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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:
TimeWoundsAllHeals · 03/12/2018 09:20

There’s probably alcoholics who call for increased alcohol regulation too, bloody hypocrites!

sweeneytoddsrazor · 03/12/2018 09:20

I work retail and everyone where I work has to do a Saturday or Sunday. There is no opting out. There is no enhanced payment for working weekend and night rate is only between midnight and 5 am. The store opens at 7 on a Monday and closes at 10 on a Saturday and is then open Sunday hours. I find it hard to believe you cant find time to do your shopping at some point during the week. Also how cost effective is it going to be. People have a set amount of money to spend on food they dont get extra to spend because shops are open longer. Would it even be worth paying all the costs associated with extra opening

OutPinked · 03/12/2018 09:20

Anyone who believes this has clearly never worked in retail. YABVU. It’s the only day of the week they can finish early and since retail is an absolutely hellish job, they deserve it.

Platypusfattypus · 03/12/2018 09:21

Surely the retail workers wouldn’t have to work 24/7. Do they not do shifts? I work in a 24/7 service (midwife) and easily get a good work family balance.

YANBU it’s a stupid rule.

LostInShoebiz · 03/12/2018 09:21

TheWise maybe a Tesco Metro or a Little Waitrose is, but not a full size supermarket or a department store. Or are you living in a very select enclave where local trading regulations don’t exist.

QuickBugQn · 03/12/2018 09:21

YANBU.

  • it would provide more jobs
  • it would stimulate the economy (more spending)
  • the current rules are outdated and very impractical
OutPinked · 03/12/2018 09:21

Also, the shops are still open so it’s not like you’re having to survive an entire day without- heaven forbid Hmm. They don’t generally get extra pay for working weekends and often they’re mandatory. It’s a truly shit job, I hated it.

QuickBugQn · 03/12/2018 09:22

And I have worked in retail (including Sundays) for many years! I still think YANBU!

sweeneytoddsrazor · 03/12/2018 09:24

And just another quick point it is very difficult to have family time if you have to work every weekend whilst kids are in school all week.

citiesofbismuth · 03/12/2018 09:24

I'm a nurse, I work Saturday and Sunday night shifts. I'm still alive and in one piece, more or less. I still get time off with family too.

MorningsEleven · 03/12/2018 09:25

I work on a Sunday (hospitality) and I'd love to be able to pop to the supermarket on my way home.

mydogisthebest · 03/12/2018 09:25

Shops are open enough hours as it is. No need for them to open longer on a Sunday.

As other posters have said, we used to manage when shops closed on Sundays and half day in the week and there wasn't even online shopping available then.

Other countries manage just fine with shops closed on Sundays and half day in the week too.

I worked in retail for a number of years and certainly didn't see other workers happy to work Sundays. Literally none of us wanted to work Sundays. As for opting out, yes just try to and see what happens.

Satsumaeater · 03/12/2018 09:26

I'd like shops open longer on Sundays too but I know retailers would exploit their workers even more.

I think it would make town centres more vibrant, especially in the winter. Nothing more depressing than a winter's afternoon in a typical town centre after 4pm on a Sunday when the shops have closed (I know in some places they open and close later).

brookshelley · 03/12/2018 09:26

YANBU. Always lots of people in takeaways and ordering food delivery on Sunday evenings, why is it OK for them to work but not shop workers?

Satsumaeater · 03/12/2018 09:27

Oh and it would provide more opportunities for sixth formers to have weekend jobs. Except that it's massively annoying when you can't buy age restricted items because they're not allowed to sell them.

MrMakersFartyParty · 03/12/2018 09:30

I literally work most Friday sat and Sunday nights as a midwife, cannot believe people are saying retail workers have a hellish job and deserve the break! Spend a day in the life of a HCP!

JacquesHammer · 03/12/2018 09:33

Keeping one day of the week special - whether you are religious or not - helps your mindfulness, a day for family events, relationships, catching up

I think that’s a good point, however that doesn’t need to be Sunday.

QuitMoaning · 03/12/2018 09:33

I like it how it is. My OH works six days a week so Sunday is his only day. We know it is restricted opening hours so work around it.
I work full time as an office job and don’t have much capacity on a Saturday so I do main shop on an evening and it suits me well.

We sometimes need a Sunday run but the main shops around here are staggered so there is at least one open between 9.30am and 6p.m. And then there is the co op for emergency stuff. And I could live out of our co op as it has a good range.
Really don’t have an issue.

EvaReady · 03/12/2018 09:34

Shops should be allowed to open for longer hours on a Sunday. Lots of people would chose to work on a Sunday and lots would chose to shop on a Sunday. If Retailers are treating shop workers poorly then that should be addressed as a separate issue, regardless of opening hours.

Jeanclaudejackety · 03/12/2018 09:39

I don't get the pity the workers thing tbh. Where I worked in the past the place was open until 7 on Sundays. We had about 15 staff usually and 10 on a Sunday as it was quieter, about 5 of these were Sunday only staff who were recruited for Sunday work and the rest rotaed between them, they'd get a day off in the week or the Saturday off guaranteed if working Sunday. Many preferred it as it was quieter and the main manager was off. I have friends who work in supermarkets and they dont mind Sundays as that means the hours are free in the week and they get to have maybe Monday Tuesday off to spend with kids and getting on top of chores when the world is quieter in general. Not everyone wants a Monday to Friday life, shifts and weekends can work really well for some families!

Biancadelriosback · 03/12/2018 09:39

I worked in hospitality for over 10 years until very recently. I hated working Sundays! And Christmas day. And NYE. And mother's Day. And fathers day. Etc! I don't remember anyone ever feeling bad for us or demanding that we close so we can have family time? Nope! If we ever complained we would get crucified because NHS workers do something that actually matters and they work 365 days too. They don't complain. We basically had to shut up and know our place while we put up with being felt up, chatted up, drinks spilled over us, cleaning up vomit, wrestling with some drunken lass who has passed out in a toilet cubicle with her face in the bowl. But y'know, retail workers get sympathy. Im not saying they don't face their own struggles and shit shifts, but at least they close on Christmas day (mostly) and get a few hours guaranteed off on a Sunday. But working in hospitality and retail (and cinemas, petrol stations etc) it really is a "the grass is always greener" situation. I'm sure some retail workers would love hospitality and vice versa.

TLDR: if you're going to demand fairer hours for retail workers, at least do the same for hospitality, cinema, petrol stations etc.

Jeanclaudejackety · 03/12/2018 09:40

Also it's lovely saying keep Sunday as a day for family events and things but who is gonna work in the lovely national Trust coffee shops and museums and local cafes people want to go to brunch in for these so called family days? Or are we supposed to just literally not leave the house?!

Slipperboots · 03/12/2018 09:41

There isn’t the infrastructure to open longer hours on Sunday’s. Bus services where I live have been cut to the bone. I don’t believe town would be that busy later in Sunday’s at all.

HoppingPavlova · 03/12/2018 09:43

Our food shops (woolies, Coles, Aldi etc) are open extended hours on Sundays, generally 7/8am - 8/10pm. That’s all decent sized towns. I have tried to duck into a Woolies/Coles in regional centres around 3/4pm and they have either closed at 3pm or are shutting up and I was shocked. General shopping (department stores, clothes shops etc) is open 10am-4pm in Sunday’s. We also have online shopping deliveries 6am-10am Sunday’s.

It’s been like that for donkeys years and it’s fantastic.

I don’t get the angst? It’s not as though people are made to work 7 days a week from 7am-10pmConfused. It provides lots of opportunities for a wide range of people. High school students looking for weekend shifts. Uni students looking for shifts around face to face time. Young 9-5 Mon-Fri workers looking for extra work to save up to take a year off to go travelling. Parents where one is working weekends to bring in some extra $$ while the other looks after the kids. Parents who take the opportunity to work days/shifts including weekends to to decrease time kids spend in care during the week. Why would people want to deny people these sorts of opportunities!

The bonus is that it also gives everyone else the flexibility for extended hours to fit in groceries. Some parents love being able to put young kids to bed, have the other parent at home, duck out and do the weekly grocery shop in peaceSmile.

Irrespective, as someone who did 24/7 shifts for nearly 30 years I have limited sympathy for people working any day/time, don’t see how Sunday opening hours are any different?

ClarabellaCTL · 03/12/2018 09:44

Shop online? Go any of the other 6 nights of the week they are open?