Should they change the Sunday Opening Hours?

[Tilda77]

Just that really..DH and I were then pondering going to the supermarket but have no mood at the moment and time is running out as they shut at 4pm.
I was just wondering what others thought of this law that large shops are only allowed to open for 6 hours on a Sunday? We would probably have gone to the supermarket a little later if that was an option. Some people may like to work on a Sunday to be able to earn some extra wages? Does anyone think it's time to change the laws or do you think they should stay the same ?

I’m Jewish. No it isn’t.

I think the current 6 hours is a decent balance.
Some posters want Sunday to be a "day of rest" either for religious or other reasons. Some want Sundays to be the same as every other day.

I think shops would struggle to staff extra opening hours at the moment. Most people are used to the reduced opening hours so can plan around them or make use of smaller stores if they need to access out of opening times. Most stores have figured out which 6 hours are best for them to open (by me most do 12-6 or 11-5 rather than 10-4).

Sunday opening is useful for those who work M-F, gives them 2 days to be able to shop and fit in around other weekend activities.

As a pp said to those who want shops to close on Sundays, is it just shops or what about other leisure too? No swimming pools, museums, galleries, cinemas, theatres etc open either? No thanks.

Those who want Sundays as a day of rest can quite easily mark that for themselves without imposing it on everyone else.

Yes it was much better

I live in Scotland, I am always bemused by Sunday trading laws in England.

either close, if it is for moral or tel rigorous reasons, or open normal hours. What is the point of a half way house?

Better for who? In what way?

Yes, Sunday trading laws are outdated. People should be free to open businesses and work when they want. So long as those who observe the Sabbath traditionally are not forced to work then I don't see what the problem is. We already have shops etc open on other religions' days of rest.

Shoppers have a finite amount of money so I am sure shops don’t make more money by opening Sunday . The hours are fine and allow retail staff an early finish to spend time with family. Small local branches are open late if you forget anything . The worst thing that ever happened was changing Sunday pub hours . We used to take as much money between 12-3 pm , when the place was packed ,than we do now with a steady dribble of people all afternoon and still having to pay wages, heat and light .

I may be slightly biased as I work in retail but do people seriously not think shops are open long enough? Absolutely no need for shops to be open until late at night every single day of the week.

I had a weekend retail job when Sunday trading first came in. Used to get paid time and a half. Had hardly any customers as ours was the only store in the town that opened on Sundays. It was great!

As a shopper I hate Sunday trading laws (1pm-6pm in NI) but when I worked in retail I loved it. You got a lie in and could spend the morning with your family. I think they're a lovely thing to have in place for workers. There's online shopping and 6 other days of the week for anyone who desperately needs to be shopping at 9am Sunday morning.

I cldnt imagine them only being open 6hrs must lose them a lot of business. Maybe I'm just used to them being open all day here in Scotland.

@Schoolchoicesucks

Roads weren't so busy

Workers weren't pressurised to work on Sunday and enjoy family time

Now there is not even time and a half if people work Sunday

Sunday trading rules are outdated. There is so much flexibility in working times now, that it should not impact on employees any more than it does now, for those who work one day a week, or 4 hours a day, or part-time, or full-time. Wages are by the hour, and retail is used to flexible working. There is nothing different to having a Sunday off, rather than a Tuesday or a Thursday.

MN staff might also feel pressured to work on Sunday but here you are posting and ensuring they don’t get any family time.

Wonder how much co2 could be saved by closing shops on a Sunday.

@PuppyMonkey

Fair point

I worked in retail 15+ years ago, DH did until 8 years ago. Even if every shop was open 24hrs, some customers would never be happy.

I worked in a fancy garden centre and every day someone would waltz in 5 mins before closing expecting us to stay open (for them to buy large pots, compost and a fruit tree 🙄). On numerous occasions someone would come running through the door as security was trying to lock up. Absolutely baffled me. Don’t get me started on the Sunday’s the clocks changed, so much huffing and complaining as if we came up with the idea of Daylight Saving just to spite them.

The shops are open for the majority of the day. If you keep forgetting that the shops shut at the same time every Sunday and have done for some time , you keep getting to 4pm every week without realising you don’t have essentials then you have bigger problems than Sunday trading laws.

Supermarket staff have worked through absolutely awful conditions throughout Covid, their contracts have been changed to take away benefits and reduce entitlements wherever their employers can. I’d like to see their opening hours reduced not increased. Realistically, opening longer hours would just spread staff thinner throughout the day. I greatly doubt they’d recruit for a few more hours on one day, it’d be expected that existing staff fill the gaps.

They could have Sunday off. I'm sure we could be trusted to look after the place...

Isn't there enough time during the rest of the week to do shopping?

They should when and if a vast majority of shop/supermarket workers want it /ask for it.

Not random "oh I fancy a supermarket trip"
or "ohh think of all the extra money they'll get for the extra hours" people.

It depends on your job and where you need to go, my son has specialist insoles so needs shoes that fit with them, generally that meant clarks or start rite. Our local clarks was shut on a Sunday, as was the independent that sold start rite. I worked when the two were open, so just to buy shoes I had to take a day off work and take my son out of nursery (and still pay the days fees) as I couldn’t take leave on the Saturday.

As a late teen early 20’s I worked as a waiter and in a distribution warehouse, Sunday was my only day off, this was before supermarket groceries etc. So it was my only day for all shopping, be it clothes, food, shoes etc. When you’re working two jobs you don’t have masses of free time.

I think the audit trading laws are daft and outdated. The usual argument is to allow people to have 'a day of rest' but in today's world of flexible working, that is not necessary- why can't a Saturday, or a Wednesday, be their day of rest instead? Also, what does a day of rest even mean these days? Not be at work? Surely nobody would suddenly need to work 7 days a week if the Sunday hours were extended a little?

Also, some people do work Monday to Saturday... and then it's annoying because things are closed on Sundays.

Oh yes, and forgot to add that I used to work in a supermarket and although we only opened for 6 hours, staff were there waaaaaaay longer, stacking shelves and dealing with deliveries etc. It's literally just that we didn't sell things during those opening hours. So it doesn't really make a difference to staff - they're still working when the shop is closed!!

Growing up, Sunday evening was weekly shop night for as long as I can remember (mid 30s, live in Scotland). Fish and chips with dad on the way home then antiques roadshow!

As a student I did an elective placement in England and trundled along to 24/7 tesco at 7pm and was genuinely bewildered to find it shut. I think these laws are based on religion, which is in the minority these days.

No