The invention of self-service

There had been intense debate at Migros before the self-service concept was accepted. Gottlieb Duttweiler was sceptical, while his colleague Elsa Gasser was a vehement supporter of the move. Photos of self-service shops in other countries were used to help the discussion.

In 1917, the American Clarence Saunders applies for a patent for a ”self-service store“. Hence it is Saunders, who calls his shop in Memphis ”Piggly Wiggly“, who is considered the inventor of self-service. In Switzerland, a health food store tries out the self-service system in 1931, and a department store in Geneva introduces it early in 1948. But the motor for the introduction of self-service to Switzerland is Migros with its large chain of branches.
The opening of the first self-service shop in the spring of 1948 is preceded by many intense in-house discussions. Elsa Gasser, a Doctor of Political Economy and a Migros employee since 1932, pushes for the fast introduction of the change. She has already seen the system in action in Sweden, the pioneering country for self-service, and is convinced that it is the only way forward. Gottlieb Duttweiler is, however, sceptical. According to Hans Munz, another long-standing employee, he praises ”the small, homely and human contact promoting shops” during the discussions. But Elsa Gasser, ”the paid opposition“ as Duttweiler affectionately but sarcastically calls her, has her way.
The Migros employees responsible for the fitting of the shops gain inspiration from countless photos of self-service shops in other countries. These photos can still be found today in the archives of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives and give an impression of the self-service system shortly after the Second World War.
By the way, Elsa Gasser was right: In 1955, eight years after Migros introduces its first self-service shop, modern ”self-service” already accounts for 83 percent of its turnover.