To wonder why in 2019, it's hard to find an open chemist on Sundays and Bank Holidays?

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Just that really.

I live in a city with a population of 280k. Needed to get some medication from over the counter at the chemist.

Rang the walk in centre to find out where was open and there's four places open in the whole city until 4pm. Three inside supermarkets and one in Boots in town centre. It's 34 degrees today, the roads are heaving and the thought of battling through a sweaty crowded shopping centre, or supermarket was to much to cope with.

In the end, I needed to get the medication and bit the bullet. I happened to strike lucky and managed to bag a free for one hour space by Sainsbury's and got the medicine. But it got me thinking, after 4pm there's no chemists open anywhere in the city. No wonder A&E gets so busy.

Surely it's not to do with trading laws, as smaller estate supermarkets and local shops are open after 4pm on Sunday's and Bank Holidays.

Oh and before I get the replies about shop staff deserving time off too, yes they do and they get time off. I worked it retail for many years and it was par for the course working weekends and Bank Holidays, I just find it really odd that I can visit any number of off licences today, but struggle to find a chemist.

For as long as I can remember (a lonnngg time) local pharmacies have always operated a rota, so that there will be a pharmacy open in any one area for at least one hr every day of the week.

It's not just a matter of employing more staff, to dispense they have to have appropriately qualified staff on duty and they aren't as numerous so can't offer a full 7 day a week service.

Where I live, the nearest supermarket with a pharmacy is 10 miles away.

There's a rota for Sundays and public holidays, when one of the 4 pharmacies in town will open for an hour or two. Anything outside those hours is a 20-mile round trip. We're not in the middle of nowhere, either, it's a town of 20 thousand or so people.

They are businesses and it's just not financially worth their while to open on days GP surgeries are closed. Usually one or two will be paid to open and NHS choices and 111 should know which ones.

Most areas have an emergency pharmacy rota. I’m in a city population of 270,100 and here there is one chemist that opens 7 days a week until 10pm. Ok it’s the furthest end of the city from me so is about 7 miles away. Most others today open until 6pm, with one until 8pm. They are a mixture of supermarket & community pharmacies

There is always a pharmacist on duty (all hours of the day and night) so if the out of hours drs thinks anyone needs urgent medication they will get it. However its for actual emergencies, not 'I don't have aspirin in the house'

A lot of people are used to being able to get whatever they want 24/7 and don't plan ahead and/or keep a well stocked first aid kit. A bank holiday shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

Thanks everyone, walk in centre never mentioned a rota, just said these four pharmacies are open until 4pm.

Echoing another PP, I too needed a chemist one weekend and the only one open was nearly 10 miles away.

The problem is that Supermarkets and discount shops have put chemists out of business.

There's loads of chemists that have closed since the 00's. When we need them, they aren't there anymore.

You make an excellent point there actually, @ponoka7. My local shops is a parade of wonderful independent shops. Bakers, greengrocer, butcher, chemist, off licence and Chinese.

Since Tesco Extra took over the corner shop on the parade, the chemists lost something like half of its lottery ticket takings and they now shut half day Saturday as a result. 😔

The lovely greengrocer has also cut his hours right back, which is a shame as the fruit and veg there is far superior to the shite in Tesco, but the grocer is usually shut by the time I get out of work.

Chemists will have a rota as to who is open on certain bank holidays but you would probably need to call them directly to find out. It is not financially viable for many small high street chemists to be open on a Sunday as surgeries are closed. Most people would head to larger supermarkets with chemists or chemists located in shopping centres. Might not be the most convenient if you don't drive.

Not been a problem where I live, even on bank holidays the chemists are still open till between 8-10pm.

When we’ve been to out of hours for kids with tonsillitis they have made up the antibiotics for us. Not sure what they do with other medicines though

This is why I love Scotland, no Sunday trading rules so you can get Boots open till 6 or 8pm.

This caught us by surprise today.

We’re in Scotland this week, it’s not a bank holiday in Scotland today - but the small high street pharmacy, which is normally open on Mondays according to the sign on the door, was still closed because of the bank holiday.

I’d have been unsurprised at this if it was a bank holiday in Scotland today, but I really hadn’t expected England only bank holidays to affect pharmacy opening times in Scotland.

Really @EmilyStar I went to our local pharmacy today as I was given a prescription to get filled.

This is why I love Scotland, no Sunday trading rules so you can get Boots open till 6 or 8pm.

There may not be rules, but there are still plenty of parts of Scotland where nothing opens on a Sunday for other reasons.

@EmilyStar, could it have been a local bank holiday? They happen in Scottish towns at odd times that I could never work out.