To think that Sunday trading hours need to be abolished?

[HFJ]

I remember the hullabaloo about Sunday trading back in the late 80s

Whenever I talk to people about this, many usually give the following reasons why Sunday trading restrictions are a good thing:

1. Everyone can have Sunday lunch/family time together
2. Retail workers can have some weekend time off

However, I can’t be the only person who thinks the above is BALONEY

On the family time thing, I object for feminist reasons because it usually means a hard-working woman somewhere has to peel potatoes and rustle up a Sunday lunch for everyone else. Then, when she has done all that, can she treat herself to an emergency handbag, pair of shoes, just get away and meet a friend for coffee, or perhaps get the family shopping in on before the working week starts? Can she heck. Why? Because of some Bishops in the house of lords decree that the world should shut and therefore her indoors should remain indoors.

On the weekend time off thing, I really don’t see what the issue is. There are plenty of students who would like to and need to work. Also, there’s nothing to stop religious workers asking their employer to prioritise time off on Sunday for them (just as Muslims, Jews, people with caring responsibilites can make requests).

Am I the only one who feels this way?

Don't you think people would complain about having to pay higher prices for restaurants, theme parks, attractions, public transport, online shopping etc., - you know all the other things that happen on Sundays that would be massively impacted by firms having to pay their staff more, on potentially their busiest days, so where they have more staff working! It's not all about retail.

There's not many people who can't get to a shop. They just choose not to get there in the hours they're open. Keeping shops open until 5 or 6 pm instead of shutting at 4pm on a Sunday will make a difference to very few people and more expense for the shop owners. We have a lot of independent shops in our county town. I'm pretty sure the owners don't want to open longer hours!

@ohtowinthelottery I sometimes go to the massive Primark on Tottenham Court Road. If you go on a weekday morning is usually so quiet you can hear the tumbleweed. Go in the evening or on a Saturday or Sunday and the place is absolutely heaving with people. Evenings and weekends are when a large amount of the population is available to shop.
Not Tuesday morning at 9.30.

I agree, it's based on outdated principles.

I realise not all shop staff want to work longer on Sundays, but there'll be plenty who want more hours and would be glad for it.

Nail on the head.

How many advocates of closing shops on Sundays actually want to just sit at home or go for a walk? If that's what they want to do, they're free to do it. But in reality, most still want to go to the cinema, use public transport, have a meal or drink out, go to a museum, etc. They seem to forget about all the other staff who have to work in tourism and hospitality on Sundays!!

When I worked Sundays in retail I wished the trading hours were longer. Once I was in work I’d rather have done a full day than what felt like a half one.

I agree, if retailers/shop workers want to close/have a day off, then it should be the quietest day of the work, not the second busiest!!

So why the need to open longer on a Sunday when opening hours are already unrestricted and being used by the public in the week?

When I was younger, I enjoyed the idea of Sunday as just another day. I would quite like a return to restrictions on trade on Sunday, probably more so, on the grounds of environment, health and reducing consumption which also has an environmental element.

I know it won't happen, because we seem to be determined to create a mass extinction event for non human animals, and kill billions of humans in the process, but that's my wish anyways in the hope for putting us back on a sustainable path

@ohtowinthelottery unfortunately an awful lot of independent retailers do lose trade by not being open on Sundays. In my parents home town (Midlands market town) several independent retailers have Monday as their closed day - because Sunday trade is higher than Monday.

My issue with the whole topic is it seems to apply to the be people you see not the people you don't.

Lots of people work weekends not just retail workers
What else are you willing to give up on a Sunday

People are busier than they were then
Women don't have weekdays off to shop
Saturdays would be chaotic
There are a number of people work Monday-Sat. When would they shop?
Many more will be asked to work a Saturday.

Perhaps lots of people are doing other things during the week, such as working, childcare, etc? There's a reason that Sundays are one of the busiest shopping days of the week - it's convenient.

@ohtowinthelottery banking is different because there are some (a few) things that have to be done in person, and people are tied (in the short term) to doing them with one specific bank.

For retail, if my Saturday is too busy to allow me to get to the shops, I don't rearrange my weekend to get to my local high street. I shop online.

I don't think Scotland ever had Sunday trading hours although some shops etc chose to close but the supermarkets are open as normal. the more religious islands hold trading hours I think.

@HFJ where do you live that shops are shut on a Sunday? Round here they’re all open 11-5, so I don’t understand the point about shops being shut allows families to have Sunday lunch together. And plenty of time to pop to the shops afterwards if needed. Also there are plenty of convenience stores / corner shops here which are open on Sunday mornings though I recognise that would probably depend on where you live.

I used to work in a supermarket
Sunday was not the second busiest day
The shorter hours made it mental. Sundays were always busier than Saturdays
(though that was Scotland, England may be a little more traditional in mindset)

I moved from Scotland to England and the contrast is great. We have far more family time on a Sunday because we can do a family trip out and then pick up groceries for the next week on the way back after everything is done for the day. It's really frustrating when we're back in England, especially if you're on the way to an event on the Sunday having stayed overnight in a hotel and want sandwiches for lunch but can't buy them until 11 when you need to be in the awkwardly located venue by 9.30...

@ohtowinthelottery opening a full day on Sundays will create more customers.
I remember having to literally hold the doors and stop people trying to get in at closing time on Sundays when I worked retail. It was silly. I was working in a massive tourist area and there were people with literally money in their hands wanting to spend and we had to say "sorry - the law says we have to close".
This was the late 90s - nowadays people would just go online instead.

It's such a shame that people can't cope with shops not being available all the time

A lack of time to look after our mental and physical health is harming us all , the stress and pressures are related to constant drive for more , to do more , to fit more in

it all harms us and make people generally unhappy

And it makes life more expensive- you need to pay more staff, heat more space

Was this Germany? It's taken to extremes there. Your neighbours disapprove of you doing ANYTHING that is not a 'free time' activity. For example, washing the car is out of the question.

'Family' time is all very well, but many people have no close family.

I think they should be stricter to be honest. You've got all week to find time to get your shopping. Retail workers are poorly paid as it is, with zero hours contracts and pressure to drop everything to take shifts. It's good that they can have some guaranteed time off on a weekend.

Also, how many retail workers are parents of school aged children? Loads! Time off on a Tuesday instead just won't cut it, their kids are in school.

I don’t know who you know where the woman makes a Sunday lunch for the whole family every week, but none of my friends of family do this… or where the woman prepares the family for the week??? Definitely does not happen in my circles.

When I worked in retail I was very grateful for Sunday hours as it was a shorter day and meant I could do things after work.

Not all areas in the U.K. have students who would fill the gap. I know where I live there aren’t many students.

I'd like to add, if it were up to me, shops would all close on Sundays. I used to enjoy having a day where everyone could suit themselves what they did.

No-one is forcing anyone to visit the shops.

Did you perhaps have free time in the week when you could get said shopping done?

Reading this thread and thinking some more on the subject; the Sunday trading model is very outdated. It's very much based on a world where women didn't work and had all week to do the food shopping. Now most women (ok, that's just my guess, not based on statistics!) work full time and there is only the weekends left to get the chores/household tasks done and even in households where the tasks are split 50:50 SOMEONE has to cram all the jobs in. Leaves no time for quality family time.