To wonder why we still shut all the shops at5.30?

[Lanark2]

I work all week, often sleep in at the weekend, and get my shopping mojo at about 5 on a Saturday, but then all the shops shut..why? I have so many clothes and home items from supermarkets as a result.

How have we resisted a continental pattern, when we have the darkest evenings??

It's what people are used to is all.

I remember going on holiday to a small Highland village to stay with relatives. The first Sunday, being a city child at the time and having holiday money burning a hole in my pocket, I let myself out of the house and went up to the shop to buy some sweeties. I knocked on the closed door but there was no reply. I didn't realise about The Sabbath.

On returning, I explained where I'd been. My great-aunt, a Minister's widow, had a fit of the vapours at the terrible shame of it all and had to be given copious drafts of sweet tea by my anxious mother. I went off down to the beach to kick some pebbles.

I adjusted. It was the way they did things.

As someone who works in a retail park that is open until 10pm, I can tell you that more jobs are not created in the shops. The hours are just changed so that there are fewer staff on the shop floor. There are no many people coming shopping at that hour of the evening and frankly, I don't want to be out working until 9.30 at night (our store closes at 9 because there was no custom in the last hour and damn little after 6pm anyway.) If you want to mooch round the shops, then do it at the weekend.

Saturday sees shops shut earlier in London than in the week, and also in large shopping centres elsewhere it seems. Perhaps because Saturdays sees more people able to shop in the daytime.

As for Sunday, I'd like to see shops close until noon. Let's have one morning a week for a lie-in if we wish, or church if religious.

I think yabu
I live in a village and we have a large co op and corner shop that are both open 7am til 10pm mon/sat
A 15 min drive means a choice of 3 24 hour supermarkets
What more would you want?
In fact one of the local 24 hour tescos is stopping opening 24 hours
I think with the amount of online shopping now it's actually costing them money to stay open 24 hours

And think of the poor staff!

In Madrid shops open from 10 to 8.30-9 (depending on the shop. Department stores close at 10 at night). Most don't close for lunch.

This includes weekends (with slight variations in some shops, like opening at 11-12 on Sunday). And Southern Europeans are supposed to be the lazy ones .

Ah you see the problem there Wheat is that the 9 to 5 ers don't want to work unsociable hours themselves. They want other, lesser, people to do it. They don't need to see their families as much you see.

Exactly pipbin

It never ceased to amaze me when I was shutting up shop at 5.30 on a Saturday and putting away what was left the few customers that came in asking "Are we closing now?" And looking surprised. Errr yes! We are! Having been open from 7.30 am and having been here well before that we'd quite like to go home now. Shops don't miraculously set themselves up on Morning before they actually open. It's a hell of a long day and especially if you're doing both the opening and closing up.

Buy hey! Who needs to rest and see their families eh.

I think that everyone should have to do 1 year of national service in retail.

We have four 24 hour Tesco's within 2 miles of us, we aren't even in the centre of London. (Although they do close on Sundays at 5)

But if its food you want at 11pm on a sunday? Turkish Food Centre is always open. Even on Christmas day. We Londoners have all been spoiled probably but I couldn't deal with all this shutting at 5.30pm nonsense.

I often wonder how people managed when I was a child.... Very little flexible working - most jobs were just 9 to 5:30... The very same hours as the shops! Fine if you had a 'housewife' to do the shopping for the family, but if not, I genuinely don't know how people managed.... But of course we did. The 'corner shop' opened later if you needed some tins of this or that, or some over-ripe bananas.

I wish my shop closed at 5.30pm! We're open 5.30-22.00 Mon-Sat and 7.00-22.00 on a Sunday. We could probably closer earlier tbh, especially on a Sunday, but head office is all profits profits profits and want us to stay open as long as possible

And think of the poor staff!

Why do we need to have sympathy for retail staff? A job is a job at the end of the day

Yeah...min wage workers don't have families or other responsibilities like the "rest" of us
It won't make more jobs...current staff will be expected to take on more hours

Why do we need to have sympathy for retail staff? A job is a job at the end of the day

So if management at your work announced that your business was now open until 9 pm and everyone had to do 3 late shifts a week and if you don't like it then you know where the door is, you'd be fine with that then?

The fact is that the bricks and mortar shops have to compete with online which did not exist in 1994. We have to level that playing field. Or does anyone suggest making the online retailers close their servers?

On 8 March the Commons will vote on the Government's plan to allow councils to extend Sunday trading hours. It is flawed because it allows councils to change their minds and I don't see how businesses can commit on that basis; it also allows them to extend hours in one part of their area but not another which sounds like a recipe for confusion and corruption.

What us bizarre is that although it does not apply to Scotland the SNP can turn out against it, so it will probably fail; which on the whole is a pity. But the day will come.

I think plenty of people just like buying things on line and don't want to spend their evenings and weekends schlepping around the shops.

I don't understand the problem that retail staff would face if shops opened longer. Surely the shop would be staffed in shifts - rather than telling one person they have to work 12-14 hours every day? More staff would be needed but revenue would massively increase if shops opened when people could actually get there! More jobs, more shopping hours, more revenue. Everyone's a winner.

Its a bit shitty really

Internet shopping has really taken off but its full of high street shops who saw an opportunity to make money

Now the high street shops are suffering and to compete with the internet shopping (that they are doing!) the shops want to open later and later

Meanwhile we are being told that the reason the high street is suffering is because loads of us internet shop (on websites the fucking high street shops opened) and its therefore the consumers "fault" that shops are in danger of closing...oh yes and all thise pesky retail staff demanding £7.20 minimum wage

I don't understand all this "poor shop workers" stuff... I loved working weekend hours as a sixth former, and growing up my mum worked evenings and weekends part time to bring in extra cash, which wouldn't have been possible during normal hours as she was looking after me, that way I was also able to spend quality time just with my dad on some evenings. I don't see what the bloody problem is with that? At least it makes work for people who need it! My teenage stepbrother also does evening retail work and he loves it, fits round college and he stays up late so still goes out with his mates after the shift.

We are in the 21st century now - the world neednt shut down at 5pm on weekdays and all day Sunday.

Full time staff (managers, assistant managers, shop owners) usually need to be around to supervise, even when they employ Saturday staff.

Most (all?) shops are pretty flexible and do extend opening hours when this means they will make more money e.g. at Christmas. However, if you are just spending more money to sell the same amount of stock, extended opening doesn't make any sense.

There is a big difference Snoz between being employed as weekend or late shift staff and having a late night forced on you.