Do you really need to visit shops on Boxing Day?

[kolpa]

Before you decide to go to half the stores which are open today, think - do you actually need anything? If not, stay away from them.

Those supermarkets that are open would have very few deliveries. Perhaps milk n bread as majority of these are delivered by the bakery and dairy. It depends on if they worked yesterday. As some distribution centres were closed yesterday.

I personally believe that people only shop because the shops are open. If some were open yesterday, they would have gone in.

A good number of the retail workers today are people who don’t have a car who usually bus it in. But no buses means either get someone to drive them in or get taxi/uber which are 1.5-2 times more expensive.

So if you can survive a day of visiting about half the stores which are open today, stay at home or go to others’ homes.

@TidyCyan so did I & IT staff had to be available in case of website issues.

Yabu. I went to Tesco and got some bargain wrapping paper for next year. If shops are open then people will go.

I also used to work retail at Christmas and never resented customers coming in. It was part of the job.

Yes but not "at work". Laptop at home for a cursory check.

I’ve worked in retail and I was bloody delighted that people shopped on Boxing Day because I was able to pick up a shift for double-time. Made a massive difference to me as I needed the money back then.

Yes, I needed to go.to the shop today.
Ds had a mega nose bleed and used half a loo roll.
So I needed more, and stain remover for the sofa!
You.cant dictate to others, and you can't always plan for everything.

She'd have had to make do with crisps (he's allergic to dairy so she has to be dairy free) and I'd have had a round trip to her house to collect nappies and wipes.
It would have been possible, but much more of a pain than just going into the supermarket round the corner 🤷

One local to me was open on Christmas day. I passed it while I was driving to meet some friends.

I didn't go shopping on Boxing day but if I'd needed something I'd run out of I might have done I suppose.

We went car shopping today. Dealership was not actually open but we were able to have a good walk around the used cars outside and saw a few possibilities. It’s been a lovely day here, cold but cloudless and it was nice to get out in the fresh air.

I used to live in Trowbridge! Sudden wave of nostalgia is hitting me now

I’ve worked in retail and I was bloody delighted that people shopped on Boxing Day because I was able to pick up a shift for double-time. Made a massive difference to me as I needed the money back then.

maybe not quite as delighted if you didn’t get the double time

I never resented customers for shopping in an open store but they did get short thrift if they said ‘ oh its such a shame you have to work boxing day’

idiots

As someone who used to work retail/hospitality. I hate it when someone says stuff like this. The vast majority of my work mates who worked xmas used to volunteer. Including me. We don't need saving or someone feeling sorry for us

This Is similar to the person who doesn’t want people to eat out on Christmas Day because her son was working to save for a big trip?

People have to work these shifts and unfortunately for your DS she doesn’t get priority to have time off just because her family aren’t local.

A good number of the retail workers today are people who don’t have a car who usually bus it in. But no buses means either get someone to drive them in or get taxi/uber which are 1.5-2 times more expensive.

That ⬆️ is irrelevant, people have to get to work whether people shop or not.

That goes down as the most bonkers take on anything I’ve read on MN for a long time 🤣

She knew that when she worked in retail. I’m sure doctors and nurses would quite like to not work Christmas Day but that’s the job.

as a pp has pointed out, was this a few years ago when it used to mean double time or time and a half? because very few people in retail are on those sort of contracts now. I used to struggle to get people to volunteer to even do on call in my old job - essentially just being at home but available for an emergency, despite being paid, so forgive me if I'm skeptical that the loads of retail staff are eagerly volunteering to work over Christmas for £12.21.

I fully accept that some people in some shops might be perfectly happy to work Christmas and Boxing Day. I just think there are probably more than would prefer a few days off. I used to work Christmas Eve in retail - not feeling like I needed people to feel sorry for me doesn't mean I would still have preferred to have not been working it, or at least finishing early. Or that I wasn't judging all the people shopping at that time.

are you seriously comparing keeping people alive to selling pints of milk?

Or a professional nurses/doctor's salary to minimum wage?

I used to enjoy working boxing day in retail.

Everyone was in a good mood compared to the clusterfuck that was the few days before christmas, it got me out of the house and the triple time pay was always appreciated. Don't assume that all retail workers are seething for having to work.

It’s easy to assume that all Boxing Day shoppers are consumerist, shopping addicts. They might just be really unhappy and need some social interaction

They might need shopping. They might have been away like me so need to shop. They might be shopping for vulnerable people or SEN children. Lots of valid reasons for needing to shop.

15p a roll in Morrisons!

Well, I went food shopping yesterday and found it quite lovely. The shop wasn't rammed, everyone seemed to be in a good mood (including the staff) and it was far less stressful and terrible than it was a few days prior to Christmas.

A few days prior to Christmas it was horrific - rammed with people, everyone pushing and shoving and grabbing, the till queues were awful and the shop assistants looked genuinely really fed up and stressed then. Yesterday was completely different.

I am going to go next year too now 😚

Can I just point out that not all supermarket staff are paid minimum wage. It seems to be assumed, why?

I don’t know about other stores but Tesco pay more than minimum wage at entry level.

It’s quite rude and disrespectful to make such assumptions about other people’s earnings.

I always say something to the cashier if I’m going into a shop late, to the effect that I hope they get to enjoy some sort of evening.

I think people who say that they’re sorry staff are working bank holidays are feeling slightly guilty at being in the shop in the first place and hoping they’re being empathetic.

I read so much on here about customers being rude to shop staff, but reading this thread, I’m starting to wonder if in fact it’s some staff being extremely touchy when the customer is merely trying to “communicate”.

I read so much on here about customers being rude to shop staff, but reading this thread, I’m starting to wonder if in fact it’s some staff being extremely touchy when the customer is merely trying to “communicate”.

wouldn't mind the evening comment …but in the shop i worked in i was literally only there because the customer was, and its not a rude comment for the customer to make, just thoughtless