To find Boxing Day Shopping a Bit Sad?

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Just that really!

I remember growing up, EVERYWHERE shut over the Christmas period. The roads were dead. It was very peaceful.

Now, it seems that the January sales have become the 'Boxing Day Sales'! I was chatting to some of my mum's friends and they were planning on going out shopping on Boxing Day!?! How can anyone be bothered?

I had a nosey on Boots website earlier (playing about on DSs new tablet) and their website was down as it was too busy eith people shopping online!

I cant wait go go tomorrow with the kids.

People really are vacuous souls these days. Life is all about shopping, apparently. Desperately sad.

@juliesaway I wonder how much of it is shopping and how much of it is actually people doing whatever it takes to get away from the stress of having to co-exist with family who are driving you demented - even if the only option is the High Street!

(I am having a lovely day by myself today, no need to go anywhere for anything till OH gets home on Weds/Thurs and uses up all the milk for his tea!)

Exactly SHOTS.

If people don’t want to work on Boxing Day why work in retail? They should get an office jobz

arrons I’m sure you’re aware that at least some of the entry level jobs in retail and hospitality are done by people who may not be qualified for other work, and who don’t have that much say in their shifts.

I also don’t think relying on corporate kindness is the way to go here. Here on Planet Hummus I’d have the store sales start a day later, and the online sales starting on the 26th but with delayed delivery so the logistics folk aren’t dragged in. In practice I don’t think it’ll happen unless legislation requires it.

Yeah the minimum wage paid retail staff should just get another job if they don’t like it, as people must shop on Boxing Day it’s there right 😮

What an attitude society has for those less fortunate

ivykaty44 staff need to Uniononise. As someone from a industry highly unionised (96% membership in my job) it seems bizarre they dont. We have good working conditions, all fought for, none given out of the benevolence of our bosses. I seen a talk for one of the McStrike employees who fought and won against McDonalds. It was inspirational to see what can be achieved to make the work place better when everyone stands together against the threats and abuse of a big corporation.

Dad2kids I agree but I can’t see retail workers striking over working Boxing Day - they don’t strike over pay & some earful practices laid upon them...

TBH I doubt they’d even do a
work to rule

it's the fascination with Next I don't get....their stuff is no better than anyone else's.

Love the poster who says Boxing Day is for horse riding. Of course it is..

Same demented I don't understand why the Next sale is "a Thing" and yet none of the other clothes shops seem to do the insane early start.

I'm not shopping today and I worked many a Boxing Day as a student in retail which was hellish, but like others have said the 27th is a working day and my office is open. If I wanted to go to the sales, it's Boxing Day or the 30th!

Many retail staff are not in a position to fight back with unions. Cause trouble? Fine, plenty more where you came from and they don’t even need to sack you, just offer you shitty hours and no overtime and you can’t afford to live.

Many are students, or part timers, and they are on low pay, and badly treated generally.

Last year, There was a widely-signed government petition to force the shops to close, but it was rejected because the government said that they don't want to tell businesses what to do.

"it was rejected because the government said that they don't want to tell businesses what to do. sad"

To be fair, when Sunday opening was illegal so many shops did it anyway and shoppers wanted it that it became legal in the end. We need to change the whole culture from the grass roots up as we can't expect the government to impose this on people.

I judge people shopping on Boxing Day.

We passed through town yesterday (BD), and it was filled with people who had nothing better to do, after weeks of shopping, than do more shopping. They actually had nothing better to do, and it's summer here, so my judgypants are hitched particularly high.

The days after Thanksgiving (which is only celebrated in one country on that date) and Christmas Day have somehow been turned into a way to get people to part with their cash. They're now Sale Days. Shopping Days. Black Friday and Boxing Day are now official days for people to spend (more) money. That's what they've become.

There are sales on all the time. I mean, all the time. Yet somehow people are hoodwinked into thinking they must get down to the shops or online to make the most of these sales, because otherwise --- they might not be able to get the stuff - at discounted prices!!!

I went for the first time today and the behaviour of the shoppers in Boots has put me off. They were literally doing a supermarket sweep of the gift sets and perfume sets. One women wasn't checking what she was sweeping into her basket, she was just clearing the shelves. It was really strange and disturbing watching her doing this.

Well 4% down on last year, apparently shoppers only have so much money to spend and they did it on Black Friday not Boxing Day

All part of the obsession with having more and more stuff. There are lots of people who just cannot enjoy any form of bank holiday off work, they have to be out traipsing round the shops and spending. Business is all.

I've never been to Boxing Day sales. I've survived. A friend went to Westfield Christmas week and sent me a photo. It was so rammed people had to shuffle along, couldn't walk freely. It made me shudder. Load of sheep at a market came to mind.

As long as people don't try to persuade me to go, or bore me with tales of how much money they got off more STUFF, I'm fine tho. Each to their own it's just not mine. It's lovely being off work today, chilling at home not lifting a finger

I've just read that shoppers were evacuated from Westfield Stratford today. It was heaving, apparently. & there were fighting incidents, not sure what they were related to. Police were in attendance.

Again reminded how much I love not being caught up in sales madness and accumulating more stuff...

I once made the mistake of walking through Westfield Stratford to get to the Olympic Park. It was on ordinary Saturday and was so crowded it was difficult to walk and I was dodging people the whole time.

I felt like I had died and gone to hell. No way would I go there to shop. I don't understand why shopping has become a supposedly pleasurable thing to do. Even if I won the lottery I would not be rushing out to shop

Why can't the sales start in January like they used to?

Boxing Day sales in London in the 50s and 60s were happening - it’s not a new phenomenon
Mi can remember tv crews filming shoppers in London on Christmas night sleeping out for the best bargains