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Many stores open more at night and reignite the debate over opening hours.
The crisis in the crown is holding back the desire to buy. However, opening hours are being extended in many places, at the expense of employees?
On Wednesday night, shortly after seven, a small group found themselves lost in front of a closed clothing store in Zurich. An A4 note indicates that opening hours have been reduced. It is not an isolated case: for many homeowners, selling at night is not worth it during the crown crisis. But in the shadow of the crisis, the trend towards longer open times is accelerating. Before the holidays, for example, Migros Aare, which operates in the cantons of Aargau, Solothurn and Bern, wants to keep its stores open longer, as a spokeswoman says. She justifies the step with Corona: “In this way, customers can be better distributed and we have the least possible crowding.”
Supermarkets are hardly affected by the corona crisis, their frequencies are stable. But supermarkets aren’t the only ones planning longer opening hours. For example, the luxury retailer Jelmoli will open its department store on Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse until 9 pm the days before Christmas Eve.
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With longer opening times against Corona?
Jelmoli boss Nina Müller says the extended opening hours offer another advantage in addition to sales in the current crown situation. “In this way, the frequencies are spread over more hours and we can avoid accumulations.” Extended opening hours made sense during high-sales times, like Christmas. “Many shop for gifts on short notice, so customers also appreciate longer open times.”
You can also shop for more and more at events like Black Friday on November 27. Then many shops are open until 9 or 10 pm Shopping centers such as the Tivoli in Spreitenbach AG, the Glatt in Wallisellen ZH or the St. Jakob-Park in Basel open until 10 pm Manor will welcome customers in its department stores from Basel, Baden, Aarau or Zurich until 9 pm or 10 pm respectively.
Black Friday? Sometimes it leads to such crazy scenes:
This is indicative of the development of recent years. The big chains have extended their opening hours, especially at night. “It’s about adapting to the changing needs of an increasingly mobile and flexible society,” says Migros Aare spokeswoman. The fixed working hours changed and with them the rhythm of life. At the moment, for example, the store needs to close later on Saturday.
Coop has also extended its opening hours. In the city of Zurich, 60 percent of Coop supermarkets are open until 9 or 10 p.m. Many shopping centers have extended their hours from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
With the crisis of the crown there was a provisional march stop. Andreas Zürcher, Managing Director of Zürcher City-Vereinigung, says: “We understand that many stores close at 7pm during the crisis, when frequencies are more restricted, especially in the evening hours.”
Store closure laws are under pressure
However, in the medium term, opening hours are likely to return to their pre-crisis level, Zürcher believes. Your City Association recommends opening hours until 8 pm for downtown Zurich from Monday to Friday.
How long should a store be open? Photo: trapezoidal
In the cantons of Aargau, Basel-Landschaft, Appenzell, Glarus, Nidwalden and Obwalden, Schwyz and Zurich, stores can sell products from 6 am to 11 pm, even on Saturdays. In Thurgau and Schaffhausen from Monday to Friday until 10 p.m., in Solothurn it ends at 6.30 p.m., in Lucerne and St. Gallen at 7 p.m., in Basel-Stadt at 8 p.m.
These laws are under pressure. In 2021, the canton of Zug will vote on whether the store closing hours will be postponed by one hour. In Lucerne, the opening hours were extended by half an hour from May. The city of St. Gallen created a tourist area in June and extended opening hours.
The Unia union is fighting against longer opening times. “With Corona and protection concepts, the situation is even more stressful for employees this year,” says a spokeswoman. It is “incomprehensible” if, for example, Jelmoli lengthens the opening hours. In her fight, Unia believes in the people behind her: “In several votes, the voters have repeatedly opposed further expansion.”
