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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:
BakedBeans47 · 03/12/2018 07:24

*Sunday opening not Sunday working

Buswankeress · 03/12/2018 07:26

YANBU

It'd be nice to be able to do my food shop when I can, for instance if I have a Sunday evening off I'd be able to go then but as it is currently I can't. There's plenty of people that work in 24/7 jobs that would benefit from longer opening hours on a Sunday, and not just care or health, though it doesn't need to be 24/7 they could be open 10-10 or similar on a Sunday.

I don't see people saying pubs and restaurants shouldn't be open on a Sunday to give 'poor' hospitality staff some family time, on the contrary, a lot of places are far busier on a Sunday and the two jobs are very similar in terms of pay and conditions.

BakedBeans47 · 03/12/2018 07:27

Here's a thought, would YOU work on a Sunday night?

I would if it was my job. Same as my husband in hospitality does. Who gives a shit about the working hours of restaurant and catering staff? Why do shop staff deserve family time but not them?

Bagadverts · 03/12/2018 07:27

I'm a catholic but don't necessarily think that religion should stop shops opening. However there are consequences-

  • retail workers who are church goers and feel pressure to work Sundays (whatever is in the law)
  • small corner shops closing. This will most likely affect people who cannot travel to supermarket easily by car. These are generally poorer, disabled and older people. In my area public transport isn't great. If the local ship shuts that will affect those people all the time
  • extra traffic for people who live near large shops

Do people who live in areas with full Sunday trading can say if these are issues in reality

PunkrockerGirl59 · 03/12/2018 07:28

I don't necessarily disagree with you. BUT, our church and others in the area are most definitely not empty Confused

Original poster
Habba · 03/12/2018 07:28

*YANBU. English Sunday working hours are ridiculous. Staff wouldn’t be forced to work Sundays as there is legislation in place whereby they can opt out. As you say up here in Scotland we seem to have coped without the country going to hell in a handcart.

As for retail workers “deserving a break” there are plenty of other people who have to work Sundays, why do people only about shop workers?*

Exactly! Crazy that the law dictates the hours they are opened. No one complains in Scotland over a shop being open until 7pm on a Sunday and it obviously makes buisness sense.

OP posts:
Bagadverts · 03/12/2018 07:29

Could not do

user1457017537 · 03/12/2018 07:32

I don’t understand why some shops can stay open all the time and others are restricted to Sunday Trading laws.

Raspberry88 · 03/12/2018 07:32

I do agree that it's great that retail workers get time off but I do think that it's more important to argue for better contracts and better pay for retail jobs. Lots of people do work on a Sunday, cafes, pubs and venues are still open. I used to hate working Sundays as I often wanted to pop to the shop after work and couldn't. Yes, I know I could have got stuff in and planned ahead but it wasn't always possible with stupid shifts. In an ideal world I agree with early Sunday closing but I don't think it's fair if it's not everyone who's getting the time off. Also, lots of people don't mind working Sundays!!!

BakedBeans47 · 03/12/2018 07:32

Do people who live in areas with full Sunday trading can say if these are issues in reality

Not as far as I know. We still have plenty of wee corner shops locally, the supermarkets are open later but not full weekday hours so there’s still a decent window they’re open when the big shops aren’t

EmUntitled · 03/12/2018 07:32

I don't really have a preference either way but there have been times I have needed some things from a shop and got halfway there and realised it's Sunday so the shop with be closed Blush

I don't understand the concern that retail workers will have to work a Sunday afternoon so won't have "family time". They don't all work 24/6 do they? They don't have to take up Sunday afternoon shifts. If they want extra hours, there is another opportunity here. Plenty of other jobs are 24/7 and we don't get people saying "oh oits so unfair on call centre operators / paramedics / security guards / hotel porters".

IWannaSeeHowItEnds · 03/12/2018 07:33

I agree with you OP. What does need to change are zero hour contracts, low wages and people heing forced to work on a Sunday. If the money was good and no one had to do a Sunday shift and everyone had decent contracts, longer Sunday opening hours would be fine.
In big towns esp, there are loads of students who would welcome picking up extra shifts.

Original poster
Habba · 03/12/2018 07:33

Because it's an outdated law that was made before Tesco express started. Making it ridiculous.

I'm happy if your churches aren't empty, but mine are and most aren't religious in this country.

OP posts:
TheHobbitMum · 03/12/2018 07:34

YABU, I'm a retail worker and Sundays are the only day my kids know I will always be home by 6pm. Just because the shop shuts at 4pm it doesn't mean we leave at 4 pm.
The shops are open for 24hrs every other day of the week, go shopping then and give retail workers a break

Nenic · 03/12/2018 07:36

What about all the kitchen staff who work even longer hours. What’s so special about retail workers? I’m sure many of you that want retail staff to have the sundays go out for dinner on this day. They even need to work Christmas Day, retail workers don’t. I really don’t get why retail workers are so special

EmUntitled · 03/12/2018 07:37

@user1457017537 it's based on floor area. So small shops like co-op or Tesco extra might be small enough to stay open, whereas a larger supermarket has to adhere to the opening times.

I used to work in a ahop which was borderline so they made the staff loos bigger so the shop floor space was under the limit and we could open late Sunday.

I used to be one of those "poor retail workers" who sometimes worked on sunday night.

sashh · 03/12/2018 07:38

Closing at 4pm gives retail workers a tiny bit of family time.

Except the workers don't go home then do they? There are still shelves to stack and reductions to be made.

We had longer opening during the Olympics and the world did not end.

I used to do most shopping early morning, 4.00am wasn't unusual, there were very few workers to be seen, no actual checkouts open, you had to use the self checkout. Supermarkets obviously have more staff working when there are more people shopping.

JoyofSticks · 03/12/2018 07:40

YABVU, many customers already have unrealistic expectations of the level of service they require from retail assistants, let us have half a day off please!

Biker47 · 03/12/2018 07:42

Hope all the people lamenting at the poor retail workers possibly having to work longer Sundays, never put petrol in their cars, visit the cinema or go to a restaurant on a Sunday evening. They don't get reduced working hours due to some draconian law.

Also, isn't a criticism frequented on this forum by people complaining about workers being shafted for hours on zero hours contracts? Note; not everyone has a family to spend time with on Sunday evenings, not everyone even wants to, and some people have their family time and other points in the week, and probably don't work everyday anyways. I'm sure there would be plenty of students happy for late hours on Sundays.

DannyWallace · 03/12/2018 07:42

I work in one of the big supermarkets in Scotland
Thanks to everyone sticking up for us but let me tell you a few things....

We're not paid minimum wage (I'm in one of the lower paid supermarkets in the lowest paid role and I'm a fair bit above minimum wage).

We don't do overtime unless we agree to it.

No-one is in zero hour contracts.

I used to always work the Sunday evening shift because I was happy to. Anyone religious was able to get it off.

The zero hours seems to be more of an issue in bar/restaurant work and guess what....they are often open on Sunday evenings!!

(OP YANBU)

Redlocks28 · 03/12/2018 07:43

I really don’t get why retail workers are so special

Agree. Why is it fine for restaurant/pub staff to work past 4 on a Sunday but not people who work in a shop!?

BakedBeans47 · 03/12/2018 07:43

let us have half a day off please!

why? Do you work all the other hours the shop is open? I doubt it.

Buswankeress · 03/12/2018 07:44

Hope all the people lamenting at the poor retail workers possibly having to work longer Sundays, never put petrol in their cars, visit the cinema or go to a restaurant on a Sunday evening. They don't get reduced working hours due to some draconian law.
this

EdisonLightBulb · 03/12/2018 07:46

I don't think it's necessary, a slightly bit inconvenient, but everyone manages perfectly well round here to get a full weekly shop in between Monday 6:00 and Sunday at 16:00.

Notthisnotthat · 03/12/2018 07:46

I'm in Scotland so have 24/7 shops, I was also a retail worker who worked Saturday and Sundays and split shifts during the week, I worked the shifts that suited me, I was a student so Sunday's suited me, most married workers preferred being on during the week and us students preferred the weekends. I got plenty of time off, also used to get double time on a Sunday but a lot of shops have done away with that.