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.

Retail staff often get extra pay for Sundays

Not so. Almost never It’s usually only if you are on a contract that dates from before the laws changed in the mid 90s.
In my experience you work 5 days out of 7 all the same hourly rate, which means you will get paid less for working on a Sunday.

Supermarkets like part time staff. Being full time means they have much less flexibility to ask you to do the unpopular hours.

There is a view amongst the public that anyone who works weekends gets time and half, double time. No they don’t!

I live in Scotland in the small/ medium town next to where we live well over half the shops close every Sunday, there is not enough trade or they are single handed businesses that want a day off, the supermarkets and chains are open as are most cafes but at least 4 cafes don't open on Sundays, the butcher, fishmonger and green grocer are shut as is the toy shop all the opticians, hardware store, the gift type shops are about 50/50
to be honest I would rather have restricted hours and severely reduce 24/7 opening except petrol stations / motorway services
I think nowhere needs to be open later than 11pm or before 7am
in the EU ( loved by all MN) 24/7 is very very rare and lots of places have opening hours restrictions lots of small restaurants have to close one day a week often monday/tuesday etc
too many buisnesses are taking advantage of the poorest to have unfair working conditions when not even break between shifts and shifts changing last minute and days off being changed I think tightening up on all this would help at lot

PoorlyWeasels
To be fair Poorly Sunday trading started in 1994. That's 26 years ago. You are saying your DH has 30 plus years of retail working. Surely he could have had a change in direction in over two and a half decades if he didn't want to work on the premium days.
I have had 3 changes in careers since the mid 90's!

A bit surprised by all the "Don't you remember how boring Sundays used to be?!" comments. Do that many people really regard shopping as a fun leisure activity and their only way to liven up a Sunday?

I think it's a brilliant idea. I'm also in favour of everything being closed on Boxing Day too

You don’t have to visit the shop on a Sunday if you don’t want to, OP.

Perhaps shutting the shops on Sunday means we could spend time with our families. Just a thought.

Whether staff get paid extra or not, the fact remains that some people need to work on a Sunday and some people want to work on a Sunday. My kids all worked on Sundays during 6th form and university. I also know families where the parents choose to work around each other than use childcare - and often this means working on a Sunday. A family with a couple of young kids might actually be financially better off by having one parent doing retail work at the weekend than by both parents working all week and losing one whole income to childcare fees. Why deny people choice to manage their work life the way they want. I also know people who’ve packed in more stressful professionals careers or gone part time, and are really happy earning on a Sunday and having free time during the week

If so many people are happy to work Sunday then why does everyone in the supermarket have to work a weekend day? Why is there a waiting list for people wanting to work Monday to Friday?

No, I would like the complete opposite and shop's opening times to more reflective of American trading hours.

I work a 9-5 job and it seems ridiculous that most shops close at 5pm or 5.30pm so the only time I can shop is weekends. Given that most office based jobs operate 9-5, it would make so much more sense if shops stayed open later (like they do in Japan).

If so many people are happy to work Sunday then why does everyone in the supermarket have to work a weekend day? Why is there a waiting list for people wanting to work Monday to Friday?

The people who want weekend days are younger so less likely to be management?

Weekdays are quieter so it's easier?

Sleep where do you live? Do you not have 24 hour stores where you live? I thought they were everywhere now, even now most shops are until at least 8 but we live in a big town, perhaps it's different if you are more rural.
Regardless I think Sunday working should be a choice or should be double pay.

Ridiculous suggestion.

Just because you want to 'reflect and slow down' doesn't mean we all bloody do and it should be put into legislation. You don't want to shop on a Sunday, fine then don't but I do and I also enjoy working on a Sunday (admittedly in the service industry not retail) but it is the same premise. When I applied I knew there would be evenings and weekends and that suits me perfectly. We're meant to live in a secular country so why should trading hours be imposed around sunday being the sabbath, get your head out your arse and into the 21st century.

Just move to France then. I very much like the convenience of everything being open every day.

So glad I live in Scotland don't have this archaic bollocks to put up with. You pace your life how you like. I'll pace mine how I like. I won't bother how you live yours and you don't bother how I live mine. Win-win.

Sundays used to be special
Yeah, specially shit.

All this slow down and reflect is a little too much perfect world. When "this is all over" (stupid phrase), it's certainly going to far from perfect, where people slow down. We'll have a tanked economy, bad unemployment, etc. So I doubt people will be slowing down. They'll be too busy trying to keep their heads above water.

Sundays weren't special as a child. They were boring and shit.

I remember Sunday trading being brought in back in 1994. It had been forced by the big department stores and supermarkets, who had been opening for several hours each on Sundays anyway and found that customers liked it. So they continued and the government of the day had to either challenge them (which would have been unpopular with the public) or legislate to allow it, which they did.

I think our ridiculous and restrictive Sunday trading hours should be extended if anything. Not cut back on or abolished. I like having the choice to shop on Sunday and don't want that taken away.

If you don't want to shop on Sunday then just don't.

Fucking hated Sundays

Sundays were boring years ago.
What did other people do that was so special, what did I miss out on?

I'm surprised at people saying they hated sundays and they were boring.
The only thing that changed is that shops opened. All other recreational activities such as leisure centres, parks, bars cinemas etc were open.
It wouldnt occur to me to go shopping to relieve boredom!
Sometimes I take the kids with with to the Trafford centre on sundays to do laser quest or monitor golf nearby.
I am always anazedxatvthe large number of families traipsing round with the kids looking so bored. It has never crossed my mind to have shopping as a family activity!

I can do 1/3 of my hours for the week on a Sunday, if the shop I work in was closed I'd probably have to work 6 (albeit short) days every week to make that up.

It's all well and good to feel nostalgic for simpler times but a change like that would really pull the rug out from under people.

The only thing that changed is that shops opened. All other recreational activities such as leisure centres, parks, bars cinemas etc were open.
It wouldnt occur to me to go shopping to relieve boredom!
Sometimes I take the kids with with to the Trafford centre on sundays to do laser quest or monitor golf nearby.

So all those being open was more necessary and virtuous than those low-rent chavs who go shopping on Sunday?

I'm rural South Coast Rosebel and tend to shop in Brighton mainly. "24 hour" stores close late Saturday night and observe the 10-4 Sunday opening hours where I am.