The German Resistance against Overconsumption and Capitalism

This might be hard to understand for somebody who has never lived in Germany. But on Sundays, in Germany, all shops are closed. And by all shops, I mean all shops: The Aldi, the Zara, the H&M, the family-owned shop around the corner, as well as the green and sustainable student-founded decoration store down the street. You might think that a tirade of hatred follows now. The opposite case is true: It will be an ode to the persistence towards overconsumption and the opposition to boundless capitalism.

Source: https://www.rundschau-online.de/koeln/serie-haeuser-mit-historie-was-es-mit-dem-palast-auf-koelns-schildergasse-auf-sich-hat-329842

I grew up in Germany. I am used to shops closing on Sundays. I am used to my mom asking us kids on Saturday if there’s anything we need for Sunday so she can go and get it for us in time. I am used to her planning our Sunday lunch so she can get the groceries a day prior. I am used to not necessarily empty but very calm shopping streets on Sundays. And while it annoyed me as a teenager, I appreciate it even more today.

While I lived abroad in Italy and the US, there was something I really enjoyed. I could do my groceries on Sundays! It felt like gaining some more freedom and flexibility. I didn’t have to plan my grocery shopping as meticulously as I was used to. And if I realized there was an ingredient missing while preparing the Sunday lunch, I could quickly run to the store and get it. More than this, I could even go to one of the big malls outside the DC city center on Sundays and spend my money on some shopping! On a Sunday!! Crazy, right? Well, it’s not for you if you grew up outside of Germany.

Now, being back in Germany for the summer, I must adapt again. Buy everything you need on Saturday because, on Sundays, there are not many places where you can shop. And I realized how beautiful this is. What you have to know: restaurants, bars, and café are open on Sundays, and unsurprisingly, they are packed. But what you can see there on Sundays differs greatly from what you see the other six days of the week. It’s not the stressed boyfriend trying to somehow store his girlfriend’s shopping successes in the form of a dozen shopping bags under the table. It’s not the hysterical teenage girls who research over a quick coffee if they can rush to the other clothing store and buy the dress they found online there. And, of course, it’s not employees and business people who rush in for a quick lunch before they continue the hustle. What you see instead is people who enjoy free time together. They have free time because nobody must work in the stores on Sunday. They have free time not tied to the next purchase they are incentivized to make, the next deal they just saw in the shop window, or the big summer sale they came into the city center for. Sundays in Germany are like putting a hold on the 24/7 running machinery of consumption and capitalism. And believe me, it’s beautiful!

I sat on a bench in a German shopping street the other Sunday while enjoying some ice cream (yes, ice cream shops are open, too!). I watched this elderly couple strolling down the street with their ice cream and stopping at every shop window. What on weekdays might have ended in severe spending for the olive wood cutting board on display developed into a beautiful conversation between this couple. While standing in front of the shop window, I could hear them talking about several vacations in Spain and Greece, memories awakened by the sight of the olive wood products. A few touches of laughter after, a few steps later, at the next shop window, they stopped again and kept chatting about the products displayed there. While watching them, I thought, is this the kind of experience we rob ourselves of when everything we do is about our next consumer decision? When all the places we see in our city centers just want to push us to our next purchase?

I started googling: Why are shops closed on Sundays in Germany? Of course, it has a long tradition. And yes, it traces back to religious motivations. In the beginning, Sunday shop closings were motivated by the Christian Sabbath. However, the motivation behind shop closing changed in the aftermath of industrialization. In the early 20th century, German legislation enforced the so-called “Ladenschutzgesetz” (Shop Closing Law), which is still in force today. The idea is that workers should have one day to rest, relax, spend time with the family, and engage in leisure activities. It was the prototype of what we call the work-life balance today. Nationwide, it enables the working class to prioritize their personal life and time for family and friends for a whole day. For the average US-American, this must sound like a nightmare. Being forced to stop working for an entire day? Nationwide? This is communism.

I think it is very beautiful, especially in an age where digitalization does not stop workers from working 24/7. In an age where 24/7 consumption is an option, stores try their very best to make us consume as much as possible through their marketing strategies. The closed Sunday is one of the last remaining resistances against capitalism taking over every single moment of our lives.

The next time I stare annoyed into my freezer on a Sunday, realizing I forgot to stock up on some ice cream, I will remember the elderly couple thriving during a relaxed afternoon stroll through a shopping street with closed shops. I will put on my shoes, go for a walk, and get my ice cream from exactly there.