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.

I have worked in retail while I was studying, and on these days in the past including Christmas eve. Today I will be popping in for bread. People work on Christmas day, it is not so bad.

Aim your frustration at the supermarkets, they are the ones opening.

The high street is dying so it would be nice to try and keep it alive.

Why do people only make these posts about shops? They arent the only people who have to work. How about telling people to make their xmas dinner at home so restaurants dont open on Xmas day and staff have to work? I worked in a pub before and worked Xmas day. People even came out for a drink.

I saw on social media that Morrisons dailies would be open on Christmas day! I don't know if our local one was. I won't be near a shop for a few days yet, thankfully I'm not desperate for anything, I can't bear the shops at this time of year.

I'm probably going to call in to the local one shop today. Its open anyway,

I've no idea what relevance your sister not getting boxing day off has to that. Surely people are treated equally and having family further away or closer isn't criteria for who gets the day off. My daughter has spent the whole of december working in retail including Christmas Eve but it just so happens her garden center is closed today anyway.

You best get off MN OP, how can you make someone come in and run the site when it’s Boxing Day and we should all be at home relaxing? Shame on you.

I can’t really feel bad if she was making choices that led her to working knowing the org operates on Boxing Day. If she didn’t want to work over festive period then surely don’t pick an employer who does then moan about it.

As someone said on another thread, these Morrisons Daily shops that opened yesterday are franchises. Know about 8 of these that were Co-ops until 18 months - 2 years ago. You can tell they are franchises as they don’t accept the Morrisons loyalty card. I believe shops in petrol stations are franchises too.

So, because you sister doesn't like working on BD, all the shops in the country must shut/noone is allowed to go out to get essentials like milk or toilet paper or Tampax or bread etc?

Wow. Rarely do you see such self centred posts as this and yet, here it is!

I will be going out later to get Tampax as my period has started early due to peri menopause and I have run out. But clearly, that's deeply immoral of me due to some random stranger's sister so maybe I should just bleed all over the sofa instead eh? 🙄

I worked in retail for years and will shop today.

And I believe Op seems like the type who would go to a vegetarian restaurant and bemoan the lack of meat options.

Pick an employer?
like most people drowning in options

I am more likely to think highly of stores that are closed on Boxing Day

We’ve run out of Pringles so we may well be making a supermarket dash

I mean, Aldi and Lidl close on Boxing Day and manage to survive. Can people really not think of anything better to do than go shopping. I'm going nowhere near the shops.

@Crofthead Bit of a shit argument. It's the 'just get a better job' argument. That's not always easy. Sainsbury's closed for Boxing Day once that I can remember (2021, after I stopped working there.) Screwfix close on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. If you're rota has you in you have to work unless you can get it booked as holiday. Although heaven help you if you're one of those people telling retail staff it's a shame they're open on Boxing Day while being in the shop!

The lorries making deliveries would be making full deliveries, not just bread and milk. It's not cost efficient in terms of fuel to send a half empty lorry out. Some foods have a very short shelf life and need to be sold and consumed as soon as possible.

DH worked for M&S food at a regional warehouse.

So the are working under duress? Don’t be so utterly ridiculous

Did you not pick an employer or have any say in it or were you a forced to work with your current employer with no agency of your own?

Most retail businesses pay additional rates for Boxing Day.

That additional rate of pay means a lot to some people working in retail. It makes a huge difference to their Christmas - in a positive way.

If the shop was closed on boxing day it would have a detrimental effect on lots of low paid workers, particularly those on zero hour contracts.

Getting on your high horse about Boxing Day opening is one of those privileged things that actually potentially harms the people it's supposed to be advocating for.

I'd maybe be campaigning for better conditions in retail generally rather than going after Boxing Day.

I worked in retail many years ago. I was contracted 12 hours a week on shit hours. I WANTED to do the extra Boxing Day and Sunday shifts for good reason - the full time staff were the ones who didn't really want to do them.

But if we stay away they are less likely to open next year.

@SapphireSeptemberi worked in care for 16 years and know a requirement is 365 days a year. I did it until it no longer worked for me and then i found a job that wasn’t 365 a year. I didn’t moan about working nights/weekends/bank holidays etc as I knew that was a requirement of my employment contract that I agreed to.

DD got a smyths voucher, we're going this morning to let her choose what she wants

Yes, we have run out of several things so I will be going to the shops later on today.

Oh, and yes, I have previously worked in retail over the Christmas period in the past.

My dh works in distribution for a well known supermarket. He was in work at 5am to keep the cogs turning. Surely we don't need more food. Could we not just buy enough for 2 days...

Can people really not think of anything better to do than go shopping?

I have been away and have no fresh food in the house. What is so wrong with going shopping today?

Lovely that you are going nowhere near the shops. Plenty of people will be and it is their choice.

Have you got no one else to tell what to do OP? Go for a walk or read a book and stop worrying about other people’s free will.