Guest
What exactly about the drain cleaner has to be "specially developed and manufactured for Switzerland"?
I've never seen a difference in drain cleaners other than the price. I also don't believe that the many German drain cleaners are different for Switzerland.
Guest
Hello Hamilton,
I'll clarify this right away and get back to you.
Best regards
Karin
Guest
Hello Hamilton,
The fact is that in Switzerland drain cleaners and some other cleaning products that are sold freely in Germany are not offered in self-service for legal reasons (Ordinance of the Federal Office of Public Health). It also makes a significant difference in terms of costing whether the product is only on offer for a short period of time, as is the case with Lidl, or whether it is available all year round, even in smaller stores, as is the case with Migros.
Have a nice day and best wishes
Karin
Guest
Which drain cleaners are these that are freely available in Germany but not in Switzerland?
Do I understand correctly that Potz Xpert PowerGel is so expensive because it is also available in small Migros stores?
Dear Kathrin...
the product is available in every (small) Lidl store.
What is produced differently? But I find it a bit extreme that the product then costs almost three times as much...
Why doesn't Migros discuss this with the Federal Office?
Guest
Hello everyone
According to our experts, the composition of the chemicals determines whether a product may be sold in self-service, and these specifications vary from country to country.
The availability already mentioned is a second, separate factor: if a product is available nationwide and consistently, the calculation is different than if a retailer offers large batches as a special offer.
Best regards
Karin
Guest
Dear Karin, you are answering questions that I didn't ask. I'm sure it's meant kindly, but it doesn't help me at all. I can imagine that there are much more corrosive formulations of drain cleaners that are not available to the average Joe. But we don't need to talk about them, they're not available in Migros or in German supermarkets. I would like to know which types of drain cleaners that are commercially available in Germany are not allowed to be sold in self-service stores in Switzerland. By varieties I mean names such as Domestos, Bref, Frosch, Rorax, Denk mit, etc., which is what it says on the bottle and some of which are also available here. In Germany, and as far as I know in Switzerland too, they are as easy to get as the Potz in Migros. You mentioned on Tuesday that there are products that are not allowed to be sold in self-service in Switzerland. So you must know which products these are and which ones you were referring to.
There are certainly differences in costing, but Migros has hundreds of products that it offers in every store. Cleaning products, chocolate, soups, pasta, bread, cosmetics, you name it. This adds up to a few centimes per item in the standard range, which does not explain the >>> three times the price <<< as EEnergy so amusingly described it. Other factors such as the prominence of the location and higher personnel costs certainly play a greater role. The branch near Zurich station certainly costs much more to rent than the branch in Stäfa. Why is the price for Potz so high?
The big supermarkets in Germany also offer drain cleaners all year round, at least the ones I know like Rewe, Edeka, Penny, Lidl, Kaufland, Marktkauf, Müller and Aldi. But they also have their own brands that are even cheaper than the big well-known products. We're not talking about promotional items that are "scooped up" in weekly promotions, we're talking about regular permanent goods. It would be nice to get comprehensible answers to the questions. Not answers to questions that nobody has asked. The Swiss wage and price level is not valid as the main justification because the M-Infoline team explicitly referred to the fact that Potz XPert PowerGel is a very special juice. The appropriate answer to the question from the opening post would be nice. What is it about Potz that Migros has developed especially for Switzerland?
Guest
Hello everyone
We understand your desire for clearer information. Of course, we don't want to withhold any information from you and have therefore asked you again.
We have no knowledge of which drain cleaners are approved for self-service sale in Germany and which are not. The legislation there is different and we simply don't have the time to keep a list of all competing products abroad.
It is correct that Potz Drain Cleaner is manufactured in Germany - but with a formulation adapted to Swiss legislation, because Potz Drain Cleaner is only sold in Migros.
It is difficult to make a direct price comparison between Migros and discounters. Various factors make a comparison almost impossible: a discounter has permanently low prices but hardly ever runs promotions. Migros has normal prices and regularly offers significantly lower promotional prices, and the structures of discounters are also very different from those of Migros. No discounter has service departments or as many staff on the sales floor as Migros. The entire handling of goods is also different - as you have probably already noticed. Where Aldi and Lidl offer goods on pallets, Migros places a lot of emphasis on an appealing product presentation and a pleasant store design.
In principle, however, we also believe that prices in Switzerland are sometimes too high. That is why we are committed to reducing all unnecessary price-driving factors and advocating fair prices. Migros has also been fighting the causes of higher Swiss prices at a political level for years.
The reasons why we have higher prices in Switzerland are already widely known: Higher living costs, higher wage levels and higher location costs are major factors in this regard.
Best wishes and have a nice day
Karin
Guest
Dear Karin, on the one hand it's lovely how you try to beat about the bush, but on the other hand it's annoying when you keep getting evasive answers. I didn't ask which drain cleaners are approved for self-service sale in Germany and which are not, but which drain cleaners are approved for self-service sale in Germany but are not in Switzerland. The question goes back to the first sentence of your first statement. You must know what you meant by that, or was it just an evasion without substance?
You also didn't answer what Migros has developed specifically for Switzerland, why? It gives the impression that you're not allowed to say that and that's why you're always evading the law. If you are more familiar with this, then at least explain the difference between German and Swiss legislation on drain cleaners. I don't think there is a big enough difference to justify the high price.
As already mentioned, your explanations about the cost of living, wage levels, location costs, goods handling, service departments, retail space, etc. are completely irrelevant to this article. If they were relevant, the M-Infoline would have mentioned exactly that in the original answer. Unless the quatrain to EEnergy was not true.
Guest
Hello @deactivated user
We do not keep a list of which drain cleaners are approved for self-service sale in Germany but not in Switzerland. From our point of view, this is of no benefit to Migros.
The exact composition of Potz Xpert Power-Gel can be found on the label. The formulation claim is required by law and of course we adhere to it.
As I said, it is not about the cleaner containing a "secret substance", but about legal regulations. Here again, only the legal provisions of Switzerland are decisive for us. You will certainly find sufficient information on the German Chemicals Ordinance on the Internet.
As far as the price is concerned, we have already given you all the information you need.
Best regards
Karin
Guest
Dear Karin, unfortunately you didn't explain anything and didn't provide any information. I have compared the German and Swiss regulations and come to the conclusion that this was just another typical Migros excuse. Stalling customers when they have questions is normal, but then serving up things that aren't true is cheeky and disrespectful towards customers.
