Why are so many restaurants closed on Sundays?

Complaints Corner
21
In my case doesn't work well. The little village I live in has absurb opening times perfect for grannies and unemployed people, but absurd for normal workers. I have irregular times (depends on dead lines) and having to travel 1h+ on the train, changing 3 times, is not a nice travel to do with fresh/ heavy products bought next to my work place. I found my way around it, but it's more often than not than my fridge is empty during weekend and I have to starve

That's why "surprise visits" are a no-no at my home. Unless people are willing to live on blueberry jam and some old army crackers

Might be a cultural thing, but I really loved my Sunday morning shopping with my dad. *sigh* In my family we used to say "God got a day off, but we can't afford that."

If shops would be open on Sunday, I'd be a regular

22

Funny, when I was a child, I didn't hear a lot of lawnmowers and leafblowers early on Sunday morning.

We had no rule. It was something called commonsense. LOL You don't need a rule to have common human consideration.

Why is it okay for example in my building to do laundry at 7AM on Saturday morning but 2PM on Sunday is off limits. Don't most Swiss people like to sleep longer than 7AM on a Saturday? I think so. (really there is no noise issue at all that is all an excuse to try to mandate control over others lives).

Reality sometimes I think all these rules are just a way to be intellectually lazy and put off personal responsibility on something else.

Where is the rule I can't smoke right next to you on a bench?

But the rule says I can do my laundry at 7AM really loud...

Where is the rule that I can't block the isle at the grocery store?

Funny we don't’ have rules like that where I come from, but people rarely ever do this. Why? It is called courtesy.

23
But wasn't this a reversal of an earlier decision to not allow petrol station shops to open outside of normal working hours? That went down like a lead balloon, hence the reversal.

If people want to work on a Sunday, let them. If people want to shop on a Sunday, let them.

I remember when they introduced Sunday shopping in the UK, the C of E was up in arms for religious reasons, the unions were up in arms, arguing people would be forced to work or lose their jobs. IIRC, there was no reports of harassment or mass sackings because of the latter. Our local bakery and cheese shop are open every Sunday, why not everywhere else?

24
European cities are filled with beautiful buildings, the Swiss countryside and lakes are accepted as being very beautiful. Can't you just stop shopping for one day and take the time to enjoy this beauty?

If you visit other countries, and especially in Asia, half the population never stop trying to sell one piece of fresh junk to the other. Is THAT what you work hard for? To proudly display a black box of gadgets, to pull out from your pocket the amazing i-pod? Is that the type of noisy boisterous society you enjoy living in? A society that pays slave wages to people to produce something that is discarded in two years time? Where are your values?

25
OMG... Fresh bread on a Sunday? I am so jealous!!!!!

It's one of those little pleasures I dearly miss! The bread you can warm up at home is just not the same as a good fresh bread roll from the bakery...

26
I always thought it 100% religion.

27
So along with the Sunday shopping, you also want to do away with the special Sunday noise rules as well?

28
Absolutely! Went for 2.5 hour morning walk with the wife, then popped into the cheese shop and the bakery next door to buy our lunch.

29
To be honest, I don't see why not.

30
Ittigen, I think you are going a little bit too far on your assumptions.

"Going shopping" doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. Going shopping for fresh bread is still going shopping. Yet I am not going to shove a bread roll on someone's face as a sign of wage slavery.

Some people go "window shopping". Meaning, they go with some friends and use the stroll down a shopping avenue as a social interaction without actually spending any money other than the train fare. Other people actually might prefer human made landscape to the mountains or lakes.

Not everyone is a copy of a Sex and the City take. I also don't like when people shove their Iphones on my face, but I don't really think the days they are allowed to go shopping would change the rudeness, or have anything to do with it...

You teaser you! The only thing I get when I try getting inside a cheese shop on a Sunday is a big "RUHETAG" sign on my face

31
That's not the point.

The point is...you are free to live how you want. No one is arguing against that. Why do you feel the moral right to dictate to others how they choose to live.

If I want to work hard for the latest gadget and I want to buy it on Sunday at 2Pm who are you to tell me I can't? What makes you so superior?

It seems, honestly, like arrogance in a grand scale. Why are you so worried about what I do? I don't care what you are doing, if it has nothing to do with me.

Funny I was in Milan(o) two weeks ago and most major store chains were open on Sunday, and they didn't seem hurt by it at all. LOL Milan is a beautiful European city.

32

and you can't sit outside now on a Sunday or visit a museum?

or can't you make up good excuses?

which is the problem?

33
Most Asians aren't wage slaves, most countries have higher savings rates than most areas of the West.

Meanwhile most tech firms are moving production and research to Asia...it might be a Western group designing for now, but how much longer? They are building the future while you are trying to hold on in panic to some outdated church dictate from the Middle Ages.

34
Never had to invent excuses, so no need for the passive-aggressive approach. If you read the whole thread, you might notice the whole shopping-sitting outside-visiting a museum was a part of a continuous event. Sure you can sit outside. Sure you can visit a Museum. The beauty of it was being able to have the possibility to do it all in the same day, as a celebration of the day off.

Each person has his/her day off as he/she well pleases. Since shopping is not allowed on the day a fairly good amount of souls has a day off, that is actually out of the possibilities. That is the problem. I am not allowed to enjoy an activity on my day off because it is forbidden.

And as other people with a better grasp of the english language than me have explained, most reasons for not being open on Sunday are dodgy.

So yes, I respect the rules. I don't go shopping on a Sunday. But I still reserve the right to say I wish I could do it.

35

What?

How is a student working Sundays (because they have school during the week and can't work as much) or a single-mother working Sundays (because during the week, she is taking adult-education courses to improve her employability), or an immigrant trying to support themselves equate to shallow consumerism?? I would be ECSTATIC if all I could worry about right now as an immigrant was the beauty of lakes and mountains. But guess what? Mountains do not pay your bills, or help take a load off your busy life.

Values?? Speaking as someone who has had to support herself since 15 years old while going to school, I completely resent your reasoning! My values lie with a free-market, a society where people have options to better their economic situation, or where life doesn't have to revolve around the logistics of buying groceries at 7 PM after work, every week.

Slave wages are a completely different topic, btw...or do you mean, if Migro was also open Sundays here, they would automatically pay slave wages to their employees? How is that the fault of the ''Open-Sunday'' concept?

I believe there would be a plethora (yes, plethora) of willing immigrants/less well-off Swiss/business owners etc who would be delighted to have an extra day to earn money.

36
The airport shops are open. The train station shops too. Good enough for me.

37
Thank heavens for that! It comes quite in handy when you arrive to Zürich on a Saturday evening/ Sunday morning after holidays long enough to make the left overs inside the fridge great you.

38

That's because you're Swiss and don't mind paying more for goods from the airport or HB

39
I also have no problem hunting and scavenging for food on normal days. Some of the guys at work pop out for half an hour to shop for food before finishing off their late work day. So they manage too. Fact is - when I go to the shops late, they are usually quite empty. If you look at what the people are buying on Sundays, it's not a proper weekly shop.

In other news, I didn't notice the Migros at the airport/train station being more expensive.

40
Exactly: dunno what all the women in this thread are complaining about. It's us men who have to go out and earn their housekeeping money. Maybe they shouldn't be watching so many soap operas and gossiping with the other Mothers.

For the men: live with your parents and your Mother can take care of the shopping etc. Once you get your job at a bank and marry a nice quiet girl you can move in together and then she can take care of things.

At least, that how it seems...

Ps, The Viadukt Markthalle is open until 8pm Mon - Sat, though not on Sundays. I understand there's an excellent range of products available...