Can someone who crosses the border to go food shopping clarify this for me?

Here are the customs rules "Furthermore, should the total value of the goods imported exceed CHF 300, then all the goods will be liable to taxation. Adding together (accumulation) of the tax-free limit for several persons is forbidden." However the next line says "
"The maximum amounts and limits are permissible per person and on a daily basis."

So - is it really a per person limit e.g. you could bring back 900chf worth of food if you have three people in the family and they are all together crossing the border, or is a 300chf limit at one time per group of people?

Thanks

Does any one think that driving out of CH then back in costs money and time, I would love to see the costs of the above add that to the food bill then I reckon its cheaper to shop in CH!
I also can think of better things to do in my spare time

It depends on where you live. In Basel, for us driving to the grocery store in Germany (about 15 minutes to the one we preferred) was not much different than driving to the closest big Migros. For us, it was worth it for price, the refund of German VAT and selection. Personal choice...

I'm amazed at how much people spend on food in Switzerland.

We shop at Lidl, which given we normally shopped at Waitrose and M&S in the UK is something that always brings a smile to my face.

For two of us we spend in the region of 50 a week, maybe 75 some weeks, sometimes less. That buys a balanced diet of chicken or pork, vegetables, pasta/rice, chips, (not from concentrate) orange juice, bread, milk, eggs, cereal, the odd frozen pizza etc. That covers dinner during the week, breakfast for my girlfriend during the week and all meals at the weekend. On top of that we budget 50 each for lunch from a local sandwich shop or work canteen and breakfast for me.

We actually spend less on food in Zurich than we did in the UK. I guess it helps that Lidl is on the route home from work for both of us though.

Now the bars and restaurant budget is a whole other story

When you live in Zürich, it cost a lot of time and money to travel by train to Konstanz, so i go only to Konstanz when i am after something special what is not available in Zürich(when i am there , rush to the supermarket or the other shops and return one hour later to the station, so don' t loose much time there).

spend 70 a week for family of three including alcohol

This means that is 1 item exceeds 300 CHF you cannot cumulate your franchises to cross the border but rather, you will be taxed (i.e. pay VAT) on the cost of the entire item.

But if your total shopping comes to over 300 CHF then you are taxed only the amount above 300 CHF and franchises are cumulative.

Example
1) You buy a cupboard for 600 CHF and cross the border with your partner => You pay VAT on 600 CHF
2) You buy groceries for 200 CHF, 1 jacket for 200 CHF and 1 pair of shoes for 100 CHF (total 500 CHF) and cross the border with your partner =>You do not pay VAT

Pls also note that there are individual limits on food items (i.e. meat max 500g per person) which must be considered

Cheers,
K

Family with 2 children, expenses do not include alcohol and meat:
- 200chf per week
- Shops: Aldi and Migros fo fruits, vegetables, milk/cheese, chicken
- Otto is a very good option for nonperishable items (olive oil, shampoo, perfume, etc...)
- Globus & Manor are expensive but excellent for fish (great selection at least in Fribourg)

For meat we buy from a local farmer which brings the cost of beef to 19-20chf/kg.

Yup.. Aldi is my saviour here in Switzerland.. between my husband and I, I usually do the shopping twice a week and spend between 30-40sfr each time. So a little less than 100sfr for the both of us per week.

Around 1000CHF per month for two adults and a lot of pets
No alcohol as i dont drink. Just a couple of beers for the other half (who doesnt drink much either)
Once a week we go to France as its much cheaper there and the occasional trip to Migros or Coop for emergencies.

Not too much risk of you suffering from a hangover then

As a single (slim) girl I spend about CHF 50 - 80 per week at the supermarket.

Which shop do you go to in France? we love Decathlon there, but that 's not for food obviously...

Im going to Geant in Anemasse. Its pretty big

It depends whether you eat meat or not and if you eat meat, whether you are happy with a few tiny little cubes floating in soup or whether you want to gorge yourself on whole pieces of it.

Is there no Manor or Globus in Zurich?

hmm. i shop at coop and spend around 250 per week as a single person.

There is a Lidl 2 minutes from Sihl City....still have all the Brand names but half the price of COOP!

Probably about 1000-1200 a month for 2 adults, 2 kids. Includes meat for 5-6 meals a week, and alcohol. Covers 1-2 large online shops a months via Migros or Coop (depending on who's last emailed me with a free delivery offer), and then top-up shops at the local Aldi each week for fresh stuff and the occasional 'ran out of...' trip to the village shop.

The best kept "secret" is Kilometzg - their meat prices are close to 50% less than all the others. The meat is high quality and the prices great because they don't have any middlemen. There are only five locations, so look them up and see if one is near you!

I don't know if you have a Denner store there but we've found their fruits and vegis really tasty and not so expensive. They also have a lower fat content milk and lots of good cereals and nice wines. The locals seem to know about them for their good prices on wine (often 20% off of already usually lower prices.) They also have toiletries such as Dove soap and Colgate toothpaste. Aldi (already in Switzerland) and Landi (coming soon) are also lower cost chains that have a standard set of items but then specials each week (odd things like windbreakers, small refrigerators). While we live near Lausanne, I suspect you have Denner and Aldi in Zurich area.