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AIBU?

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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:
coffeeforone · 03/12/2018 07:48

YANBU.

I'm my area there is definitely demand, my local supermarket is rammed at 4pm on a Sunday with people desperately trying to shop before it closes. Staff run off their feet. Why not spread the custom over longer opening hours. I'm sure the retailer would if they could.

I worked for many years every Sunday evening in a fast food restaurant.

Saucysusieisinbed · 03/12/2018 07:48

Totally agree Op.

tryinganewname · 03/12/2018 07:48

YANBU. I bloody hate Sunday mornings when I can't go anywhere until 10am, especially when DD is up from 5/6 so it feels practically midday to me.

Weetabixandshreddies · 03/12/2018 07:49

Tesco here is open 24 hrs apart from closing at 10pm Saturday night. It then opens 10 - 4 Sunday and re opens at 1 minute past midnight Monday morning.

So you have no time to shop between 00.01 Monday and 22.00 Saturday or 10-4 Sunday?

tryinganewname · 03/12/2018 07:50

Having worked in retail for several years, its not like we had to work 24/7, there's such thing as a rota.

Holidayshopping · 03/12/2018 07:52

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

An interesting point!

olivertwistwantsmore · 03/12/2018 07:52

YABVVU.

Our Tesco does online deliveries fropm 8am til 11pm Monday to Sat. I think that covers enough hours in the day, don't you? Give retail workers a break.

Alfie190 · 03/12/2018 07:53

I think Sunday should be like any other day. Many people don't have time to shop other than at the weekend. There will be plenty of people more than happy to work on Sundays, it doesn't need to be the same people working seven days a week for heavens sake.

SoupDragon · 03/12/2018 07:53

Are you children only in bed one hour a week?

incognito0 · 03/12/2018 07:54

Are you watching the BBC this morning 20,000 retail jobs lost this year...

GoldenEvilHoor · 03/12/2018 07:55

This reply has been withdrawn

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FourRustedHorses · 03/12/2018 07:56

I want to return to all day sunday closing. This 24/7 lifestyle isn't helping anyone and every person in these sorts of jobs need a guaranteed day off every week.

You might like the idea of longer hours but I love the idea of families having time to spend with each other on the same day or actually having the same day off every week to do a regular activity. The impact on mental wellbeing would be huge.

toolazytothinkofausername · 03/12/2018 07:57

Couldn't the extra hours be done by teenagers/students that want to earn some pocket money while studying.

SillySallySingsSongs · 03/12/2018 07:57

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).

Good for you, but it isn't the case everywhere and it isn't just supermarkets whose hours woukd be extended.

Yes the hours during the Olympics were longer but was the football more?

All costs have to also be factered in. All you are doing is spreading the time people shop. Shoppers aren't suddenly going to go and do an extra weekly shop because the store is open longer on a Sunday.

SillySallySingsSongs · 03/12/2018 07:58

Couldn't the extra hours be done by teenagers/students that want to earn some pocket money while studying.

No. You would still need others in.

ErinWinspear · 03/12/2018 07:58

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Headinthedrawer · 03/12/2018 08:00

God I sound old-but I'd love them to be shut on Sundays again.I used to love walking up an empty Oxford street on a Sunday morning in the early 90s.Just me,a few buses and a bunch of skateboaders.

incognito0 · 03/12/2018 08:01

@toolazytothinkofausername

They'd need a key holder and a managerial member of staff there to provide the level of service expected.

Some staff are not authorised to do refunds etc and do not know procedures and policies as well as a higher level member of staff.

CountessOfNowhere · 03/12/2018 08:06

YANBU. I worked 10am till 6pm yesterday so supermarkets were opening when I started and had already closed when I finished. I can think of few other jobs with such short hours one day of the week.

LisaSimpsonsbff · 03/12/2018 08:06

The church argument is a particularly bizarre one. If you really wanted to make sure retail workers could go to church you'd allow the shops to only open after lunch or something. 10-4 are exactly the hours when most churches hold services!

ritzbiscuits · 03/12/2018 08:07

I'm with @FourRustedHorses and wish shops closed entirely on Sundays.

When we go abroad to France, shops close down for a day, not due to religion but to give people a break.

Living by a major UK shopping centre, I find the constant drone of people with piles of shopping bags so depressing. How much stuff do people need!

Unihorn · 03/12/2018 08:07

I work in hospitality and, barring maternity leave, have worked every Sunday for about 8 years. I don't know why retail workers deserve their Sundays off more than me...

Having said that I don't really think it's necessary for shops to be open for that brief window on a Sunday. But then I have plenty of time midweek to shop peacefully because I'm not working then Wink it's nice for everything not to be 24/7.

I used to live in France where two corner shops opened for two hours on a Sunday morning. Now that really was inconvenient!

Notatallobvious · 03/12/2018 08:07

Sunday is just another day for most people. I have many friends and family who work in retail, for some of them it would be convenient to work Sundays (partner being at home for childcare etc). None of them work 9-5 five days a week, they opt to work in retail because they enjoy the flexibility of the shifts available (majority of them work in supermarkets not high street shops) so I can't see longer opening hours being an issue. As other posters have pointed out, plenty of people work Sunday evenings in the hospitality industry, they just have other days off instead.

shearwater · 03/12/2018 08:08

I think shops should be allowed to open when they want, but as a trade off, employees get more rights.

DaffoDeffo · 03/12/2018 08:08

I agree, it's utterly ludicrous, YANBU

and as for people saying give retail workers a break - do nurses stop nursing, carers stop caring just because it's a Sunday?!

I work in an industry where we need to be available 24 hours a day so we have 3 people every day covering the shifts (plus 2 additional to cover in case of sickness)....there are loads of industries that work like this