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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think Christmas day shoppers can't complain?

55 replies

HardHatOnin321 · 13/12/2017 11:00

About staff being made to work Christmas/shops being open?
Ex retail staff here - glad to be out of it. For 3yrs I continually worked every public holiday and event. On almost every one someone would come in and say
"God, I can't believe your open on x day! I don't like that... can't believe this" and so forth... or worse
"It's Christmas! Don't you have family to see"
Actually yeah I do including a young baby but unfortunately I'm stood here serving ungrateful gits Hmm was what I wanted to say, but I said nothing, smiled and wished her a merry Christmas.
Aibu to find it infuriating that every year, retail staff are confronted with this and it's widely complained about, yet a lot of these people flock to the shops between Xmas eve and Boxing Day while whining about shops being open ?
If you're one of these people who doesn't like it, bloody stay home!

OP posts:
stickytoffeevodka · 13/12/2017 12:15

I do get double time for Boxing Day but it's still pissed me off when customers come in and fake sympathy for us being at work.

The people who pop out to the shops and spend money are the reason we open on Boxing Day. We once asked our Area Manager if we could shut on Boxing Day and he said "Sure, if you can take the amount you take on Boxing Day on Christmas Eve, you can close!"

CanIBuffalo · 13/12/2017 12:16

John Lewis are closed on Boxing Day.

HamishBamish · 13/12/2017 12:20

It's a shame that we can't have all shops closed for at least Christmas, Boxing and New Year days. There's no need for them to be open if people are organised.

Restaurants being open on Christmas day also seems odd to me. I'm sure they can charge well over the odds, but I doubt that gets passed onto the staff who are working, unless they receive large tips.

YouParkLikeTwats · 13/12/2017 12:25

My very local Superstore is pretty much only closed Christmas Day.

I could easily live without needing to go there Boxing Day, New Years Day etc. I probably won't. But if they choose to open I would take advantage of the fact they were open if I needed to. And yes I'd feel bad for the lovely staff. But it's the stores choice to provide that service. We all coped years ago.

ReinettePompadour · 13/12/2017 12:30

Restaurants being open on Christmas day also seems odd to me. I'm sure they can charge well over the odds, but I doubt that gets passed onto the staff who are working, unless they receive large tips

No I wont be paid a penny more than NMW for Christmas Day and the tips are shared between everyone at the hotel. I actually got £2.00 in tips for the whole of last week and I served 300 afternoon teas/light lunches on my own through the week. Once you consider the tip is shared between the waitress, the receptionists, the chef, the sous chef, the cleaners, the pot washers, the porters, the supervisor, housekeepers etc etc your tip is not worth waiting for.

namechangedcantthinkofnewone · 13/12/2017 12:37

When I worked in call centre they stopped double or treble time for Xmas day. I was put down for Xmas eve 1-10pm, Xmas day 1-10pm the , New Year's Eve 1-10pm the way my shift fell and New Year's Day. I had 2 young children then, I wasn't fussed for New Years but couldn't change shifts for Christmas. I left middle of December, so glad I did.

All my previous jobs have been in retail, I think shops should be closed Xmas day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day to celebrate, spend time with family or just a holiday.

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 13/12/2017 12:56

Yeah no double time here either

Loads of shops have stopped it...and quite a few of the shops that still have it only have it for longterm staff who signed a different contract

Original poster
HardHatOnin321 · 13/12/2017 13:05

Look; I don't really mean for this to be a debate about whether people should work Christmas (I think they should have the option of working or not, personally, and if they choose not to then the business can buy in agency staff at £££££ or not open, tough) but I can see how that's not enforceable and how most low paid staff would quickly be forced out of work based on a spurious reason they can't afford to take to tribunal - in any case, what I mean is the hypocrisy of people complaining about how sad it is that you're not with your family, when if everyone refused to shop on Christmas it wouldn't be worth opening at all so shops simply wouldn't open its basic business.... the people who are stood there saying "oh how sad you're not at home" are literally the reason shops are open, but I'm pretty sure given their attitude they don't notice!
If you're in favour of shops being open then you're clearly not one of those hypocrites...

OP posts:
Chattymummyhere · 13/12/2017 13:25

I am always shocked that people are expected to work Boxing Day. However if the shops are open we will shop. I know that makes me a hypocrite. Dh is only off Christmas Day and Boxing Day so we take advantage of the shops being open Boxing Day and him being home with the car.

If the shops where shut we would just shop another day after work, I don’t make that small chit chat of it’s such a shame etc with staff serving me. If that makes it any better.

JaneEyre70 · 13/12/2017 13:31

I avoid any shops like the plague from mid November to mid January!! I don't know what's worse - frantic Christmas shopping or the queues of people taking stuff back Grin. I don't think any shops should be open Christmas Day or Boxing Day regardless of what they are selling. It's consumerism gone mad. And very sad that people don't have anything better to do.

stickytoffeevodka · 13/12/2017 13:33

I actually don't mind people shopping on Boxing Day - people can spend their days off however they choose, and they're not responsible for businesses choosing to open.

But the comments do annoy me - I have to work Boxing Day so when people try and be falsely sympathetic about it, it does annoy me. No, I can't take annual leave, ask for it as a day off or anything - everyone in our shop works Boxing Day - it's too busy for people to have the day off, and nobody is allowed any annual leave over the Christmas period.

I think a lot of customers don't realise that we have no choice. If our store opens, we have to work. There's no choice about it.

chocolatemademefat · 13/12/2017 13:50

My husband is in hospitality and will be working Christmas Day and Boxing Day for minimum wage. As an incentive the staff are given a drink from the bar. He has to drive ten miles home so will have Diet Coke.

SchoolMoney · 13/12/2017 14:10

I really really don't understand it. Unless emergency services/health care/other things that don't take a break so obviously need the staff. Reduced bedding/clothes etc can wait.
There was a shop near me growing up that opened for 4 hours(ish) on Christmas morning. Family run so they took turns doing the day. Anyone who went in generally spent most of the time thanking them profusely for being open since they were a corner shop/newsagents type and silly Santa sometimes forgot to bring batteries 😁😁😁.
They were the saviour of many Christmas morning. Ramble off topic finished now....

ReanimatedSGB · 13/12/2017 14:21

I appreciate your point, OP: people do say dumb things.
I just get irritated with whiners who think shops should close on certain days because they don't want to shop there. Lots of people don't celebrate Christmas (either because they celebrate a different festival, or because they are just not interested.) Quite a lot of people don't have a close family they want to spend those particular days with (either no living relatives or the family they have are vile people they are N/C with).
Also, those with emergency-services jobs work shifts over Christmas, and might just want to be able to buy themselves some bread, or a ready meal, or some bogroll on the way home from their Christmas shift, so they need one or two shops to be open.
Other people who work Christmas etc: locksmiths, plumbers, electricians, cabbies.

IsaSchmisa · 13/12/2017 14:34

Your point about people who don't celebrate Christmas and thus appreciate either the chance to shop or get paid at a higher rate isn't necessarily true in either respect SGB. Those forced to work over Christmas aren't always paid more. And plenty of people who don't celebrate would still like the time off to eg spend with their children in the holidays from school.

diddl · 13/12/2017 14:50

"It's a shame that we can't have all shops closed for at least Christmas, Boxing and New Year days."

Happens here in Germany.

Usually close lunch timish CE, then closed Christmas Day & Boxing day.

If CE is a Sunday they are closed all day.

So closed for three whole days ShockGrin

BarbaraofSevillle · 13/12/2017 15:08

Don't most shops close every Sunday in Germany too diddl

diddl · 13/12/2017 15:53

Yes they do, sorry, didn't explain well.

ReanimatedSGB · 13/12/2017 15:56

Isa: it might not be true of everyone, but it is definitely true of some people: look at all those who volunteer to work over Christmas (not just at their own jobs but unpaid, for things like Crisis.) For a significant number of people, staying at home with nothing to do on Christmas day is a miserable prospect.

And, TBH, it's probably also true that some women would rather be at their paid jobs on the day than scurrying round trying to cook a big meal while the rest of the family sit on their arses, drinking and eating chocolate, and their male partners consider themselves wonderfully helpful if they open a bottle of wine.

Juicyfruitloop · 13/12/2017 16:02

I don't think the customers are to blame The store management are. If they did not open people couldn't shop. I think it's rude of retail staff to blame the customer. If the sales didnt start people wouldnt be there.

I personally don't shop on boxing day, but for those who do the Next sale etc, there would be only crap left the 27th.

FluffyNinja · 13/12/2017 16:11

Where I live (not U.K.) shops are closed from Christmas Day until after New Year, except supermarkets. It's strange walking through the town centre on December 28th and its completely empty of people.

WitchesHatRim · 13/12/2017 16:14

Not religion, principles. There is a sign outside of our local Entertainer basically saying that they appreciate that their staff have families and a life and want to enjoy the festive break. I thought that was lovely

The Entertainer doesn't open on Sundays anyway so they wouldn't open Christmas Eve. So whilst it's nice, implying it's just for Christmas is bending the truth slightly.

BishBoshBashBop · 13/12/2017 16:16

I think it's rude of retail staff to blame the customer.

If the sales didnt start people wouldnt be there.

Many years ago when I used to work in retail people often used to complain we weren't open boxing day and have a go at staff.

IsaSchmisa · 13/12/2017 17:55

It's true of some people SGB yes, of course. But those not celebrating Christmas form a diverse group with different experiences, and plenty of them want the days off. Or need them because of eg no childcare, even if they wouldn't be arsed otherwise.

Those who choose to engage in non-essential activities that require other people to work over Christmas shouldn't delude themselves that they're necessarily doing those workers a favour. In some cases they will be, yes. In others, they'll be forcing them away from their own celebrations with their families, for no more money.

Fluffyears · 13/12/2017 18:00

Aldi doesn’t open. Mil shops there and always wants to get shopping when we drop her off. God knows why as she only stays one night, it’s not like she’s out of her house for weeks and needs to re-stock. I’d rather not bother as I don’t see the need to shop after they have only been shut for 1 day.

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