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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:
MrMakersFartyParty · 03/12/2018 10:20

No, but the NHS workers are the ones who probably need longer opening hours. So it is actually relevant.

Sakura7 · 03/12/2018 10:21

"We managed before with shops closed on Sunday and half days on Wednesday".

Yes, in a time when one salary could buy a home and support a family, when women were housewives and could choose any day of the week to do their shopping. The world has changed, how are full time workers supposed to do their shopping outside of evenings and weekends?

A lot of Sunday retail workers are students who are quite happy to pick up the extra money. In my college days I worked part time in a clothes shop on Thursday evenings and Sundays. Much preferred it to Saturday as it was generally a bit quieter and I got paid a higher rate for it. The full time workers generally had the weekday shifts and weekends off.

TheLittlestLightOnTheTree · 03/12/2018 10:21

mrmakers Wink

TeacupDrama · 03/12/2018 10:23

also in Europe apart from some supermarkets, cafes and restaurants lots of shops shut at 1pm on Saturday till Monday in anywhere apart from Major tourist sites but even in Paris loads of shops won't be open today

MrMakersFartyParty · 03/12/2018 10:23

@TheLittlestLightOnTheTree your smug attitude won't help you when you need help and find a worn out NHS worker doesn't feel like going the extra mile for you

Holidayshopping · 03/12/2018 10:23

We managed before with shops closed on Sunday and half days on Wednesday

Things have moved on quite a long way, though! Shall we go back to outside toilets and no electricity because people survived just fine without them?

TheLittlestLightOnTheTree · 03/12/2018 10:23

Don't be fooled about the students being happy to work

They don't want overtime these days.....and whinge about working Sundays as they like to see friends at the weekends

Bank of mum and dad along with bursaries and loans means they don't want the work!

TheLittlestLightOnTheTree · 03/12/2018 10:25

mrmakers how stupidly dramatic! Half my family are nhs workers. They go to work and work their hours then come home same as everyone else! We are all equally as knackered

Sakura7 · 03/12/2018 10:27

Holidayshopping Yes, that's the point I'm making Wink

Kristingle · 03/12/2018 10:30

Sure they just name changed to start such a personal and sensitive thread.

On no wait........

Flamingosnbears · 03/12/2018 10:31

Not at all, all shops should be closed on a Sunday especially with Internet shopping ordering being available

mummmy2017 · 03/12/2018 10:32

Co op is open till 11...
So you can do top ups, just plan better.

EvaReady · 03/12/2018 10:35

Bank of mum and dad along with bursaries and loans means they don't want the work! I think this is . nonsense our local Waitrose is full of school kids working at the weekend - they are from wealthy families but they still want to work.

Thesnobbymiddleclassone · 03/12/2018 10:37

Completely agree with you OP

There is no need to shut any earlier on a Sunday. The later opening doesn't bother me but they don't need to close early too.

Skyejuly · 03/12/2018 10:39

Yanbu. I hate Sunday shop hours

HoppingPavlova · 03/12/2018 10:39

Yeah we all get that about a&e....it's been said already....thread wasn't about a&e tho so it's irrelevant

Not really because the point is masses of people work Sundays so what’s so special about retail workers? Why is it ‘poor them’ when shops are open Sundays? Also, all the comments about that shops shouldn’t be open to allow people to recreate running around The Sound of Music style with their families on Sundays. Why is this essential for retail workers but no one else? Bizarre.

Over many years I have had lots of colleagues in different departments want weekend shifts, afternoon shifts, night shifts in order to fit in best with family life, generally to minimise time in care when kids were young. How is it fair to deny retail workers the same opportunities if they want them?

HoppingPavlova · 03/12/2018 10:40

Sry, grammar, tired ....

Buswankeress · 03/12/2018 10:40

YABU. Retail workers get such a raw deal as it is. My cousin and her husband work in retail. They get Christmas Day together with their young kids over the festive period. They are both back in Boxing Day. It's disgusting. Noone needs to shop on Boxing Day and noone needs to shop any later on a Sunday!!!

No one needs to go to a pub or restaurant or cafe or hotel on a Sunday, Christmas day, boxing Day or new years, or in fact bank holidays either by that logic. But they do, and therefore someone needs to miss family time to facilitate this, but that apparently is ok because they're not in retail. And these jobs very rarely get enhanced pay for late nights, early mornings, Sundays and bank holidays.
I suppose that nothing except essential services need to run on these days do they, and thinking about it, it'd probably help out the hospital staff and the emergency services at the same time because there'd be less people out and about getting drunk and into trouble on those days too! 🤔

TheLittlestLightOnTheTree · 03/12/2018 10:41

As a retail worker I'm happy to work longer on Sundays..... as are my colleagues

greendale17 · 03/12/2018 10:44

YABU- firstly churches are not empty. Secondly why can’t you do your food shopping the other 6 nights of the week your kids are in bed? Hmm

MrsCatKins · 03/12/2018 10:45

YANBU!!
I have worked in retail previously for many years when I was a student and I currently work shift work in my career. Sometimes Sunday evening or Sunday morning might be the only time I can go to a shop for something. It's bizarre that people are worried about retail workers needing that time off. They wouldn't work all the hours that the stores are open!! As I student working in retail at the weekends I would've much preferred to work Sunday night than Saturday night!!

LostInShoebiz · 03/12/2018 10:48

such a personal and sensitive thread

Jesus wept, are you histrionic much? I’d hate to see how you feel about stuff that actually is, y’know, actually “personal and sensitive”. Just because a topic is one on which people would have their own views doesn’t make it “personal and sensitive”.

Kazzyhoward · 03/12/2018 10:54

all shops should be closed on a Sunday especially with Internet shopping ordering being available

And how do you think that works? It's because the internet retailers, internet service providers, etc., have staff working on Sundays, as are the warehousing staff, courier drivers, etc.

Why should shop workers get time off when everyone working in the internet shopping industry don't??

Kazzyhoward · 03/12/2018 11:00

What's wrong with having a day where most people have the day off

"Most" people don't want to sit inside bored out of their skulls. They want to go places, do things, and you know what? That means other people have to work. Even National Trust sites need staff to look after the site, run the cafe/gift shop, open/close the barriers of the car park, cleaning, and other site maintenance. So even a "harmless" country work involves people having to work. Even if they want to sit inside, presumably they watch TV, listen to radio or use the internet - more workers having to work to support the infrastructure etc.

Tiscold · 03/12/2018 11:01

Agree with you OP.

People do realise that the online order pickers work from either 4am or 6am on sundays til they've done all your orsers right.
Warehouse and shelf staff still work all night doing the shelves.
Delivery drivers still do late night slots etc, so actually closing the shops early has little to no affect.