To think that when this is all over, we should restrict Sunday trading again.

[TheoriginalLEM]

Just that really. Sunday's used to be special because all but the corner shop was closed and it encouraged an actual break. Now the weekends are gone in a flash and we're back on the treadmill.

This situation is making me reflective and wanting to slow down.

No, I'd like to see them open for longer.

I'm at work all week and busy running kids round on Saturday.

I don't want to be bound by antiquated religious restrictions.

I'm sure if somebody works on a Sunday then they get a different day off in the week.

I also think Sunday should be normal hours also. Maybe reduce shop houses one /two days in week to make up for it. Silly that Sunday is restricted when so many people can usually only shop on weekend

Seven people need a job. Shop opens seven days a week.

Every one has a job

It’s not like pubs and gardens and other leisure things won’t be open. Just shut the shops

I don't get this at all. Why??? If you don't want to shop on Sunday, then don't.

Why do you think the shops should be closed? If it is to give retail staff a break, then what about people who work in cinemas, restaurants, bowling alleys etc?

If it's just because you feel like they should be shut, then just don't go.

Would love to see sunday trading very much restricted.

Most of europe manges to have far better productivity rates than the UK without trading on a Sunday.

We need more family and relaxation time, UK workers already work some of the highest hours in europe too, the argument has been made on other threads that obesity rates in the UK are v high because we don't have enough time to exercise.......

Well lets do something about that?

I see we have the rubbish being spouted that lots of Sunday workers like working that day and no one is forced to work Sundays.

I worked in retail and none of us liked working Sundays except the 2 weekend staff who were youngsters. My DH didn't work weekends so we only got Saturdays together.

Also it was made pretty clear that if we chose not to work Sundays we would lose our jobs. One person did fill in the supposedly opt out form and surprise lost her job but the excuse was that we were overstaffed. Funny that as she was replaced pretty quickly.

I would love to see shops closed on Sundays. They are in other European countries and they all seem to manage fine.

The sad people here queued for over 3 hours on Saturday to get into supermarkets just because they were shut for ONE day. How can you be so disorganised you can't cope for one day?

The tesco near me is open until 10pm on a week night and it is dead past 8pm prior to pandemic. I would rather stay open until 9pm on week nights & 7pm on a Sunday.

I agree with you OP - and why not throw in half day closing on a Wednesday too!

All this "busy lives" bollocks gets on my nerves. We do need to slow down but that genie is out of the bottle I'm afraid. My grandmother with a larger family cooked and cleaned more and didn't spend evenings quaffing Prosecco and binge-watching Netflix and expecting shops to be open every bloody day of the week

"Do you not have the willpower to not go in a shop if it happens to be open?"

That's exactly my point!!

But yeah, daft idea , ignore me

I live in a country where Sunday trading is restricted (Sunday shops limited by size). Many close early on Saturday too. The pace of life is slower in general. I like the slower pace of life.

There are times I wish the shops were open on Sundays, but as someone who spent years working weekends and bank holidays, I don’t grudge other people having time off to spend with their families.

I do think it would be better if weekends were not considered to be standard trading hours, and that staff working nights or weekends were paid premium rates, as they are here. I think when 24/7 trading is wholly normalised, then people can end up being worse off.

Nope. I worked sundays from age of 16. Fitted perfectly in with my studies. Meant I didnt have to work full Saturday too.

people before this virus were mostly working hard to put a roof over their heads, sunday shopping was often their only opportunity, the economy will be shot after the virus,
same will apply.

There are no Sunday trading restrictions in Scotland - I like it

Life has changed enormously since then. People work all kinds of crazy hours, barely anyone has a 9-5 Monday-Friday job so people rely on Sunday hours to get basic amenities in.

They don’t make retailers work. Most retail staff want to work on a Sunday.

If only this were true . My DH works every Sunday. There is no Sunday premium any more thanks to this idea that it's a normal day. He could opt out, but they get around that by saying he won't get the hours on another day, so he just loses 20% of his pay.

When Sunday trading came in they could have protected full time retail staff by making a requirement that shops had to have separate Sunday staff who didn't work during the week. That would have suited people looking for part time jobs, like students and mums. But they didn't.

Every Bank Holiday when everyone else is out -shopping- with their family, every Easter, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, DH is at work. Unlike nurses, fireman and other essential workers he is neither saving lives, nor being paid a decent salary, so there is really no need for it.

DH can't get another job after 30+ years in retail, so gets his weekend when the rest of the family is at work/school. But just so long as you lot don't have to be bored on Sunday that's ok

Closing shops on a Sunday won’t stop people having to work Sundays - not unless we also want to close pubs and leisure centres and hospitals and so on.

Time and a quarter pay, plus a day off in the week well those days are gone! What we should do is get rid of zero hours and flexible contracts - make employers give their workers a fixed hours-and-times contract. That might encourage them to pay extra for people to work the unpopular days again.

Lots of people eg students rely on the hours they can spend at work on a Sunday for extra income, why would you want to deprive people of their livelihood through some ill-remembered form of nostalgia?
Close the shops and that impacts on the pubs/cafes/leisure centres/soft play areas etc nearby, and the economy.
But aye if you want to go back to the 1970s crack on. Shall we bring back the 3 day week as well?

Sunday closing was ridiculous. Most people work in the week and to restrict fun shopping to Saturday never made sense. No one forces anyone to shop on a Sunday but seeing how successful it is, yours is a very unpopular idea.

I make most my money on a Sunday. If you want to slow down, feel free. I’ll stay as I am though

Why not Tuesdays?

I agree op that it would be nice if shops were to close on Sundays. I don't think it will happen though, shopping is now seen by many as an activity rather than a necessity.
I haven't worked in years (sahm) but in one of my earlier jobs if we had to work Saturdays we got time and a half, Sundays were double time, bank hols were triple time, plus travel and meal allowances.

Do shop staff get any extra for working weekends etc?

Oh god no, do you not remember how boring Sundays were? It was just a day spent waiting for Monday. and having to go to church and do your homework. They were worse than the Mondays. If anything they should bring opening hours in line with the rest of the week.

Sunday is shopping day. When can you shop if it’s not on a Sunday? For some of us it’s the only day free for it.

I'm with you OP. I think a day of proper downtime for the majority would be immensely valuable.

But then I don't really understand why we have to have so much availability to buying things.

I don't get extra pay for weekends (I do for early and late hours) . But my colleagues who've been there more years than me are on old contracts and therefore get time and a half.

There are definite benefits to working weekends. I don't pay for childcare, I get time off in the week.
I get paid enough, trust me. Please don't feel sorry for me or my colleagues