Semi-automated retail stores are popping up around Germany, allowing customers to access snacks, drinks and other products at all hours. But not everyone is happy about businesses operating on Sundays.
Smart stores, also sometimes called unmanned supermarkets, are retail outlets that operate without staff physically present.
Customers typically enter by registering via an app or with an access card. The stores allow customers to shop at any hour, pay electronically, all without interacting with staff.
According to a recent study by Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) there are currently at least 723 smart stores around the country, a striking number considering they only began appearing in 2019.
“At the moment, there is a new one opening almost every day,” said Prof. Stephan Rüschen from the DHBW in a related press release.
These stores vary widely from small convenience outlets in urban centres and transport hubs, to automated vending clusters, to farm-to-consumer direct sales points in rural areas, and specialty shops like automated bakeries or florists.
According to reporting in Trade Magazin, a significant share – about 150 stores – are based on farm retail models, while roughly 90 locations serve travellers at gas stations, train stations, and electric vehicle charging hubs.
Most urban smart stores cluster in larger cities, where demand for mobility and convenience tends to be higher.
Are smart stores popular?
According to Rüschen, over 80 percent of people polled who have a 24-hour smart store in their area believe it simplifies their everyday lives and enhances their town.
In particular, added the retail expert, many people particularly appreciate stores that are open on Sundays.
According to the same study, however, many Germans remain cautious or uneasy about fully unmanned shops, citing challenges including; a reluctance to shop without a human contact, apprehension about app registration requirements, and discomfort with the delayed billing common in such models.
The trend is undoubtedly catching on, however, especially in rural areas where traditional shops are closing – to the point where people have started raising concerns about a potential threat to Germany’s famously strict laws against shops being open on Sundays.
Germany’s so-called Sonntagsruhe (Sunday rest) is considered a cultural cornerstone in the country.
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Anchored in the constitution and regulated by federal and state laws, most stores – especially supermarkets and large retailers—must close on Sundays and public holidays. Only limited exceptions exist, covering bakeries and stores at transport hubs, for example.
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These laws aim to preserve Sunday as a time for rest, family, and social cohesion, and generally enjoy broad support.
Are smart stores allowed to open on Sundays?
Currently, four federal states – Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Hesse, Saxony-Anhalt, and Bavaria – have amended their shop opening laws to allow fully automated retail outlets to open 24/7, according to DPA. Others, such as Baden-Württemberg, are planning to do so.
But the smart shops are operating in something of a legal grey area.
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The Bavarian branch of a church coalition called the Allianz für den freien Sonntag (Alliance for free Sundays), announced that it would take legal action against the new Bavarian shop closing law, and Rüschen believes the issue could ultimately end up before the Federal Constitutional Court.
Since Sonntagsruhe is constitutionally protected in Germany, any broad deregulation requires a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag, making reforms politically sensitive and complicated.
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Opponents of allowing smart stores to open on Sundays, including labour unions like Verdi and organisations such as the Alliance for free Sundays argue that Sunday rest is a fundamental right and a social value which must be protected.
Specifically, they warn that continuously expanding Sunday retail undercuts workers’ rights, fragments family time, and puts additional pressure on traditional shops. Although smart stores are automated at the checkout, they still need staff on Sundays, for example to stock shelves, clean, and supervise.
Have you had a good or bad experience with a smart store in Germany? Let us know in the comments below.
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