Page 11 | To think Sunday trading hours is silly

iguano88 · 2024-03-24T11:39:02+00:00

Everyone waiting at the self service and normal checkouts from 10:45, with full baskets and trolleys (shop was open for browsing but Sunday hours 11-5). Staff then opened all the tills at exactly 11 but not a minute before. Why do we still only open large shops for 6 hours on a Sunday? 11 seems really late to open. There’s a blend of religions in society and more people need hours at work, Sunday evenings would suit students or parents who need to work opposing hours to their other half for childcare reasons. The more I think about it the sillier it is. I also think it adds to the ‘Sunday scaries’ people experience. AIBU to think it should just be abolished and business as usual?

LlynTegid · 27/03/2024 17:52

@sparkellie I am not 99% sure conditions for employees would worsen. I am 100% sure they would worsen.

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 27/03/2024 17:54

They are when a lot of other business are 24/7 like manufacturing

slashlover · 27/03/2024 18:02

sparkellie · 27/03/2024 17:50

I work in a supermarket (in England). I work Sundays. I don't want to work them anymore. I would drop the hours, or work an extra week day, whichever my employer preferred, but they can't get the Sundays covered as it is. Lots of people who do work them take only a Sunday off to spend time with family. And we don't have the luxury of working on a rota (management do, but us lowly csas have to do them every week). There are some places where things are done better than others, but if the Sunday trading laws were abolished I'm 99% sure that the majority of conditions would get worse not better.

Show quote history

You can legally opt out of Sunday working, your employer doesn't have to give you the hours on another day though.

https://www.gov.uk/sunday-working

Opting out of Sunday working

All shop and betting shop workers can opt out of Sunday working unless Sunday is the only day they have been employed to work on. They can opt out of Sunday working at any time, even if they agreed to it in their contract.

Shop and betting shop workers must:

give their employer 3 months’ notice that they want to opt out
continue to work on Sundays during the 3 month notice period if their employer wants them to

An employer who needs staff to work on Sundays must tell them in writing that they can opt out. They must do this within 2 months of the person starting work - if they do not, only 1 month’s notice is needed to opt out.

An employee cannot be dismissed or treated unfairly for choosing not to work on Sundays.

Sunday working

The rules for working on Sundays, opt in, opt out arrangements, rules for shop and betting shop workers

https://www.gov.uk/sunday-working

sparkellie · 27/03/2024 18:09

slashlover · 27/03/2024 18:02

You can legally opt out of Sunday working, your employer doesn't have to give you the hours on another day though.

https://www.gov.uk/sunday-working

Opting out of Sunday working

All shop and betting shop workers can opt out of Sunday working unless Sunday is the only day they have been employed to work on. They can opt out of Sunday working at any time, even if they agreed to it in their contract.

Shop and betting shop workers must:

give their employer 3 months’ notice that they want to opt out
continue to work on Sundays during the 3 month notice period if their employer wants them to

An employer who needs staff to work on Sundays must tell them in writing that they can opt out. They must do this within 2 months of the person starting work - if they do not, only 1 month’s notice is needed to opt out.

An employee cannot be dismissed or treated unfairly for choosing not to work on Sundays.

Show quote history

Thank you. I was going to look into this, as when I started I had to sign something to say I would work Sundays,and wasn't sure if that meant I was unable to opt out now. I have been trying to get them to agree rather than refuse to do them, purely because they are very flexible otherwise with childcare issues and I don't want to do anything that would give them reason not to be.

BillyNotQuiteNoMates · 27/03/2024 19:45

Most places will be closed Easter Sunday, Malls, Supermarkets etc.

MrsB74 · 29/03/2024 10:45

I haven’t read the whole thread, but the SNP apparently blocked a change in England’s Sunday trading laws! You couldn’t make it up.

GasPanic · 29/03/2024 10:51

People want to shop on a Sunday. You can see that by the amount of people in the shops they are rammed.

Also with more households having two working adults, the opportunities for shopping are less, so having the extra time helps them.

Plus it will relieve the stress on shop workers having to deal with large numbers of people in short periods of time, and also make the shopping experience more pleasurable for everyone.

Beezknees · 29/03/2024 10:57

GasPanic · 29/03/2024 10:51

People want to shop on a Sunday. You can see that by the amount of people in the shops they are rammed.

Also with more households having two working adults, the opportunities for shopping are less, so having the extra time helps them.

Plus it will relieve the stress on shop workers having to deal with large numbers of people in short periods of time, and also make the shopping experience more pleasurable for everyone.

6 hours is plenty of time to shop. Most full time workers have two whole days off in the week, honestly I think it's a bit pathetic if people can't organise themselves enough to get shopping done in that time. I'm a lone parent working full time and I manage it.

Vod · 29/03/2024 11:02

Plus it will relieve the stress on shop workers having to deal with large numbers of people in short periods of time, and also make the shopping experience more pleasurable for everyone.

Well, it might if shops found they could recruit sufficient staff who do actually want those hours. Not going to work very well if they can't but they don't let that stop them from extending the hours anyway.

Fizbosshoes · 29/03/2024 16:54

Vod · 29/03/2024 11:02

Plus it will relieve the stress on shop workers having to deal with large numbers of people in short periods of time, and also make the shopping experience more pleasurable for everyone.

Well, it might if shops found they could recruit sufficient staff who do actually want those hours. Not going to work very well if they can't but they don't let that stop them from extending the hours anyway.

Agree
I imagine shops wouldnt want to recruit many (if any! ) extra staff to cover the extra hours. It's probably not worth the admin to pay someone for 1 shift on a Sunday.
They'd probably tweak the shift patterns across the week and share the "new" Sunday shifts between existing staff. Then you might have fewer customers at any one time...but also fewer staff per shift so may not make much difference!

LameBorzoi · 30/03/2024 09:17

slashlover · 27/03/2024 18:02

You can legally opt out of Sunday working, your employer doesn't have to give you the hours on another day though.

https://www.gov.uk/sunday-working

Opting out of Sunday working

All shop and betting shop workers can opt out of Sunday working unless Sunday is the only day they have been employed to work on. They can opt out of Sunday working at any time, even if they agreed to it in their contract.

Shop and betting shop workers must:

give their employer 3 months’ notice that they want to opt out
continue to work on Sundays during the 3 month notice period if their employer wants them to

An employer who needs staff to work on Sundays must tell them in writing that they can opt out. They must do this within 2 months of the person starting work - if they do not, only 1 month’s notice is needed to opt out.

An employee cannot be dismissed or treated unfairly for choosing not to work on Sundays.

Show quote history

Oh come on. The pressure would be there. You can't directly be fired for not working Sundays, but practically, most people won't be able to refuse.