Migros opens unstaffed store on Sunday

First Sunday opening for a “classic” Migros supermarket. Detail: the store operates without staff. This model could become widespread. Overview of the ambitions of the main distributors.

Stefan Ehrbar / ch media

If you are claustrophobic or agoraphobic, it is best to avoid supermarkets in train stations and airports on Sundays. Apart from mountain tourist communities, these are the only places where Coop, Migros and others have the right to have their staff work on Sundays. Local stores, however, are closed. At least until now.

Migros dares a great first. Since mid-October, its store located near Toblerplatz in Zurich has even opened on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. From Monday to Saturday, we are welcomed there by staff. On Sunday, the point of sale operates autonomously. Customers enter the store by scanning a Cumulus, debit or credit card. Purchases are paid at a self-checkout cash register.

In the absence of personnel, there is therefore no conflict with the Federal Labor Act, which in principle prohibits employment on the seventh day of the week in the retail sector.

The Migros cooperatives in Zurich and Eastern Switzerland already operate automated stores in the Teo format, autonomously 24 hours a day. The Zurich subsidiary, however, becomes the first “classic” supermarket of the orange giant accessible every day.

Different from one canton to another

Migros is “very satisfied” with the first two Sundays, says spokesperson Carmen Hefti. Currently, no other similar openings are planned elsewhere. The cooperatives would, however, observe market developments and exchange their points of view. The Sunday sale responds to a “great need”, especially in urban areas, if we are to believe Carmen Hefti. This is particularly observed in train stations.

After years of unsuccessful struggle to extend opening hours, Has Migros found the solution for Sunday? The answer differs depending on the cantons. In Zurich, premises with a sales area of ​​less than 200 square meters can open. With 175 square meters, the Migros store in question therefore complies with these regulations. In St. Gallen or Bern, the limit is 120 square meters.

Coop or Migros branches are generally significantly larger, with areas of between 400 and 700 square meters. In certain cantons such as Basel-Landschaft or Aargau, which no longer have a law on store openings, the automatic store solution also works.

Too many actions vandalism

The Valora distribution group is also banking on hybrid stores, operated by employees during the day and used independently the rest of the time by means of an application, with its concept Avec 24/7. However, Valora has given up in most casesparticularly due to vandalism.

Spar’s Go24 concept has not escaped this problem. A test branch on the Sihlquai in Zurich, accessible at night, has been damaged and soiled so often that it now only opens during the day. Spar, however, is not giving up completely: In some cases, the concept of automatic stores “probably has some chance”, believes a spokesperson. Without mentioning any specific project for the moment.

At Coop, we do not intend to let customers do their shopping in the absence of employees. Human contact is importantsays spokesperson Caspar Frey. Some of its supermarket subsidiaries open on Sundays at several train stations, tourist locations and at Zurich airport.

Aldi and Lidl not convinced

Stand-alone stores are also not on the agenda at Lidl. The retailer takes advantage of Sunday sales authorized by law, i.e. two to four Sundays per year depending on the canton. These days are “in high demand”, assures spokesperson Sandro Kissayi. The stores at Berne station and in Matten, near Interlaken, are open seven days a week all year round. For its part, Aldi operates two subsidiaries open on Sundays in the Biel and Zurich-Stadelhofen stations and occasionally stores on Sundays in tourist regions.

Aldi abandons automatic storesbelieving that these have not yet established themselves on a large scale. Even large international suppliers like Amazon have recently scaled back. Because although salary costs are falling, investments in technology are reaching significant levels. Add to that theft and damage, which are more frequent than in stores with service. And a smaller average basket in automatic points of sale.

At the political level, the bourgeois camp is campaigning to relax the rules. In the spring, the National Council, for example, adopted a motion demanding that small local businesses be able to open on Sundays throughout the country.

Large cities as a priority

The Confederation is also examining the adaptation of an ordinance relating to labor law. It envisages the creation of tourist zones in which shops can employ staff on Sundays – in large cities. In a first version, the Federal Council wanted to limit this possibility to stores which primarily meet the needs of tourism, such as those which sell watches, luxury clothing or food products.

This would also only be possible for localities with more than 60,000 inhabitants, in which more than 50% of hotel nights come from foreign customers. Bulk: Zurich, Geneva, Lucerne, Basel, Bern and Lugano. Basel and Bern have already made it clear that they do not wish to create such zones.

This modification of the ordinance cannot be challenged by referendum. However, in many cantons, the law will have to be adapted to create such zones. Critics of liberalization could oppose it politically. It remains to be seen whether Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin (UDC) will go all the way and whether the initial rules will be maintained. He links this to another issue: a Zurich cantonal initiative which demands that the number of Sunday openings increase from four to twelve. The Council of States committee supported the text this week. According to a spokesperson, the Vaudois minister will only decide if he knows the position of the National Council commission.

In mountain tourist resorts, the law authorizes Sunday opening during the season. But according to a judgment of the Federal Court, it is not permitted to do so all year round. And abuses exist. Thus, in Zermatt, many stores welcome customers on Sundays continuously. For Nicolas Bolli, head of the department responsible for worker protection in Valais, activity in the retail trade in low season remains “a hot topic”. He adds that data collection is underway to clarify the situation.

Exceptions to the ban on opening on Sunday also exist almost everywhere for gas station shops, bakeries, florists, kiosks or sweet shops. In addition, family businesses are exempt from the ban on Sunday work as long as it only concerns the owner, spouse, registered partner or close family.

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Translated from German by Valentine Zenker