Australian tourist completely loses it over Toronto supermarket

An Australian man was left scratching his head after visiting Toronto's Nations Experience, the food-ertainment flagship location of supermarket chain Nations Fresh Food, at Stock Yards Village.

Aussie tourist Peter Josip took to Instagram to share his experience at the food-and-entertainment destination, which he initially describes as a "bougie supermarket." But as he explores the sprawling 155,000-square-foot space, he can't help but feel perplexed.

As he pans the camera around Nations Experience, capturing its on-site food court and indoor playground, his confusion becomes increasingly apparent. "There's a playground in a supermarket…with an arcade. Bubble tea, sushi, dim sum, pizza, burgers. What the hell?" he says. "This is so confusing." 

Josip, a comedian by profession, admits that he cannot imagine anything like it in his home country.

"Culturally, it's very weird to Australians to have everything in one shop," Josip tells blogTO. "For instance, being able to buy groceries in a Shoppers Drug Mart, or Walmart selling food, clothes, and electronics, and also having a McDonald's in there is very strange," he says. 

He adds that in Australia, people buy those items at separate retailers. 

Nations Fresh Foods, a subsidiary of Oceans Fresh Food Market, took over the former Target location at Stock Yards Village in 2017. This version of the supermarket is the chain's largest location in Ontario and features a grocery store, food court, arcade, party rooms, and an indoor play area.

The concept was first developed to bring customers back into physical stores after the brand's owners noticed a sudden uptick in online shopping. The idea was to lure shoppers in with the promise of an entertaining day out while completing the otherwise mundane chore of grocery shopping.

The supermarket boasts an "east meets west" concept, with a diverse selection of grocery items representing various cultures from around the globe.

Nations Fresh Food currently operates five locations in Ontario, but its Stock Yards Village store is the only foodertainment concept in the province.

And while Nations Experience has been a fixture at Stock Yards Village for the last nine years, it's surprising to see so many Toronto residents take to Josip's comments section to admit they had no idea the place even existed.

"Where in Toronto??? I live here and have not heard of this, whoahhh," someone wrote. "Never had a clue and I literally live four kilometres away," another resident said.

Although Josip admits that the "Colesworth duopoly would not appreciate Nations being in Australia," referring to two of Australia's biggest supermarket giants, Woolworths and Coles, he certainly wishes Nations Experience could quietly make its way Down Under.

And while Australia may not be getting its own location anytime soon, a second Nations Experience is set to open at Oakville Place in 2027.