About non-essential shops being open on boxing day

[NayrusWisdom7]

Just that I am sick and tired of christmas being ruined every year by having to work Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. The sales may be all well and good but someone has to give up their day to make it happen! I think if stores are to be open at all on boxing day they should be subject to sunday trading hours of 1-6 only. I'm sure fellow retail workers will agree.. Or maybe I'm just bitter?

Christmas to me is Christmas Day and Boxing Day

When I worked I worked on Christmas Eve but we usually got a half day or got to leave early, so as nice as it is I wouldn't treat it as a bank holiday

I would be happy to do without shops pubs, telly, internet etc for those days

I think most people would argue that electricity and gas are essentials unless part of your plans are to get people to freeze to death

I never understand why people argue only black and white on these threads, don't like working on Christmas Day then change your jobs, don't think next should be open on Boxing Day well then sit in a dark room with no heat for the Christmas period. It doesn't have to be one or the other

There was only one acceptable response to Expat: Christmas must be very difficult for you indeed, I hope you've had support and love in real life over the last few days. It's completely understandable why you visited a restaurant on Christmas Day that year, and I'm absolutely sure you would rather have been at home with your girl. Thank goodness there was a restaurant open.

Anything else was damn cold hearted.

I would happily have done without the internet on Christmas Day as that would have saved me being and at various family members that demanded our wifi password within 5 minutes of arriving while I was trying to cook and DP and MIL were setting the table for lunch.

We've hardly had the TV on either as we've had a couple of full on family days and been out for a nice walk. But I can see that Christmas telly is quite a big part of Christmas for a lot of people especially those with limited mobility etc.

I'd say that large shops should shut Christmas Day and Boxing Day and perhaps have shorter hours in the following days because the workers need a break. The big shopping centre near us is still on extended hours for the sales.

Christmas day has been a public holiday in Scotland since 1958. So pretty much the entire time most of the working population have been in employment and definitely the norm for over 50 years.

There is a big difference between a public holiday and a customary holiday. Most people do celebrate Christmas and did so in Scotland even when it wasn't a public holiday.

I could easily have done without the TV as most of what was on was crap. Same goes for the Internet.

Mrs I think you are just being intentionally obtuse now

I can't believe some of the comments on here! As others have said boxing day isn't even a thing now.

While those of you are putting the blame of customers why don't I just blame my patients who have conveniently fell ill at the wrong time of year when I want to be at home with my family.......oh wait they have no control over that and I was well aware when I took this career it was year round.

Utterly disgusted

Perhaps Use but better than being nasty?

Retail isn't an essential service in my opinion. Shops just don't need to be open.

Anyway it's over isn't it. Hope you've all managed to enjoy Christmas working or not.

Mrs, you'll find that the only nasty people on this thread have been those saying shops should be closed on Boxing day.
Other people understand it's a pita, but not enough to "ruin Christmas" and feel that customers should not be blamed for shops being open. Rather, bosses and large companies should. I don't think anyone was nasty to people having to work on those days, essential or not.

I agree. The people who behaved abusively on this thread spent their time targeting people trying to explain why they might use services such as restaurants over the Christmas period. Expat had her bereavement turned against her and I had remarks such as "having no mates" and sneers against my alleged "crippling loneliness"

The stuff against Expat was vile. I know and do do others where the nastiness came from on this thread and which posters produced it.

interesting about Scotland and Christmas, I believe the non celebration was to do with John Knox.

lweji

Sorry if I've misunderstood but are you saying that those people who think shops should be shut on Boxing Day are nasty?

Or just that SOME of the people who have argued that are nasty?

It's just I don't think it's clear

I would imagine Lweji was saying that the unpleasant posts on this thread were from a couple of people in favour of Boxing day closure, not from all the posters who were of that opinion. That's how I read it anyway and I agree. Most people disagreed in a civilised way. A couple of posters were utterly vile and if I said what I think of them I'd be banned.

Yes, it could have been better phrased, but basically there was no nastiness on this thread except from some people against shops/restaurants opening on Boxing day.

Fair enough lweji

As livestock farmers me and my husband are out feeding our animals til midday on Christmas day..they can't starve! We have to work Christmas around it..DD goes down with MIL for about 3 hrs Christmas morning while we work. So I wouldn't get too upset about working Boxing Day...

Christmas was not a holiday in Scotland as it was deemed 'too papist' probably by John Knox. New year was the bigger celebration in Scotland.