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.

I think all the shops should shut on Boxing Day
And New Year's Day

I worked in retail for years. I did every Boxing Day and loved it. Most of my colleagues had kids, so the few that didn’t would volunteer to work it and then we’d get New Year off instead.

Lots of people like working it, especially those who are perhaps lonely or don’t have families. Or have toxic relationships they want to get away from for a bit.

No, shops don't need to open as such, but they do need to continually make profit to survive.

Like it or not, the Boxing Day sales are hugely profitable and with the high street struggling the way it is, the shops need to make money when they can.

I know they don't need to open on Boxing day but it can be at a decent hour and not 4am. Very early morning openings are unreasonable and it's just pure greed that's motivating them.

When I was a student I used to love working Boxing Day - double pay.

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

Why do people come out with such rubbish?

I agree the 4-5-6am openings are insane, but outside of set days, shops are free to open whenever they want.

They must think it's worth it, though, else they wouldn't bother paying their staff to be in at the crack of dawn. At the end of the day, businesses are all about making money. If they fail to make a profit, shops will close and their staff will lose their jobs.

If people refused to queue outside next at 5am and didn't go shopping at that ungodly hour, the shops wouldn't make money at that time of day and wouldn't bother opening so early.

It's a bit like where I live, the shops have summer/winter opening hours because once it gets dark and cold, staying open late (like you do in summer) is pointless as you make no money once you've paid out for wages, heating, electric etc.

Shops would not open if they didn't make money. Nobody needs to go out at 5am so until people realise that and choose to stay at home, shops are going to make money when they can.

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.

well, I am not for London originally, and many places are actually CLOSED on bank holidays, closed on Sundays too... it's absolutely fine, people cope, they just are.. organised.

Small restaurants might open because the extra guests make it possible for them to survive the quiet months, so I wouldn't call it greedy exactly! It would be hard for them to have to close.

Petrol Station before my time were closed out of normal hours, people were used to that - now you pay by card and there's no need for staff.

There's absolutely no need whatsoever for supermarkets, Ikea and high street shops to be opened.

They must think it's worth it, though, else they wouldn't bother paying their staff to be in at the crack of dawn.

But they won’t be paying them any more I’m willing to bet. The days of double time for bank holidays are long gone.

I don’t mind the shops opening, I worked in retail for many years, but I do object to opening at stupid o’clock.

But they won’t be paying them any more I’m willing to bet. The days of double time for bank holidays are long gone.

It depends on the store. We get double time for all Bank Holidays and I've never worked a retail job where there wasn't some kind of benefit for BH working - whether that's extra pay or TOIL or free transport or food.

But I totally agree that the early mornings are silly.

TOIL is not a benefit for working a BH it’s your legal entitlement.

TOIL is not a benefit for working a BH it’s your legal entitlement.

That's not true at all.

Not everyone is entitled to Bank Holidays off, for lots of people they're just normal working days.

If your contract states "25 days plus bank holidays" or whatever and you're then required to work a BH, you're entitled to TOIL for it. But if BH's aren't included in your annual leave allowance, they don't have to give you anything extra for working them.

@Sparklybaublefest Why should shops close? You do realise the UK is multicultural and multireligious? Not a mono-religious culture? Why shouldn't Muslims or Jehovah's Witnesses or Atheists be able to shop on Christmas day or Boxing day? After all, it is just another day to them, it means nothing.

And many truly enjoy/need making that extra Christmas/Boxing money they get for working that day.

Why can't people decide themselves if they want to shop on that day or not? Why can't people have the choice?

I have been in work at a supermarket since 9am ... when we opened the doors at 9 on the dot there was a crowd of about 50/60 people waiting to come in and most legged it straight to the Christmas sale aisles ... none of which has been reduced any further than it was the two days before Christmas but people are filling their trolleys with absolute tat we havent sold for the 3 months it has been out on sale. What a waste of Boxing Day in my eyes

Not sure anyone who claims there “must be a festive atmosphere” has ever worked in retail

I've just read the entire thread and I'm surprised by the amount of people who presume that everyone in the UK (and elsewhere) is a Christian. There seems to be absolutely no consideration whatsoever, that many, many, many people are not Christians and don't observe Christmas day and Boxing day holidays. There is almost an ethocentrism on here - I say almost, because their seems to be an assumption everyone is a Christian, and there are no non-Christians. It's like some PPs are completely unable to think outside of their British, white Christian anglosaxson sphere and that to many people, Christmas Day and Boxing Day is a day of no meaning at all whatsoever, and is a normal day just like any date of the year. It has precisely zero meaning. And they would expect to be able to do their weekly shop on the 25th or 26th, or go to the cinema on the 25th or 26th.

The early 1900s were most of England was white, anglo saxon, protestant and Christian have long gone. These days, many, many of it's citizens are not Christians. So why do people think shops shouldn't be open to cater to these people? I think people need to stop thinking that the UK is 1800s or early 1900s 99% white anglo CofE. There is no longer a reason that any store should be closed on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Not in the UK in 2019. Every store should be open as to many it is a day with no meaning at all, just an ordinary day.

I do about 95% of all my shopping (food and non food) online.

I won't be stepping foot outside the house until the new year BUT because of people like me high street shops of all kinds need to get those people that still go into physical shops in theirs. I imagine it's much easier to do that on dates such as Boxing Day when people want to go out and buy things and get a bargain without waiting for a delivery tomorrow. They need to do that to survive the internet (I have an amazon delivery tomorrow ).

Of course the majority of people in this country are not Christians, only 3% go to church on Christmas Day. I’m a lifelong atheist as is nearly everyone I know. Didn’t stop me eating a Christmas dinner yesterday. And it wouldn’t mean I wouldn’t be pissed off at working at 4am on Boxing Day.

I forgot that the rules on bank holidays had changed. When I worked in retail they weren’t included in holidays.

Well Sainsburys wasn't very festive, looked like it has been invaded by a swarm of locusts. (I only went in as I've not left the house since Monday and have serious cabin fever)

M&S (and Waitrose) were both shut.

@SarahNade - of course not everybody in this country is Christian, but it IS a predominantly Christian country and this should be observed, and if it means shops closing for a day or two, so be it. Can you imagine if shops/hotels/places which sell alcohol were pressurised by minorities to sell alcohol on, e.g. the Prophet's Birthday in the Arab world? It just would not happen. Minorities who live in our country must accept our customs, just as we must accept the customs of foreign countries we visit if we are not to offend the indiginous population.

Ask the staff, not the customers. They're the ones who have to work. If they get double time, it's probably worth it for them and I bet students/sixth formers love it.

The real problem is the lack of public transport especially at a time when a lot parent taxi drivers will be over the limit.

Waitrose have never been open on Christmas Day or Boxing Day unless you count those concession places in some motorway service stations. They don't open Easter Sunday here either. And our local Tesco is closed today (Boxing Day) too. They'll both be closed on New Year's Day too. The little local shops are open for milk bread and nappies etc if anyone has a crisis in that way.

but it IS a predominantly Christian country and this should be observed

What’s your proof for that assertion? The public calendar is based on Christianity but that’s historical and should probably be reviewed.

and if it means shops closing for a day or two, so be it.

What’s the religious significance of Boxing Day?

Minorities who live in our country must accept our customs, just as we must accept the customs of foreign countries we visit if we are not to offend the indiginous population.

Wow. I’m “indigenous”, not Christian and no, I don’t recognise “your” customs. They offend me. And I doubt very much that I’m alone in that.

What about care workers, doctors and nurses who have to work all through Christmas?

Because people still fall ill over Christmas. It can't be helped. I'm sure Denise from Lewisham could wait till the New year to buy a lampshade. She doesn't need to go specifically on Boxing day. After all there are 360 plus days of the year she could go.

They don't open Easter Sunday here either.

No large shops in England are open on Easter Sunday. They aren’t allowed.