For sure no! we are in Geneva.... Sunday is died city here, welcome :p

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=ikea+vernier

LMGTFY (let-me-Google-that-for-you) has been around for a couple of years, I used to refer to it a lot on other forums.

You're right, super useful.

What do you mean? That over there its normal to do shopping on Sunday?

In UK it is also normal to do shopping on Sunday. I dont like to be forced upon me when I should do my shopping or when I should decide to have my sunday. East asian people tell me that over there it is normal to be able to go to a shop at any time of day or night. One told me he was suprised in Europe and asked me what do people here do at night...

We do something sensible.

I'm with Andrew: I'd rather have the stores open on Sunday and then I can decide if to shop or if to spend my Sunday doing family stuff (like shopping with the family), rather than have "Sunday is family time" enforced on me. 

I understand the argument of some folks who say opening stores on Sunday will mess up the family life of the folks who have to work on Sundays (although I think a solution can be found here). But the argument of "let's not open on Sunday cos if the stores are closed it will force consumers to spend time with their family" is crazy in my view. 

The argument about the people who have to then work on sunday is a nonsense. If, say, a store is opened 24/7 its obviously not going to be the same person there 24/7. You might be suprised how easily you can find people who would be happy to work these hours as it suits their lifestyle better. It also makes sense for things like banks and supermarkets to be open when most people have time and are not working. I find it very hard to do my shopping on weekdays and then if I dont manage to get up on time on saturday then thats it. No option sat evening, no option sunday. And why is it ok for restaurants, trainstation and airport to be open on sunday and not shops?

Since when, may I ask, is it for visitors or expatriate residents to decide when they will honour the local shops with their patronage?

 Many areas of the world – not only Europe but also North and South America, the Middle and  Far East, as well as places where Poya is observed – have fundamental and valid reasons for decreeing when public trading shall be permitted.

Will it really ruin your life, should you be in Rome, not to do as the Romans do?

Are you unable to get to Carrefour by 20:45* on a Saturday? Are you unable to get to the smaller Carrefour Market by 11:30 on a Sunday?

*latest timepoint, where they might let people in.

Well now that this thread has been hijacked (IKEA is closed on Sundays) . . .  its all fair for those of us that have a decent income and don't have to work a second shift at night / Sundays. 

But consider that the family unit in America has all but disappeared as many folks have to have a second job, and while they are at work, who is looking after their kids - the TV, the neighborhood gangs, 14 year big brother ? Having lived under both systems, I know which is better.  Shopping 24/7 - "Going to the mall" has become a national past-time in America, and how pathetic is that?  Nothing better to do I guess.

Also part of the equation is that here no noise is allowed at night or on Sundays.  That means that if you want to have dinner on your terrace, you can without the neighbor's lawn mower blasting away or the lady upstairs vacuming, and if you want  to have a family get-together on a Sunday, you can as (1) noody is working (2) the place will be quiet.

As expats (guest in Switzerland) we should learn to adapt to the local customs, after all these are what make this a great "quality of living" country which year after year gets top marks compared to so many other countries.

Ah, yes! The U.S. of A, source of all evils in the world...

Perhaps if Geneva had anything close to an operating "service" culture in most stores and institutions, a moderately busy person could get things done during the week. 

I don't care so much about stores not being open on Sundays; I just wish the stores would have items in stock, salespersons who know and care what the customer needs and decent follow-up service.

For any of you wondering about if a place is open on a certain day, if it closes early, or at lunch or has extended shopping hours you can check out this site for Swiss opening hours.

www.ligoo.ch

Always amising to read threads like this.  Nothing to do on a Sunday so send random emails hoping for a reply.  it worked this time but why did you not just telephone the store? Assuming you have a phone book

There’s no need for even a phone book.  As others have already mentioned, all one has to do is google the shop to find the info.

But then, as you say, posting a query on glocals does help to pass the time on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

R.

It also helps people pass the day answering these queries, a win=win situation.

Ouch ! Touche !!

I can see both sides of the situation.  

The Swiss have the right to decide when they want to work or have the stores open.  This is their country, and they are the ones who vote.

On the other hand, the Expats are a significant part of the population of Geneva, and are therefore doing their fair share of supporting the local economy.  Plus, most of them don't work "local" hours, so they don't get either Mondays or Wednesdays off, they don't have a day to start late, they don't get long lunch breaks, and the work day ends at 7 or 8 every night. They do not have the right to vote, but does that mean that this is not also their home?  That they are not allowed to have an opinion?  Does the fact that someone was not born here automatically invalidate their opinion?

Also, many people here are not talking about "strolling around a mall" on Sundays, they are talking about being able to buy food for the week.  And yes, Carrefour is open later and some on Sundays, but not everyone has a car or can go to another country for groceries.

In any case, it is unlikely to change.  Those who find it inconvenient will continue to find it inconvenient.  Those who want to criticize them for finding it inconvenient will continue to criticize.  Through it all, people will continue to create threads with questions that could be answered much faster by a simply Google seach.

Good night, all!  :-)

The Swiss have the right to decide when they want to work or have the stores open.  This is their country, and they are the ones who vote.

The Swiss I know are universally irritated with the store hours.  Or at least they claim to be.  I suspect the problem is that not enough of them are active voters.

Ritchie:

I don't get what being Swiss or not being Swiss has anything to do with this. The fact person X doesn't carry a Swiss passport means he/she can't post on a forum saying something could be done better in CH in his/her view?

I tried to shop at Urbanbio on Rue de Carouge at 19:30 this evening. There was a sign on the door noting that all the company's stores no longer had permission to stay open until 20:00 instead of 19:00 during the week (except for Thursdays) and at 18:00 instead of 19:00 on the weekends.

A few of us were standing outside the store lamenting this change and one guy said, "[N]ow where will I get my bio tofu tonight?"

Although I didn't have a "tofu emergency" I much prefer picking up some milk there than at the local Quickee Mart...

What I was trying to convey is that countries have an infinite variety of rules and regulations in regard to shopping and other business transactions, and in my limited experience it’s never been circumspect for tourists and expatriates to raise  public objection to the prevailing legislation, much as I certainly would have liked to in say, Montreal, where I once had to stand outside a tavern restaurant in the snow until my husband arrived, ladies not being allowed inside the establishment on their own, even  at lunch-time.

Montreal was also where we had to purchase wine and spirits in authorized liquor stores with restricted opening-times.  Our suburb was ‘dry’  and I had such fun lugging bottles home on the bus.

 When we lived In Cairo, I couldn’t shop for furniture or shoes or make-up on a Friday.  And I think it was Scotsdale  where the post office was only open on certain days of the week for a certain number of hours.

 In Sri Lanka, you couldn’t buy fish on Fridays or Sundays while hairdressers were closed on pre-Poya, Poya and sometimes even post-Poya.

And what about bank closing times ?  In many places, two or three o’clock in the afternoon, sometimes even mid-day.  All this before the days of ATMs and credit cards, of course.

And UK airports when food and drink outlets closed at 10 p.m.? 

In short, local shopping norms could sometimes be a source of irritation, but we did our best to conform.  Perhaps we were able to contribute albeit in a small way to the country’s economy, but we were still its guests not its colonizers.

One last point:  I’m not aware of visitors to Britain being particularly vocal about the UK’s foibles, particularly its culinary delights.  If they do find them odd, they’re usually too polite to say so until they get home.

Ritchie - a nice switch of subject.  UK culinary expetise where we have no word for cuisine or even haute cuisine (unless it is a kitchen in a manor house

So maybe someone on glocals can explain to me why it is that in some cafés you can getan all-day breakfast whereas in others they stop serving at 10 am or midday or mid afdternoon.  Is there a glocals type group in UK who can help

And why is the food in Ikea on the North circular so unbelievably bland.

and what is wrong with UK cuisine - warning not for weak stomachs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlK62rjQWLk

If my memory serves me rightly, IKEA also has nosh on offer as well as all that household stuff.  Perhaps gazing at the wondrous kitchen fitments sets the gastric juices flowing, hence the need to provide sustenance.  Can’t say for sure, I’ve only been to Vernier once – during the week of course – and came away empty-handed.

Some people have made some very good points for both sides of the argument.

Here I would like to present one more point of view to consider.

How does the government see fit to have the right to dictate to a private company about what sort of opening hours they are obliged to follow? Maybe its a cultural thing and maybe I am way too libertarian in this regard, but I consider it outrageous.

And apologies to the original poster here for myself and everyone else here for using this as an opportunity to rant.

Anyway, I can adapt and learn to organise myself with the opening hours I have but it still escapes me while some shops and restaurants can be opened whenever in here and others not. It doesnt make sense.

Well, that's just because you are better than everyone else, clearly.  

To make sure that no one takes offense, here, I am clearly kidding.  

Everyone has the right to their own opinion.  I think all of them should be welcome here!

Governments have regulated commerce in some form or another since time immemorial.

Your outrage has been shared over the centuries by private businesses who feel they should have the right to act as they wish including selling dangerous products, to make children work instead of attending school, to discriminate  against customers based upon race, gender or national origin....  

Oh, the outrage!

Not quite the same thing... :D

It is so sad to see that people are getting upset because they cannot shop on a Sunday.  But then of course what else is there to do on Sunday.  There are no mountains, no bars no lake.

I suppose these people have not noticed that museums are closed on a Monday. Shall we complain abpout that too.

Finally isn't the Migros airport store open until late on a Sunday? And there are plenty of shops open 7/7.