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Original poster

To say ‘well done’ to the bosses of M&S, Waitrose, Lidl & Aldi

381 replies

MargaritaThyme · 23/12/2023 00:00

For deciding not to open their stores on Boxing Day, thereby giving their staff, who have been working very hard through December, a proper break with their loved ones?

OP posts:
Ravenator · 25/12/2023 17:57

If it were a matter of choice fair enough... however having to get up at 4am for a 5am start at Tesco is not conducive to a relaxing Christmas Day ...

Maverickess · 25/12/2023 18:25

Why aren't hospitality staff the subject of such virtue signalling 'concern'?
December is gruelling in hospitality too and in fact Christmas Day is more work, with longer hours and a hell of a lot more preparation. And the Christmas parties with people getting shit faced and behaving like complete arseholes, but "It's Christmas!".
Hospitality doesn't get paid more or treated better and actually it would seem with comments like only pubs should be open on Boxing Day invisible as well as the people manning said pubs.

These companies aren't doing this out of the kindness of their heart, they know there's people who will want to seem like they care and virtue signal and jump up and down about it, promoting what good companies they are when they've likely (and we've heard on here) got staff in anyway - the doors are just shut to the public.

bakebeans · 25/12/2023 21:08

100% agree. NEXT are shutting too. I was behind a customer a couple of days ago who was complaining. I told her to get lost

bakebeans · 25/12/2023 21:09

My other thought about this however is that they have obviously done the sums. Calculated the staff wages and weighed it all up

TonysMrs · 26/12/2023 09:11

Definitely. Home Bargains started this trend a few years ago and it's so good to see that more stores are now following suit. Honestly I think it's the least these retail outlets could do. Here's hoping more join in next year. Christmas is such a "family" time that it should be treated as a very precious and special time for that alone.

pineapplecrushed · 26/12/2023 13:27

When I was a student I loved working these shifts as you got double time. Do students not work in shops anymore?

randomuser2020 · 26/12/2023 13:29

This reply has been withdrawn

Removed at poster's request due to privacy concerns.

pineapplecrushed · 26/12/2023 13:29

Exactly. I always wanted these shifts for the extra money as a student. Have these people never worked in a shop?

pineapplecrushed · 26/12/2023 13:30

Lots of people DO want these shifts.

pineapplecrushed · 26/12/2023 13:33

yep, these people don't know about part timers who want the extra money.

lapsedbookworm · 26/12/2023 13:35

I'm glad most shops are closed, for their staff. But I am also glad some supermarkets are open. DH and I were both ill in the run up to Christmas, we spent Christmas day recuperating. My children arrive later today (they had Christmas with their dad) and we had no food in the house. We feel really grateful to the people working.

1975wasthebest · 26/12/2023 13:45

Double time or not, there’s plenty of people who want to work today, or yesterday, for many reasons, some of them being the same reasons that people like me who want to go shopping today.

Reigateforever · 26/12/2023 16:44

When this subject first came up I voted for closing because I thought of that the staff should have a paid rest.
However, if staff have the choice and need the double/ triple earnings I am all for for opening on Boxing Day as long as they get paid well for their effort and the public only go if it is an emergency.

RufustheFactualReindeer · 26/12/2023 17:06

pineapplecrushed · 26/12/2023 13:29

Exactly. I always wanted these shifts for the extra money as a student. Have these people never worked in a shop?

People don’t get double and triple time anymore in the vast vast vast majority of shops

pineapplecrushed · 26/12/2023 17:39

Those big stores mentioned on the post paid more than usual in the past. I'm not buying this. Students and part timers don't mind Boxing Day hours. There is always someone who will do it. Hospitality workers work these days too? So all these people going home for Christmas who may need a hotel, or people whi like a tipple on Boxing Day at the pub....... This is a non issue.

Yalta · 26/12/2023 17:53

To say ‘well done’ to the bosses of M&S, Waitrose, Lidl & Aldi

Lidl was open today

Crankycranium0 · 26/12/2023 18:57

I work for one of the closed supermarkets mentioned and I can assure you the warehouse staff are in on boxing day. Please don't give them full praise .

RufustheFactualReindeer · 26/12/2023 22:32

Those big stores mentioned on the post paid more than usual in the past. I'm not buying this. Students and part timers don't mind Boxing Day hours

yes in the past

and even part time i didn’t want to work boxing day

TheCatfordCat · 27/12/2023 00:12

In my realm of work, national rail trains don't operate on Boxing Day but London Underground, buses, DLR, Lizzie line do. London Overground wasn't open, mostly, today. Now I work on the Tube, to a roster. So if I'm down to work week 7 of my roster and it happens to fall on Boxing Day I just do it, no quibbling. I would love TfL to stay closed like NR but what shops that DO open might not bother!

Having said that, today, I didn't see many people at all and certainly not that many laden with shopping bags. My DD found a coat she'd wanted online at 50% off so she ordered it and used her Christmas money to pay for it. The warehouse will be open but she never stepped in to the shop.

HolyGuacamole2023 · 27/12/2023 03:44

Pharmacies are a must; people get sick over Christmas and need the medication that out of hours doctors have prescribed, other than that, I think things should go back to how they used to be ie ‘January Sales’ that start in um January. If retailers held off reducing any products between Christmas and New Year then people wouldn’t be rushing to beat others to the sales and ultimately, the companies would make the same amount of money regardless whilst also saving on payroll. People only go out on Boxing Day so they don’t miss out on the good deals, not necessarily because they want to. But all in all, pharmacies and the odd petrol station here and there need to be open, the rest can stay shut and give everyone a proper break.

CatamaranViper · 27/12/2023 10:38

Maverickess · 25/12/2023 18:25

Why aren't hospitality staff the subject of such virtue signalling 'concern'?
December is gruelling in hospitality too and in fact Christmas Day is more work, with longer hours and a hell of a lot more preparation. And the Christmas parties with people getting shit faced and behaving like complete arseholes, but "It's Christmas!".
Hospitality doesn't get paid more or treated better and actually it would seem with comments like only pubs should be open on Boxing Day invisible as well as the people manning said pubs.

These companies aren't doing this out of the kindness of their heart, they know there's people who will want to seem like they care and virtue signal and jump up and down about it, promoting what good companies they are when they've likely (and we've heard on here) got staff in anyway - the doors are just shut to the public.

I've brought this up a few times in this thread and it just gets ignored because those who don't think you should be shopping on boxing day seem to believe that you should be able to sit in a pub or restaurant. Hypocrisy at its finest.

RufustheFactualReindeer · 27/12/2023 11:00

it just gets ignored because those who don't think you should be shopping on boxing day seem to believe that you should be able to sit in a pub or restaurant

i didn’t reply because i don’t know why people think that hospitality should be open on boxing day

it does not mean in the slightest that i think that they should be open

BobnLen · 27/12/2023 12:54

My Next sale stuff arrived today so someone must have been packing yesterday as that is when it left the warehouse

pineapplecrushed · 27/12/2023 14:27

I always did. And many of my friends who I worked with did. There was always people who wanted to work and those who didn't. Have you ever worked in a shop?

RufustheFactualReindeer · 27/12/2023 17:10

pineapplecrushed · 27/12/2023 14:27

I always did. And many of my friends who I worked with did. There was always people who wanted to work and those who didn't. Have you ever worked in a shop?

I am not sure if this question is for me and if it is then yes….i have worked in retail