Last updated: 31.12.2023, 06:29 a.m.
By: Bjarne Kommnick
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If you want to go to the supermarket just before the end of the day to do some spontaneous shopping for New Year's Eve, you will probably be disappointed this year. Only a few shops are open.
Munich – This year, it should not occur too late for consumers to do the necessary errands for the New Year's Eve celebrations. Unlike usual, almost all supermarkets are closed because the last day of the year falls on a Sunday. But there are still some exceptions for emergencies.
Supermarkets closed on New Year's Eve – with a few exceptions
Although the legal situation for opening hours is a matter for the federal states, there is a nationwide ban on opening and selling on Sundays. While some outlets are exempt, supermarkets are not exempt. As a result, consumers were already struggling with closed shops on Christmas Eve.
Supermarkets and discounters are generally prohibited from opening on Sundays – including New Year's Eve. © IMAGO/Michael Gstettenbauer
Basically, New Year's Eve is not a holiday. Nevertheless, most federal states have defined exact opening hours for this day. However, the right to ban Sundays prevails – for this year, the times set for New Year's Eve are largely irrelevant. Only in one state in Germany are supermarkets allowed to open their doors, because Bremen has a special regulation: If New Year's Eve falls on a Sunday, shops are allowed to be open until 14 p.m.
Petrol stations and pharmacies are also allowed to open on Sundays
In other federal states, consumers must have done their shopping on the Saturday before New Year's Eve. As a rule, the usual opening hours apply, in case of deviations, this should be indicated with a notice on the entrance door. Meanwhile, authorities are worried about the upcoming New Year's Eve. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser expects "blind anger and violence".
In an emergency, consumers have no choice but to switch to shops that are excluded from a sales ban on Sundays. In Bavaria, according to the Bavarian Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Affairs, these include petrol stations and pharmacies. However, local conditions can also circumvent the ban, such as health resorts and resorts, rural areas, passenger train stations, airports and bakeries. As usual, many shops remain closed on New Year's Eve, because in the end it is also at the discretion of the managing directors whether they want to open the doors.