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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To believe that retail bosses should be more understanding of shop closures when it's down to a H&S issue?

29 replies

SorcererGaheris · 28/09/2025 20:59

Firstly, I will say I understand that naturally, it is desired for shops to be open when they are supposed to be, and for shops to be open for as long as is feasible.

I volunteer for an Oxfam bookshop and our shop waste (NOT dustbin rubbish, waste here refers to stock (books) that have been culled or stock which was just in too poor condition to put out for sale in the first place) is picked up by a waste collection company. They are supposed to come once a week.

However, there is an ongoing issue in which the collection company fails to show up for several weeks on end, which means that the amount of uncollected stuff accumulates. When it gets really out of hand, usually after three or four weeks of no-shows, the Sunday volunteer team (of which I am one) refuses to go in at the insistence of our Sunday shift leader, as she feels it is unsafe.

The shop managers are paid employees, but Sunday is the one day that they both have off, so if us volunteers aren't in, it means the shop is closed for that day.

We've been closed for a number of Sundays this year because of this issue, and our manager is starting to be told off about it. Those higher up have complained about the number of Sundays the shop has been closed. But there's not really anything the manager can do about it - it's not her fault that the waste collection company so often goes so many weeks without turning up. She reports it every week and has reports the reason why the shop has been closed because of this problem, so they are aware that it's due to volunteer feeling that the workspace is unsafe.

Takings for the shop are down on what they were several years ago, and I understand that those in charge want to maximise the amount of time the shop is trading. But I feel they should be more tolerant of closures that happen due to practical issues like what I've outlined. It's not like us Sunday staff refuse to go in after a week of no collection; it's usually about four weeks in a row before we make the call that it's getting out of hand.

OP posts:
moresoup · 28/09/2025 23:54

SorcererGaheris · 28/09/2025 23:51

@moresoup

We have temporarily stopped taking donations in the past. I think it's something that management is reluctant to do, but if it gets really chaotic, they'll make that call.

Logically it makes more sense to pause donations than to close the shop

SorcererGaheris · 28/09/2025 23:59

Tippexy · 28/09/2025 23:52

I mean, I wouldn’t let that stop me from working… 🤷🏽

@Tippexy

That's fair enough for you, but every individual has the right to decide for themselves if they feel it's unsafe. My volunteering days are Thursdays and Sundays and I continue to do the Thursdays even when we're not coming in on the Sundays. We do so because the volunteer shift leader on the Sunday insists on it, as she is worried that if an accident occurred during the Sunday, she might be blamed (as shift leader.)

OP posts:
Pryceosh1987 · 29/09/2025 00:21

Retail is awesome. the Health and safety of the store is not just the managers job but everyones. When i worked in retail for years i did my part to make sure everything was good.

SorcererGaheris · 29/09/2025 00:25

Pryceosh1987 · 29/09/2025 00:21

Retail is awesome. the Health and safety of the store is not just the managers job but everyones. When i worked in retail for years i did my part to make sure everything was good.

@Pryceosh1987

I think the difference here is that the non-managerial shop staff are all volunteers, so do not have the same responsibilities that paid retail employees have. Volunteer staff get to choose the jobs/responsibilities we are willing to take on.

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