The two incidents, both occurring in recent days at a Migros branch located at Geneva’s Cornavin train station, show just how expensive Switzerland (and Geneva) really are.
No, not because the cost of the items purchased there was particularly high, but because both shoppers left the store with 200 francs less in their pockets.
‘I assumed they were free’
The first case involves a Brazilian man, a visiting researcher at University of Oxford in the UK, who went to buy chocolate at Migros while attending a conference in Geneva.
According to his own account, he went to the self-checkout counter to pay for his purchase and grabbed a paper shopping bag, unaware that they cost 40 cents, have a barcode, and must be scanned the same way as other purchases.
“I assumed they were free,” he said.
However, while exiting the store, he was stopped by a staff member and taken to a room in the back.
There, he had to pay a 200-franc shoplifting charge.
He then took to the social media to share his story:
Hello @migros . I got a unpleasant situation with you today. I went in the supermarket in Switzerland (here for a conference) for the first time and bought some chocolate. I went to self checkout, and there was nothing asking to add bags. +
— Renan de Araujo (@Araujo_Renan) October 13, 2024
‘An honest mistake’
In an eerily similar case because it happened at the same store in about the same timeframe, another shopper committed the same ‘offence.’
After paying 25.45 francs for his purchases, he put the items in a paper bag and started to quickly exit the store in order to catch his train.
He was, however, intercepted by a staffer, and also taken to the back room, which apparently is where all those accused of shoplifting end up.
He explained that not paying for the bag was an honest mistake, an oversight, since he always carried a shopping bag with him, and in this particular instance he was in a hurry not to miss his train, so a bit distracted.
But he too was slapped with a 200-franc fine; not only that, but he is now banned from shopping at all Migros shops in the region for two years.
What about the retailer, who lost 80 cents?
Contacted by Swiss media, a spokesperson for Migros in Geneva explained that “the 200-franc fine is set by the Public Prosecutor's Office and not by our company."
He added, too, that “the intention to steal is subjective and difficult to identify. That said, whether the act is intentional or not, according to the law the person is required to assume their responsibility. ”
Furthermore, the 200-franc fine applies regardless of the amount of the stolen goods, the spokesperson said.
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