To think shops should be open longer Sundays

[Habba]

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.

YABVU. Find something else to do

I think the idea of opening sundays as a normal day is mostly for the convenience of people who work during the week.
I wonder how people would feel if we decided weekends itself weren’t important. Why not just become a 7 day a week society entirely.
I work in an area where the secondary schools are full, why not open 7 days on a shift system as well, that would solve the issue? Why not open everything, all the childcare facilities need to open all the time too then.
There has to be a line drawn somewhere.
We as a society need downtime. Opening more won’t stimulate the economy, people won’t have more money to spend, costs will just go up. I’m glad there are less cars on the roads on Sunday and it’s just quieter.

I am eternally grateful that some smaller shops open on Sunday. I remember 20 years ago our corner shop closed at 11.30am and it was a fight between me and DH who was going to go get milk when we had a hangover.

I am eternally grateful that some smaller shops open on Sunday.

exactly. big shops closing is an excellent opportunity for small businesses

@thedarkpassenger

I was an HOD so not min wage but a very low salary (under £20k) so hardly reflected the extra duties required. Some GMs were great and did put staff first, but most (ime) saw staff as disposable

I'm not being ignorant! I'm what you would call 'lower skilled' and I don't have a problem with it! Sure others might not think the same, but don't you DARE call me ignorant! Am I not allowed an opinion??

RunningFeisty Tue 04-Dec-18 10:47:14

"Here is a novel idea, if you don't want to work on a Sunday, don't pick a job where this would be a possibility!"

Lol Wonder how that would fly with the DWP

big shops closing is an excellent opportunity for small businesses

So it's OK for small shop staff to have to work Sundays but not supermarket staff?? How does that work?

I work in an area where the secondary schools are full, why not open 7 days on a shift system as well

Actually, that makes a lot of sense, same as hospitals. It seems a little crazy to keep building new schools/hospitals and filling them with expensive equipment only to be used for a few hours per day for 5 days per week. Making use of them for longer days and weekends would make sense to get better value for money, especially when suitable land is at a premium and there is so much congestion Mon-Fri. Obviously logistics of staffing them and convenience for patients/pupils will be a challenge, but in theory, it's the way to go!

"and leave the rest of us to spend our time and money on Sundays as we see fit." And absolutely NO consideration for the people providing those services to you on a Sunday - whether they really want to or not. Nice!

"Here is a novel idea, if you don't want to work on a Sunday, don't pick a job where this would be a possibility!" The people most likely to be in these jobs generally don't HAVE a choice ESPECIALLY under the current regime regarding benefits.

"it works perfectly well here in Scotland. When I was a student I loved working on a Sunday as it was double time. Shifts were on a rota basis and from what I remember everyone loved a Sunday shift but you did have the option to switch shifts if it didn't suit."
Sigh! I am wondering if those scots posters claiming 'it works in scotland' are or have been retail workers or even know anyone currently working in retail. My mum worked in retail for decades in Scotland, for a major supermarket and retired a few years ago. She often says she's glad she got out when she did! I have several friends and family still working in retail in Scotland and they hate it! A few of them like mum have done so for decades. As well as seeing how bad it's become they're also trapped as in their 50's with only retail work on their Cv and cuts to further education they have sod all chance of getting out before retirement!

Extra pay is GONE

Choice is GONE

Reasonable shift patterns GONE

Reasonable notice of shifts GONE

Instead retail workers are basically expected to be available at all times at pretty much the drop of a hat (I've friends who've been disciplined because they were more than an hour away from work on what was meant to be days off! Certainly if they say no more than once they find they're blocked from the preferred shifts and given the shittiest jobs when in work. Needing to use annual leave for days they're not normally in work to ensure they can get holidays away from home... Having to argue to get even one day off for a family bereavement, being disciplined for having cancer and under threat of losing your job if you get it again... It's appalling what's happening in retail right now.)

This rose tinted idea based on retail jobs as they were 10, 15, 20 years ago is ignoring the reality!

it just gives you a break from mindless shopping for the sake of it and an enforced day of having to do something else.

I’m singling out this post, but there have been several in the same vein. You do realise the shops being open doesn’t force you to go shopping, right? Some posters seem to have this rose-tinted view of all the lovely wholesome family things they could be doing, if only the evil money-grabbing shops weren’t open. You can still do them!

Yeah. We really aren’t going to become a 24/7 society. The extra cost of staffing offices, schools and hospitals 24/7 and heating them.

Schools open 7 days a week wouldn’t work. Where is the extra money going to come from for teachers and electric etc? What happens to the 5 year old who goes to school on a weekend during the week?

@coughlaughfart I’m thinking more of the lovely wholesome things retail staff could be doing if they had sundays off or - the retail unicorn- two days off in a row. I also think when ppl say ‘my son/daughter loves Sunday shifts’ they are forgetting that some people are actually in retail as a career not as a gap year earner. It’s shit being the child of retail workers, weekends with your parents are a special treat.

Mind you - Whatever your opinion of Sunday opening hours you’re definitely a heartless bastard if you go recreational shopping on Boxing Day.

Oh away and boil your head Graphista. If shops, restaurants, cinemas etc are open providing a service, why wouldn’t I use it? Me sitting at home staring at 4 walls isn’t going to make any difference. And as for having no consideration do me a favour. My own husband works late nights and weekends in hospitality but doesn’t moan like fuck about it because it’s the standard in the role he chose to do. So when I am off with my kids home alone at weekends because he’s working damn sure I’ll try and find places to go and things to do that may include shopping.

Anyway you can moan about it all you like, Sundays are just normal trading days up here now and here to stay. Hurray! 😄

Baked Beans there is no need to be so bloody rude.

@Graphista Last year around February i was reading about a single mum who won the lottery. She put a substantial amount into HER mums bank account. Her mum worked in a supermarket Her mum went up to the supervisor or manager (i cant remember which now) and said. "I will finish the shift but after that im done"

Oh whatever. If she hadn’t been so patronising and picking holes in everything I said I wouldn’t have said if. Anyway, she gets to moan and I get the shopping hours I like, so it’s all good 😁

Nice attitude! "Picking holes" I think you may be unfamiliar with how debate works.

"If shops, restaurants, cinemas etc are open providing a service, why wouldn’t I use it? Me sitting at home staring at 4 walls isn’t going to make any difference."for starters that's not the only options and if you think it is I feel sorry for you. And yes, if fewer people used certain services on Sunday's the businesses wouldn't open as it wouldn't be worth their while so of course it would make a difference. All our actions do.

And again - not moaning, doesn't affect me directly - debating - look it up.

Helena that's a lovely story, though I'm sure couldn't just apply to people working Sunday's but anyone in a job they're unhappy in.

Well, imo its sad that BakedBeans47 sees taking children shopping at 6 pm on a Sunday as a worthwhile activity for them? What about taking them out for something more fun or educational - like a day to the park, the countryside, museums, swimming, whatever....and then they will be tired out by 6 pm and ready for their dinner, bath and bed?

If the human race wants to save itself and the planet, it needs to step back from capitalism and endless consumption as an activity in itself, because the environment cannot take it! We need to go back to a more sustainable lifestyle, which involves less travel and where we use things like clothes until they wear out!

See David Attenborough's speech the other day:

www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/03/david-attenborough-collapse-civilisation-on-horizon-un-climate-summit

I don't agree that taking children shopping is not a worthwhile experience. Far better for them to learn life skills than grow up thinking the fairies put groceries in the cupboard.

YY @Graphista Winning the lottery is like a one in three million chance but SOMEONE has to win and if an employee wins the lottery or gets an inheritance and their employer has treated them like shit they might just walk and leave them in the lurch

i was using the example as a cautionary tale really.

Weekends with your parents are a special treat.

So many parents work weekends. Plus those who work away, work special holidays etc. Plenty of children deal with that and don’t feel that it’s shit.

Friend of mine has just been told she will have to stay late on Christmas Eve to get the shop ready for Boxing Day. For no extra pay. One of the other girls who works there has told her that last year they stayed for an extra three hours.

When I worked in retail I didn't live near my shop and had a public transport commute. Sunday was the worst day for travel. So yeah, I'll work more hrs when the public services work to enable me to do so. I'd much rather have had it as a guaranteed day off. People also already assume that a lot of places do have the same hrs. arseholes customers are resourceful enough to google your shop number or address but not your Sunday opening hrs right by it.

I also agree that we need to buy far less and be more sustainable.

I’m glad to see that quite a few stores seem to be closed on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year and giving staff some time off.

If you go into healthcare or emergency services you fully expect to work unsocial hours and there is a need for it. Not so for retail. There are no buses or trains on those days either.

I’ve never been able to understand how we are all one country with different rules.
Sunday Shopping in Scotland finishes at 6 pm