Germans Flock to Shop in Sunday Revolt

It has been nearly a decade since the starved consumers of East Germany burst through the Berlin Wall, but it took until Sunday to topple an even more formidable barrier to capitalism: a federal ban on retail shopping in Germany on the day designated for “spiritual reflection.”

Hundreds of stores opened their doors for the first time on the Lord’s Day to a veritable storm of shoppers in this capital, in Leipzig and in Halle, ringing up record turnover and transforming the usual Sabbath somnolence into a festival of frenzied spending.

“Look at the response! It’s grandiose. People want this, and we’re foolish not to give it to them,” said Uwe Spanker, manager of the Kaufhof department store on Alexanderplatz, estimating that the store served as many as 100,000 shoppers in five hours. For the first 30 minutes after the store opened at noon, even down-escalators had to be run upward to alleviate the stampede.

Although the five-story retail emporium was as mobbed as any American mall on the weekend before Christmas, shoppers seemed untroubled by the long checkout lines for merchandise and the aisles in the food hall chock-full of carts.

“This is a more convenient time for me to get my groceries,” said Annette Spreen, a 22-year-old medical insurance clerk poring over the selection of cream cheese.

“I spend all week at a training course in Hamburg and don’t have time to shop in a few hours on Saturday,” Ralf Sobersky said as he washed into the store on a wave of humanity.

Retailers posted employees at the entrances with petitions for shoppers to sign demanding an end to the infamous ladenschlussgezetz, or shop-closing law, that entrepreneurs contend contributes to Germany’s 11% unemployment.

“At least 500 people are signing each hour--as many as can get hold of the clipboard,” said 23-year-old Tanguy Irvoas, a French student working part time at Kaufhof.

Berlin Store Triggered Revolt

It was the Kaufhof on Alexanderplatz that triggered the Sunday shopping revolt two weeks ago by opening in defiance of the law that allows only stores directly tied to tourism and travel to do business on Sundays. Kaufhof labeled everything in the store “Souvenir From Berlin” and generated more sales in five hours than on any normal 13-hour weekday.

The retailer had threatened to open all its stores across Germany every Sunday, until a Berlin court hit the firm with a fine of more than $27,000. The penalty is being negotiated, and Kaufhof executives have agreed in the meantime to abide by the letter of the law, if not its spirit.

On Sunday, Kaufhof erected a carousel and bandstand on Alexanderplatz and held a “Fountain Festival.” That allowed the store to take advantage of a sop offered to retailers by authorities in several cities who have approved Sunday shopping if special events make it “urgently needed.” In the Tegel neighborhood of Berlin, the Karstadt department store opened to celebrate a local street fair, and the shops and boutiques in the sleek new Potsdamer Platz mall in the heart of the city drew 250,000 people over the weekend, purportedly as part of the Daimler-Chrysler summer festival staged by the property owner.

Major retailers have been lobbying German legislators for years to loosen the Sunday shopping strictures. The shop-closing law was modified in 1996 to allow stores to remain open until 8 p.m. on weekdays and 4 p.m. on Saturdays, but it remained illegal for merchants to open on Sundays except in travel-related locations such as train stations and airports.

The travel loophole was widened to include souvenir shops at such popular tourist destinations as Berlin’s famed Unter den Linden promenade near the Brandenburg Gate. And the exception became a technicality when a glittering new shopping mall was opened adjacent to the Leipzig train station and shops like the Gap and Eddie Bauer could serve customers not only on Sundays but until 10 p.m. on weekdays.

Germany’s churches remain opposed to Sunday shopping, which has been outlawed since the original 1949 Basic Law that designated the Christian Sabbath as “a day for spiritual reflection.”

Bishop Hermann Josef Spital of Trier acknowledged in an interview Sunday in Cologne’s Express newspaper that while Roman Catholics can still go to church despite the revised shopping practices, he has concerns that the chance to take care of household chores such as shopping on the Sabbath would “disrupt one’s rhythm between work and relaxation.”

Union Opposed but Hopes for Deal

The Trade, Banking and Insurance labor union that represents most retail clerks also remains formally opposed to the expanded shopping hours, but it has been negotiating with the big retailers for months in pursuit of a balance between new jobs that would be created by Sunday hours and protections for employees who prefer not to work weekends.

“It’s voluntary now, and I don’t mind the extra hours on occasion, but if I had to work all Sundays, I wouldn’t have any time to spend with my husband and children,” Janina Fritscher said from behind a Kaufhof delicatessen counter.

Even some of those shopping said they support in principle the ban on Sunday hours.

“We’re tourists and only came in because we needed to get something to eat. I wouldn’t want to see the stores at home open on Sundays,” said Heike Muschler, a homemaker from the western city of Fulda, who was waiting at least 10 customers back to pay for a six-pack of Snickers.