Should all shops be closed on Boxing Day?

suki1964

I used to work in retail and loved the run up to Christmas. We worked late Christmas Eve , but had Christmas Day and the 26th off, the sales started 27th ( unless that was a Sunday when it carried over)

This was late 70's

I remember the first time we were asked to work Boxing Day. We were asked to volunteer, we needed 20 staff to open. Paid double bubble and a day in lieu. There was no fresh deliveries to sell, only the tinned and household. Dead as a dodo. The only customers we had were the lonely, who came in for a chat. We spent the day cleaning

Whilst we talk about shop staff, what about everyone else who are in the supply chain that have to work? Bakers, printers, Lorry drivers, packers? With supermarkets open, they too have to work all over Christmas

When I was a child in the 60's and 70's , everywhere closed for at least two days. There were no newspapers, no milkman, no cinema, no resturaunts, no nothing. The pub opened 2 hrs on Christmas Day and Sunday hours Boxing Day. Oh, think the bookies opened. And the theatres for Boxing Day panto ( that was a rare treat)

We used to stock up on food back then because there was no bread or milk or fresh meat or fish to be got for a while till everyone went back to work

Those days are gone for most people in the UK

Here in NI we are quite antiquated. Local businesses still close. My local town the only shops that will be open are lidl, tesco, savers. Everywhere else will be closed. The bigger towns and cities it's the same story, and those that do open , open to Sunday trading laws ( 1pm till 5pm)

We still have Christmas licensing laws

Here we have the push for changing to 24/7. Luckily it's being resisted

Should shops be open Boxing Day? That's their choice, and it's the consumers choice if they shop

Should shop workers be forced to work ? No. The way shop workers contracts have changed isn't right. When I worked in retail, we were very poorly paid, we jumped at the chance of double money, time and a half etc. We chose to work the odd Saturday for the premium that came with it. We had choice. Those who didn't want to work unsocial hours didn't. Made for a much happier atmosphere, volunteering rather then press ganged

catkins

fierystormcloud wrote: »

Sorry Catkins. And I understand what you're saying. It's just I know a few people who are getting paid double time for Boxing day and triple time for Christmas day. I also know several people who are turning down the chance to work Christmas day and Boxing day, even though they're treble and double time, because they'd rather be with their family. Besides, a couple of people I know did this last year, and after tax, there was hardly any difference in their monthly pay packet.

As for your tale of having to go in Boxing day; the same happened to one of my nieces when she worked at maccys. (The first Christmas she was there.) She was told they are open every day except Christmas day, and she had to work Christmas Eve and Boxing day.

So she worked til 6pm Christmas Eve whilst all her family was at home snuggled around the fire supping sherry and playing board games, then had to go in Boxing day - and she felt a bit ill too. Well her Christmas day was marred by the fact she had to be in work the next day, and then to add insult to injury, she was there on Boxing day for 2 hours, and because they were so dead, they sent her home! So her Christmas day was ruined for nothing. And all she got was 2 hours pay for Boxing day.

And as she was told she had to come in from 1pm to 7pm; by the time she got home, the day was almost over, and all she did all morning was sit there waiting to go in... So Boxing day was a write off, and then she was due in the afternoon of the 27th too!

In an ideal world, everyone in retail would finish midday on Christmas eve, and come back 10am on the 28th! 3 and a half days off! Seems we MUST open all hours though, in case someone has forgotten to buy a jar of mustard!

Given a choice, I still would have refused to work for double or even triple time as time with my husband and family are more important to me. It is good though that some people are being paid extra to have to work what should be a holiday.

When I worked as a secretary every office I ever worked in and there were lots as I temped a lot, closed midday on Christmas Eve and did not reopen until after New Year.

mumps wrote: »

I'll sign if it includes all pubs, clubs, restaurants, petrol stations, cinemas and theatres close as well. I've worked in retail, other jobs that required working at Christmas as well as growing up in a pub so I know all about working at Christmas and I don't know why it is always people in retail who get all the sympathy.

Yes they should all be closed too. No reason to go to any of those places. I love the cinema and theatre but it would never enter my mind to go on Boxing Day

WibblyGirly wrote: »

I work in a store that shuts for boxing day but this is my first job that does. My old jobs all opened boxing day and I hated it. Super busy, never got all my breaks, customers way ruder than usual! If the place I work now decided to open boxing day I know I'd be forced to work it because I don't have kids. I also wouldn't get anything extra for it. Maybe the MD would send an email saying 'Thanks stores for all your hard work' which means sod all to me. Extra pay for bank hols would be better, especially since its always the same people doing them.
This is my last xmas in retail and I can't wait to never work it again!

I think I would have preferred it if we had been super busy. It was the opposite - almost completely dead. There would be loads of staff as no one was allowed the day off except, of course, the manager and assistant manager who took it in turns each year and very few customers. We would be looking for things to do, each inwardly angry that we were literally wasting time when we could be at home.

The few customers we got were almost all for refunds so we never took much money. In fact, as I said earlier, one year we made a loss that day as we paid out more than we took in.

I certainly agree that customers out on Boxing Day seem to be ruder than the average customer.

fierystormcloud

PeggyM37 wrote: »

The shops should be closed. Whether you are religious or not, everyone deserves the extra day to spend with their family. Does anyone actually NEED to shop on Boxing Day?

I agree. And what I do find incorrigible and quite disgusting, is people who say 'I don't do Christmas,' or 'it has no meaning for me so the shops should be open!' Just because they don't celebrate it, that doesn't mean they've got the right to demand that people work just for them.

catkins wrote: »

Given a choice, I still would have refused to work for double or even triple time as time with my husband and family are more important to me. It is good though that some people are being paid extra to have to work what should be a holiday.

When I worked as a secretary every office I ever worked in and there were lots as I temped a lot, closed midday on Christmas Eve and did not reopen until after New Year.

Yes they should all be closed too. No reason to go to any of those places. I love the cinema and theatre but it would never enter my mind to go on Boxing Day

I think I would have preferred it if we had been super busy. It was the opposite - almost completely dead. There would be loads of staff as no one was allowed the day off except, of course, the manager and assistant manager who took it in turns each year and very few customers. We would be looking for things to do, each inwardly angry that we were literally wasting time when we could be at home.

The few customers we got were almost all for refunds so we never took much money. In fact, as I said earlier, one year we made a loss that day as we paid out more than we took in.

I certainly agree that customers out on Boxing Day seem to be ruder than the average customer.

All of this ^^^ :T Yes, people do seem super rude just after Christmas, yes, the managers DO seem to give themselves the time off whilst the people on the lower rung of the company ladder have to do the rubbish hours and days, I also would never go to the cinema boxing day (or Christmas day!) and I would not work Christmas and Boxing day for triple or even quadruple time, as the time with my family is much more valuable. And as I said earlier in the thread, once it's taxed, you hardly notice it anyway!

Pre 21st century, there was no Christmas or Boxing Day opening, OR Sunday opening. We all coped just fine, and nobody died because of it!

I think it's a sad sign of the times that people think the shops should open Boxing day because they can't wait an extra day to get that jumper they have their eye on! Or that they should open Sundays just in case they run out of yogurt, and can't wait til Monday for it. Talk about an 'entitled-to' attitude!

freyasmum wrote: »

Working those hours on Christmas was not for me at all - to finish to late on CE and then start so early on Boxing Day meant my Christmas couldn't really be enjoyed. BUT there were other people to whom the season wasn't as important. So who am I to force my ideals on them?

As long as the petrol stations have self-service pumps.

We're driving around 800 miles between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day and won't make it home otherwise

Wow, that's worse than working Boxing day! :eek:

mumps

PeggyM37 wrote: »

The shops should be closed. Whether you are religious or not, everyone deserves the extra day to spend with their family. Does anyone actually NEED to shop on Boxing Day?

Not everyone has family. There are lots of things we don't need to do but people find it convenient or enjoyable.

mumps

freyasmum wrote: »

It makes no odds to me whether shops open or close on boxing day; I won't be near them anyway.

I've worked on Boxing Day for three years. The first, I was working a temp job in BHS through Christmas. I got double time and I didn't mind it TOO much - we did enjoy very, very late Christmas Day bedtimes though, which wasn't too compatible.

The second and third years, I was working in a customer service call centre for a big phone company. They were open 365 days a year. Christmas Day and New Years Day were treble time and every other day was classed as a normal day. Luckily, I managed to get out of Christmas Day! But one year, I finished at 10pm on Christmas Eve and had to be in at 7:30 on Boxing Day - that was absolutely horrible I worked both New Years Days and didn't mind it at all - I'm not a big one for NYE anyway, and all the still-drunks would be phoning in to wish us a Happy New Year and generally just have a chat :rotfl:

Working those hours on Christmas was not for me at all - to finish to late on CE and then start so early on Boxing Day meant my Christmas couldn't really be enjoyed. BUT there were other people to whom the season wasn't as important. So who am I to force my ideals on them?


As long as the petrol stations have self-service pumps.

We're driving around 800 miles between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day and won't make it home otherwise

Petrol can in the boot?

catkins

mumps wrote: »

Not everyone has family. There are lots of things we don't need to do but people find it convenient or enjoyable.

Even if someone has no family or friends is it really preferable to spend time in crowded, overheated shops than anywhere else?

I know if I were on my own I would find things to do over Christmas that would certainly not include visiting shops. I would eat nice food, watch tv or dvd's, read, do some knitting, listen to music, walk my dog, volunteer for a charity such as a homeless hostel etc etc.

Also if I were on my own I would not want to go to shops to see happy couples and families.

Even if someone absolutely loves shopping that is not a good enough reason for shops to open and make staff work

mumps

catkins wrote: »

Even if someone has no family or friends is it really preferable to spend time in crowded, overheated shops than anywhere else?

I know if I were on my own I would find things to do over Christmas that would certainly not include visiting shops. I would eat nice food, watch tv or dvd's, read, do some knitting, listen to music, walk my dog, volunteer for a charity such as a homeless hostel etc etc.

Also if I were on my own I would not want to go to shops to see happy couples and families.

Even if someone absolutely loves shopping that is not a good enough reason for shops to open and make staff work

Not everyone is the same, some people who are on their own might like walking round in a crowd and feeling part of it. Perhaps that is every bit as important to them as hospitals being open or pubs or whatever.

It isn't what I would do, I hate crowded shops but as an example I have an elderly aunt with dementia. Sometimes she gets a bus to local shopping centre and has a wander round, goes in a cafe and has a cup of tea. She always seems to see someone she knows or another old person on their own who she sits and chats to. It makes her happier.

unforeseen

I'd agree with retail staff not working on Boxing provided the idea was expanded to all but the basic emergency services, who would get a large bonus for working it.

All's fair

duchy

I do think it's the unnessecery working that gets up people's noses . Next is the prime example of course. No one NEEDS to clothes shop on Boxing Day especially not at 5am.......waiting to spend their Christmas money for one more day won't diminish anyone's quality of life .

Some working is unavoidable, fire, police, ambulance, hospitals, fire stations, some petrol stations , care workers etc , some is helpful and is customary eg cornershops on limited hours for milk etc, some technical help for phone, TV, broadband , etc. Buying a car, furniture, clothes etc is simply commercial greed.

I do wonder how much of the insistence on Boxing Day is simply a reflection of how dysfunctional family interaction has become but forcing people to work simply makes more separation inevitable as with no public transport between early evening Christmas Eve until the 27th and needing to work the 26th makes visiting family impossible for some who have to work the 26th.

fierystormcloud

This ^^^ :T

Also, re the corner shops; we have a few little corner shops in my town, and every single one is owned by a family, and they all live near it or above it. So they can open 9 til 6 Christmas Eve, then 9 til 1 Christmas day, 9 til 1 Boxing day, and they often literally have to go down the stairs from the flat upstairs to open it, and can open it and close it when they choose.

It's usually the man and a teen daughter or son who is serving on Christmas morning, (while the mother cooks I am guessing.)

This isn't so bad when it's your own business, and you can come downstairs to the shop and open and close when you want. Bit different when you have to work for someone else, and start and finish when they say.