Who is happy with the Migros/Coop duopoly?

Daily Life, Swiss News and General Topics
1
I for one am very happy with this swiss particularity, however most of the expats and foreigners I know find it horrible.

I get (in random order)

- food is too expensive

- Quality is no good

- There's no frickin choice

I'm sure there are others, which one's do you hear?

Well I do agree that food is more expensive then in most other countries, but considering how much we earn, the percentage we have to spend on food is much lower than in any other country. Also, I'll gladly pay more if I know the Kassen-Lady gets paid at least 4000.-/month which in switzerland must i remind you is not a good salary (however, it's certainly better than the 700euros some of those european hard-discounters pay). Or knowing the farmer gets a decent price for his crop (again, I'm pretty sure swiss farmers are much better off than their european counterparts).

Quality-wise I find swiss product of much better quality. I've been to aldi and lidle in germany and the product didn't look fresh at all . And to those that say the migros brand is no good, I will point out that the migros puts its name on the products it manufacture. if they want to stay around they HAVE to make quality products. That alone is assurance to me that they wont make crap. Furthermore, if you really don't like Migros, then go to coop, it's as easy as that!

And now to the complaint i hear most and the one I hate above all: the choice! Well, i've been to those french hyper-marchés and the choice is overwhelming (in a bad way). I much prefer a small variety of a good product rather than a huge of a bad product. Not to mention, new products appear every day and replace old ones... You finally get used to a product and it disappears (i find this particularly annoying with toothbrushes).

At least the migros products have been around for years, that not only means the product is good, but also that your not pressured into that marketing BS claiming that NEW formula will solve humanity's worst problems (I'm looking at you random washing powder manufacturer).

And seriously, do you need to be able to choose from 20 different brands of toilet paper!?!?

Finally, I somehow actually trust Migros and coop although I must admit I don't really understand why. However, I could never say the same of Auchan or Aldi

So who's with me on this one!!!!

2
Being pregnant, BOTH coop and Migros are dark, stinky holes I want to stay away from!!

I desperately miss Whole Foods! And Trader Joe's!

Other than that, I shop at coop and Migros about evenly.

3
Is this just a whinger-rant or is there a point to the thread?

If the former then it should be moved to complaints. If the latter, then you'll have to make that point again, 'cos I'm feeling a little dim.

4
So I now have

- food is too expensive

- Quality is no good

- There's no frickin choice

- dark and stinky for pregnant women

must be something in the hormones

5
There is no duopoly. From a Basler perspective: Globus, my turkish neighbour, asia shop, india shop, bahnhofchinese, manor and the italian trattoria give me what I don't find at the two main ones. Perhaps I am lucky to be regularly in Germany and get my salt capers cheaper than at Coop but frankly, I can afford the Coop price if I really feel like salt capers right now and not next week.

When I was living in centre of Lyon, Hamburg, Oslo, Amsterdam or Aarhus, I had far less choice for daily groceries and delicacies for my delicate and choosy palate.

If UK or US is better, I can just congratulate those countries for being extraordinary wonderful, but fact is: I am happy with CH grocery supply. And here is a cooking snob speaking.

6
I wish a Tesco could open here. Same hours and products as in the UK

7
I'd rather it were a Waitrose.

8
No Waitrose in Hull when i was there

9
Migros. and Co-op.

10
Meh. We get fresh seasonal produce from the farm shop down the road. Usually cheaper than supermarkets and way fresher...

Supermarkets have now become sources of canned items and packaged goods.

As Faltrad has pointed out, the Migros/COOP/Globus/Denners of this world long-since stopped being a source of anything more exotic than pepper or salt anyway, due to the plethora of far eastern/Turkish/Indian shops in Basel anyway.

11
Just returned from the Uk with a greater feeling than ever that I LOVE TESCO!

Brilliant choice, Brilliant prices and compared to Switzerland Fantastic service!

12
Spending lot of time outside of CH, I really miss Coop and Migros. I find them extremely convenient. No matter where you are in CH, you know that you'll have a Coop and a Migros close by which on a very small surface has everything you need. No need to run through huge hypermarkets to get some milk and youghurt or run to 5 different shops to get milk, shampoo, coconut milk, a tupperware and a gift for the 5 year-olds birthday party.

13
Try Tesco in the UK! P:S: I don't work for them!!

14
Yeah, but the wine prices are great!

15
I would live in CH forever if there was a Marks and Spencer- for those lovely salads and the basics for clothing. Tescos and a Boots. I miss those stores the most and I don't see the bad thing in having choice.

16
I have this feeling every time I visit iPer in Varese. Thankfully, it's only 25 minutes drive

So it's only those in the Inner Sanctum that mildly suffer. Thankfully, they seem to be being rescued by Aldi and Lidl.

17
I'm not sure that I will bump into you in my (now) local Tesco. It's nothing like your description.

So what kind of things are you missing that Tesco offers? I feel like I'm missing out on super deals somehow. I must admit, I dont really like shopping so I spend as little time as possible in the stores, but if you could point me in the direction of some good choices, maybe?

The staff I see in the Tescos stores I have visited are tired and unfriendly, much the same as the ones that worked in my local Coop in ZH.

18
the Swiss selection just does not match my eating habits. I've tried a few times, but end up going to France anyway.

19
This is a bullshit argument. Because people may earn more here, this is not a justification for supermarkets to charge more. You should not be able to charge what people are willing to pay. This is a clear indicator of a duopoly. If there was a competitive market, supermarkets would actually compete against each other and we would not have to pay 3 times the price for the same items we can get just across the border.

E.g. 2 chicken breasts in co-op in Basel CHF12

6 chicken breasts in Lorrach supermarket €7 - 15 mins away

The two supermarkets nod and wink at each other and don't try and compete. I would love to see their profit margins. The Swiss are complicit in this because they are convinced they are getting better quality when all they are getting is ripped off!

20
I agree that some of the food is simply too expensive, even when faced with the old better wages argument & taking into account a better price for farmers.

I'm all for supporting farmers & local producers & I realize that a country with a population as low as CH is inevitably going to be more expensive, but seriously, some of the prices are just nuts compared with similar or better produce in other European countries - some of it just doesn't add up.

Yes, the Migros & COOP choice is somewhat limited - for example, for a county that prides itself on and makes such a vast range of wonderful cheese, the selection in the big 2 is pretty woeful - but there are dozens of alternatives, particuarly if you are in the bigger cities.

I've never been wanting for proper Indian or Thai/Asian ingrediants in Zurich (& most of the time these shops are half the price of the big 2).

Though I do think the quality is pretty average in general from the big 2 - It's very common for a lot of veg to be rather shabby in my local big Migros, which I do find pretty inexcusable for the price.

But again, there are plenty of alternatives & I do use them over the big 2 for a lot of my food shops.

Btw, just a quick note to all you Tesco fans - you do realise that they are probably one of the worlds most ruthless supermarket corporates?

Worker wages/hrs, farmers prices, land grabbing, not to mention a distinct lack of interest in better animal welfare & fishing etc, etc (there's a 1000 pages on the internet about it).

They are not a pleasant company under the hood (I've worked for them as a photography supplier & been shat on too) - you should think about what's behind those nice cheap prices & BOGOF's.