Otto’s deals in Switzerland: brands at discount prices

Updated regularly. Otto’s (Otto’s AG) is a Swiss discount and residual-goods retailer based in Sursee, founded in 1978 by Otto Ineichen and run today as a second-generation family business (per ottos.ch and de.wikipedia.org). The idea has been the same from the start: sell well-known brand-name goods at clearly lower prices because they are bought as overstock, end-of-line or through direct buying. Otto’s even began as «Otto’s Schadenposten AG», and since 1984 it has sold only flawless goods of domestic and foreign origin (per de.wikipedia.org).

This page explains, neutrally, what Otto’s is, why it is cheap, how the promotions and special offers work, what is genuinely worth buying and where the catch is. The honest answer is further down: Otto’s is a treasure-hunt store for brand bargains, but not a full replacement for the weekly shop. To compare the real prices this week, use Rappn, right next to Migros, Coop, Aldi, Lidl, Denner and Aligro.

Rappn is an independent grocery price-comparison app in Switzerland, with no commercial agreements with any retailer.

What is Otto’s, and why is it so cheap?

Otto’s is a discounter for brand-name goods and clearance stock. It sells groceries, wine and spirits, and a large non-food section: household, perfumery and cosmetics, fashion and shoes, furniture, sport, garden and electrical (per ottos.ch). On top of that come special formats such as Otto’s Cars, Otto’s Beauty Shops and Otto’s Bistro (per de.wikipedia.org). The company employs over 2,000 people, and store sales areas range from roughly 300 to 3,800 square metres (per de.wikipedia.org and moneyhouse.ch).

How do Otto’s promotions and the catalogue work?

Otto’s brings out new weekly hits every Tuesday, with no end date and while stocks last, plus special offers and themed catalogues (per ottos.ch). The promotions appear in store, in the printed catalogue, in the online shop and in the website’s deals section. To stay informed, you can subscribe to the newsletter (which, per ottos.ch, comes with a CHF 10.- welcome discount on your next order) or use the free WhatsApp service that sends weekly offers and catalogues to your phone (per ottos.ch). Otto’s also runs a full online shop with delivery and pickup (per ottos.ch).

Otto’s is genuinely worth it above all for two things it is famous for: cheap branded groceries and cheap wine. Retail and consumer coverage regularly highlights its low prices on branded perfume, spirits and brand-name goods compared with department-store or supermarket prices. Because Otto’s buys brands rather than producing own labels, you compare like for like: the same bottle, the same brand, a different price. This is exactly where price comparison adds value.

What is worth buying, and what is the catch?

The honest part: Otto’s is not a place for the predictable, complete weekly shop. Because the range consists of residual goods, your regular products are not guaranteed to be there. You will not find fresh items such as vegetables, bread, milk or meat to the extent of a full-range supermarket. Otto’s complements the shop, it does not replace it. If you go in with a fixed list expecting to tick everything off, you will often be disappointed. If you browse with an open mind and grab a staple when it is there, you save for real.

The decisive reflex at Otto’s is the unit-price check. A low ticket price is only a bargain if, per litre, kilo or 100 grams, it is genuinely cheaper than elsewhere. Branded goods in an unusual pack size or as a special lot can look cheap and still be more expensive per unit. So convert to the unit price instead of just reading the shelf price. That conversion, and the cross-chain comparison, is exactly what Rappn does for you.

Hence the neutral advice: treat Otto’s as a bargain stop, not a weekly store, and compare product by product. In Rappn you search for each product and compare its price across all seven major chains. You can hold the Otto’s deals against a standard price comparison, check Migros versus Coop directly, or line up the other Swiss savings store, the Aligro deals.

See the real Otto’s deals in Rappn. Instead of flipping through the catalogue, you search for the product in Rappn and compare its price across the chains: Otto’s, Migros, Coop, Aldi, Lidl, Denner and Aligro, updated daily as the chains publish their deals. 100% free. No flipping, no guessing, just the real price.