Top 5 Swiss Mistakes When Grocery Shopping — and How to Avoid Them

Top 5 Swiss Mistakes When Grocery Shopping — and How to Avoid Them

In Switzerland it's incredibly easy to do "a quick shop"… and walk out with a CHF 80 receipt. Not because you're distracted, but because the system pushes you toward the same 5 mistakes.

Note: Examples and timing updated as of 4 February 2026. Promotions change weekly and may vary by store/canton.

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Mini map "where to buy what" (without overcomplicating things)

• Migros / Coop: perfect as your base (fresh, assortment, quick top-ups).
• Coop in the right weeks: often very strong on bulk household (detergents, paper) when there are heavy promos.
• Denner: super convenient (many locations) and great for stock-ups when you catch the right promos (e.g., coffee multipacks).
• Aldi / Lidl: often win on pure price for many "all day items" compared to Migros/Coop.

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1) Mistake: Shopping on the wrong day (and missing the "promo week")

What seems like bad luck ("I bought everything yesterday… today it's on sale") is often just calendar timing.

• Coop: promotions from Thursday to Wednesday; visible online from Wednesday 4:30 PM.
• Migros: from 5 February 2026, promotions run Thursday to Wednesday.
• Denner: from 5 February 2026, promo weeks run Thursday to Wednesday.

Solution (Swiss and simple)

• Wednesday evening (10 min): decide what to "stock up" (coffee? detergent? meat/freezer?).
• Thursday/Friday: do your "stock-up" shopping.
• Weekend: fresh/top-up only.

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2) Mistake: Doing everything at Migros/Coop automatically (and paying "default" premium)

Migros and Coop are often the most convenient… so they become "everything there". The problem isn't the store: it's buying every category the same way.

A K-Tipp comparison (100 items) showed a lower cart total at discounters (Aldi/Lidl) compared to Migros/Coop in the test.

Solution: "base + 1 smart stop"

• Keep Migros/Coop as your base for staples + fresh.
• Add just one stop when there's a real category advantage (not every week).

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3) Mistake: Buying the right categories… in the wrong place (the real money is here)

Real examples (as of 4 Feb 2026)

Bulk household (when Coop pushes hard)

• Example: Ariel detergent 80 washes (3.6L) at CHF 25.90 instead of CHF 51.80.
• Example: Zewa 16 rolls at CHF 13.90 instead of CHF 27.80.

Coffee "stock-up" (Denner in the right weeks)

• Example: Chicco d'Oro 3×500g at CHF 24.95 instead of CHF 38.70.

Solution: the "two baskets" list

Basket A (stable): milk, eggs, pasta, rice, basic frozen → buy near home.

Basket B (promo-driven): detergents, paper, coffee, proteins/freezer, toiletries → buy only when the offer is really good.

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4) Mistake: Trusting the "promo" sticker without checking unit price and comparability

Promos can be great… or "nice to look at". Rule: if you don't beat the price per kg/100g/l, it's not a deal.

Solution: the 5-second tri-check

1. Unit price (CHF/kg, CHF/100g, CHF/l)
2. Same product, same size (packaging changes everything)
3. Stock up only what you actually consume (otherwise it's "paid clutter")

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5) Mistake: Paying the "convenience tax" (express/station + too many "quick shops")

Mini-shops like station/express are super convenient. And often more expensive on the basic cart. And Denner is everywhere (872 locations), so it's very easy to "pop in" and come out with more than planned.

Solution: two guardrails that hold up in real life

• 3-item emergency rule at station/express: 1 staple + 1 protein + 1 fruit/veg → then leave.
• Promo threshold: don't make an extra trip unless you save ~CHF 15+ on a category you actually buy.

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Why we launched Rappn

Because avoiding these mistakes shouldn't require flyers, different apps, and promo calendars. Rappn helps you see weekly offers by canton, filter by supermarket/category/price/expiry, create shared lists, receive alerts on favorites, and understand more quickly where your cart is cheapest (with links to the offer source).