To think Sunday trading hours is silly

[iguano88]

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?

The Sunday hours in England make me think of Midsomer Murders or The Larkins and since I'm agnostic I'd object to the State dictating when I can shop for food!

@cocunut alcohol is also more expensive in Scotland, a public health move which makes sense given the scale of the health budget alcohol abuse took up.

i work in a supermarket. Its not for staff benefit.
we don't do less hours, i still do a 12 hour shift. We restock clean and promotion change with the sane amount of staff as when we are open
Admitted its much nicer when the shop isn't full of customers.we could open more hours and it wouldn't affect staffing

Not a thing in Scotland. Our shops still get stocked up and deep cleaned as normal. Most staff are happy with it as far as I've heard. Not everyone enjoys working Mon-fri 9-5, some people like a day(s) off during the week instead.

I got caught out by that this morning. Annoying when you have guests for Sunday lunch and are trying to shop early!

We used to use Sunday evenings to change things around when I worked in retail because it's so much easier to do it when there's no customers.

Staff will be working Easter Sunday, just because they can't trade doesn't mean the staff won't be in. It's not used as a day off, retail operates 7 days a week so staff don't kick back at 4 o'clock on Sunday afternoon.

Agreed. When pretty much everything else is open, why not supermarkets and shops? Most are zero hours anyway, so you can choose which days you want to cover. Studen DD always works on a Sunday at her cafe, because it suits her better.

I just don't see it as an issue. Buy food for a few days on Friday or wait until 11am (10am where we live). Or use a convenience store and pay a slightly higher price. We're hardly short of options. Plenty of places in Europe don't open at all.

I claim that Sunday trading actually disadvantages women.

Women often work in retail and hospitality (perhaps wrongly). If balancing childcare, weekend working often allows them opportunity to work more hours and increase income. Sunday trading can limit available hours thus limiting womens earning potential.

It needs changing! I'm not for 24 hour opening on a sunday but at least increase it to 8 hours!

The store doesn't send staff home at 4 o'clock, they work normally so it doesn't disadvantage women at all because they can still work normal hours just without the customers.

I work in retail and the Sunday trading hours mean that I don't have to work until 21.30/22.00.

I think it is a great opportunity for workers to be able to spend time with families in the evening on Sunday and have a well deserved rest.

There are 24 hour shops that you can go to if you need essentials etc so I don't see the big deal.

Also, if the trading hours were abolished it would mean more staff needed to man the shop and therefore most likely price increases.

Where we now live things open normal hours on sunday, its so much better. When I worked in retail in the UK I never understood why people thought retail workers only worked 10-4 on a sunday, do they also think shops aren’t cleaned, stocked overnight etc?

In many countries supermarkets close at lunchtime on Sundays or don't open, it's not difficult to manage. And dsd is pleased she's always finished by 4.30pm

Where I grew up often Sundays were mainly staffed by students. It's a great part time job whilst at school or uni. Life isn't 9-5 anymore. People work very different shift patterns.

Increasing opening hours will just mean more traffic, and could be the final nail in the coffin for some small shops where the Sunday evening trade (milk, sweets etc) which keeps them profitable.

The change I would like to see to shop hours is closing large stores on Boxing Day and New Years Day, additional to what we have now.

The 'retailer workers get a day off' doesn't wash. As PPs have pointed out they work before and after the 6 hour limit and take time off on other days. You have a right to a day off after 7 days of continuous working & I doubt if many in retail do that anyway.

I think it needs to be scrapped. So many places are open on Sunday evenings now, why not include supermarkets as well?

I know people talk about staff needing time off and wanting to spend time with family etc, but if it was managed properly with contracts and shift rotas it could work. And not everyone has a family, or even wants to spend time with them on a Sunday. If I was a student I’d happily take a Sunday evening shift in a supermarket. There will be people who want to work then. I just don’t see the point in keeping an out of date tradition going for the sake of it.

I was a nurse for 30 yrs and no all about working Christmas and other BH thanks .

Id have everywhere shut on a Sunday like it used to be. Shops are open long enough during the week.

Exactly the same as putting the clocks forwards and back. Very annoying.

I'm in retail and work every Sunday in a huge store.
It's hilarious when people think we leave when the store closes!
We don't, we carry on working behind closed doors... who is going to clear up all the mess, for example?! Sunday is THE most messy and chaotic day of the week, as there's more customers crammed into less hours (for them, not us)

I would imagine the small corner shops benifit from the current laws.

Speaking as someone who has worked more Sundays than i can count i think it is outdated , to me it should be all or nothing.
We are never going to go back to Sunday closure so make it regular hours , i find it really annoying waiting for Sunday opening time when any other day i could be there and back in that time , i do avoid Sunday shopping if i can anyway.
I do think Easter Sunday should remain closed though, religious or not its a nice reason for a family gathering / roast dinner.

Yes, I think they're silly. Especially if you work full time. I'm in Wales, and I wish we more like Scotland with our Sunday trading hours.

I agree with them being closed over Christmas and Easter but yes, the Sunday restricted hours does seem outdated nowadays when everything else continues.

This always catches me out when I am on holiday in England. It feels so backwards, and means you end up making shopping the focus of your plans, rather than just being able to just pick something up at 7pm or whenever you are passing a shop.

Also Easter - unless you attend church, or are a small child, then it's not even a day of the slightest significance, is it? Pretty sure most of the shops in Scotland are open on Easter.

Edited to add: just checked, my local asda is open 8am to 11pm Easter Sunday.