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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think shops should be open longer Sundays

432 replies

Habba · 03/12/2018 07:07

We aren't a religious country, churches are empty and it would be great to do the weekly shop at 6-7pm on a Sunday when the children are in bed.

Dragging them around busy shops during the day would give me more family time.

Scotland manages just fine, people up there find it bizzare the government forces shops here to close.

OP posts:
Walkingdeadfangirl · 03/12/2018 16:50

Its ridiculous that in the 21st century a very small minority of hard core religious people can dictate to a whole country when they are allowed to shop and when shops are allowed to be open.

We don't live in the dark ages anymore FFS.

MrMakersFartyParty · 03/12/2018 16:59

I agree. All services should be 7 days a week now, the world is changing, if you want a family day on Sunday and can't resist the shops that's some kind of serious issue you have! What has bothered me is the attitude of retail workers having a hard job and deserving a break! Baffles me. I have done retail work for years before becoming a HCP and they can't even begin to be compared.

UrsulaPandress · 03/12/2018 17:25

So are we getting rid of the Weekend altogether then? School open 7 days a week? Offices?

ClaryFray · 03/12/2018 17:34

Yabu

Unless your offering to staff these hours. As shop assistants have life's and crappy hours as it is.

GivingBloodFeelingGreat · 03/12/2018 17:36

Our local Asda closes at 4pm on a Sunday.

Dontsweatthelittlestuff · 03/12/2018 17:47

my Son belongs to a 24 hour gym
He ordered and had delivered a takeaway at after 1am on Saturday night.
If he goes into out nearest town for a night out he gets the 4am bus back.
If he fancies a pack of skittles he has upto buy them at the local express store or he can walk further and buy them 24 hours a day apart from after 4 pm Sunday at the large local Tesco.

The place of life seems to run full steam ahead 24 hours a day and I can’t see any real benefit to it.

Lisaturtle · 03/12/2018 17:53

we aren't a religious country
On what basis have you decided that? Does that include all religions ?
churches are empty
The churches I attend are sometimes standing room only
it would be great to do the weekly shop at 6-7pm on a Sunday
That's very specific to your ideal situation and not a reason to change the working hours of a whole country.

Other people find a way to cope with their shopping.

BakedBeans47 · 03/12/2018 17:58

Staff wouldn’t be forced to work Sundays as there is legislation in place whereby they can opt out." Meanwhile in the real world...

Actually I’ve advised retailers on their HR and legal responsibilities in this area for the last 12 years. Have you? Go and do one with your patronising comments.

I hated it when I was a kid and nothing was open on Sundays. It was as boring as shit. I’ve got no desire to go back to that whatsoever.

BakedBeans47 · 03/12/2018 18:03

Why not have all things open? Doctors etc?
More hours and lets get more people into work.

Good in theory, in practice I think it might take a bit longer and cost more to train a Doctor than someone to operate the till in Asda

AllTakenSoRubbishUsername · 03/12/2018 18:09

I'm not religious but I do think that all the low paid workers in shops etc should get that time off, so I'm happy to shop other times. Why not shop online? I usually pay for a block booking for the deliveries so each delivery costs less than £1 - less than the parking fees, and you can have a nice glass of wine while you do the shopping at your leisure :-)

Hannnnnnnxo · 03/12/2018 18:11

Absolutely yes - and trains! Sunday train service is awful.

And yes - I used to work in retail, at Westfield too where shops close at 10pm, and even later over Xmas. I used to start shifts at 6am or finish at 11pm/midnight, work Sundays AND night shifts. So I absolutely sympathise with retail workers, I have been there, but it feels archaic that shops close so early on Sunday! Especially as Sunday, for those of us that work 9-5 during the week, are one of the only days that some of us can get to the shops. Sunday’s are extremely busy in retail too, the demand is there.

Retail staff can opt out of working certain days/times, and you’d be surprised at how many retail staff members would want the overtime, especially at this time of year when expenditures are high and they earn F all. They’re not being forced to work. In fact, whenever there was someone off sick or wanting a shift swap at my store, we’d always be able to find a cover as everyone wanted more hours. You have to remember that in retail, not all staff get full time contracts, some are on 8 hour contracts when they need to work full time so they don’t have reliable income for their rent/bills/kids etc. And staff are paid by the hour, so chances are that full time staff won’t be able to work more than 37.5/40 hours per week, so it’s not the full time members of staff that will be forced to work long weekends/60 hour weeks...it will be more hours overall for everyone

onlywanttosleep · 03/12/2018 18:11

Yabu
As others have said we don't buy more if the shops are open longer, so wages and bills increase but takings don't. Bad for the environment as well as retail. If there are no laws shops have to open as the ones that are will get the trade but with laws they can all close.
Yes people in retail get days off but it's not generally the same days each week. If two earners are both working shifts there it is much harder to spend time together, and with children to arrange childcare. Those who want everything open 7 days, schools too? Surely things are simpler if the majority of us have the same day off.
Yes, of course some people have to work but I'd like to see it reduced as far as possible. Even A&E might be quieter for the day if fewer people worked on a Sunday (less traffic for starters).

I hate to see online deliveries come on a Sunday when I haven't requested next day delivery or specified a day. I'm happy to wait, and if not I'll pay extra.

A workers rights law to make overtime pay compulsory on a Sunday and a genuine option to opt out might help.

Biancadelriosback · 03/12/2018 18:15

@onlywanttosleep so are you also happy for hotels to close on Sundays? Or change their opening hours? How about bars and restaurants?

Tonicandginn · 03/12/2018 18:27

Think about it. Family want to eat a Sunday roast in a restaurant. The restaurant is closed so they just don’t eat there, they don’t come back the next day when it is open. Family wants to do it’s supermarket shop OTOH, Tesco is closed that evening so they do the shop earlier/later/the next day/online.

Why have the shop open longer, paying for staff and lights to be on, security etc when it will just spread out the hours people are shopping rather than having everyone shop within a compressed time?

Even if all supermarkets closed at say, 6pm, people wouldn’t just stop doing their food shop, they would just rearrange their weeks.

Tonicandginn · 03/12/2018 18:28

That was a bit rambly but my point is people have to do their weekly food shop, most people can fit it in around store hours, why go through the expenses of having stores open longer for no financial benefit

OrcinusOrca · 03/12/2018 18:30

I wish they'd close completely on sundays. I like the difference in dynamic, everywhere is too busy both days otherwise.

onlywanttosleep · 03/12/2018 18:31

Biancadelriosback , There will always be people who have to work, and people who want to work, but the fewer the better. If hotels and bars had to pay overtime it would stop some, and be fairer to those that must work (emergency services too, I don't know if they currently get extra money for Sundays).

Original poster
Habba · 03/12/2018 19:10

There's been lots of studies that show the UK is secular society. Half don't belong to any religion - www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/04/half-uk-population-has-no-religion-british-social-attitudes-survey

With 3/4 of 18-24 year olds having no religion with each day the amount of regious people in the UK is falling.

A tiny percentage of the UK are practicing Christians yet they seem to hold so much power.

Same arguments going on and on here but no one has explained the hypocrisy of demanding customers shouldn't serve people beyond 6 hours a day in one job but it's fine for restaurants, cinemas etc and online shops to have people working a full day on Sunday.

OP posts:
jarhead123 · 03/12/2018 19:11

YANBU

SegmentationFault · 03/12/2018 19:24

We have it in Scotland and it's great. Workers don't have to work on a Sunday if they don't have to

greenpop21 · 03/12/2018 20:00

YABU, there has to be some quiet time in our busy weeks! In Australia they still close all of Sunday!

greenpop21 · 03/12/2018 20:03

Supermarkets near me are open until 10pm in the week. There is plenty of time to shop already!

ForalltheSaints · 03/12/2018 20:06

YABU.

Small shops are open then should you not have planned ahead and run out of things such as bread and milk, or are back from a weekend away.

Wordsworth put it more eloquently that there is more to life than shopping in this poem:

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon,
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers,
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. --Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn

Badbadbunny · 03/12/2018 20:22

Why not shop online?

Have you not noticed that most High Streets are really suffering, shops are closing down. You can't have missed Woolworths closing surely? Most High Streets and shopping centres have empty units. Yet you want more people to shop online more. Don't you see how that would end up? Do you want even fewer proper shops, even more betting and charity shops on the high street?

Maddy70 · 03/12/2018 20:30

I disagree, weekends should be family time for everyone including retail workers. They are open late at night and weekends. If you can't organise your shopping around these hours then shop online

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