Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

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:
melj1213 · 19/02/2023 11:32

Plumbear2 · 19/02/2023 11:02

The problem is we are in the gotta have it now generation. People just carnt plan or wait anymore. When I was a kid in the 70s and 80s many of us didn't have a freezer. People would shop every other day for fresh produce for meals, they had to plan ahead. Even tho shops where closed very Sunday and half day Wednesday. People have just got out of having to plan.

Not only that but it's a constant "chicken and egg" situation - the shops are open so people go shopping, so when they're closed they complain ... The stores then open longer and later to accommodate this but there are still times when they can't open (and it's not even all stores it's just the larger ones) and people sill complain ...

Meanwhile retail workers don't get a choice, they're just told they have to do the hours or lose their jobs, which many can't afford to do, so they suck it up and end up doing longer and later hours all for the convenience of the people who still think that 6am-11pm M-F, 6am-10pm Sat and 11am-5pm Sunday is still not enough time to do their shopping.

I work Tuesday to Saturday now and often work the late shifts so not home till late so Sunday is my day to spend with DD but even when I was on a rolling shift pattern I always knew that there was one evening a week I was guaranteed to be able to get home, have dinner and spend the evening with DD. Every other day I could potentially be scheduled up until midnight but on a Sunday I knew I could arrange something in the evening, whether it was a wider family get together or just dinner and a movie on the sofa with DD and as long as it was for after 5pm I was guaranteed to be able to make it.

It's like at Christmas, when I work Boxing Day people come in and buy absolute tat for the sake of it and then try to commiserate with me that "Oh it's awful that you're working today, the shops should be shut!" ... Well why have you come shopping then?

If the stores opened and nobody came shopping then the companies would lose money (as they'd be paying store overheads, wages etc and get nothing coming in through the tills) and so in future they wouldn't open, but because people come shopping and buy stuff just for the sake of buying it then the companies make enough money to make it worthwhile opening and so they do, forcing their staff to work whether they like it or not.

DPotter · 19/02/2023 11:32

I think we should be restricting the hours and closing shops on a Sunday.

Needmorelego · 19/02/2023 11:33

@coffeecupsandwaxmelts but your opinion of what is 'essential' will be different to other what other people want or need in their life.

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 19/02/2023 11:34

Botw1 · 19/02/2023 11:23

@coffeecupsandwaxmelts

But it's OK for essential workers to 'never' see their families?

Tough shit for them eh?

It's hardly comparable, is it?

We need essential workers available 24/7 or people will die.

Nobody needs to buy a cheap chicken or go to the cinema at 6pm on a Sunday.

journeyofinsanity · 19/02/2023 11:35

People who want a slow day can just have a slow day. Why do they feel the need to force everyone else into their schedules?
Retail staff will still have days off. They don't just make the sane retail staff work 7 days. Duffy people work different shifts. Good grief surely people don't think the sane people are working all the hours a shop is open. There are plenty of people who would love to be able to pick extra work by working a Sunday.

Needmorelego · 19/02/2023 11:36

@coffeecupsandwaxmelts so you are saying that basically people should sit at home doing nothing on Sundays because nothing is essential except emergency/medical care.

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 19/02/2023 11:37

Needmorelego · 19/02/2023 11:33

@coffeecupsandwaxmelts but your opinion of what is 'essential' will be different to other what other people want or need in their life.

In what world is having a supermarket or clothes shop or cinema open at 7pm on a Sunday essential?

It might be nice and convenient but society is hardly going to fall apart without those things.

AnnoyedFromSlough · 19/02/2023 11:38

I don't see why it should be legislated, other than to give workers the legal right to not work on a Sunday.

So the shops that want to be open, the people that want to work, and the people that want to shop on a Sunday can. All the people that don't want the option, can choose not to.

BungleandGeorge · 19/02/2023 11:38

No, just go between 10 and 4 so that retail workers can have some hours with their family once a week. There’s ample opportunity to shop
these days, opening hours have never been longer and online ordering is freely available. There are more interesting things to do with your children than take them shopping!

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 19/02/2023 11:38

Needmorelego · 19/02/2023 11:36

@coffeecupsandwaxmelts so you are saying that basically people should sit at home doing nothing on Sundays because nothing is essential except emergency/medical care.

You don't need to spend money or shop to have a good time Confused

Petrol stations would be open as fuel is an essential item, so you could go for a drive to the beach and pack a picnic, you could go for a walk, you could have a movie day at home, you could do DIY or read or have a nap or see friends and family, or a million other things that don't involve shops, surely?

MelaniesFlowers · 19/02/2023 11:38

YABVU. We really need to be going the other way and just close all shops on a Sunday permanently.

There are 6 other days in the week and it’s never been easier to get your shopping than with 24 hour supermarkets, online deliveries and 7-11 convenience stores.

If you can’t organise yourself to get your shopping within those times that’s your lack of preparation.

Botw1 · 19/02/2023 11:39

@coffeecupsandwaxmelts

But why should anyone ut up with never seeing their family?

It's not essential to go out for breakfast on a sun morning either but plenty restaurants are open

Cocobutt · 19/02/2023 11:40

I guarantee that if the shops were open until 6pm on Sunday there would be people complaining that they need to stay open until 8pm.

Instead of being proactive and planning ahead, people would rather the shops stay open late just in case they need to pop in for any reason.

MelaniesFlowers · 19/02/2023 11:40

Needmorelego · 19/02/2023 11:36

@coffeecupsandwaxmelts so you are saying that basically people should sit at home doing nothing on Sundays because nothing is essential except emergency/medical care.

You have a very limited imagination or knowledge of activities you can do if that’s your attitude.

Nitgel · 19/02/2023 11:40

it's a bit strange to still have sunday hours in my opinion antiquated, however shutting at 6 seems reasonable, my friend works in a local sainsbury who shut at 11 on sunday which only seems to attract drunks after 9

Needmorelego · 19/02/2023 11:41

@coffeecupsandwaxmelts yes the world wouldn't stop if you can't go to a cinema on a Sunday afternoon but the point is people want to. People want to do leisure activities. We could just close everything 'non essential' down and live a plain and puritan life - but that would be so boring and we would all go insane.
Out of curiosity what do you think is an acceptable activity for someone to do on a Sunday?

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 19/02/2023 11:42

Botw1 · 19/02/2023 11:39

@coffeecupsandwaxmelts

But why should anyone ut up with never seeing their family?

It's not essential to go out for breakfast on a sun morning either but plenty restaurants are open

I'd be more than happy for hospitality to close on Sundays 🤷🏻‍♀️

The point is that some services are essential and are needed to save lives - retail and hospitality don't fall into either of those categories.

Just because some people have to work Sundays doesn't mean it should be a race to the bottom for everyone else.

AnnoyedFromSlough · 19/02/2023 11:43

Botw1 · 19/02/2023 11:39

@coffeecupsandwaxmelts

But why should anyone ut up with never seeing their family?

It's not essential to go out for breakfast on a sun morning either but plenty restaurants are open

Why do you think people would never see their family?

Needmorelego · 19/02/2023 11:43

@MelaniesFlowers I can think of 1001 activities that can be done on a Sunday that aren't shopping but coffee seems to think only 'essential' things should take place.

AnnoyedFromSlough · 19/02/2023 11:44

Just because some people have to work Sundays doesn't mean it should be a race to the bottom for everyone else

Retail workers don't have to work a Sunday. Legally, people have the option to opt out.

So why should the people that want to work on a Sunday not be allowed to?

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 19/02/2023 11:44

Needmorelego · 19/02/2023 11:41

@coffeecupsandwaxmelts yes the world wouldn't stop if you can't go to a cinema on a Sunday afternoon but the point is people want to. People want to do leisure activities. We could just close everything 'non essential' down and live a plain and puritan life - but that would be so boring and we would all go insane.
Out of curiosity what do you think is an acceptable activity for someone to do on a Sunday?

It's one day a week!

You're acting like we're suggesting shutting non-essential activities permanently Confused

There are six other days of the week for people to go to the cinema or buy clothes or go on family trips to Tesco.

PrincessHoneysuckle · 19/02/2023 11:44

Don't mind shops opening at 10am on a Sunday but the closing at 4pm really pisses me off

OoooohMatron · 19/02/2023 11:45

The way people are talking on this thread, you'd think shops were actually closed all day on Sunday!
You have 6 hours if you want to shop on a Sunday and actually more as many small shops such as Tesco Metros and Sainsburys Local are open much later. Not to mention many shops are open late during the week as well, way past many peoples normal working hours.
Fucking hell, there's really not much planning involved, we're talking about a few hours less than any other day of the week. When did everyone become so feckless?

Botw1 · 19/02/2023 11:45

@coffeecupsandwaxmelts

Its not a race to the bottom it's just following the logic.

If it's OK for some it's OK for all.

There's no logical reason for exemption

Non shift workers have such weird attitudes to this stuff

Socrateswasrightaboutvoting · 19/02/2023 11:46

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.

No 6 full days is enough. There are local shops for anything else.