> There is, but not nearly as restrictive. Stores can be open from at least 6 to 20 any day of the week other than Sunday
I just looked up the corresponding law for Austria, and they are allowed to open from 6 to 21 on weekdays, and 6 to 18 on Saturdays. Doesn't really seem more restrictive?
> and in most states in Germany, Sunday trading has been at least partially permitted.
And keep in mind that even for those cities it's not all stores. I checked Cologne as an example, and there it's for example only stores in the district Köln-Lindenthal.
You misread the law. Only for a total of 72 hours. So if you were to open from 6 to 21 you couldn’t open Saturday at all and would have to close early ok Friday.
In practical terms most supermarkets in Austria close at around 7pm.
I just looked up the corresponding law for Austria, and they are allowed to open from 6 to 21 on weekdays, and 6 to 18 on Saturdays. Doesn't really seem more restrictive?
> and in most states in Germany, Sunday trading has been at least partially permitted.
Not really. For each Bundesland there are a couple of cities where a few stores can open, but they are a very rare exception. Example for tomorrow: https://www.kaufsonntag.de/datum-termine/september/17-09-202...
And keep in mind that even for those cities it's not all stores. I checked Cologne as an example, and there it's for example only stores in the district Köln-Lindenthal.