Card Prices
Check the wording beside the discount price:
- s kartou – with a loyalty card
- s aplikací – with the store app
- Clubcard cena – Tesco Clubcard price
- běžná cena – regular price
- kupón / kupon – an app coupon is required
Every supermarket chain has its own loyalty program. You can shop without joining, but you will pay the regular price.
Will a Loyalty Card from Another Country Work?
A loyalty card or app from the same chain in another country may not work in Czech stores. Change the country or market in the app settings to Czech Republic (Česká republika). Depending on the program, you may need to create a Czech account.
How to Activate and Apply a Discount
If the shelf label includes kupón or kupon, open the store’s app and find the offer. Press Activate (Aktivovat) before scanning your loyalty barcode. Having the app or card is not always enough—for some discounts the coupon must be activated.
At a staffed checkout, show your loyalty barcode before paying. At a self-checkout, scan it like a product. If the expected discount does not appear, ask an employee for help before paying. It may be too late to apply the coupon afterward.
Weighing Fruit and Vegetables
Czech supermarkets use different weighing systems. First, check the unit shown beside the price:
- ks (kus) means one piece.
- kg means one kilogram.
- 100 g means the displayed price is for every 100 grams.
Prices per 100 grams are sometimes used for more expensive products, so do not mistake them for prices per kilogram.
ℹ️ The same product may be sold per piece in one supermarket and by weight in another. Zucchini and eggplant are common examples, so always check the label.
Weighing Produce Before Checkout
Some supermarkets require you to weigh loose produce before going to the cashier. You do not have to use a bag—the product can be weighed without packaging.
Place the product on the scale and select the correct item using its number or picture. The machine may then ask how the product is packed. Options usually include:
- No packaging
- A standard thin plastic bag
- The paper bag, plastic package, or box provided for the product
- A reusable produce bag
Select the correct option before the machine weighs the product. This allows it to subtract the weight of the packaging.
When weighing is complete, take the printed barcode label and attach it to the product, bag, or box.
Weighing Produce at the Checkout
If there are no customer scales in the produce section, the cashier will weigh the items for you.
At a self-checkout:
- Select the correct product on the screen.
- Place it on the built-in scale.
- Wait for the machine to finish,
- Move the product to the bagging or control area.
Checkout Rules in Czech Supermarkets
Cashiers often scan products quickly. For a larger purchase, put the scanned products back into your cart and pack them at the shelves or benches near the exit, if available. You can pack a small purchase at the checkout, but be ready to do it quickly.
Using a Self-Checkout
Look for a flag or language button if you want to change the self-checkout to English. Not every machine offers the same languages.
Scan each product and place it in the bagging or control area. Leave it there until you have paid. Moving products too early may pause the machine.
ℹ️ A flashing light or paused screen usually means that an employee must confirm something or correct an error. It does not necessarily mean that you have done anything wrong.
Age Checks for Alcohol and Cigarettes
You must be at least 18 to buy alcohol or cigarettes in Czechia. However, employees must ask for proof of age if they are not sure that you are older than 25. Anyone who looks younger than 25 should expect to be checked.
When you scan alcohol at a self-checkout, the machine pauses until an employee confirms your age. The safest documents for tourists are an original passport or national identity card. A photograph, scan, or screenshot of the document is not accepted.
Keep Your Receipt Until You Leave
Some self-checkout areas have exit gates. Scan the barcode on your receipt to open the gate. Do not throw the receipt away while you are still inside the checkout area.
Czech Supermarket Rules for Returning Bottles and Cans
The Czech return system is different from those in Germany and Slovakia. Supermarket machines accept only certain returnable glass bottles.
Which Bottles Can You Return?
Supermarket machines mainly accept standard returnable Czech beer bottles. When you buy beer in one of these bottles, you usually pay a 3 CZK deposit, shown as záloha on the receipt.
Wine bottles, foreign beer bottles, jars, and other glass packaging may be rejected because no Czech deposit was paid for them.
Can You Return PET Bottles and Cans?
As of July 2026, Czechia does not have a nationwide deposit system for ordinary PET bottles and aluminum cans. Do not put Coca-Cola, Pepsi, water, or other plastic bottles into a standard supermarket bottle-return machine. The same applies to beer, energy-drink, and soft-drink cans.
Packaging without a Czech deposit should be recycled:
- Plastic bottles: yellow containers
- Aluminum and steel cans: gray containers or another container marked for metal
- Wine bottles and glass jars: green or white glass containers
- Drink cartons: orange containers or another container marked for drink cartons
Recycling systems differ between cities and towns, so follow the labels on the containers.
ℹ️ Recycling containers can be difficult to find in central Prague. Ask at your hotel or accommodation, or use Prague’s official recycling map to find a public collection point. If none is available nearby, place a small amount of packaging in mixed waste. Do not leave it beside a return machine or on the street.
How to Use a Bottle-Return Machine
Check the list or pictures beside the machine to see which bottles the store accepts. If a returnable bottle is rejected, the store may not collect that type. Ask an employee or try another chain that sells the same bottle.
- Insert accepted bottles one at a time, usually bottom-first.
- When you have finished, press the button to print your voucher.
- Take it to the checkout, where the amount can be deducted from your purchase or paid back, depending on the store.
The voucher normally works only in the store where it was printed. Do not take it to another branch.
Returning a Beer Crate: Basa
A plastic beer crate is commonly called a basa in Czech. The formal word is přepravka. You normally pay a refundable deposit of 100 CZK for the crate, in addition to the deposits for the bottles.
The quickest method is to return a complete crate filled with accepted bottles of the correct type. If the machine has a larger opening near the bottom, place the whole crate there. The printed voucher will include the deposits for both the crate and the bottles.
If the crate is incomplete, return the bottles individually. Some machines accept the empty crate separately, while other stores require assistance from an employee. You may receive a separate paper voucher for the crate deposit.
Other Things to Know
Do You Need to Label Loose Bakery Products?
Loose bread rolls and pastries from self-service bakery displays are normally sold per piece. Use the provided tongs or disposable glove, place the products in a free bakery bag, and take them to the checkout. You do not need to weigh them or print a barcode label.
At a staffed checkout, the cashier identifies the products and enters the quantity. At a self-checkout, select the correct bakery product on the screen and enter the number of pieces.
How Do You Order at a Czech Deli Counter?
Fresh sliced meat, sausages, cheese, and prepared salads are sold at counters usually marked Uzeniny or Lahůdky. Tell the employee which product you want and how much.
You can order in grams, but Czech customers commonly use deka:
- 1 deka = 10 grams
- deset deka = 100 grams
- patnáct deka = 150 grams
- dvacet deka = 200 grams
For example, say „Deset deka, prosím“ to ask for 100 grams.
The employee may show you the amount and ask „Stačí?“, meaning “Is that enough?” Answer ano if it is. The product will be wrapped and labeled, and you pay at the main checkout.
Related Grocery-Shopping Guides
Not sure which chain to choose? Read our comparison of supermarkets in the Czech Republic. For help recognizing local foods and Czech labels, see our guide to Czech products and their names. You can also learn about cash and card payments in our guide to paying in Czech shops.
