OCTOBER 21, 2012
BY: SAMANTHA SMITH
BERLIN, GERMANY - OCTOBER 25: Shoppers leave a Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) store on October 25, 2012 in Berlin, Germany.
Credits:
(Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)
Many Americans are surprised when they find out the stores in Germany are not open on Sundays. Indeed, this is the case in most European countries.
There is an actual clause in the German constitution that Sunday be a day of rest and "spiritual elevation," and the labor unions have also supported the closures to allow workers time to spend with family.
However, it can be tough being a tourist when you have limited time to shop and it's also hard on the locals as it makes Saturdays stressful as you race here and there trying to get everything done.
However, the rules have been relaxed in recent years to allow some retailers to open on certain Sundays, especially the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Heidelberg will have their Sunday opening or Verkaufsoffener sonntag on November 4 this year.
To see the dates for other cities in Germany's 16 states, check out this site.
"Sunday as a day off is a great gift," says Die Tegeszeitung, a left-leaning Berlin newspaper. "...After all even the strictest atheist needs the switching off that Sundays allow."
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