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?

I agree, it's common sense that shops should be open when most people are off and not at work.
But I think there should be something in place to help with @MrTiddlesTheCat is describing. It shouldn't be normal rota but either better paid/time in lieue, together with some specific contracts for students etc (those who only work outside normal business hours).

FYI/context that's up in Ile-de-France, sort of outer Paris commuter belt.

Our nearest big big city Carrefour is probably more typical of the chain nationally and is only open 0900- 1230 on Sundays.

@Verv blunt but well put.

You will always have some things that are seven days a week (hospitals, emergency services for example), at least let us consider others and keep those to a minimum.

If you had the same shop hours on Sundays you would probably end up with fewer shops, as more small shops would close.

Trying not to be too outing but basically deals with all the stuff that the retail staff cant do as they're too busy (not a supermarket but still retail). If the retail part is open, we are/have to be open

Equivalent I guess would be helpline for online shopping

Switzerland?

@notimagain ok...so that's just that branch 🙂
It does make me laugh sometimes that people stereotype shopping in France as "everyone only buys fresh each morning from local markets etc" when the French basically invented the hypermarket !
(I don't mean that in a rude way - I've just always found it amusing)

Agree. People on MN often seem to have bright ideas about services they want or similar, and there's always an assumption that some particular group will fill this workforce gap. Students are a popular choice. It often seems quite optimistic.

Germany

can she treat herself to an emergency handbag

There is no such thing as an "emergency handbag"

pair of shoes

If she desperately needs shoes then she'll have needed them long before Sunday. And how feminist of you OP, assuming a woman wants shoes and handbags.

just get away and meet a friend for coffee

Is there something wrong with your friends houses? Or your house? Or a flask in the park?

or perhaps get the family shopping in on before the working week starts? Can she heck.

Online shopping is open 24 hours OP.

😀

You're right about the Hypermarkets....

TBH it may be that longer Sunday hours may be more normal generally "up north" but we're a bit backwards here down south.

@TrashedSofa but it used to work in the (major UK retailer) I worked for.
Weekends, school holidays and some evenings were pretty much all students - from age 15 up to university age.
We had "term time" staff for Monday -Friday (so mostly mums who could only work during school hours) and during school holidays their jobs were taken over by the student lot. It was a really sensible system.

I think its daft the shops have the hours they do on a Sunday. But then I've always worked in jobs where I have been expected to work sundays, including barmaid, cinema, shops, restaurants, and now NHS. If you want to have a restful Sunday have one, but I'd like the opportunity to be able to go out and about.

And the second woman then gets a day off at another point in the week.

No one is saying workers should work seven days a week. Obviously there would be a rota.

We live in a 24/7 world now, like it or not. Some may wish to sit in the chair and watch telly on Sunday like it's 1953 but many of us are on the go and would like to get things done, including shopping, on Sundays.

As pp said, hearing high street merchants whine about lack of trade, when they won't stay open for busy people to shop, is tiresome. I hear my local merchants gripe about Amazon, but when I have suggested they open past late afternoon or on Sundays, or start a delivery service for standing orders, they look aghast.

100% agree. The only thing open by me on a Sunday after 4.30pm are the pubs. I don't think people in large cities realise how dead the rest of the country is on a Sunday 😂.
It'd be an ideal time to do the week's food shopping, I'm not wasting good daylight hours doing that on a Saturday morning.

But not Sunday evenings. And our job market is a lot tighter now than it used to be. The sort of worker who people think will be available to fill the gaps has more choices now than they used to. It's really not something that can just be presumed.

Things like greengrocers and Butchers would do well to open Sunday and close Monday
Everyone says we should support these but they are only open when the majority of people are at work.

@TrashedSofa doesn't have to be Sunday evening opening though. Just longer than the 6 hours.
8 - 6 would make more sense on Sundays for supermarkets and 9 - 6 for other retailers.
The 10 - 4, 11 - 5 or 12 - 6 model is just awkward times - for staff especially.

It doesn't, but I didn't think anyone expected 8am starts on Sundays to be a popular option with teens and early twenties! Although even if they were, it's still a big assumption that students would step up and fill even the Sunday evenings. After all, the ones who want those hours now can work in hospitality, and there's the option of tips too.

I strongly disagree.
Many young children are left home alone on a Sunday whilst Mum is working, retail attracts many single lone parents who have no support, , and whilst it may work in the week when children at school, very few supermarkets and shops employ staff on a Mon - Fri basis only. People need to open their eyes and stop being so selfish, just because it's convenient for them, they have all week to do shopping and can also do it online.
As for people who would love to work Sundays, our supermarket really struggles staff wise, students who are at school Mon-fri are expected to start at 6.00 am both Sat and Sun. The uni students and other young employers all work Sat shift and want to be out Sat nights without early start, dot com shift starts at 6/00 am on Sun, and other staff are expected in early to get store ready. Sunday is not a short shift for staff, maybe for customers but certainly not staff.

some mumsnetters seem shocked that retail is an actual legitimate workplace where people work full time till retirement!

@TrashedSofa well I managed to start at 8 am (sometimes earlier) when I was a teen/early 20s and working retail and so did several of my teen/early 20s colleagues.
It wasn't exactly hard.

I’m French, living in London for the past 10y. When we discuss moving back to France, believe it or not but the shops not being open evenings/Sundays/bank holiday is something we take into account (as a reason to stay in the UK, I mean). Obviously not one of the main pros/cons but still, something that would impact our day to day life.

As a side note, as a child my nearest Carrefour was the one you talked about :)

@Smellslikesummer was the Carrefour an exciting place to shop? I had a few school friends who would go camping in France as their summer holiday. A trip to a hypermarket was often a highlight of the holiday.
One used to bring back a whole crate of some sort of chocolate drink.

Wrong barometer. It's not are people capable of doing so, it's do they want to choose this over the options available to them. What you and your mates used to do certainly isn't sufficient basis to presume a whole sector could and would be staffed by this cohort.

I think the restricted shopping hours in the uk (either legally or just culturally) have a weird knock on effect on the catering trade. I have wandered around looking for a cafe open past 4pm many a time. It's usually Costa but that's not my first choice. Keeping town centres going is about more than shops.

Sunday trading is so illogical. For example we have two Morrisons stores (nice Morrisons and crap Morrisons) crap Morrisons is 10-4 Sundays. Nice one is open until 5 but doesn't open until 11. 11!!!? Ffs. Obviously that's the one next to my house.

Also the fact that the restrictions are based on square footage........illogical.

Sunday opening isn't a hill I need to die on but evening hours are especially for non chain places.

But hey im in cornwall.....we still have Wednesday afternoon closing here in the villages!!!