The Swiss have a far-reaching decision to make. Tradition versus modernity and the role of the state are all on the agenda.
Sunday is considered sacred in Switzerland.
A day for rest, family, hiking – and perhaps a trip to the pub.
At a train station or in tourist areas
But now this last protected day could fall prey to shopping carts.
The country has launched a consultation process aimed at allowing more Sunday openings. “Flexibility in store opening hours” are the keywords here.
Until now, everything was simple: if you wanted to shop on Sunday, you went to the gas station or train station shop, or to some tourist area.
Abolishing it with salami tactics
But the more exceptions that are allowed, the more the Sunday trading ban becomes a facade, as illustrated by the recent dispute involving the retailer Migros at Zurich’s main station.
The cantons are now to be given more leeway – and this could mean shops being open more often, even on that sacred day of rest.
And the more the country allows this, the more Sunday shopping will become a habit.
Long queues signal demand
For the economy, the matter is clear: Sunday is a lost day of sales – remembering that online retailers don’t take any breaks, anyway.
So, why not let bricks-and-mortar retailers catch up and allow them more flexible store opening hours?
More Sunday openings could lure customers into stores instead of losing them to browsing online shopping sites on their laptops.
Anyone who has stood in line for ages at the checkout at Migros, Coop & Co. at a Swiss train station on a Sunday knows that there is a real demand for Sunday shopping.
The footfall at retail locations that are open on Sundays due to their location at transport hubs such as train stations and airports confirms that Swiss people want more flexibility when it comes to shopping.
Revitalization of city centers
In addition, Switzerland should be able to keep up with neighboring countries, where Sunday shopping trips have long been part of the leisure regime.
Shopping has long since become a leisure activity, according to the explanatory report.
The shopping and consulting experience is coming to the fore, often in combination with gastronomic and cultural offerings.
All of this is leading to a revitalization of city centers, which on Sundays from Basel, Bern, Lucerne, Zurich, Lausanne to Geneva usually look rather dreary with closed department stores such as Globus, Manor & Co.
Sales increase or just redistribution?
Trade unions and the left, on the other hand, are sounding the alarm. If Sunday becomes a shopping day, not only will salespeople lose their day off, but society will also lose part of its culture.
Should Sundays continue to be used as much as possible for relaxation and family time?
A free Sunday should strengthen social cohesion and not serve the purpose of increasing consumption.
Getting more for employees
The planned new regulation, which would allow shops to open on twelve Sundays instead of just four, could put pressure on employees, forced to work on a Sunday.
However, retail staff would then have a day off on a weekday rather than on Sunday.
Trade unions are only willing to agree to the changes if there is a generally binding collective labor agreement at national or cantonal level in order to get even more for the workforce.
Opponents argue that the change in the law would not increase consumption at all.
They also argue that parts of the population do not have the means to engage in shopping as a leisure activity.
State limits freedom of action
The question that needs to be answered in the consultation process is therefore broader than the simple issue of shop opening hours.
Is it about a little flexibility in consumption or the creeping abolition of the last common day of rest for families in the country?
Added to this is the problem of whether the state should dictate when companies are allowed to open their shops to sell goods.
Anyone who thinks they can sell vacuum cleaners well on Sundays will be clearly prevented from doing so by the Swiss state in the 21st century.
Church bells or cash registers ringing
The Swiss must therefore now decide whether our future Sundays will sound more like cash registers ringing than church bells. The partial reform of the Labor Act is subject to an optional referendum. This means that, in addition to the consultation process, there is also the possibility of a vote.
However, even if the proposal is accepted, the cantons could still leave everything just as it is.
In that case, Sundays would remain sacred in many parts of Switzerland and would not be put on sale in shop windows, so to speak.
16.08.2025/kut./ena.
