Should all shops be closed on Boxing Day?

LilElvis

duchy wrote: »

No sporting events for retail staff though.

Yes anyone who works in hospitality knows Christmas is no holiday for them , but you'd not be going into the business not knowing this. Retail it's a relatively new development.

Football and shopping would be my idea of hell (although my local FC pays well for Boxing day) but football I "get" as it's traditional. Queuing up outside next overnight on Christmas night is just batshit nuts.

So new that when I returned to my retail employer during my university holidays my new contract allowed for working bank holidays and Sundays. That was C&A and it was just shy of 30 years ago.

The change is that they actually were the "January Sales" back then. But that was a different retail environment - a time when there was no Black Friday, "3 for 2 on gifts" and the countless sales throughout the year.

And nutters have been prepared to sleep outside Harrods and the stores in Oxford Street, to be at the front of the queue when the doors open, for all of my adult life too - just nowadays there are more of them. :rotfl:

mumps

Proxima_Centauri wrote: »

The knock-on effects of Boxing Day football matches is hardly ubiquitous. In fact despite 4+ decades on this planet I didn't even know there were any :rotfl:

But the people watching those matches aren't with their families and the people selling tickets, the hot dog vendors, police who would have had the day off but it was cancelled as they needed to police the match. They will all be away from the family, the world as we know it will end, civilisation will breakdown because you know the only day people get to have family time is boxing day. Oh hang on that doesn't seem quite right somehow.

Loz01

I think shops should be shut Boxing Day, yes. We don't NEED to shop. The sales could start on 27th. Let the online sales begin on the 26th for the people desperate for a bargain. Give shop workers a day off. Fair enough and thanks to small corner shops that open in case you need milk or tea bags (or gravy granules on xmas day like my own Mum actually did a few years back...) but I can't see why its necessary to open Topshop or Primark...

mumps

Loz01 wrote: »

I think shops should be shut Boxing Day, yes. We don't NEED to shop. The sales could start on 27th. Let the online sales begin on the 26th for the people desperate for a bargain. Give shop workers a day off. Fair enough and thanks to small corner shops that open in case you need milk or tea bags (or gravy granules on xmas day like my own Mum actually did a few years back...) but I can't see why its necessary to open Topshop or Primark...

We don't need to do lots of things on Boxing Day. Why do you think someone who works in Topshop has more of a right to Boxing Day off than someone who works in a corner shop? You can probably survive 24 hrs without milk or tea bags. Personally I would be upset if I couldn't have a cuppa but its not exactly an emergency.

duchy

mumps wrote: »

But the people watching those matches aren't with their families and the people selling tickets, the hot dog vendors, police who would have had the day off but it was cancelled as they needed to police the match. They will all be away from the family, the world as we know it will end, civilisation will breakdown because you know the only day people get to have family time is boxing day. Oh hang on that doesn't seem quite right somehow.

Actually a lot of families do go to Boxing Day matches ........some it's just some of the family but that probably just as true of going Boxing Day shopping. A football match is ninety minutes, probably shorter than a day dragging around over crowded shops too.
(The majority of Boxing Day matches are local derbys btw)

Proxima_Centauri

BarryBlue wrote: »

Wanting things to close down on Boxing Day is just sheer selfishness by people who want to tell others how to live their lives. It always makes me think of the sort of state control so despised by the leftie-haters, which is somewhat ironic really.

So traditionally a lot of sports get played on Boxing day. And traditionally shops have always closed on Boxing day.

/shrug

mumps

duchy wrote: »

Actually a lot of families do go to Boxing Day matches ........some it's just some of the family but that probably just as true of going Boxing Day shopping. A football match is ninety minutes, probably shorter than a day dragging around over crowded shops too.
(The majority of Boxing Day matches are local derbys btw)

If you think people are out for 90 minutes for a football match I can only assume you have never been to one. First of all you travel to the match, times will vary, then if you are on public transport you will probably have at least a short walk and if you are driving you have to find somewhere to park and then walk. You don't normally plan on getting there as the whistle blows, there is a break at half time, then you get out of the stadium which can take a while and then redo the journey.

My previous career with a large police force tells me that there is normally extra policing required for local derbys so even more police officers having to work.

People aren't all going to spend the whole day at the shops and so what if some are with family and some aren't? It is no more necessary to go to a football match than to go shopping.

It doesn't matter what you say, retail workers have no more right or need to be with their families than anyone else.

mumps

Proxima_Centauri wrote: »

So traditionally a lot of sports get played on Boxing day. And traditionally shops have always closed on Boxing day.

/shrug

I worked in retail 40 years ago and worked Boxing Day, when did this tradition start exactly?

suki1964

Going to footie on Boxing Day was traditional in my youth ( late 70's early 80's).

It was something to do with friends. Pubs had Sunday hours so you met there, had a few, went to footie ( Fulham for us) , out in time for getting a bite to eat and away out to party for the night

Kim_kim

mumps wrote: »

I worked in retail 40 years ago and worked Boxing Day, when did this tradition start exactly?

Big shops? Or local/corner shops?