Sunday Trading Laws

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

Is it just me that thinks this is an antiquated law and should be scrapped?

Nobody said people in retail should work LONGER hours.

The point is that they should work DIFFERENT hours.

"If you work in a service industry, like retail, you need to be able to work when it is useful for people to be able to avail of the services you are offering."

yes - I guess it's just tough shit that many of those who work in retail are doing so out of necessity for money rather than because they want to work in retail.

I did my grocery shopping on a Sunday last week. Was about 3.30 when I got to the tills, was chatting the women on the tills (I regularly go to her till) and she was saying how she'd been roped into work on the till until 4.30 again............the supermarket closes at 4pm, and she wouldn't get paid for that extra time.

Is shit pay, shit treatment, and as someone else says - you find childcare for a Saturday or Sunday that a) exists where you live b) doesn't cost more than you'll actually earn.

Whoa! I am a lone parent juggling childcare with 2 children and I work full time thanks. So I am fully aware of the difficulties of getting time to fit everything in.

I think the hours of 10 - 4 or 11 - 5 are plenty of time for me to get my shopping done on a Sunday.

Are you seriously suggesting that people working shifts often are left food less and clothes less because they can't get into Asda at 9.00 in the morning on a Sunday?

I notice that no one has answered the question of childcare availability on a Sunday. that's AIBU for you isn't it?

As to the whole keyworkers argument. I think there would be an enormous outcry if key-workers' shift patterns were changed in order to satisfy the few people who would want to be out shopping all day on a Sunday.

Shifting the argument slightly, I doubt that it would be particularly financially rewarding for retailers to do so anyway.

Like i said before i currently finish at 5.30 & this way i get to eat with my family & put my ds to bed,if you want me to work till 7 or later then i wont see my ds at all that day.

Why should i have to work different hrs because somebody wants to buy a bag of spuds & a carton of milk or a pair of knickers?

Do we really need to have all shops open 24/7? In my experience key workers get decent days off & a decent wage to make up for the fact they work unsociable hrs.

Oh & if you do expect me to work till 7 please tell me what i should do for childcare? And how will i afford it on my minimum wage job?

And when you say shops should be open later do you include banks in that? Oh & maybe the local council offices should be open longer too?

the key workers one is intersting, I suppose in most cases (excluding carers - who get treated as badly as retail staff) key workers have chosen to become nurses (seems a big silly to study nursing if you're not actually serious about iykwim), or choose to become a policeman or fireman and go through the vigorous training etc to become one so do expect it.

I ended up working as a care, not through choice though, I still remember having to work Christmas day/boxing day night - was horrible. I only got paid extra for the first 2 1/2hrs of the night (last few hours of Christmas day) Boxing day was normal pay (£5.50hr the then minimum wage).

It is supremely naive to believe that the people who are currently working in the retail sector would be asked to just work "DIFFERENT" hours.

'Is shit pay, shit treatment, and as someone else says - you find childcare for a Saturday or Sunday that a) exists where you live b) doesn't cost more than you'll actually earn.'

We manage up here! No one has exploded yet as far as i am aware and we are no more consumerist that you are so the bad for family values bit holds no truck with me.

Minimum wage is shit.

'I notice that no one has answered the question of childcare availability on a Sunday. that's AIBU for you isn't it?'

Actually it's been pointed out that in Scotland they don't have the same laws, there are no more feral children running round up here than down there you know

I agree that the lack of affordable childcare is a whole other issue in it's own right.

My argument is not for the closure of shops on a Sunday, just that the compromise of Sunday opening hours, as they stand, appears to be one which works.

If it isn't broke, don't fix it.

StewieGriffinsMom - well how did you get childcare at the weekends?

I think Sunday trading laws should be scrapped (it's not as if you are then forced to shop on a Sunday) and shops open until much later.

I don't understand this keyworkers/shiftworkers need the shops open on sunday stuff. DH works shifts and it means that he is often off in the morning or afternoon in the week, so he can do all the shopping then while the shops are quiet...

The shops are open plenty IMO and I don't like this 24 hour consumer society thing.

Nurses, Fireman, Policemen, Doctors, Midwives etc etc usually choose to work in those jobs KNOWING that they will have to work unsociable hours and weekends.

Many people get forced into "general" care work and retail work because they have no choice.

Yes - how did you sort childcare?

And raising the minimum wage is far too simplistic - and you can't just raise minimum wages and expect everything to be fine - there's a long knock on effect of raising wages.

and besides - since when was being able to go and buy food or shoes on Sunday a "key" thing. Not really sure of the relevance of the key worker thing.

No-one is going to die if a shop is closed for a day

well none of your childcare solutions are accesible to me if that helps

I am indeed SGM

have to confess I'm a Sunday (food) shopper, play at church, have a coffee and go and do my grocery shopping.

(and none of your childcare options would be available for me either)

sunday is the most intensive trading day in the week (for a food retailer) so an awful lot of people do find it the most convenient day to do their big shop.

i think that it is an antiquated law, and i also think that employment practices within retail could use a bit of a shake up and need to give more than a passing nod to work-life balance. having sunday off to sleep after doing 14 hour days monday-saturday is not my idea of respect for my life outside work.

no-one was ever forced to work sunday - if i had been religious it would have been possible for me to have another manager cover my dept. Although that would have required much organising on my part.

Most of my sunday crew were students, and therefore it was more convenient for them than the evening shifts.

24 hour opening has been experimented with, though only worth it if the store is big enough to warrant service staff being there anyway without people to serve.