To think it's time to abolish Sunday trading rules in England

No I think everything should be shut fully on a Sunday it should be a day of rest for all and everyone should plan to do their shopping on another day.

In some ways we've got the worst of both worlds now. Lots of things open longer hours but the support infrastructure many need to work like public transport, elder care and formal childcare is much patchier. People expect to be able to access lots of services over the full weekend, often understandably so, and meanwhile we don't have the workers to staff them and some people who wouldn't mind doing the more unsocial hours are excluded because of practicalities.

Here's a thought. Why not have that conversation with yourself a bit earlier in the day.
How on earth can you 'often' be caught out by 4:30 happening at 4:30 every Sunday?

I agree .
As someone who worked Sundays for many years i found the time before opening frustrating knowing i could have got a couple of hours work done then finish at a reasonable time.
So the same for me normal working hours or close completely which i think could be a positive thing for lots of people.

I strongly agree. I think that more than ever, we need variations in the pace of the week.

same with other things, Scotland manages it fine but when it might affect England it becomes a song and dance. Smoking ban, payment for single use bags being another couple of example.

I think it’s quite nice to have a day where not everything is open all the time.

And good that retail workers get at least part of the day guaranteed off.

Not for any religious reasons but I’m not sure everything should be 100% open at our convenience all the time.

Probably at a time when only one parent worked so all your food shopping could be done whenever.

Hopefully you won't mind the Welsh, English and Northern Irish having a slightly higher bar for policy change than probably won't cause full societal collapse.

Sunday Trading laws are out of date and need to be abolished. That Sunday panic buying before the shops close at 4pm. Everything is then dead from 4pm onwards.

I'm with you OP

No - I think it's exactly the 24/7 lifestyle that is causing so much burn out, particularly for young people. I think it's healthy to have one day where things stop for a bit - I mean, it doesn't really "stop" - places are still open 10-4 - that's enough. There are still places that open late on a Sunday.

Yep and i LOVE it.

Previously it was even better with everything closing at 2pm on a Saturday (except the first Saturday of the month) and everything closing at 6:30pm every day.

Yes I’d prefer that too!

It’s happened in Scotland without society collapsing so I’ll take my chances.

Yes. English Sunday trading laws are pathetic. For some reason some people in England seem to think that despite the UK being secular now plenty of other industries having to work a normal day retail should somehow be a special case. Much better up here. Not long back from Sainsbury’s myself.

Great, so you're happy to give up one of the two days a week you get with your children, to staff them then? No? Neither is anyone else. There aren't millions of people happy to work until 6 on a Sunday. We're slaves to the needs of the business as it is. I'm sure you can have a coffee on one of the other 6 days a week. Or, you know, try out that funky gadget in your kitchen that makes it for you.

I have lived in NI, England and Scotland. Live in Scotland now. Honestly, every time I go somewhere else this really annoys me. It is so inconvenient!

Sure, people can argue for a law change if they want. I'm not going to stand in their way. My point is that advocates pretty much never think about the practicalities, and that they might want to be careful what they wish for. My own guess is that if we did change it, what would probably happen is the existing workforce numbers being stretched more thinly because the support infrastructure isn't there and Sunday shopping become an even grimmer experience.

Would happily see them abolished. Don’t see why retail needs this protected status when people are happy for restaurants to be open all day and late on a Sunday.

if I go to my local town people are literally queuing at 10am to get in the supermarket. It’s just daft.

If no one wants to work Sunday hours, then the shop won’t be able to open or the shop will have to pay more won’t they. Seems to work fine in Scotland as well.

For all those saying retail workers would get shorter days during the week or whatever. It doesn’t work like that. Each time the goalposts get moved the retail workers are pushed further into the corners. And told if you don’t like it get another job. That isn’t so easy, particularly nowadays.

Even though I no longer work in retail I think it was far better when shops were closed on Sundays.

can't you just buy ice cream with your regular shopping?

My freezer has magnums and choc ices in it for ds, most of the summer. It's really not difficult.

If we did abolish it supermarket workers would get an even worse deal. At least this way they have some of Sunday off

The law around whether a shop can legally open shouldn’t be based on whether lots of people are willing to do the work and current bus driver shortages. If a shop can’t be staffed then obviously it can’t open, but that’s nothing to do with the government.

Totlly agree. Needs to go. The argument that it gives retail staff a break can equally be argued it limits their income. Especially women who often work retial jobs as part time, extras at weekends when their partner may be more around for childcare.

Stupid, outdated rules.

I rather doubt there's the same demand to work jobs in supermarkets at 9am on Sundays than 10am on Thursdays though. They do actually have to be staffed by someone, and I've yet to see anyone who wants extended Sunday hours think about who.