

There are some 24-hour grocery stores in larger cities. Most grocery stores and malls are open on Sundays, but smaller boutiques are often closed on Sundays. Public holidays may affect opening hours!
Every city has an outdoor market, where you can find fresh and local produce and lots of other items as well. They are usually open from early morning until early afternoon.
Small items, candy, magazines, pre-paid sim cards, local public transportation tickets, and the like may be purchased at kiosks (e.g. R-kioski), which are small street-level sales outlets, or at many service station shops which are open every day of the week. Many of these sell some grocery items.
It is a good idea to save receipts when making bigger purchases. Receipts for purchases are more important in Finland than in the United States. In case you wish to return or change a product, most businesses require a receipt for the return, even if the merchandise is in perfect condition and still has the tags on it.
There will be no added import tariffs if you buy inside the EU.
Starting on July 1, 2021, all parcels arriving outside the EU must be declared and a value-added tax (VAT) must be paid on them. The change is due to the amended VAT directive that concerns the entire EU. You can use the Customs Duty Calculator to estimate how much customs duty and VAT you must pay on top of the price of the purchase. Gifts must also be declared; however, VAT is generally not levied on small gifts.
There are three ways to clear an item through customs (instructions by Posti):
When sending something bigger than a normal postcard/small envelope to the U.S. or receiving something in Finland from the U.S. even if it’s a bigger letter with documents, the Finnish Posti recommends using the “Customs Declaration” sticker on top of the package. A scanned picture of the sticker from the Finnish Posti can be seen below (picture taken in January 2022). The U.S. mail service most likely uses a different type of document. For declaring the package, the receiver needs to be aware of the content as well as the value of the package. Thus, the sender needs to carefully record this information on the sticker which then makes it quicker and easier for the receiver to declare the package.
More information on the Posti website:
In 2021, the Finnish VAT is 24%, with the exception of food and meals (14%) and books (10%). The prices you see on the shop shelves already include the VAT.