Sunday opening hours

Snoozle

I was raised in a family where shopping on a Sunday was just an absolute no no. If we ran out of milk, we drank tea/coffee black, if we ran out of bread, we did without, if the car was low on petrol, then my dad didn't go out in it, as he wouldn't have wanted to buy petrol on a Sunday, and we didn't buy Sunday papers. (And no, this wasn't the 1940s! I'm in my mid 30s....)

Personally I think nothing of nipping to the shop on a Sunday should I run out of something, but strangely I would never intentionally set out to do my 'weekly shop' on a Sunday, because it was drummed into me when I was younger that there are six other days in the week for that. Its a tricky one - I really feel for people who work in retail because many people are pressured into working on Sundays when really they would prefer not to.

drew2k9

blueberry pie, if you had read another post i retracted that comment so didnt need these examples, but thanks anyway!

blueberrypie

drew2k9 wrote: »

blueberry pie, if you had read another post i retracted that comment so didnt need these examples, but thanks anyway!

Your post arrived while I was writing mine, so I hadn't seen your retraction.

The point (not directed at you specifically btw) is that people live in all sorts of different circumstances, and making assumptions about what would make their lives easier/harder and what they can/cannot do themselves is bound to lead to getting it wrong quite a lot of the time.

tara747

Snoozle wrote: »

I really feel for people who work in retail because many people are pressured into working on Sundays when really they would prefer not to.

That's a fair point - although I think someone here who does work in retail said that they'd rather work 10-4. I know I would too - thankfully I don't work weekends at all, I am very lucky.

Golden_Anemone

The law specifically states that no staff member can be discriminated against because they refuse to work Sunday as a result of their religious beliefs.

steveymp

Longer Sunday opening hours would result in more part time jobs being available for people who can and want to work on weekend, say for example students;) I know plenty of them that are on very long waiting list for supermarket jobs and would jump at the chance to work all day Sunday:o

Orange_King

I'm looking forward to being given the choice of whether to go to a supermarket or not on a Sunday morning. There are times when it would suit very nicely to do a full shop on Sunday mornings as it isn't particularly enthralling an experience trailing road the aisles after a days work. There are other times when it would be great to be able to get the few things that you need urgently at a time of your choosing rather than having to wait most of the day for the privilege.

The laws are just ridiculous - garages with mini supermarkets can open but other slightly larger shops (Spars) can't. Give customers the choice.

tara747

Golden_Anemone wrote: »

The law specifically states that no staff member can be discriminated against because they refuse to work Sunday as a result of their religious beliefs.

Wow, wish I'd known this when I was a student!!! :rotfl:

Snoozle

Golden_Anemone wrote: »

The law specifically states that no staff member can be discriminated against because they refuse to work Sunday as a result of their religious beliefs.

I know that is the case, but lets face it, we also all know that in reality a lot of the time it goes something like this. 'Don't want to work on Sunday? Plenty of others do, you can get your coat on the way out'. I know that's what it was like when I was a student. I worked in a wee Co-Op, they insisted that I work Sundays to be eligible to work in the evenings during the week. In reality, they never gave me any hours during the week at all, it was always Sundays. My parents were heartbroken (see previous post!) and I hated it.

I'm not saying that I think there should be no Sunday trading at all, I think we have to move with the times. But, an earlier poster mentioned that those who want to shop on a Sunday should be allowed to do so, because those who don't 'believe' (for want of a better term) in Sunday shopping aren't affected by it, and I just don't think its quite as black and white as that. I don't have a solution for it though!

screwedagain

Wow this was a popular thread!

I thought it might stimulate a bit of debate. For the record my wish would be for a relaxation of the strict 1pm-6pm opening hours on a Sunday i.e. give shops the choice of what 5 hours they chose to open throughout the day, not allow them to open for longer hours.

Queuing outside supermarkets before 1pm definitely happens, I see it all the time, and have you ever tried to drive around Belfast at 1pm on a Sunday? It's a total nightmare, when the roads are all deserted at 9:30 - 10am!

It's not all about organisation either, we live in the outskirts of east belfast, and in order to do a 9-5 day through the week requires us to leave at 7:30am, not getting home until 6:30pm. Clearly with household chores etc this doesn't leave much time for midweek shopping. Sunday morning would be ideal!

ps. we attend church on a Sunday and still find ourselves waiting for the shops to open!