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Original poster

Re shop openings on the 12th April

116 replies

Timeisavirtue · 16/03/2021 22:23

I’ve been thinking about this a lot and think it’s a really really stupid idea that they are planning on opening shops half way during the half term. I work in a clothing retail and I’m itching to go back to work after being furloughed since Christmas Eve but I think this is by far the stupidest idea Bojo has suggested. I think it would be better to wait a week and ease into it as kids will be at school.

OP posts:
JinglePies · 17/03/2021 07:07

And calling the Easter holidays “half term” is very irritating. It’s a factual inaccuracy. It’s not just a different term for the same thing.

katienana · 17/03/2021 07:08

We are thrilled as we can go to our caravan for the second part of the holidays.
I think its crazy that we are waiting so long to open shops. It should be brought forward by at least 10 days

longwayoff · 17/03/2021 07:09

Ha! @cardibach just spent a good few minutes pondering on what donkeys have to do with it. Penny's dropped nowGrin

Lemons1571 · 17/03/2021 07:10

I’ve got a family sc break booked for 14th April for a few days. Schools not back til 19th here. Would be very annoyed if we couldn’t go away as would then have to wait until august (I know I know first world problem).

ProfessorInkling · 17/03/2021 07:10

Nearly half of adults are vaccinated. I don’t think Primark opening with a few days if the Eater hols left is going to cause a third wave.

Monkeytapper · 17/03/2021 07:13

@IdblowJonSnow

Kids are back at school by then in Yorkshire.
They go back on the 19th in Leeds
DrMadelineMaxwell · 17/03/2021 07:15

It will be to stop people who are off work because their kids are on easter holidays from using the shops as a form of entertainment and a way to try and keep numbers of people visiting them down.

It is annoying. I like a mooch around the shops with my teens, but that hasnt been easy or fun to do in a year now, due to having to pay attention to all the restrictions.

RampantIvy · 17/03/2021 07:15

And are back on the 12th in most parts of South Yorkshire @Monkeytapper.

It's like groundhog day on this thread Grin

megletsecond · 17/03/2021 07:18

Yanbu. It'll be Easter hols in Hampshire.
The Primark queue will be epic. A friend works for there and is dreading it. A soft reopening would be better.

I'll avoid everything until after the kids have all gone back and it's calmed down.

BarbaraofSeville · 17/03/2021 07:30

I don't think they were thinking about your childcare arrangements when they devised the roadmap OP.

On the matter of school terms in Yorkshire, I looked this up yesterday, because I'm very close to Wakefield, Leeds, Kirklees and Bradford LAs and have a few days off work just before Easter and wanted to know if I could go out for a walk without the country parks I will then be allowed to drive to being overly busy. I think three of the above four are on holiday from 2nd April, and only Wakefield taking the two weeks straddling Easter.

Loopyloututu2 · 17/03/2021 07:36

What difference does it make? People who want/need to take their dc’s to the shops will do so at the weekend anyway.
At least this way it’ll be spread over a week. The scientists/advisors don’t take it into account because they don’t think it has any bearing/relevance obvs.

GibberAwayGranny · 17/03/2021 07:39

Leeds always has the first 2 weeks of April off no matter when Easter falls. Some businesses/factories close for these two weeks too.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 17/03/2021 07:39

It does mean that parents in some areas will be able to buy school uniform or just clothes for their kids. They grow so quickly. I know some of my clothes are only fit for rags now, so I can't imagine what it is like for children.

actiongirl1978 · 17/03/2021 07:46

Mine aren't back until 21st April. I am delighted that DD13 can hit the shops with her friend and they can finally spend some of their xmas money. I expect they will be first in the queue for Primark on the 12th.

Bloody brilliant news.

And then by HALF TERM in May, they can hang out properly and get back to normal.

SleepingStandingUp · 17/03/2021 07:54

@OhYouBadBadKitten

It does mean that parents in some areas will be able to buy school uniform or just clothes for their kids. They grow so quickly. I know some of my clothes are only fit for rags now, so I can't imagine what it is like for children.
Parents can buy uniform already, unless the schools are being utterly ridiculous and demanding only X skirt or jumper etc from X supplier. They can also buy clothes for their children. As can adults.
Angel2702 · 17/03/2021 07:57

Can’t come soon enough. My kids have no clothes that fit and need new shoes. Shops are low risk anyway so think they should have opened before.

KatherineJaneway · 17/03/2021 07:59

@mum2jakie

Delay any longer and there won't be any shops left to reopen!
Exactly!
SleepingStandingUp · 17/03/2021 07:59

@Angel2702

Can’t come soon enough. My kids have no clothes that fit and need new shoes. Shops are low risk anyway so think they should have opened before.
Why can't you buy them new clothes?
SleepingStandingUp · 17/03/2021 08:05

Am I missing something on the clothes front? Have Scotland or Wales banned all clothes and shoe shopping?

hobsonjobson · 17/03/2021 08:05

@cardibach sorry, but the pedant in me can't resist. An awful lot of (most?) schools now work on a six term year, so it's actually no longer accurate to call the October holiday 'half term' either. There is generally no such as thing as a 'half term' - every holiday is now the end of a term. (Though of course we all still think of it the old way.)

UserTwice · 17/03/2021 08:12

Okay sorry for the wrong terminology but it has absolutely nothing to do with wether it’s better to wait a week 🤦🏼‍♀️ 😂 only on mumsnet would you find people pathetic enough to point this out 😂

It's relevant as "half term" is a short break part way through the term ("half" way through, hence the terminology) and other holidays are longer, so more likely that people will take time off, go places, not just put their children in childcare for the whole thing.

Virtually everyone I work with has one week or other of the Easter holidays off (in normal years, not just this one). Half terms people bother much less as they are shorter!

(one of the schools local to us works on a system that is basically 6 weeks of school then 1 week holiday, 6 week of school, 2 weeks of holiday. They don't generally have an Easter school holiday - just the bank holidays off.)

I agree that it's probably better to reopen shops in a school holiday - the shoppers will then be more spread out.

Angel2702 · 17/03/2021 08:15

Because the shops are closed other than supermarkets. Which aren’t suitable for what we need.

RampantIvy · 17/03/2021 08:17

An awful lot of (most?) schools now work on a six term year,

Where? As far as I know in England it is a three term year split by Christmas, Easter and summer holidays, with each term split in the middle with half term. It is still referred to as half term on governement websites www.northumberland.gov.uk/Education/Schools/Holidays.aspx?

supersonicginandtonic · 17/03/2021 08:17

It's not half term 🤯 ots the Easter holidays. Half term is in October, may and February and usually for a week. 🙄

DavidsSchitt · 17/03/2021 08:19

Waiting a week simply because you want the whole of your Easter holidays off will further damage the economy and mean that everything else waits another week. Where I am schools will be back in that day.

You honestly don't sound like you're "itching" to go back.

You've had plenty of time to watch Chris Whitty explain why there are 5 weeks between each phase of reopening. Why haven't you?