Why does the UK close so early?

stephen77

while there may be less comdey in form of sit-coms.

The likes of mock the week (earlier shows), have I got news for you, QI are often very funny.

FOREVER21

Hi
Supermarkets open 24 hours and shops opened till 5 pm.
We should be so lucky in our village some of the local shops still operate the half day closing on wednesday, how strange is that?

jimbo24168

custardy wrote: »

does everyone in the UK work 9-5?

You mean someone in the UK actually works?????

vyle

I for one am glad that things aren't open so long. The English have the fewest holidays in Europe, and in some places (like Germany) shops don't even open at all on sundays.

For those of us working in shops, late opening is a nightmare. I had to work until 9 on three days this week for christmas (not to mention numerous other times since we started christmas hours), and it screws up your meals, sleeping pattern and social life.

I understand that some people choose to work night shifts, but a, say, 10 til 9pm shift isn't really wholly day or night. It's just a horrible netherworld where you don't have enough time before work to get anything meaningful accomplished, but it's too late to do anything after work.

If OP had their way, this would become mandatory for all shop workers, possibly even later shifts, and it'd make retail life completely miserable. 9 til 5 is more than enough time to do shopping, or do it on your day off. Don't ruin the lives of everyone else.

marvin

vyle wrote: »

If OP had their way, this would become mandatory for all shop workers, possibly even later shifts, and it'd make retail life completely miserable. 9 til 5 is more than enough time to do shopping, or do it on your day off. Don't ruin the lives of everyone else.

I do not support mandatory for anything this is where decent upheld laws come in on working weeks and days.

Of course anyone who does not like the hours has the feedom to seek work elsewhere.

I should I suppose point out that I actually work for Sainsburys, but not in a store and my working day is 7-7 (nights and days including Sundays (I am at work now till 7 in the morning), seems the law stops shop workers working longer, should they wish to do so, but not those in the back office support systems).

11 - 11 would be my dream day as I hate getting up in the mornings but I realise I am odd...

It is not just a shopping thing but all things seem to close early, it is something the Victorians introduced because we should all be at home being virtuous and life was more difficult them as there was not the lighting capabilities we have today!

I was struck though that some businesses (big and small) rather than adapt at times when there is a case for adapting, like when the example given for Costa, just stick to what is and in the case of some small businesses complain about the fact that trade is slim.

Phillip Dalton in todays Telegraph, businesses adapt or die.

It is good to have started a debate and please can no-one take it personally.

phill99

It's only th UK that has this bizarre obsession with shopping. Nowhere else in the world do half of the population see it as their primary leisure activity.

And people don't seem to get the real issue associated with longer opening hours. It's the ame as Turkeys voting for Christmas. If a consumer only has £100 a week to spend in the shops, he doesn't suddenly have £120 a week to spend just because the shops are open longer. There is still only the ame money to be spent whether a shop opens for 7 hours a day, or 12 hours a day. But what longer opening hours mean s that more staff have to be paid, more electricity to be used, more heating costs. The result? Higher prices to cover increased running costs.

But most people don't see it this way.

If we got away from this obsession with shopping, maybe we would be forced to spend more time with our family, pursue more leisure activities, maybe go to night school to better ourselves.

shaun_from_Africa

phill99 wrote: »

It's only th UK that has this bizarre obsession with shopping. Nowhere else in the world do half of the population see it as their primary leisure activity.

I take it that you've never been to any of the big shopping or outlet malls that are in just about every large US city.
Even the ones that are well away from touristy areas are often huge and I know many Americans who think nothing of making it a family day out going to these places.

The obsession with shopping in the US is well documented over there.

http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=american+obsession+shopping&oq=american+obsession+shopping&gs_l=hp.3..0i30.1752.11367.0.11702.29.19.1.9.9.1.391.3075.0j6j8j1.15.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.rKUeNlCH_tA&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.1355534169,d.eWU&fp=def9f3f538eb70d&bpcl=40096503&biw=1187&bih=512

This is a short quote from the first result of that Google search.

From hitting the mall with your girlfriends on a Saturday afternoon, to holiday spending on gifts that go under the tree, shopping could be called one of America's favorite pastimes.

marvin

phill99 wrote: »

It's only th UK that has this bizarre obsession with shopping. Nowhere else in the world do half of the population see it as their primary leisure activity.

And people don't seem to get the real issue associated with longer opening hours. It's the ame as Turkeys voting for Christmas. If a consumer only has £100 a week to spend in the shops, he doesn't suddenly have £120 a week to spend just because the shops are open longer. There is still only the ame money to be spent whether a shop opens for 7 hours a day, or 12 hours a day. But what longer opening hours mean s that more staff have to be paid, more electricity to be used, more heating costs. The result? Higher prices to cover increased running costs.

But most people don't see it this way.

If we got away from this obsession with shopping, maybe we would be forced to spend more time with our family, pursue more leisure activities, maybe go to night school to better ourselves.

How about different hours as I suggested noon to 8 not longer just different, I for one would never go shopping for a new suit at 9 am noon is really the earliest I would contemplate such an activity.

Why do all the supermarkets open at 10 and close at 4 on a Sunday? None do midday till 6?

But please do not get fixated on it being just shops, it is not, it is all of life except maybe pubs which can and do open all hours.

Some may remember the excellent comedy programme on the BBC Open All Hours, here is someone who wanted to serve his customers and not himself.

Services run for the provider not the service user fit in or go without.

Look at the Xmas market in Brum busy all up till 9 many shops shut at 5 or 6, think of all the potential business they are losing. (Still think it is absurd for a coffee shop to close at 6.30 when the road outside is heaving and they are turning away customers who wish to patronise their business.


Not asking for more just a different way of thinking.

Helix

marvin wrote: »

Why do all the supermarkets open at 10 and close at 4 on a Sunday? None do midday till 6?

In stevenage there are two Tescos quite close by and one is open 10am - 4pm on Sundays and the other one 12pm - 6pm. Its quite handy because all the shops in the main town shut at 4pm so you can go to the other Tesco on the way home.

marvin

Helix wrote: »

In stevenage there are two Tescos quite close by and one is open 10am - 4pm on Sundays and the other one 12pm - 6pm. Its quite handy because all the shops in the main town shut at 4pm so you can go to the other Tesco on the way home.

Its good to know this is being done somewhere....even if it is only Tesco.