Should Shops Be Shut Boxing Day?

suki1964 wrote: »

Come live here, its not that long ago that kiddies play parks were locked on a Sunday

Even now, in 2018, I get evil looks because I dare have my washing on the line on a Sunday ( or as its known here The Sabbath or Lords Day) and don't even mention the uproar when I dare mow my lawn on a Sunday

And *shock horror* I suppose you wash the car as well? Disgusting

I bet the ones moaning about shops opening are the ones more than happy to go to a pub / restaurant over Christmas, or get a Chinese or Indian takeaway over Christmas, or get a taxi home after going on the pi$$

But oh no, someone can't possibly go shopping on one of the few days they might actually have off work.

No. It should be up to individual shops to decide whether the anticipated revenue will cover the overhead costs of opening for the day.

The more important issue regards shops being forced to close on Christmas Day and the Sunday trading restrictions.


The laws that restrict Sunday opening hours and ban almost all shops from opening Christmas Day were originally intended to make sure shop workers had time to go to church and are a hangover from a bygone era. The fact that we now live in a multi- faith and multi-cultural society means that these laws can no longer be justified. Admittedly, if these laws were repealed I imagine very few shops would open on Christmas Day, but it shouldn’t be something that’s forced upon them by law.


There is the argument that staff want time to spend with their families, but there’s two sides to this argument. Last year was the first year the call centre at the company I work for closed on Boxing Day instead of opening reduced hours, and this year its only opening reduced hours on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve and not opening at all on New Year’s Day. Some of the staff are greatful for this, but others are moaning that they’re losing an opportunity to earn overtime pay. And some of these people are parents with young children.

AJS321 wrote: »

The more important issue regards shops being forced to close on Christmas Day and the Sunday trading restrictions.

The Sunday trading laws were suspended for the 2012 London Olympics and the Government of the time held consultations with representatives of the big supermarkets about making the suspension permanent. The stores came to a consensus which was that they didn't want the rules relaxed so after the Olympics the restrictions returned.

And the reason they didn't want them relaxed? A special form of religion: Mammon. The supermarkets calculated that they get as much trade during the 6 hours they are open on a Sunday as they would if they were to be open all day. But if they were open all day they would have to pay staff for two shifts rather than the current one, heat and light the store for longer, etc., etc., Lots of extra expense for no extra sales. And they also figured out that it would only take one store group to break a self-imposed embargo to ruin all that and force them all to open, thereby incurring all the additional costs. So they backed the status quo and to have it enforced by law.

SP

Although I wouldn't be shopping in store anyway, shops should be able to open everyday of the year providing the very small minority of people who actually attend church are allowed time off to do so if need be.