Shopping on Sundays is banned to protect small shop owners in the old city centers. Large mega-corp shops can hire as many people as they want. But the mom & pop shop specializing in embroidery cannot. So to keep the playing field level, they all agree to be closed on Sundays.

I like boutiques with a specialty. I would rather see more of them here, like the boutiques in Paris. The mega-corporate markets are so devoid of personality that I would rather not see shopping on Sundays if it means keeping boutiques in business.


I'm all lost in the supermarket
I can't no longer shop happily
I came in here for that special offer
gauranteed personality

Punk Rock dude!

If everyone is closed on Sunday, how does that protect anybody?

To keep small businesses on the same level playing field as large corporations.

And yeah, the seventh day is the sabbath.

My god... this was precisely my point, thank you for coming along so quickly.

Just for the record: I go shopping on Sundays in Switzerland whenever I feel like: http://www.alpenrheinvillage.ch/

But that one might be a bit far from Basel.


An now on "the Americans":
- the iPhone is a funny example: The US have been behind in telecommunications for - well, forever. Nokia (Finland) and Ericsson (Sweden) were the ones that came up with all the stuff we enjoy today. Japan was always at least five years ahead. Only in the last three years did North American companies with Apple and RIM (Canada) catch up and lead the developments at least when it comes to devices... anything else (networks for example) is strong in European and by now Chinese hands. Give it another three years and I believe that the Asians are leading in devices as well, especially HTC (China/Taiwan).

- Cars. Honestly: Do you really think that the US is "Americanizing" anything in that sector? I know that you do not own a car and you love to watch muscle cars passing by, but: The car was not only invented in Europe, most "serious" inventions (no, "HEMI" is not a seriously important invention) was made here - from seatbelts to airbags. In the US you have a comptetition based on price, here you have it on quality and consumption. The US is therefore leading when it comes to production efficiency and stuff like outsorcing and "just-in-time" stock keeping. But Europe builds the better cars. The EU companies, not only German but French as well, are set up very well in a globalized world. All Chinese I know want a German car, not an American... GM Shanghai is not doing that great while everyone sells like mad in China (and especially VW, Audi, BMW and MB). So if you need to point out one country, talk about the "Germanization of the global car market" with VW being so strong in China, Russia and Brazil...

So: I do not agree that there is an Americanization in all aspects you point out... but there surely is one: Wasn't it you who made the "Lady Gaga" thread on rubbish pop culture surrounding us everywhere? I am sure you had that during your shopping trip as well... and I swear to god if I happen to meet the black eyed peas, I will kick them for their "time of my life" cover... another area would be TV - all Swiss productions I have seen lately were crap while US TV series are by now really close to "Cinema quality"...

Two words: Creativity and Industry

The things that come out of America are game changers and paradigm shifters. The value is placed on the concepts and models that constitute productivity leaps, rather than the outputted product itself. As for working hard and fast, Japan does that better. As for building something really well, the Germans do that better. As for mass quantity, China is better suited for that.

Notice Apple products are printed with "Designed by Apple in California", though it is manufactured in China. As for the auto industry, it isn't so much the outputted cars that Americans have made the most impact; but in the shape of the industry; from manufacturing, marketing and sales.

A thread talking about Sunday shopping in Switzerland and LiB created it?! NEVER!

Why not??

Indeed - "Too big to fail" was established by the Detroit Dipsticks, l-o-o-o-n-g before the Bwig Bwankers worked their brand of economic magic.


Let's hear it for the Chrysler Avenger!!! Yeah!!!

Fine, so just focus on music then. Mostly American. Can't argue that listening to our voices all day isn't influential. Or movies??

How many of you also love Ralph Lauren? No matter where it is made, the American image is still sought after as a status symbol.

And then, where do I hear EVERY European swoon over? NYC like they are going to be some character in the movie exploring the big city with twinkling eyes. After living there, it is funny to see how idealized these places are.

America seems to be a love-hate relationship, from what I see working in business all over Europe. Our consumer economy sustains or breaks others, our behavior influences or disgusts, but one thing you cannot argue is that the world seems to be glued to it for whatever reason.



Can't live with us, can't live without us.

What I take from those photos and my own experiences in the US is not that America is trying to be like other places, but that America is a place where legal immigrants from other places are free to retain and express their own identities and cultures.

Just watch the Russian channel on TV. They whine and complain the most about America and American culture but they sure do spend a lot of time trying to be 'American' (by that I mean some weird sort of Russo-American hybrid with few, if any, of the good qualities and some distorted and magnified version of the bad ones)

Nope, prefer British music.

Nope, prefer British films and then Australian, French, Italian...

Who?

I've never been there.

I really like going to America - I've been there loads of times.

I like Americans - very amiable bunch.

But not for the shallow reasons you give

But is it just Switzerland that closes on Sunday?? I thought the Geant in St. Louis was closed on Sundays and what about the Rheincentre in Germany???

British Music is the best!!! Even though the current 'chart' music isn't to my taste there is a strong and very talented unsigned music scene - definitely what I miss most about the UK.

I always tell my husband he has Duran Duran to thank for finding me - growing up in America I idolised all the British 80's bands and it really really was the reason I took a work placement in England - the rest is history.

British Music would be nothing without America.

There would have been no Beatles without Chuck Berry, No Duran Duran without Devo & The Cars, no Led Zeppelin without Robert Johnson and the list goes on..

I give up - where?

Cos as sure as God made Little Apples, it ain't the big apple...


And while we're about it, let's at least spell it properly - some of us have standards, after all

Doesn't matter where they got their inspiration from - I still prefer all the British bands in your list to the American ones . Just something about British music that I'm more in tune with.

you prefer Duran Duran to Devo?! and I thought you were cool

I think both countries produced fantastic bands & artists but if I was forced to choose between the two it would be the good ol' US of A for me everytime.

That's like saying that all Americans wearing Adidas or Puma are getting Germanized.