Should all shops be closed on Boxing Day?

duchy

Person_one wrote: »

Sorry but... :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Apart from a very few small businesses owned and run by people who also celebrate the occasion, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu, Pagan, Zoroastrian, Rastafarian people and anybody else from any culture with a significant day that traditionally would have meant no work and marking it with loved ones just have to ask for annual leave and hope for the best if they want the day off.

Not true of areas where they are the majority (hence using Golders Green as an example ).....and if you are in a minority then booking leave isn't an issue if you are organised as it's possible to book as soon as booking time off opens as you aren't in mass competition.
If the day is genuinely significant to you, you'll know when it is so are able to get it booked in.

I have colleagues who book significant days in the Muslim calendar , others who always book their children's birthday off, they book early because the dates are important to them . Unlike the Next employees who are unable to book holiday on Boxing Day, no matter how significant the date is to them.

BarryBlue

catkins wrote: »

A "better quality Christmas dinner"!!!!! Have you ever eaten a roast dinner in a pub or restaurant? They are awful. You would have to be a pretty bad cook to do worse. A roast is actually a pretty easy meal to cook. Or, as I said before, buy everything froze. Not difficult is it?

What is your obsession with everyone eating a roast (turkey?) dinner on Xmas Day? We wouldn't want to, and would never dream of eating turkey in anything - it's awful stuff.

We choose to dine somewhere where we can eat what we choose. As I have said several times, it is what we choose to do. The restaurant are more than happy to serve us too. They don't celebrate Christmas anyway.

annandale wrote: »

Surely it's the restaurant that makes the decision to open over the festive period. Of course it will do that based on demand but it's a two way thing. If restaurants decided not to open for Christmas dinner then people would have to make other arrangements.

These restaurants are meeting a demand. Not everyone wants to eat a tasteless turkey dinner, and not everyone wants to spend the holiday with relatives either. So, yes, it is absolutely a two-way thing. Restaurants are not compelled to open on Xmas Day, and indeed many don't. We have not spent Xmas Day at home for a 'traditional' lunch for about 15 years, and have no intention of doing so again.

catkins wrote: »

I spend Christmas Day and Boxing Day with my OH, my parents, my siblings and their OH's, my nieces and nephews and their OH's. It's not easy all meeting up during the year. We don't live that far from each other but have different work commitments etc. I have spent every Christmas Day and Boxing Day with all my family every year apart from the ones I had to work.

Christmas for my family, and others, is a very special time. There is only ONE time of year when we celebrate Christmas and we have 2 days together playing games, talking, laughing etc. Why should I have had to miss out on that so that some people could shop?

That's all your choice. Neither of us have siblings and there are no family we would even consider spending the holiday with. This is our choice. Nothing could be worse, frankly, than spending it like you do. But nobody tells you what you can and can't do, so why try to dictate to others?

For us, Christmas is just like any other weekend and has no significance at all for us. I am sure that for many who do celebrate, it is nothing more than an excuse for a booze-up and a good feed. Some friends of ours are spending 3 weeks on a ship in the Caribbean, avoiding Christmas and New Year in the UK altogether. Had my wife got enough leave left, we would probably have gone with them.

annandale

All the places in my area who serve Xmas dinner serve a variety of choices. The local Chinese restaurant opens as well. Lots of people don't eat meat and dare I say it some people won't care for turkey.

Person_one

BarryBlue wrote: »

Is this actually serious? :rotfl:

Go to any Chinatown and it will be absolutely bouncing at Chinese New Year. All the restaurants will be open and most will have special banquets for the occasion. Your local Balti house will certainly not be closing for Eid, Ramadan or anything else, and other Indian cultures are just the same. Our favourite curry pub is run by Hindus and Diwali is a serious celebration there.

If people want to sit at home watching telly with granny over the holiday, that's fine. Some of us are not so bothered with family we never see, and the majority of people have no interest in any religious aspect of the holiday.

Not to mention the fact that not everyone in the country who is of Chinese descent works in a Chinese restaurant, or every Asian person in an Indian restaurant or corner shop. Oh dear!

Person_one

catkins wrote: »

Not sure how many people would use more than a tank of petrol over only 2 days. That's a lot of mileage. There are self service pumps at lots of petrol stations and almost everyone must have a credit or debit card.

Again, how many use a tank full in only 2 days? Also do emergency vehicle drivers not have some sort of fuel card? If so they could use the self service pumps

Think about it, those working in rural areas can cover huge distances, and pay at pump isn't in every petrol station, only a minority still even in cities. Some specialist nurses/caring/medical staff cover very large areas due to the nature of what they provide, district nurses use their own cars so may only have a little run around with a small tank and might have further to go than normal on Xmas day, maybe to cover for a friend and allow them more time with young children, or to visit patients at relatives' houses to let them have a family Christmas?

LilElvis

Person_one wrote: »

Think about it, those working in rural areas can cover huge distances, and pay at pump isn't in every petrol station, only a minority still even in cities. Some specialist nurses/caring/medical staff cover very large areas due to the nature of what they provide, district nurses use their own cars so may only have a little run around with a small tank and might have further to go than normal on Xmas day, maybe to cover for a friend and allow them more time with young children, or to visit patients at relatives' houses to let them have a family Christmas?

Husband's brother in law is driving to see his mother on Boxing Day. Can't see that he's going to make it from Hampshire to Montrose on a single tank as he drives a gas guzzling Aston Martin :rotfl:

Person_one

catkins wrote: »

But you can't ask for annual leave at Christmas if you work in retail (not sure about other jobs). Usually you can't take holiday in December at all.

I have no strong feelings about when shops open but this is an issue.

In nursing/healthcare the strong tradition and the way it works most places I'm aware of is that you work either Christmas or new year, not both, and you get alternate years off. I was off last Christmas and worked new year, so this year I'm working Christmas and off new year. Retail and leisure could and probably should adopt a similar policy with their permanent staff (obviously not the seasonal).

There are shift workers in every generation of my family. It never stopped us having quality family time at Christmas.

Mrs_Ryan

Person_one wrote: »

I have no strong feelings about when shops open but this is an issue.

In nursing/healthcare the strong tradition and the way it works most places I'm aware of is that you work either Christmas or new year, not both, and you get alternate years off. I worked last Christmas and was off new year, do this year I'm working Christmas and off new year. Retail and leisure could and probably should adopt a similar policy with their permanent staff (obviously not the seasonal).

There are shift workers in every generation of my family. It never stopped us having quality family time at Christmas.

When I worked in a hospital the first time in five years that I was able to see my family at Xmas was when I was off long term sick with cancer. I got repeatedly told 'Oh you've got no family to worry about, let those with kids have the time off' I didn't get Christmas off in five years! I knew when I took the job that I would have to work at Christmas which didn't bother me so much but I didn't anticipate that.

Person_one

Mrs_Ryan wrote: »

When I worked in a hospital the first time in five years that I was able to see my family at Xmas was when I was off long term sick with cancer. I got repeatedly told 'Oh you've got no family to worry about, let those with kids have the time off' I didn't get Christmas off in five years! I knew when I took the job that I would have to work at Christmas which didn't bother me so much but I didn't anticipate that.

I'd have nipped that in the bud straightaway. I've worked for lots of different trusts and the way I described is how they all do it. You just had a bad manager!

catkins

Person_one wrote: »

I have no strong feelings about when shops open but this is an issue.

In nursing/healthcare the strong tradition and the way it works most places I'm aware of is that you work either Christmas or new year, not both, and you get alternate years off. I worked last Christmas and was off new year, do this year I'm working Christmas and off new year. Retail and leisure could and probably should adopt a similar policy with their permanent staff (obviously not the seasonal).

There are shift workers in every generation of my family. It never stopped us having quality family time at Christmas.

I would have been happy to work Boxing Day one year and New Year the following year. In fact I didn't mind having to work every New Year as I don't celebrate it in any way. Three different retail jobs insisted that ALL shop floor staff worked both every year. The Manager and Assistant Manager, of course, got time off alternating each year which day the worked. The lowly had to do as they were told.

If you have spent 50 years celebrating Christmas with your family for 2 days then sorry but it does mean you stop having so much quality time once one of you has to work one of the days

BarryBlue wrote: »

What is your obsession with everyone eating a roast (turkey?) dinner on Xmas Day? We wouldn't want to, and would never dream of eating turkey in anything - it's awful stuff.

We choose to dine somewhere where we can eat what we choose. As I have said several times, it is what we choose to do. The restaurant are more than happy to serve us too. They don't celebrate Christmas anyway.

These restaurants are meeting a demand. Not everyone wants to eat a tasteless turkey dinner, and not everyone wants to spend the holiday with relatives either. So, yes, it is absolutely a two-way thing. Restaurants are not compelled to open on Xmas Day, and indeed many don't. We have not spent Xmas Day at home for a 'traditional' lunch for about 15 years, and have no intention of doing so again.

That's all your choice. Neither of us have siblings and there are no family we would even consider spending the holiday with. This is our choice. Nothing could be worse, frankly, than spending it like you do. But nobody tells you what you can and can't do, so why try to dictate to others? [/QUOTE


I actually never said anything about everyone eating turkey. Other posters used it as an excuse why people eat out - because supposedly cooking a roast dinner is difficult. In fact it is one of the easiest meals to cook.

Me and OH are vegetarian - have been for over 30 years and 5 members of my family are also vegetarian. I have never cooked a turkey in my life.

Maybe the staff in the restaurant you go to are happy to be working. If they don't celebrate Christmas it doesn't make much difference to them does it?

The point I, and several others, are trying to make is that people are forced to work in completely unnecessary jobs when they do not want to.

When I worked in retail someone "was telling me what I could and could not do" so your argument doesn't stand. If you knew the workers in the restaurant were being made to work when they wanted to celebrate Christmas with their family would you still go and eat there?

I am not telling people what they can or can't do, just trying to get through to some people that lots of staff do NOT want to work those days, are forced to work those days, do not get a single penny extra for working those days (in fact are often out of pocket due to having to get a taxi to and from work as there are no buses). How is it that shops, restaurants etc should open and yet buses don't need to run?

I don't have to work Boxing Day now but I still would never go out to shops or restaurants on principle. The same way I do not shop on a Sunday. Just because I now don't have to work doesn't mean I don't have sympathy for those that do. In this selfish age though most people just don't care about others