To think if you want retail workers to get Boxing Day off...

[StillCoughingandLaughing]

... the same should apply to bar and restaurant staff, cinema staff etc.?

The last couple of years now I’ve seen campaigns on Facebook pushing for all shops to be closed on Boxing Day to give retail workers ‘A precious day off with their families’. ‘We can all cope for one day without the shops, for heaven’s sake!’, people say, as magnanimous as you like. Yet they go on to wax lyrical about how retail workers deserve to be able to go to the pub or for lunch with their families, or to the panto, like everyone else.

Who do these people think are cooking the meals, serving the drinks etc.? Taking their tickets and showing them their tickets at the theatre? Why don’t these people deserve to be graciously awarded a day off by the great British public - regardless of whether they might actually want the overtime?

AIBU to think that if you’ve ever been to the pub, restaurant, theatre, cinema etc. on Boxing Day, you’re being a massive hypocrite by supporting this kind of campaign?

I don't go anywhere on Boxing Day for that reason.

I’ve never done any of that on Boxing Day (eaten out, gone to the cinema/pub/shop). I’m usually working or sleeping off a night shift (nurse).
Dd is working this year (pub) and I’m off so she’s asked us to join her. Should we not go?

I don't go anywhere other than family homes on boxing Day but if I went to a restaurant or bar I'd leave a Christmas tip. I think most people would. I have a friend who has worked in restaurants for years and she says they all want to work Christmas Day and boxing Day as it is very lucrative.
Are cinemas open on boxing Day? I don't think our local one is.

Dd is working this year (pub) and I’m off so she’s asked us to join her. Should we not go?

I have no issue with people going to the pub - I will be myself. But I won’t be campaigning on Facebook to get the shops closed because retail workers are apparently a special breed.

I hadn’t really thought about non-retail people in service industry before, but you’re right.

YANBU

The lack of public transport on Christmas Day and Boxing Day also makes life difficult for low paid workers in places like cinemas, pubs, etc. If they don’t drive.

The thing is, people say they don't want shops to open on Boxing Day but when I worked in retail, I heard it most often from the people in shopping on Boxing Day.

"Oh, it's shocking that you're open."
"You should be closed today."

As I'm scanning their shopping and thinking that if nobody came in then they might actually close next year.

I agree.

I was a bit shocked earlier today when a checkout assistant in Tesco told me that because Christmas Day fell on her normal rota'd day off, she wasn't actually getting an extra day. She then added "But at least I don't have to use a day of my holiday".

Tight bastards, Tesco, and if this is normal for retail, the system needs to change.

There are a lot of industries that will be at work on boxing day, not just customer facing roles. Call centre staff will also be clocking on.

The same people will also go out for their Christmas dinner not thinking about the people cooking the dinner. I used to work in kitchens and you had to work on the day. Not everyone wants to do it. It’s them I feel sorry for, not retail staff who actually get the day off

meh - Boxing Day is a public holiday. If you work in retail your expectation shouldn't be that you work on holidays (having said that, since Sunday opening what is a holiday now?)

There are plenty of people who don't mind about working on holidays but unless we can guarantee that all shops could be staffed by those, we're probably stuck with it. TBH I think a day with no shopping wouldn't hurt anyone.

On the other hand people like Chefs know when they sign up for that job that they will be working when other people are off. My DH always used to be working Christmas, mother's day, Easter, whatever and when the DC were small we often celebrated on his next day off or waited until he got home. It is what it is with those sorts of job.

As I'm scanning their shopping and thinking that if nobody came in then they might actually close next year

Ha yes I get that too. I'm.not exactly retail. Well.i guess I am I suppose. I am however working boxing day and will likely get umpteen people asking why we are open

Cos you lot come in thats why

It depends. I’ve gone ice-skating on the 26th a couple of times. I tend to avoid most businesses that mean people have to work on Stephen’s day but when someone takes a job at a temporary business that only exists for a few weeks around Christmas I don’t think that’s the same.

I'm in the theatre industry so Boxing Day is pretty much business as usual.

I don't go anywhere on Christmas eve, Christmas day or boxing day.
I believe that retail & catering business should be closed.
But that's just me and reality is very different...

I’ve worked in a box office. You are generally on a rota (we were 4 days on, 3 days off) and it was fun. I used to volunteer for NEW years Eve & New Years Day, whereas my colleague liked to party at New Year so she’d do Christmas Eve & Boxing Day. It was fun. I’ve also had a dd performing in panto over Xmas.

Boxing Day theatre is a tradition.

I worked for one of the big cinema chains. We could choose to have Christmas off (24-26 December) or New Years (31 December - 2nd January). What generally happened was the students worked at Christmas, so they could go out partying on New Years; those of us with families took Christmas off to spend with them, and happily worked New Years as a trade. It worked fine.

I agree with you and only go to shops if an emergency .However I do wonder about that other special breed the "Amazon Workers"! How much Christmas leave do they get ? Also how many people complaining are on Amazon returning gifts etc! When I was little ,I clearly remember the shops shutting on Christmas eve and not reopening until after Boxing Day .Also if they ran out of something that was it and my Aunt was most upset she couldnt get any cream as they had run out!

How far do you take it though? What about all the people who need to be working to make sure all the TV schedules run as planned? Those of you who say you don’t go anywhere on Boxing Day - do you watch TV?

Not suggesting they should close down TV by the way, just playing devil’s advocate! My point is, where do you draw the line?

I would do it like Germany. Everything, apart from essential emergency services, shuts at 14:00 on Christmas Eve and doesn't open again until 08:00-ish on December 27th.
Major railway stations and airports do have shops open, for necessities.
Apart from giving people 2 days off back-to-back it is amazing how quiet everything suddenly goes!

My studant DS is more than happy to work Boxing Day ( he works in a fast food retail) he'll get extra £ , his meal and ....... away from me trying to get him to be all Family Festive )

His choice entirely . (And no, I don't expect him to bring me anything back)

We never go anywhere on Boxing Day. We spend the day at home with family. Can't think of anything worse than shopping on Boxing Day! Might do a spot of sneaky online sales shopping though.

We don't watch Tv either, for those asking. We do use electricity though, so I guess someone has to be at the power station to make sure that the lights stay on...

I agree, working in hospitality you accept that you're going to work those days and get on with it, but, as with retail, the special days are often so busy that it's all hands on deck and none of those days off, so you can't even reasonably expect one or the other off in hospitality, you would usually get at least Christmas day off in retail, and the reasons given for why retail workers deserve it off also apply to hospitality workers too.
It's not essential to go to the pub Christmas day or Boxing Day, it's not essential to have Christmas or Boxing Day dinner out, or to go out NYE, but there's a demand from the public for it. Hospitality workers deal with the public (and drunk public more often) are on low wages with little in the way of job benefits, so I don't see why retail workers are so special either, but it is what it is. About the only thing different is hospitality workers tend to get tips whereas retail don't (I've worked in both) maybe that's the pay off so to speak? I'm lucky because I get double time for Christmas day (none of the other days) but I've worked in places where you don't.

"Oh, it's shocking that you're open."
"You should be closed today."

Get this too, as I'm serving their pint 🙄 that and

"Oh working nights is awful! That's crap, I'd refuse!"
(You'll be glad I do though if there's an issue that I sort in the middle of the night!)
That's what pisses me off more I think, that people insinuate my job is shit because of those things, yet are quite happy to be there using the service provided. Similar to "I wouldn't get out of bed for that" it's a shitty thing to say when you're using the service they're providing.

I’ve been saying this for years!! ‘Oh the poor retail workers, they should have a day off!’ Why? As OP says, why shouldn’t this also apply to staff in pubs, theatres, even trains and buses (now those retail workers with their day off can’t get anywhere unless they drive - oh but will petrol stations be closed too?) Not to mention we can’t just not have police, fire service or hospitals running. Never understood why people are so uppity about shops being open.

Let’s not forget, some people don’t actually celebrate Christmas and/or might be perfectly happy to be working.