Iskra
Established Member
That is a personal choiceWorking at weekends should be a personal choice, this does not apply to most shop workers and various public services industries. It’s sign up to weekend work in your contract or no job.
That is a personal choiceWorking at weekends should be a personal choice, this does not apply to most shop workers and various public services industries. It’s sign up to weekend work in your contract or no job.
Working at weekends should be a personal choice, this does not apply to most shop workers and various public services industries. It’s sign up to weekend work in your contract or no job.
Some of us have to take what ever job we can get and can not pick and choose.There is a choice. If not working weekends is important to you, choose a job/career where you don't normally have to work weekends, such as most office work.
1pm to 6pm would be much more useful than the 10am to 4pm we get in England. Some stores used to do 11am to 5pm instead, which was useful if you worked in retail. For some reason ten 'til four became the de-facto standard.If you think large shops being restricted to 6 hours on a Sunday in England and Wales is bad enough, Northern Ireland has a very strict Sunday Trading Hours. All large stores have a more limited ’1pm till 6pm’ opening hours out of their hands. Elsewhere, the Western Isles have virtually no commercial activity.
Sometimes you just got to respect Sunday and wait until the following day if you want to buy something.
To be fair I’m not a fan of Sunday night.
Some of us have to take what ever job we can get and can not pick and choose.
1pm to 6pm would be much more useful than the 10am to 4pm we get in England. Some stores used to do 11am to 5pm instead, which was useful if you worked in retail. For some reason ten 'til four became the de-facto standard.
A 9am start would be awful- what about those shop workers who rely on public transport to get to their job at the supermarket? On Sundays many buses don't start until 9am in a lot of towns.I would say early for supermarkets, maybe even 9-3. That way you get the chore out of the way and can use the day for other things. 12-6 might make more sense for "leisure" type retail like clothing. Or as I said just bin it, Scotland is fine without, most shops choose to keep shorter hours there on Sunday anyway (though large supermarkets are 24/7).
A 9am start would be awful- what about those shop workers who rely on public transport to get to their job at the supermarket? On Sundays many buses don't start until 9am in a lot of towns.
In any case my point was that most supermarkets have the same opening hours on Sundays now- which is no good for those that work in retail on Sundays. If you are working at PC World, you can't even shop after your shift because the supermarkets open the same hours you work. If there are two supermarkets in a town, ideally the management of each should agree to stagger their opening and closing times so that their own staff (and those that work at other retailers) at least have an option to shop before or after their shift.
Cycling isn't an option for everyone, and whilst it might be pleasant in June it is less so in November. It certainly isn't a substitute for actual public transport. Especially in hillier towns. Even if you manage it, you'll get chewed out by your manager for turning up dripping with either sweat or rain.True, though people find a way to deal with such things, they might walk, cycle or have an agreed taxi or car share with other staff. And of course if there's more demand for buses then buses run.
Unless you're cramming in all the overtime you can, there are other days on which to shop. If I worked shifts involving Sundays but had a weekday rest day I'd be shopping then when it's quiet. Shopping on Saturdays and Sundays is grim.
Additionally there are smaller shops, e.g. Tesco Express and independents, if you just need bread or milk urgently.
Similarly there might be an opportunity to shop in the store where you work during your break, or to collect a click and collect order.
Sometimes you just need to get a few bits on the Sunday, but if you work in retail that isn't an option.
Why should a worker have to sacrifice their (very short, on a Sunday) lunch break?
If the six hour maximum stays in place, at least stagger the openings of different shops so that your staff have the option.
If you go in a supermarket at opening time on a Sunday, it'll be dead. If you go in at 15:45, it'll be absolutely heaving and chaotic. That at least suggests that it might be worth some branches experimenting with opening and closing an hour later.Shops should open when their customers want them to open (combined with when the management find it commercially expedient to do so, and observing any legal requirements). That is their purpose.
Shops that open when the staff feel like don't do well. That's one key reason why supermarkets have trounced small businesses like bakers, butchers etc. Sure, the price is relevant, but the long opening times are much more so.
Have you tried shopping while wearing the uniform of the shop? Everything takes ages because people keep hassling you with inane questions about eggs or something... but you have to help them because you "represent the brand" (cringe) even though you aren't being paid and are just trying to manage your life as best you can. Then there are those of us with medical conditions that mean skipping a meal isn't a sensible option, especially if you're working. "Work somewhere else then" or words to that effect is not a solution and just smacks of privilege.Why shouldn't they?
Anyway, the villain in the piece is clearly the outdated and arbitrary six hour limit.
Have you tried shopping while wearing the uniform of the shop? Everything takes ages because people keep hassling you with inane questions about eggs or something... but you have to help them because you "represent the brand" (cringe) even though you aren't being paid and are just trying to manage your life as best you can.
Then there are those of us with medical conditions that mean skipping a meal isn't a sensible option, especially if you're working. "Work somewhere else then" or words to that effect is not a solution and just smacks of privilege.
Have you tried shopping while wearing the uniform of the shop? Everything takes ages because people keep hassling you with inane questions about eggs or something... but you have to help them because you "represent the brand" (cringe) even though you aren't being paid and are just trying to manage your life as best you can.
That might be it... the curse of a non-threatening demeanour strikes again!Yes my wife does every friday when we do our weekly shop before her shift, no one has ever asked her anything. Maybe its because i am nearby and look scary.
It never went away in some places!How about we bring back half day closing on Wednesdays?
1pm to 6pm would be much more useful than the 10am to 4pm we get in England. Some stores used to do 11am to 5pm instead, which was useful if you worked in retail. For some reason ten 'til four became the de-facto standard.
10 am - 4 pm does, I suppose, co-incide with daylight hours during the late autumn / winter months.1pm to 6pm would be much more useful than the 10am to 4pm we get in England. Some stores used to do 11am to 5pm instead, which was useful if you worked in retail. For some reason ten 'til four became the de-facto standard.
Perfect for people who want to spend daylight hours under artificial light then!10 am - 4 pm does, I suppose, co-incide with daylight hours during the late autumn / winter months.
Indeed. Certainly, if I'm walking to/from the shops on a late Autumn / Winter's Sunday, I much prefer to do so during the daylight. No doubt there'll be a more rational explanation as to why up to six hours between and after 10.00 a.m. and up to 6.00 p.m. was chosen when the 1994 Sunday Trading Act was being drafted.Perfect for people who want to spend daylight hours under artificial light then!
Surely we can manage one day of the week where only the essential shops open? I don't feel it particularly enriches people's lives. Why not promote the reopening of local cinemas, or encourage people to visit country parks, the funfair, the beach, or National Trust sites?
Church music is more soothing to the ears than the hits being blasted out of the supermarket speakers...
And the added hours needed to cover the shifts mean more jobs created.Some of us have to take what ever job we can get and can not pick and choose.
1pm to 6pm would be much more useful than the 10am to 4pm we get in England. Some stores used to do 11am to 5pm instead, which was useful if you worked in retail. For some reason ten 'til four became the de-facto standard.
Hobby,roast and a pint for me thanks.
I must admit that I really enjoy the calm of a Sunday as a way to relax before hitting work again on a Monday.
I’m not religious but I like the fact that it feels different to the other days of the week.
My feelings exactly. I'm all for people taking rest, and people working less in general if they can. And I am all for people practicing their religion if they want, but by the same token I am 100% opposed to the idea of the State encouraging or promoting any specific religion or religion in general.I completely agree about the need for a day of rest. But why Sunday? I know it’s a popular day for that sort of thing, but that doesn’t mean that everyone should do it then. Or be encouraged to go to Church / equivalent.