20 minutes – Rubalises do not avoid the purchase of banned items

The choice of products authorized or prohibited for sale in supermarkets has been widely debated in recent weeks. But once this question is settled, another problem is denounced by the Swiss Union of Arts and Crafts (Usam) on the airwaves of the RTS: the articles withdrawn from the sale and signaled by scotches, rubalises or tarpaulins can still easily be obtained.

Indeed, no device blocks these products in checkout, and if customers use them on the shelves, nothing prevents them from buying them except the vigilance of the sales staff. However, according to witnesses, clients are sometimes even encouraged by the latter. I asked if a promotion on inaccessible items would be prolonged: I was told to use myself, says for example a Coop client. An employee even accompanied my son to look for underwear in the bar area!

Trs goes back, Usam sent a letter Coop and Migros to demand that they put an end to this practice, dictating an ultimatum this Monday at 5 p.m., otherwise it threatens to file a complaint. A decision will probably be made on Tuesday morning.

The client responsible for not cheating

When contacted, Migros replied that these accusations were unfounded. We are in constant contact with the authorities; the cantonal police have made many checks on the assortment authorized for sale, says Tristan Cerf, spokesperson. He points out that customers who cheat are responsible for this behavior, as could those who commit the theft. It can obviously happen that cases pass between the drops, but we are not the police, and 99% of people respect the rule clearly indicated. And if employees themselves have blamed consumers, as reported by several witnesses, it is a mistake, he admits RTS.

As for removing banned items from the system to be blocked at checkout, the spokesperson said that technically, this is impossible on so many items and with rules as regionally diverse as they are changing. Indeed, some subsidiaries may sell a product and others not depending on their canton and their size in particular; certain products have also undergone several successive status changes.

Coop, for its part, replies tersely that it is already complying as far as possible with the sales restrictions, taking account of cantonal interpretations, and that the barriers are clearly visible. Her spokesperson Marilena Baiatu does not rule out abuse, but adds that most clients behave correctly and the limits are well understood.

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