Sunday Trading Laws

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

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

I don't understand this at all. Why should retail staff be protected when so many others aren't? I don't get this argument of its not fair we would have to work sundays. Lots of people work on sundays.
If you don't want to work sundays don't take a job where sunday is a working day. Its not that hard is it? Are all those complaining about how unfair it is on them happy for everyone else to have sundays off too if its so sacred. Bus drivers, nurses, waiters, bar staff, cinemas, train and tube drivers, policemen, call centres...... shouldn't they all get sundays off too?

No, just you huh?

"If you don't want to work sundays don't take a job where sunday is a working day. Its not that hard is it?"

when the Sunday trading laws were changed I was working in a video store. We were supposed to get customers to sign a petition supporting the extension of the hours. I was flabbergasted at the number of people who would come in to our store on a Sunday and then say that they were totally opposed to Sunday trading because they didn't want to be forced to work on a Sunday. How on earth did they imagine they could change their videos on a Sunday if no-one was allowed to work?
Nothing to add to the "should we be a 24-7 shopping paradise" argument - I'm self-employed and up till recently when DD3 went to school, I worked as many evenings and weekends (when DH was around) as it took. Plus I hate shopping (apart from Bluewater in the evening when it's practically empty ). You do what you have to do in the time you have available.

Actually, that's a point pooexplosions, on Sundays buses run less often, making Sunday work more of a nightmare.

But seriously, I couldn't really care less about Sunday being "sacred", and in all honesty I know that my happiness at Sunday trading hours when in retail was entirely selfish. But then, so is my desire to shop all day Sunday. shrugs

I always want something at 10pm on a Sunday and I'm scuppered lol.

I used to work in retail. As a lone parent. I started in a job that was mon-fri 9.30-5.30. Which fitted in PERFECTLY with nursery/ kids club pick up times. The company got taken over, and INSISTED that we all had to work one weekend day. Because the bastard manager was 'getting rid of' the student who wroked weekends. I was then basically told 'suck it up and do the shifts, or you'll be out of (your crappy minimum wage) job, I need staff that will work the hours I want. I had no family, and no-one that would look after a non-mobile 2yo, a 3.5yo AND an asd 7.5yo (as my dc's were at the time). I just couldn't do it, so lost my job. Because the government paid to train me in my old trade, I can't get funding to retrain. Because of my dx of epilepsy, I can no longer EVER work in my previous field due to legal restrictions. So no I can't F'ing re-train. I do shit retail work for shit wages to get treated like shit, or didn't work.

I managed perfectly well doing my shopping at all the other times of the day and night when working full time, and still fitted in time to spend with my DC's, have never felt the need to shop on a sunday, what could possibly be that important that it can't wait until monday?.

You don't actually have to GO to the shops on a sunday, even if they are open. I am just opposed to this because of the extra stresses it places on a lot of their staff.

OP, YABU, not everyone in retail gets a choice whether or not to work Sundays, whether it's practical for them or not. Often you can't GET a retail job without agreeing to work at least a minimum of one sunday in 4 even if you have absolutely NO childcare at the weekends. WTF do LP's without family support DO with their DC's if they have to work on a Sunday??

"So what about shift workers, i.e nurses who might want to go shopping for sunday dinner/ something to eat when they get home on the way back from work at 5am on a Sunday, but can't?"

I've worked shifts all my life (hotel industry followed by police). I don't have a problem with not shopping on a Sunday.

Also, if you work shifts you are going to have mornings off and days off in the week - plenty of time to go shopping. I stopped shift work a year ago and find it far more inconvenient shopping-wise now I work 9-5

And anyone that cannot manage to get their shopping done in the 6 hours that the shops are open on a Sunday has serious time-management problems. Lots of shops now stay open until 6pm. The majority of people can easily access a supermarket which is open from 8am Monday until 10pm on Saturday so how can you possibly argue that you don't have enough time in those hours ?

Most of us public sector shift workers get paid very well for our troubles. I don't see many retail jobs that pay over £20,000 with a months' holiday and good working conditions.

As a keyworker who has only recently stopped shift working I also resent the implication that because I work nights, weekends and bank holidays I expect everyone else to do so for my convenience. I chose to work in role where this is expected and is remunerated, I certainly do not think that people on a low salary should be expected to work even longer than they already do just so I can go shopping for even more stuff I don't need.

Unfortunately we live in a society where everyone is driven to consume, consume, consume - shopping is the most popular pastime in the UK which I think is a rather sad indictment of our society. I think it's rather tragic that people can't manage to go a day without shopping

I think its pretty insulting to accuse anyone who wants to shop on a sunday of rampant consumerism. And I'm not tragic for needing to buy milk and nappies on a sunday.
There are less buses on a sunday, but did you know that drivers often have to work longer shifts on sundays and (in our case) no longer get the overtime rates as agreed in contracts. But no-one would expect the buses to close down on Sundays (or xmas/ny eve, bank holidays etc) because you might want to go somewhere.
But its only shop workers who deserve sundays off with their families, isn't it?

What on earth do you think people did for milk and nappies before sunday trading ? Oh yes, they bought them another day.

Pretty ridiculous argument. What did people do before nappies, or shops for that matter? Are you harking back for a time when women with children almost never went to work so could go shopping any time of the week? Because thats not the way things are anymore
Shops open on Sundays. Get over it.

but is it a pointless argument.

Round here we have no local buses (town ones) on a Sunday, the bigger cross county buses do run (less often) - but that's it.

Yes - I guess there does have to be some running for KEY workers to get to work (if they don't have their own transport).

There are of course exceptions to the rule (care workers for example) - but nurses, firemen, policemen etc etc don't just walk into those jobs because they need a job and "that will have to do".

There are exams, training, medicals, assessments and so on.

They are KEY workers - if there were no firefighters (to use the corrrect term ), no nurses, no policemen on duty on Sundays then people WOULD be affected.........

Shopping is not essential..........people seem to cope just fine with making sure they're stocked up for Christmas day (when shops are thankgod closed).

ermm pooo - you don't need to go that far back - I remember as a kid (an no I'm not old an wrinkly) shops being closed on Sundays - it really didn't hurt anyone, people survived.

Not that I think they should now suddenly reverse it and have them closed again - I just don't see the need for all day shopping to be available on Sunday - when there are 6 other days in the week

I think the point was can you not but milk and nappies sometime between Monday morning and Saturday evenings?

I can't say i have ever had to rush out to buy nappies on a Sunday because i towards the end of the week i look at what supply i have and buy accordingly to last the weekend.

ToccataAndFudge that was a good post and you hit the nail on the head. Keyworkers are very important on a Sunday, shopping is not.

Then maybe I am just badly organised?

I would have thought we would have harsher sunday laws here in ireland, it took longer to open on sundays at all, but my local tesco is open 10am to 8pm on a Sunday, which is great. I often do a shop at 7pm on Sunday as the reduced section is usually full then and I get some great bargains.

"Are you harking back for a time when women with children almost never went to work so could go shopping any time of the week? Because thats not the way things are anymore"

But that is the way things are now because supermarkets open 24 hours in most places so no matter what work pattern you have, the shop will be open for you to shop. Plus we now have the advantage of internet shopping 24/7. A luxuary people never had back then.

"Are you harking back for a time when women with children almost never went to work so could go shopping any time of the week?"

Erm, no. 1994

psst poo - I can relax in the evenings on Sunday (unless I have to service to play for) and still get the bargains - as they're reduced from 3pm

And this "women never went to work" business is a complete fallacy. Yes, middle class women may have stayed at home with their children - but working class women certainly didn't, they couldn't afford to.
Both my grandmothers worked despite one having 4 children and the other two. The one with 4 children had 3 jobs, even though my grandfather worked.