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

[MargaritaThyme]

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?

Honestly this just annoys the hell out of me. I’m a single parent so I’ve had to make Xmas work in an industry that requires me to work holidays if you don’t like it’s get another job. Everyone is getting on my last nerve, find a grip and crack on!

As a result of one retailer being shut boxing day, behind-the-scenes warehouse staff (me) are off too.

I'm ecstatic that I have the day off this year.

If being employed in a warehouse and being fucking exhausted and desperate to spend time with my children instead of an aisle of Christmas tat makes me middle-class, I'll take it.

It's called holiday allowance. We've not gone back to serfdom yet.

A lot of naivety on this thread.

Online shopping trend is here to stay. Who do you think is working in the warehouses throughout Boxing Day to process all the sales that have moved online. M&S, Aldi and Lidl are not doing it out of the goodness of the heart. M&S have a substantial online presence. Aldi and Lidl will have looked at the wage bill saving vs the sales they get on Boxing Day (since the online retailers take so much of it) and decided it’s not worth opening.

I have some still at uni who work casually in retail. They are working BD and very happy about it as they are paid public holiday rates and it’s a long day due to the sales, 12hr shift I think. Also lots of work with long days leading up to Xmas doing 6 x 10hr days in the lead up this week. They are happy as it’s money. They will be buggered by Xmas Day though so i expect they will sleep through and I’ll wake them at lunch time to join the rest of us😁.

I don’t know what the big deal is though. I used to work Xmas Day, Boxing Day and any other public holiday going as it was significantly extra $$, particularly early in my career. We just moved the day to another day around my shifts and DH work. That might mean Xmas Day was 5 days later. Kids didn’t know when young and when older were fine with it as they knew that was just the way it was (and we had a special arrangement with Santa/Easter Bunny etc because of mummy’s work).

Thinking that shops being closed on Boxing Day is oh so twee is in the same league as wondering why, like themselves, everyone else doesn’t shop at the local greengrocer, butcher, baker, fishmonger, cobbler and tailor.

I normally have to work bank holidays if we're open and I'm rotaed for it. We don't get paid more, but the staff who get the bus to work have to organise a lift or get a taxi (which does charge more for BH journeys), because the buses aren't running.

So it can cost people more to work a bank holiday.

I like working Boxing day. It's just a day.

The store is closed to customer, staff will be in prepping for sales, new year, veganuary...

When Home Bargains started doing this in 2018 they gave staff an extra days holiday. Hopefully they still get the extra days holiday.

Agree for the staff, but omg the waste. People will panic buy.

Shops will still be open, corner shops and the like. Relax!

Let’s not forget that Boxing Day might mean fuck all to many people in the UK. Many people will want/need to shop on 26th and many people will be more than happy to work it.

Surely what would be better is a fairer distribution of working hours. I work in a Muslim country and am always happy to work over Eid etc when many of my colleagues want to be off to celebrate with their families, and in return, I always take Christmas off.

The meaning of Boxing Day in retail in the UK, provided your employer is shut, is "fixed day off after the busiest period of the year, being also a day off during the Christmas school holidays that you don't have to negotiate with your work colleagues or your employer". And by some wonderful magic, many other friends and family get the same day off too! You can catch up with people you like!

You don't need to be religious to want a day off at this point of the year. In fact, you can be throughly and completely dedicated to another religion and still have been tired out by the Christmas rush.

YABU because there’s many people who don’t mind working on Boxing Day especially as it’s usually paid extra. There’s also people who don’t celebrate Christmas or celebrate it massively, so it’s just another day for them. Lots of people in retail aren’t on full time contracts nor have a set working pattern, so when the shop is closed, they don’t get paid.

when I worked in retail as a broke student, I really didn’t mind working on Boxing Day…it’s a tight time of year for many and the extra money helps. I could still catch up with loved ones before/after the shift. Plus retail managers usually check who wants to work Boxing Day/Christmas Eve/new years etc it’s not necessarily a forced shift - people can put preferences forward of the days they want off.

I didn't mind working boxing day as a teenager or young adult either. I also used to volunteer to come in to do overtime shifts on Saturday mornings at 6am, after finishing on Friday at 10pm. I had the energy for it.

These days though I'm a bit older, and fitting socialising around shifts is a bit more challenging, both energywise and childcare-wise.

Please remember that if the stores are open, that means the whole supply chain network is running as normal, and that includes people doing shiftwork. Most of whom aren't broke students, but fully grown adults who would like a work-life balance.

🤣🤣 47 here too. Aren't we the dinosaurs!

Well, I'm 47 until I turn 48 on Boxing Day - all those years with nothing to do and no parties... It hasn't scarred me a bit 😉

I do hope no one here is going out for their Christmas Dinner, or on Boxing day, to a restaurant where staff need to work...

I'm certainly not! I'll be making dinner for my family at home without stressing about getting ready for work, for a change. Bliss.

I work in retail in central London. A few years ago we were made to open on Boxing Day. The staff had to be taxied in as there was no public transport and the demoralisation and bad feeling it caused meant that it didn’t happen again.

These days we go back in to a ton of click and collect orders though, some people are just addicted to shopping.

I do a big pre Christmas shop so I don’t have to go shopping again for about a week During My precious time off with family.

I would say yes but are they paying them for the day?

Most seasonal, retail work is hourly paid. So two days off means no pay.

Additionally, many staff members who don’t celebrate Christmas might be happier to work and earn the money.

If they are paying them, then yes I think it’s great.

Just because the shops aren’t open doesn’t mean all the staff are off! Their warehouses are still operating. Buses & trains are operating, here at least. There’s plenty of people who are working on Boxing Day

Like who, young people, students etc? The majority of people, those with families etc will prefer not to work boxing day.

I don't know where your silly "check your privilege" phrase is coming in, I worked customer service and retail for years and this would be the opinion of the majority of my old colleagues.

Yes, lots of people will be working, emergency services, hospital workers etc. That's not the point though. The point is that those that don't need to work boxing day should get it off. A bus driver who is required to get doctors/nurses/healthcare assistants etc to their shifts - required. A worker in M&S - not essential.