I believe that's because checkout workers in Australia learn their motor control skills at the same place as the bus drivers, and both are under the impression that a jerky, stop-start motion is the best way to move objects from A to B.

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Maybe UK conveyors have a graduated start-up. The belts here have an instant start that makes the bottles fall.

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or maybe Pixel's only using new conveyer belts in Scotland, and older models in Australia?

cos the ones I currently use don't knock stuff over, they're brand new though.

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The greater latitude you now live at means that the bottles experience less coriolis force.

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Dammitall! You beat me to this...

It's the Coriolis acceleration. Rather, the centrifugal forces are reversed now you're in the other hemisphere.

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Hmm,

While Coriolis force is a good answer, it's actually based on the prevailing political wind.

Since Australia is running headlong into ultraconservatism, this force sends bottles flying over, while the slow retreat of the UK from the heady days of Empire means that the bottles experience a much gentler force.

Simple really.

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I'll have to dispute this one - if it was correct, with the recent addition of a strong attracting force in the westwards direction in the UK, bottles would fall over in a fashion that could only inspire "shock and awe".
(Also, chimps have a tendency to not leave standing bottles standing)

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OK that's pretty spooky because this is the topic of conversation that OzKangaroo and I have every week, as I have a propensity to place bottles upright on the conveyor - and yes they DO fall down at home. And likewise, it doesn't seem to happen here in the States - nor do I remember it happening in the UK.. I have no doubt it's a world must be a government conspiricy to keep Australia's economy back. Meybe they ship all their old supermarket conveyors to Australia.. like they do with cable STU's *sigh*

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It's well known that British life revolves around queuing to the extent that even inanimate objects such as bottles do so naturally.

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