Poland – Retail and Consumer Issues

What are the typical opening hours for shops in Poland?

The majority of Polish supermarkets unlock their doors somewhere between 6:00 and 8:00 in the morning, remaining open until between 21:00 and 23:00 on weekdays and Saturdays. Large shopping centres tend to operate from roughly 10:00 through to 21:00 or 22:00, Monday to Saturday. Smaller, independently owned shops vary considerably in their schedules — many open around 7:00 or 8:00 and close earlier in the evening, especially outside the main urban centres.

A law prohibiting almost all retail trading on Sundays entered into force on 1 March 2018. From 2020 onwards, commercial activity has been permitted only on seven designated Sundays each year. This is broadly analogous to Sunday trading limitations found in Germany (referred to there as Sonntagsruhe), although Poland’s arrangement allows for marginally more trading Sundays than the near-complete German ban. In 2026, eight shopping Sundays are scheduled in Poland: January 25, March 29, April 26, June 28, August 30, December 6, December 13, and December 20.

The Polish Parliament approved legislation designating Christmas Eve (24 December) as a new public holiday; this bill received presidential assent on 24 December 2024 and took effect on 1 February 2025. It additionally raised the number of trading-permitted Sundays in the lead-up to Christmas Eve from two to three. It is advisable to consult the official schedule each year, since Parliament may amend the calendar through further legislation.

The trading ban does not apply to cinemas, restaurants, cafés, petrol station shops, pharmacies, flower shops, or small outlets where the proprietor serves customers personally. Shopping centres may physically open, but most of the individual stores within them will remain shut — only cinemas, restaurants, and pharmacies inside malls are typically permitted to trade on restricted Sundays. Certain Żabka stores and round-the-clock petrol stations provide an option for basic essentials on any Sunday.

Poland now observes 14 public holidays per year as of 2025, and most shops close on these dates. Planning purchases ahead of time — especially around Easter, All Saints’ Day (1 November), and the Christmas season — will spare you unnecessary inconvenience.

What forms of payment are typically accepted in Poland?

Poland has built a highly sophisticated payments infrastructure, and card transactions have become the default method in the overwhelming majority of shops, supermarkets, restaurants, and service outlets in urban settings. Visa and Mastercard — both debit and credit — are accepted by all significant retailers, and contactless functionality is standard across payment terminals. Apple Pay and Google Pay are also broadly supported.

One payment method that is likely to be unfamiliar to most newcomers is BLIK — a homegrown Polish mobile payment system that links directly to a bank account through a smartphone application. It produces a six-digit single-use code that shoppers enter at the checkout terminal, at ATMs, or when paying online, and it enjoys extraordinary popularity throughout Poland. The vast majority of Polish banks have integrated BLIK into their apps, and once you have opened a local bank account it is well worth activating the service.

Cash in Polish złoty (PLN) continues to matter, particularly in rural areas, at open-air markets, and among smaller traders. Some market vendors and neighbourhood shops may not have card readers at all, so it is prudent to carry a reasonable amount of cash. In larger cities, however, it is perfectly feasible to go entire weeks without handling physical currency.

Poland remains outside the eurozone — its currency is the Polish złoty (PLN). ATMs, known locally as bankomaty, are plentiful in cities and towns throughout the country. Be cautious of machines operated by currency exchange firms, as these may offer disadvantageous dynamic currency conversion rates. Always select the option to be charged in PLN rather than your home currency to avoid incurring unnecessary conversion costs.

What are the major supermarkets in Poland, and how do they differ?

In the 2023 ranking of food retail chains in Poland, Biedronka claimed the top position, followed by Lidl and Auchan. Biedronka is owned by the Portuguese retail group Jerónimo Martins and operates roughly 3,400 outlets across the country, making it one of the largest grocery networks in Poland. It operates as a hard-discount format — analogous in market positioning to Aldi or Lidl elsewhere in Europe — with a sharp focus on competitive everyday pricing and regularly rotating promotional offers.

Lidl takes a somewhat different angle, projecting a more contemporary image. It delivers a strong fresh-produce offering and has earned a solid reputation for quality. With over 800 stores across Poland, Lidl also provides its own application featuring personalised deals and an expanding range of organic (bio) products. Both Biedronka and Lidl occupy the budget-to-mid-range segment of the market.

Carrefour is another well-established presence in Poland and one of the few chains to operate across multiple formats. Carrefour Hyper stores can be found in shopping centres and on major thoroughfares, while more compact Carrefour Market and Carrefour Express outlets suit everyday top-up shopping. Carrefour’s distinguishing feature is its extensive product selection; unlike the discount operators, its stores carry imported groceries, organic ranges, and a wide variety of international brands. Prices at Carrefour sit within the mid-range.

Kaufland and Auchan run large hypermarket formats, typically positioned on city peripheries or within sizeable retail parks. These are well suited to bulk shopping and carry a broader assortment of non-food items. Dino has expanded rapidly as a mid-sized supermarket chain, particularly well established in smaller towns and rural communities. Żabka stands out for its innovative convenience format aimed at shoppers prioritising speed and proximity, while Rossmann leads the drugstore category with a product range that extends well beyond mere grocery essentials.

In cities such as Warsaw, Kraków, or Gdańsk, residents typically mix and match across formats: completing a large monthly shop at a hypermarket, topping up essentials at a discount store, and relying on convenience outlets such as Żabka for unplanned purchases. Most supermarket chains offer loyalty apps carrying personalised promotions. The Carrefour Polska app delivers weekly deals that keep prices competitive, and Biedronka runs a comparable app-based loyalty programme.

How popular is online shopping in Poland, and what are the main platforms?

Poland occupies a prominent position in the development of the EU’s Digital Single Market, being among the fastest-expanding e-commerce markets in the European Union. By 2024, close to 80% of Polish internet users had reported making purchases online, underlining the remarkable growth of digital retail.

The dominant general marketplace in Poland is Allegro (allegro.pl), which functions as the local counterpart to eBay or Amazon, covering electronics, clothing, home goods, and considerably more. It is by a considerable margin the most widely used platform for both brand-new and second-hand items. Amazon is also active in Poland through amazon.pl and represents a credible alternative, particularly for international brands. Further popular platforms include OLX (classifieds and pre-owned goods), Ceneo (a price comparison engine directing users to various retailers), and Empik (books, music, and electronics).

On-demand grocery delivery in major Polish cities is handled by Glovo, Wolt, and Bolt Food. Carrefour has extended its partnership with Wolt to 59 stores across Poland, enabling shoppers to order online and receive deliveries within 35 minutes. Dedicated online grocery services such as Frisco.pl cater to Warsaw and other large urban centres.

Delivery times for standard e-commerce orders are broadly reliable, with next-day or two-day delivery widely available in urban areas from major retailers. InPost parcel lockers (paczkomaty) are a ubiquitous feature of the Polish landscape — they offer a particularly convenient collection method, enabling recipients to retrieve parcels around the clock from self-service lockers close to home or work.

Customs charges may apply to orders originating from outside the EU. Since Poland is a full EU member, goods arriving from other EU countries carry no customs duty, but purchases from further afield — such as from the United States, United Kingdom, or Asian markets — may attract VAT and import duties if they exceed certain value thresholds. Always verify the declared value and country of origin when ordering internationally, and consult current customs thresholds with Poland’s National Revenue Administration (KAS).

Are there shops or products in Poland catering specifically to expats or international tastes?

Poland’s principal cities — most notably Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Gdańsk, and Poznań — have developed a well-rounded selection of international food retailers and eateries capable of satisfying diverse culinary preferences. The expatriate and international population has grown considerably in recent years, and the retail sector has evolved to reflect this.

Carrefour distinguishes itself through its extensive and varied stock; unlike discount-format chains, its branches carry imported foodstuffs, organic ranges, and a broad array of international brands, making it a sensible first destination for expats in search of familiar products from home. Kaufland and Auchan hypermarkets also tend to offer a wider international selection than their discount-focused competitors.

For more specialised international ingredients, Warsaw in particular has cultivated a rich ecosystem of dedicated grocery shops. Asian supermarkets — including Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese grocers — can be found in most large cities, often concentrated in areas associated with established migrant communities. Middle Eastern and halal food outlets operate in Warsaw and Kraków. South American products are less readily available through mainstream retail channels but can be tracked down in specialist shops and certain international delicatessens.

Warsaw’s Hala Mirowska and Hala Gwardii are celebrated indoor market halls that bring together fresh produce, artisan goods, and international street food vendors. Hala Targowa in Kraków fulfils a comparable role in that city. Open-air bazaars (bazary) are found throughout Poland and are outstanding sources of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, and dairy products at competitive prices.

In terms of international non-food retailers, IKEA, H&M, Zara, MediaMarkt, and Decathlon all maintain a prominent presence in Polish shopping centres. Douglas and Sephora run cosmetics stores nationwide. Warsaw’s leading shopping centres — among them Galeria Mokotów, Złote Tarasy, and Arkadia — contain a diverse blend of both international and Polish retail brands.

What are your rights as a consumer in Poland?

Poland’s consumer protection framework is aligned with European Union regulations, reflecting the country’s status as an EU member state. Both EU-level rules and Polish domestic legislation govern consumer rights, with a shared emphasis on safety, transparency, and access to effective remedies. In practical terms, the protections available to consumers in Poland are broadly equivalent to those enjoyed in other EU countries.

The principal legislation governing consumer rights in Poland includes:

• The Civil Code (Kodeks cywilny), which contains provisions safeguarding consumers in contractual arrangements, product warranties, and disputes, and establishes the legal basis for the right to withdraw from certain contracts — including distance and off-premises sales agreements.
• The Consumer Rights Act (Ustawa o prawach konsumenta) of 2014, which represents a cornerstone of consumer protection law in Poland.
• The Act on Combating Unfair Market Practices and the Act on Competition and Consumer Protection, which reinforce defences against deceptive advertising and inequitable contractual terms.

Faulty goods: EU law requires that all consumers be afforded a minimum two-year legal guarantee as protection against defective goods, or items that fail to match their advertised description or function. Where goods are found to be defective, the seller is obliged to offer the consumer a repair, replacement, or refund. Under EU rules, any fault appearing within the first year of purchase is presumed to have existed at the point of sale, unless the seller can demonstrate otherwise.

Returns and cooling-off period: When purchasing goods online, through other distance-selling channels, or away from business premises (for example, from a door-to-door salesperson), you are entitled to cancel the order or return the item within 14 days — the cooling-off period — without being required to give any reason. It is important to note that retailers are under no obligation to accept returns on goods purchased in a physical store simply because the buyer has had a change of heart — this right is specific to distance and off-premises purchases and does not extend to standard in-store transactions.

Misleading advertising and unfair contract terms: Contractual terms are considered unfair when they have not been individually negotiated with the consumer and when they establish an imbalance between the parties’ rights and obligations that is contrary to good faith and significantly prejudicial to consumer interests.

Businesses addressing Polish consumers are legally required to use the Polish language in all communications carrying legal significance, including the naming of goods and services, drafting of offers, provision of warranties, issue of invoices and receipts, and supply of user manuals. As an expat, you are fully entitled to the same consumer protections as any other resident of Poland. Always retain receipts and any written records connected to a purchase. For the most up-to-date legal position, consult the official website of UOKiK (Office of Competition and Consumer Protection) or seek advice from a qualified legal professional.

Which organisations protect consumers in Poland, and how can you contact them?

Poland operates a well-structured network of consumer protection bodies at both national and local level. As an expat residing in Poland, you are fully entitled to access all of these services.

Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK)

The leading national authority for consumer protection is the Urząd Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumentów (UOKiK) — the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection. UOKiK is responsible for enforcing consumer law throughout Poland, and disputes may be resolved through mediation, arbitration, or court proceedings. The office investigates unfair commercial practices, misleading advertising, and anti-competitive conduct, and it maintains an official register of prohibited contractual clauses. Visit: uokik.gov.pl/en/

Consumer Federation (Federacja Konsumentów)

The Federacja Konsumentów is a non-governmental consumer organisation that runs free advisory centres for consumers across Poland. It assists individuals in lodging complaints, explains consumer rights, and can help facilitate the resolution of disputes with traders. Visit: federacja-konsumentow.org.pl

Local (Powiat) Consumer Ombudsmen

Each Polish powiat (county) has an appointed Consumer Ombudsman (Rzecznik Konsumentów) who delivers free advice and advocacy to local residents. These ombudsmen can correspond with traders on your behalf, represent you in court proceedings, and refer cases to UOKiK where appropriate. Contact details for your local ombudsman are available through the UOKiK website or your local county authority (starostwo powiatowe).

European Consumer Centre Poland (ECC Poland)

Where a dispute involves a trader based in another EU member state, the European Consumer Centre Poland — part of the EU-wide ECC-Net network — offers free guidance and practical support. A consumer residing in an EU member state and a trader registered in Poland may apply to the relevant institutions for dispute resolution. Visit: UOKiK / ECC Poland

Out-of-Court Dispute Resolution (ADR)

Disputes between traders and consumers may be settled either through the courts or via out-of-court (amicable) methods, including arbitration, mediation facilitated by the parties themselves, or proceedings conducted by independent traders’ associations, commercial bodies, or consumer organisations. These approaches are generally faster, less costly, and less burdensome for all parties than formal court proceedings. Alternative consumer dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms are actively evolving in Poland, providing effective routes to resolving conflicts without the need for litigation.

Online Dispute Resolution (ODR)

For disputes arising from online purchases, the EU’s Online Dispute Resolution platform is available to assist with cross-border disagreements within the EU. Access it at: ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr

Frequently asked questions: retail and consumer issues in Poland

Can I shop on Sundays in Poland?

Residents planning a weekend shopping trip in Poland need to account for the country’s Sunday trading restrictions. Rules introduced in 2018 mean that most shops are closed on the majority of Sundays, with only a small number of designated trading Sundays permitted each year. Pharmacies, petrol stations, and small shops run by their owners are among the categories that may remain open on most Sundays.

Is cash still necessary in Poland, or can I use a card everywhere?

Card and contactless payments are broadly accepted in supermarkets, shopping centres, and the majority of restaurants and cafés in urban areas. That said, cash is advisable when visiting smaller independent shops, outdoor markets, and rural locations. Keeping a supply of Polish złoty available for occasions when cards are not accepted remains a sensible precaution.

What is BLIK and do I need to use it?

BLIK is a Polish mobile payment system that produces a one-time six-digit code through your banking app, which can be used to pay in stores, online, or at ATMs. It is not compulsory, but it is exceptionally popular and highly convenient — particularly for online transactions. Once you hold a Polish bank account, registering for BLIK is a simple process.

What is the cheapest supermarket in Poland?

For the most budget-friendly shopping, Biedronka and Lidl are widely regarded as the top choices thanks to their competitive pricing and frequent promotional deals. Auchan and Kaufland hypermarkets also offer attractive prices, especially when buying in larger quantities. Convenience stores such as Żabka charge a notable premium per item and are better reserved for urgent purchases rather than the main weekly shop.

Do I have the right to return a product I no longer want?

Retailers are under no legal obligation to accept a return on goods purchased in a physical store simply because the customer has changed their mind. However, the Consumer Rights Act grants consumers the right to withdraw from most contracts for goods or services within 14 days of receiving them, without providing any reason, provided the purchase was made online or through distance-selling channels — the cooling-off period. For defective goods, the two-year statutory warranty applies regardless of how the purchase was made.

How long does a statutory warranty last in Poland for faulty goods?

EU law mandates a minimum two-year legal guarantee offering protection against faulty goods or products that fail to match their advertised appearance or function. The consumer is entitled to a free repair, a replacement item, or a refund in the event of a defect. It is important to retain proof of purchase, as this will be required when making a warranty claim.

Where can I find international or imported food products in Poland?

Across major cities including Warsaw, Kraków, and Wrocław, a range of dedicated Asian, Middle Eastern, and international food shops are in operation. Carrefour is notable for its wide product selection, stocking imported foods, organic items, and numerous international brands — setting it apart from discount chains. Outdoor markets and indoor market halls are also excellent destinations for fresh, locally sourced produce.

Who do I contact if I have a complaint against a Polish trader?

Begin by submitting your complaint to the trader directly in writing. If the matter remains unresolved, reach out to your local Consumer Ombudsman (Rzecznik Konsumentów) for free advice and representation, or submit a complaint to UOKiK at uokik.gov.pl/en/. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms are well established in Poland and provide effective means of settling disputes without recourse to the courts. For cross-border EU disputes, contact the European Consumer Centre Poland.