Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think it is time to extend Sunday opening hours?

635 replies

Sundayopeningplease · 19/02/2023 09:32

It really is time for the restrictive Sunday trading hours to be lifted. The archaic laws have not kept up with modern society.

Sunday may traditionally have been a family day but there have been a lot of changes since then. People are in increasingly different family set ups. The working hours have changed for a lot of people and being able to shop on a Sunday morning would improve things greatly. It would help trade for businesses too.

Sunday is now a major shopping day and the hours need to reflect this.

OP posts:
hothands · 19/02/2023 09:53

PuppyMonkey · 19/02/2023 09:47

@calimali but you’re expecting MNHQ staff to be in on a Sunday. Don’t they deserve a break? Why can’t you MN on weekdays only, you don’t need to be doing it 24 hours a day.

I would imagine (hope) that they get paid more for doing that. At one time, if you worked Sundays or unsociable hours in retail, you were paid double time even if it was under 38 hours a week. I was paid triple time for Bank Holidays 20 years ago, but as it's the norm now to work Sundays, you don't have a prayer. It's always the lowest paid workers in society that get shafted when things like this become usual.

calimali · 19/02/2023 09:53

@PuppyMonkey no, I'm not expecting anyone to be working 24 hours a day at all - where did I say that? I am posting on MN on a Sunday morning because it is available. If they had 'opening hours' I would happily stick to them and post when staff were working.

I agree with a pp who mentions France. I holiday in France a lot. I like that they have longer lunch breaks and that many shops stay shut on a Sunday. It is a slower pace of life. No one needs to be spending money all day every day. When did going to the supermarket become a family day out? I know some people have to take their children with them due to childcare, but I often see whole families in there - there are dozens of places I know my children would have wanted to go on a Sunday - the supermarket is not one of them.

OnaBegonia · 19/02/2023 09:53

The 'shut on Sunday' pps I'll assume don't work shifts? Sunday is my only day off as I work 6 days per week, thankfully I'm in Scotland and we have relaxed opening hours.

GoodChat · 19/02/2023 09:54

Daleksatemyshed · 19/02/2023 09:52

This thread is kind of ironic considering all the MNetters who only want to WFH and have a better work/life balance.

Oh yeah but that's only to suit the middle classes, not the mere peasants to exist to serve them.

GoodChat · 19/02/2023 09:54

*who exist!

ZeldaWillTellYourFortune · 19/02/2023 09:54

PuppyMonkey · 19/02/2023 09:47

@calimali but you’re expecting MNHQ staff to be in on a Sunday. Don’t they deserve a break? Why can’t you MN on weekdays only, you don’t need to be doing it 24 hours a day.

Haha, great point!

Needmorelego · 19/02/2023 09:54

People talking about 'quieter' Sundays - unless you live next door to a supermarket/shopping mall (or are a staff member) why does it actually make any difference to you if they are open or not? I live 5 minutes from my local High Street but the shops being open make no difference to me because I won't be going to them today.

Fakecrazy · 19/02/2023 09:55

By the time I've done everything I want/have to do on a Sunday it's about 4pm and I'm ready to go shopping. Also we do lots of DIY and need the shops open.

bigbluebus · 19/02/2023 09:56

People still have 6 hours to shop on a Sunday plus another 6 days in the week. Absolutely no need to extend opening hours.

JammiDodgers · 19/02/2023 09:56

eighteenthirteen1 · 19/02/2023 09:39

I would prefer shops to open at 9 as normal but close earlier. 11 is far too late when you have small children but that's my problem

Show quote history

There are six other days in the week that open earlier .

plumduck · 19/02/2023 09:57

Nah I think it's fine

JammiDodgers · 19/02/2023 09:57

bigbluebus · 19/02/2023 09:56

People still have 6 hours to shop on a Sunday plus another 6 days in the week. Absolutely no need to extend opening hours.

Agree .

WeCome1 · 19/02/2023 09:57

Sunday working could actually be a good option for some people. How many times have people been told to find work in the evenings and weekends? Being able to do a full Sunday would be a better option there.

Magenta65 · 19/02/2023 09:57

I’ve worked Sundays in a supermarket, you’d be surprised how quiet they can be between 10am to 12 and generally 3pm on wards. No need for extra opening times, it’s usually people doing a basket shop. I’d you can’t get bread I’m sure you have a local store that’s open. The corner shops in my village open 8am to 12pm and the reopen 4pm to 8

Plumbear2 · 19/02/2023 09:57

Fakecrazy · 19/02/2023 09:55

By the time I've done everything I want/have to do on a Sunday it's about 4pm and I'm ready to go shopping. Also we do lots of DIY and need the shops open.

Shops close for such a short amount of time. Surely you can plan around those few short hours.

CeeJay81 · 19/02/2023 10:01

No thankyou. As someone who works in a supermarket, 10 to 4 is enough on a Sunday. I think office workers should be forced to go into work at the weekend. Not a good idea? No I thought not. It's only a good idea if it makes your life easier. 6 hours is plenty of time on a Sunday. I'd prefer it if they were closed like they used to be but at least keep it to what it is.

Maverickess · 19/02/2023 10:01

OoooohMatron · 19/02/2023 09:37

What can't you get in the 5 hours the shops are open on Sunday?

Well for me it's because I'm at work myself (10-6), many people want to have a Sunday lunch out as part of the family time that people defend when they talk about reasons to not open on Sundays at all, and that needs staff to serve it.

Don't have particularly strong feelings either way, but if I complained about working a Sunday (bh, Xmas day etc) I'd likely be told that I should go and get myself a job where I don't have to work those days, so the same should apply to retail, if the hours change and they don't want to work it, they could always get a job where it's not required to do so. The jobs are very similar in terms of pay and conditions, hospitality workers rarely get anything extra for working Sundays or bh, Xmas etc, so it's not like there's a pay off either.
And I can just see the outcry if pubs and restaurants closed on Sundays to give their staff family time, people would be outraged 🤣

GoldilockMom · 19/02/2023 10:01

11 is far too late when you have small children but that's my problem

And shop workers who have small children?

You sound utterly selfish - dragging kids round the shops must be costing you a fortune, and giving them bad habits for life. Think about that.

MintJulia · 19/02/2023 10:02

OP, are you honestly claiming that you can't shop in the hours they are already open? 😮

And anyway, more people order from the internet now. It's not worth the shops opening for longer hours. If anything, they need fewer shops, to cut costs and waste.

IglesiasPiggl · 19/02/2023 10:02

Fakecrazy · 19/02/2023 09:55

By the time I've done everything I want/have to do on a Sunday it's about 4pm and I'm ready to go shopping. Also we do lots of DIY and need the shops open.

If you are starting your weekend DIY project at 4pm on a Sunday then it isn't going to go well! DIY stores open very early most days, you could go before work.

JammiDodgers · 19/02/2023 10:02

calimali · 19/02/2023 09:53

@PuppyMonkey no, I'm not expecting anyone to be working 24 hours a day at all - where did I say that? I am posting on MN on a Sunday morning because it is available. If they had 'opening hours' I would happily stick to them and post when staff were working.

I agree with a pp who mentions France. I holiday in France a lot. I like that they have longer lunch breaks and that many shops stay shut on a Sunday. It is a slower pace of life. No one needs to be spending money all day every day. When did going to the supermarket become a family day out? I know some people have to take their children with them due to childcare, but I often see whole families in there - there are dozens of places I know my children would have wanted to go on a Sunday - the supermarket is not one of them.

That puzzles me too. Whole families rocking up to Tescos . Fair enough if they’re single parents but I see entire families on a day out. Horses for courses but there are better places I like to take my family than to Tesco.

Re Sunday opening, of course the shops don’t need to be open longer . That’s ridiculous. What can’t people buy in six hours 🙄

Changing topic I was also really pleased to see at Christmas that many major supermarkets were closed not only for Christmas Day but Boxing Day also. Good for them I say.

Theoldwoman · 19/02/2023 10:03

What are your hours?

Sunday trading here in Australia is 11am to 5pm. It’s only been like that since August 2012.
I very rarely shop on Sundays, there’s enough hours in the six other days.

Helendegenerate · 19/02/2023 10:03

My local big supermarket has 24 opening and think the reasoning is that as late night and onwards is when they do their major heavy duty shelf restocking they might as well let the public in to do their shopping. I sometimes go in around 10pm and if I carefully pick my way through the massive pallets being heaved along by staff ((shelf stacking is not the easypeasy job many assume it is) then it suits me as only a fraction of customers are in there.

Lavender14 · 19/02/2023 10:04

Because why should anyone who works in retail have the option of a bit of downtime one morning a week... retail workers are people too!

Silvergone · 19/02/2023 10:04

Every time shopping hours are extended, so is the number of low-paid employees being forced to work during hours that were formerly protected to make sure families could see each other.

Just do your shopping in normal hours and stop expecting low paid employees to slave 24/7 just because you can’t be bothered to organise your week properly.