why are no shops open xmas day?

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Reply 60

K.T.

Edinburgh Zoo is open on Xmas Day, what more do you want?! :p:

Reply 61

Montrose

generalebriety

False. Sunday trading laws.

I think he was saying that's how it should be, rather than that's how it is. I disagree with shops opening Sunday though, certainly for longer than they already do. Apart from that I think it does the country good to actually stop and rest, all it will take is one shop to open all day and everyone has to or risk losing business. Therefore, for the majority, the choice to open all day Sunday would not be one of free will but one of necessity.

Reply 62

WokSz

fundamentally

Marrying an uncle is legal in every country that I know of.
Pretty weird and rather yuck, but legal.

Switzerland sound excessively paternalistic.

What? omg, I really need to get out more. Thanks for enlightening me :smile:

Reply 63

fanofkdc

I found that, living right next to the curry mile of Rusholme, most of the shops there were open (due to the Hindu/Sikh/Muslim shops), and I think that Sainsbury's down by Fallowfield was also open, as I saw a few of my fellow Whitworthian with Sainsbury's carrier bags.

Reply 64

Kura1984

What were these absolutely "essential" items?

I have a suggestion for "The Game": buy a bicycle in the sales. When you get stuck for 'essentials' next Christmas day, you'll be able to ride to the nearest open shop.

Another one: plan in advance. Really, c'mon. I had my son's gifts in November (I paid for them in installments for nearly two months!). I had bought all the festive drinks a fortnight before the big day. Food was planned well in advance. I cooked the meats the evening before Christmas day.

Now, "The Game": people should get off their arses and work on Christmas day? Is is possible that you didn't do the work (i.e. buying 'essentials') before Christmas? Y'know, it really annoys me that I cooked for seven hours on Christmas day (yes, really). I made sure that my family and friends had a great day but, OH NO! I'm too bloody lazy to actually work! Ahem, it's called good time management that I don't work around Christmas.

Oh, and big news here: retail work is quite soul destroying. Now, who wants their soul destroyed on Christmas day? :p:

Reply 65

generalebriety

Alex Mann

It's obvious that some shops want to though. In fact, quite a lot of shops round here have been opening for half an hour longer than is allowed by Sunday trading laws to let the customers 'browse', and it's legal as long as nothing is sold within the first half hour or something. They clearly want to be open all day. I appreciate what you say about losing business, but apart from current tradition and the law, I don't see the reason for shops not being allowed to open on Sundays - I could choose to say I didn't want to work Fridays because there's good stuff on TV, but if I want to stay in business I don't have that choice.

Imagine the slate was wiped clean, and there were no laws or traditions regarding shops - what would be the original reason for instating the Sunday trading laws?

Reply 66

bubu

You want shops open xmas day? open one and YOU work christmas day with your protesters. some people have family and kids they like to spend there time with once a yr while the shops are closed :smile:

Reply 67

Montrose

generalebriety

Imagine the slate was wiped clean, and there were no laws or traditions regarding shops - what would be the original reason for instating the Sunday trading laws?

1. Christian day of rest, but I realise that in this country perhaps having laws dictated by Christianity is no longer an option, as I recognise we are not in the majority anymore.

2. There should be one day, when we can all just stop and do nothing! The retail workforce accounts for over 10% of the overall workforce, and for the rest of us, don't you think it is nice to have a day when you can sit in and relax and not think "oh I need such and such at the supermarket?"

Reply 68

*Sparkle*

Maybe you should move to an area with a huge muslim/jew population you'll find loads.

All the shops near my aunt were open and two shops up my road were open.

Reply 69

generalebriety

Alex Mann

2. There should be one day, when we can all just stop and do nothing! The retail workforce accounts for over 10% of the overall workforce, and for the rest of us, don't you think it is nice to have a day when you can sit in and relax and not think "oh I need such and such at the supermarket?"

It might be nice. It's even nicer to think "oh I need such and such at the supermarket" and then not have to follow it with "****, it's Sunday, I can't go... I guess we don't have any food for today". It's happened to us before.

Reply 70

Stick Man

I'm surprised to hear about the amount of people who keep stores open, Christian or not. Christmas isn't just about religion.

Reply 71

mtbab

The Game

why aren't shops open on xmas it is a ****ing disgrace i needed a few things 4 my mom and ffs all the shops were shut i really hate christmas time :mad:

i would like 2 hear of anyone else who feels the same.

heaven forbid us shopworkers want to be at homewith our families xmas day. maybe you should do your shopping beforehand yeh. you knew shops were gonna be closed lol! and it was a full weekendbeforehand you coudl have doen shopping then.

also its the fact u live in st albans coz here in birmingham with a high asian population all of Soho Road (any asian in brum and beyond will know soho road lol) was open so it was all good, but most people kinda have this thing where they are able to plan for shops being closed, for heaven sake the shops were closed for 24hours and u could cope. sheesh!

word of warning in advance too, there may be a few shops not open on new years day either. woo do you think you'll be able to cope.

Reply 72

fanofkdc

Stick Man

I'm surprised to hear about the amount of people who keep stores open, Christian or not. Christmas isn't just about religion.

In all fairness, the very nature of the word Christmas suggests it's all about the religion, specifically Christianity.

Reply 73

Montrose

generalebriety

Does it really hurt to think on a Saturday when seeing if you have enough "and what will we need tomorrow?" How lazy!

Reply 74

mtbab

thank you, do you people shop everyday lol or something. wow.

Reply 75

generalebriety

Alex Mann

Does it really hurt to think on a Saturday when seeing if you have enough "and what will we need tomorrow?" How lazy!

Nope, but when we were in financial trouble, we occasionally just didn't get any money one week, and had to make our food last two weeks. So we kept some money behind, but obviously (as we'd normally get our money on Friday), by the next Saturday or Sunday, the food was running out. We'd have a little bit of money left over that we'd saved, but we couldn't go and buy food. :p:

Not that it's really relevant any more, with supermarkets being open every day.

Reply 76

NDGAARONDI

generalebriety

False. Sunday trading laws.

I'm stating an opinion not the facts. Sunday trading laws are daft and out of date based on something that a small minority believe in.

Reply 77

username47781

NDGAARONDI

I'm stating an opinion not the facts. Sunday trading laws are daft and out of date based on something that a small minority believe in.

Well I wouldn't want to go shopping every day of the week, I still believe there should be one day in the week where it should be a little more relaxed, so i don't see the need for anymore shopping hours on Sunday.

Reply 78

mtbab

NDGAARONDI

I'm stating an opinion not the facts. Sunday trading laws are daft and out of date based on something that a small minority believe in.

but y do you need to go shopping so much. besides of a normal sunday shops r open for 6hours anyway, if you need to do more shopping than that, when youve got the other 6days of the week then u need help.

Reply 79

generalebriety

NDGAARONDI

I'm stating an opinion not the facts. Sunday trading laws are daft and out of date based on something that a small minority believe in.

I agree with you, then.

Carl1982

That's you, though. Personally I don't see the need for the shops being open from 8:30am to 3:50pm Monday-Friday because I'm in school then, and I believe there should be 7 hours and 20 minutes per weekday where it should be a little more relaxed, so I don't see the need for these obsolete shopping hours. Anyway, I wouldn't want to go shopping on a Wednesday. But it'll never catch on.

Just because you wouldn't want to go shopping, doesn't mean some people don't want to. Some people would happily go shopping on a Sunday, just as some would happily work on a Sunday.