To think other supermarkets should follow Waitrose lead and close on Boxing Day

[Sparklybaublefest]

So hard on the workers.
My Asda is open from 8 am on boxing day, not even sunday hours.

Not spectacular-particular!

I work full time shifts and have children and a house etc so maybe mine are too?

I do find it useful when they open on boxing day -YABU.

For all you saying how awful it is, I presume you don’t leave your house on 26, and have never been to a restaurant, theatre, pub, cinema, petrol station, or on a bus or in a taxi on 26th.

In our family Boxing Day has always a day of chilling out/recovering from Christmas Day. If we go out anywhere it's to go for a Boxing Day walk in the lakes (I live on the edge of the Lake District)

I have never in 30 years been to a restaurant, theatre, pub, cinema or petrol station on Boxing Day.

The only reason I have ever got a bus/taxi was because I had to get to my retail job - buses if I had later shifts so I could use the reduced schedule and taxis if I have to be in before/after the reduced timetable ended.

I used to happily work xmas eve and boxing day when I was at uni and worked in retail. The stores were super busy and your day went quickly. People tended to be in a good mood so there would be a nice atmosphere about. The trade off meant I would get new years off which I definitely preferred.

I think it would be nice if supermarkets stayed closed on the 26th too but then agree that restaurants and cinema, bowling etc should be shut too.

M&S open on Boxing Day but only the profitable stores. Their stores in Bromley and Bluewater are open tomorrow for example. The one I used to work in didn't used to open as we wouldn't make enough to cover the electricity bill.

Waitrose has never opened Boxing Day it’s not like they just stopped opening. Anyway, replenishment staff still work on Boxing Day so it’s not like the shop is sat empty.

Anyway, replenishment staff still work on Boxing Day so it’s not like the shop is sat empty.

My understanding is that this is actually the main reason for shutting on Boxing Day - so that no one has to work Christmas Day. It's why for so long John Lewis didn't open on Sundays or Mondays - to ensure that no one had to work on the Sunday, not just the shop floor staff.

YABU
Christmas is not that much of a big deal for quite a lot of people in the UK, not everyone is that fussed about working on Boxing Day.

Waitrose were open last year. i believe this is the first year it has closed.

AFAIK Waitrose has never opened on Boxing Day.

I'd be perfecty happy to work Boxing day.

Agree

Waitrose were open last year. i believe this is the first year it has closed

My local one wasn’t.

I agree there is no need for shops to be open on boxing Day, emergency chemist maybe , but there is no need to buy groceries, sofas or clothes.. To pp who say choose a different job, it is not always that simple, and no I don't think shop workers do enjoy working over Xmas or enjoy a festive atmosphere,it's just bloomin hardwork! I fully support Waitrose in closing and think other retailers should follow suit, I can't imagine it would have a big impact on the economy ,surely if you can't buy for example a new TV in boxing Day sales you'll just buy one in the on the 27th instead ?? You're not going to buy two TVs , one in boxing day and one on the 27th so amount of money spent is the same and shops closing boxing day shouldn't result in a loss of sales but would make Xmas a lot nicer for a lot of people.

DF always worked Boxing Day when I was a child (OK not in retail) said that was what paid for Xmas.

I am sure all the shops that open have worked out whether it pays them to do it or not.

It's very easy to say they shouldn't be open but high street shops have to do all they can to survive otherwise we will have the same people moaning about them opening then moaning when they go under.

Matalan near me opened at 4am. Primark 5am and same with Next.

Silly.

If the shops were closed that would be fine but as they're open I'll be popping out later to get a few things we are low on. I'm visiting my dad tomorrow so will be out all day.

The shops wouldn't open if they didn't make a profit.

At the company I work for, only 4 shops out of 50+ are open today because they're the ones that will make money.

Staff are all paid double time but everyone will be working a 9+ hour shift. If you work in one of those stores, Boxing Day is not optional and everyone has to be there.

At the end of the day, businesses are about making money. They don't really care about your family life - they just want to make as much profit as possible.

Who the hell wants to queue up in the cold at 4am to go to a matalan or primark sale. How awful for the workers to drag their arses out of bed at 2am to get to work for 4am. They can't even enjoy their Christmas properly as they have to go to bed early to get ready for work the next day.

This is a form of modern slavery. Forcing ridiculous opening hours in the pursuit of profits that it impacts on family life for retail workers. I'll be tweeting my comments to these shops & I'd suggest everybody does so.

It's getting stupid now. 5am for shit primark clothes?! They just want to clear their warehouses of shit dead end clothes that haven't sold. That's what Next does, I never find current stock in my local store on sale, just shit stuff from 10 seasons ago.

Rant over

What about care workers, doctors and nurses who have to work all through Christmas? Don't be so dramatic. That's life! If you don't like the hours or working through Christmas then don't bloody well work there.

kevintheorangecarrot of course the emergency/care services matters as they provide an essential service to society all year round. However, opening a shop at 4am before your competitors is not providing an essential service to society. That's just pure profit and greed and retail workers are forced to comply with that. So I do think it is a form of modern slavery.

Who is getting up at 4am to go to Matalan?

My two favourite independent cafes are closed from the 23rd until after the new year. I’m sure they would be open if it was worth their while.
Another favourite independent asked the staff to put down what days they wanted to work and then worked out what days they had enough staff to open.

Morrisons are closed today too and Tesco. I actually need Asda today after discovering my DD has feckin headlice yesterday of all days, I need to dash out and get some hedrin! Spent a portion of my Christmas morning raking through her hair with the nitty gritty, such fun.