“Customers harassed”

Migros customers were socially ostracised for a number of years, especially in villages, where social control is strong even to this day. Small business owners used tactics such as exclusion and boycotts to try to bring the new retailer down.

Whenever Migros opened a shop in a community or neighbourhood, local grocery retailers, fearing for their financial security, tried vigorously to exclude the intruder. The grocers were supported by small business owners, who had a great deal of influence in the communities. Among the most effective weapons used against Migros were the social ostracism and boycott of its customers. Owners of Lucerne’s Gränicher & Co., «tailored clothing for men and boys», experienced this first-hand in 1930. Rumours circulated that their wives had shopped at Migros – rumours they feared would harm their business. They immediately published an advertisement in Vaterland which stated that «our family members have not obtained goods, directly or indirectly, from the outsider company in question. On the contrary, we make all of our purchases from local businesses in the Lucerne town square.»
Social control, including the threat of ostracism, is one reason why Migros shops in small backstreets were often more successful than those on bustling streets. Many housewives even stopped shopping altogether and would send their children, who would be less likely to be recognised, in their place.