to think the government has no grounds to control when shops are open and for how long

[Objection]

Like many people, I'm always thrown by shop closures at Easter. I really don't understand WHY the government deems it necessary to restrict or ban shops from opening - surely that should be at the owners descretion?
Unless I'm missing some crucial point, surely Easter is optimum time for shopping and the economy would benefit from it?

I spent last summer in a country where the shops shut every Sunday. It was actually lovely that Sunday wasn't a normal day.

I think we should go back to half days on wednesday and closed on a Sunday as a general rule. i don't see this desperation for shops to be open all day every day. if you cannot somehow manage to purchase essentials over the other 5.5 days a week there's something wrong.

Also, I don't understand the argument that the economy would benefit.
If the law changed and there were no restrictions on opening time it would create more jobs as big stores like Asda and Tesco would open 24/7. To staff that they would need more staff. However, for most households their monthly shopping budget wouldn't change. So they will still spend the same amount in Tesco each month whether it was at 8am on a Sunday or 11am on a Sunday.
The shops being open longer wouldn't suddenly give people more money to spend.

Slack gardener i don't make the rules up the Swiss do. Why ban the internet? It doesn't create noise. Any household task that makes noise that would be heard by someone else or a household task that could be seen by someone else, should not be performed on a Sunday. So don't hang your washing out in the garden or hoover your floor etc etc. Everyone is encouraged to relax, not work and spend time with their families. Yes i do mumsnet for a little while, (right now DCs are playing by themselves) but i don't do laundry or other non essential household tasks.

A few years ago we lived in a flat. DD had a birthday party. Afterwards i had to sweep the floor rather than hoover as it would have upset the neighbours enjoying their relaxing Sunday. It is not about being controlled by the government it is about respecting your neighbours and not disturbing their Sunday should they choose to relax and not work or hear othes working.

Now we live in a house i could use my washing machine but i don't as i am now in the habit of not working on a Sunday.

Surely a birthday party makes more noise than a hoover? Doesn't seem like a relaxing activity for a sunday either.

Do you have a Birthday party twice a week?

BioSuisse I think that sounds lovely, a bit of quiet and respect on one day of the week.

We had a lovely family Easter. If I still worked in retail that would not have been possible, yes I might have got another day off but others in the family might not have done and there is a big difference between the long weekend given by Easter and one day off when families have to travel long distances to be together. I agree with those who say this lack of special time has weakened the family as a societal unit in this country.

Retail workers are treated appallingly, expected to work every hour God sends for pennies while not appreciated or respected by public and employers alike. When 7 day trading came in we were assured Sunday would always be special, paid at premium rate and never compulsory. Well guess what? The premium rates have gone and staff are not given a choice now about whether they work Sundays or not. I suspect part of this is because there is only a finite amount of money that can be spent; it can be spent over 6 days or over 7 with the correspondingly higher overheads. The staff are the ones who pay for that in the long run.

Objection the noise from a birthday party is children having fun not someone doing their housework. It is a sociable occasion so yes the noise from a childrens birthday party is perfectly acceptable. But you are either not getting my point at all or being a bit difficult because you just don't agree. Either way, time to leave

We have a big designer shopping outlet here and they pay minimum wage including on Sundays Always have done.

I wish we went back to shops being closed on Sunday and half day on Wednesday.

When I worked in Munich all the shops were shut on Sunday (bars, restaurants and cafés open only) and it was great.

Hah! I worked in retail while studying at university, it was almost impossible to get bank holidays off. I quit when at Christmas they expected me to be back in on Boxing Day, when My family lived 3 hours away and I'd had to work Christmas Eve.

I really don't understand the obsession some have with hitting the shops.

If I had my way, no shops would be open on BHs. I work a 40+ hr week and yet still have time to organise food etc for holidays.

I was working for an electrical store one Xmas. Id arranged to meet someone for lunch during my lunch break on Christmas Eve.

But I was informed that although I was still getting a half hour lunch break that day I wasn't allowed to leave the building for it. And when did they inform me of this? when I got in on Xmas Eve morning so I had to ring the person I was going to meet and cancel at short notice. They had laid on a free sandwich and Pringles lunch for us at the back of the building which was fair enough. But a bit more notice wouldn't have gone amiss. Back then I was on the contraceptive injection and it was a nightmare trying to get a couple of hours off when that was due. And yet employers like these are the first to moan about it if an employee gets pregnant.