Longer opening hours on Sunday

I noticed the report I read said that the measures do not apply to Scotland as trading laws are devolved to Holyrood. It did not say that Scotland already has 24 hour opening on Sunday, which I heard on the radio this morning. Apparently we are all going to owe more when we come back from holiday this year so how are we going to be able to spend more in the local shops?

I think they should allow garden centres to open a bit longer. But not shops. That's not necessary.

It may be, if Sunday shopping has extended hours, that the people who want to work those hours, or who want some extra cash, will be pleased to do it.
nobody could be expected to work from 9-11 at night, so shifts will have to be shared a bit like the way police and nurses do shifts.It could work, but staff should not have to work unless they want to.

When Sunday opening first came in it was a matter of choice if you wanted to work on Sundays and the money was good. Over the years most firms have come to expect employees to work on Sundays and evenings as part of their normal rota and you don't always get paid more. The idea that shop workers might also enjoy time with their families at the weekend doesn't occur to most people.

Perhaps young people who want the extra money could do it? I feel sorry for shop workers as well though, on their feet a lot.

rosesarered I believe nurses are expected to do very long shifts.

I took my mum for a long-awaited day surgery appointment last week. We arrived at 9.30 a.m. and the nurse assigned to the plastics surgery list went through various forms with us. She was on hand throughout the day to help with any concerns we had. When we eventually left, after a gruelling day, at around 7 p.m., "our" nurse was still there.

When I telephoned the hospital over an hour later with a query regarding after care, she was still there.

I assume that Deedaa has had experience in the retail sector and she confirms what I believed to be the case - that, despite assurances that people can "opt out" of certain days or shifts, in reality they are unlikely to feel comfortable asking for this.

With the pressures on families these days, I'm not surprised that so many relationships break down as family life seems to take a very poor second place to the god of "growth".

jingl What makes garden centres open longer on Sundays necessary but not shops?

As dhj has said up here in Scotland we already have shops open longer and it must be what people want as Sunday has become the new Saturday. I believe now that Sunday is just included in a normal working week and overtime is not always paid to employees. It won't be long before the demise of the 'weekend' altogether. I personally mourn that fact as I have said on another thread concerning Bank Holidays but as always it is a Godsend for some.
jbf Why Garden centres and not shops?

Sorry jingle

Most smaller shops and smaller supermarkets are open all day Sunday anyway. It's the large supermarkets which have limited hours on a Sunday. I think it depends of the area of the shop, but I might have made that up.

Perhaps selling food is a factor too?

We live in a tourist town as we have lots of historic places they come to visit. But after doing that they head into the town. All most all our little shops, such as gift shops, cake shops, boutiques, etc and closed on Sunday's and Bank Holidays.

I'm often collared by tourists wandering aimlessly around the town asking is this it?

One of my nieces is a nurse. She has mentioned twelve hour shifts. My teacher son-out-law always has work to do at weekends. My GP brother had to be on call at weekends on a rota system. My husband often has to work into the early hours or on weekends when new 'code' is being released.

The nine to five, Monday to Friday working week is a mythical hangover from earlier times.

I worked in shops and on trams in my student vacations. You got time off during the week in lieu if you worked Sundays. Presumably this still applies.

I don't think civilisation will collapse if Sunday comes to be regarded as the same as any other day. It might collapse for other reasons, but not for that one.

Indeed Bags

Who remembers half-day closing?

Just remembered something else. When I was a young mum (fulltime) in Edinburgh, the city council suggested having libraries open on Sundays. I would have welcomed the chance to work as a library assistant on Sundays at our grotty little local library. Alas, it was not to be.

It goes without saying that emergency and essential services have to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I worked shifts in an emergency service for twelve years, and I know there are many others on here that have done the same. It was tough, and the overnight shifts in particular took a toll on my health. I took on that job knowing I would have to do shift work but I think it is wrong to put workers in a situation where they have no choice. To make matters worse, it is usually the lowest paid workers who are in that position.

I am not a religious person but I think the soul or spirit or whatever you like to call it needs rest. I would love to see a return to half day and Sunday closing, to a time when a Bank holiday day out didn't mean a trip to Ikea, when children found out what it was like to be bored, when days existed where all you could hear was birds and people in their gardens. Let the small shops open if they wish - without competition from the giants for once - but please can we just stop the world sometimes and show our children there is a different way to live?

Anya Our local fresh fish shop still closes on Wednesday afternoons.

Some shops in Suffolk still close on Wednesday afternoons.

#timestandsstill

Yes, those shop workers who work Sundays get a day off in the week to compensate but for those with school age children that doesn't help what we think of as "family life"

No need for this, just more chipping away at the family life of those who have to work in stores, but more time to shop for the nine to five, Mon to Fri worker I suppose

I understand the argument about the chipping away at family life and I accept that argument. However, I haven't seen any complaints (elsewhere, not on GN) from people who do work Sundays in shops and restaurants and cafés and garden centres, etc. Do the majority of them really mind?

As I said, I would have been glad to work on Sundays when the rest of my working week was spent 'with family'.

But thatbags, with husband/partner working and children in school what time is there to spend together in the week

I don't see a problem with shops opening on Sundays. One doesn't have to shop on a Sunday if one if fortunate in having that choice. It certainly opens up choice for those who have difficulty fitting in shopping during a working week.

Shops won't open on Sundays if it doesn't pay to do so - therefore I see it as being customer driven.

Interesting to note that when Sunday opening was beginning to be the norm, it tended to be the big out of town shopping centres that opened, along with DIY stores and Garden Centres. It began to be seen as a leisure activity for the whole family.

I have such mixed feelings on this, nothing to do with a religion or a day of "rest" ( chance would be a fine thing) but my friends in Germany seem to cope perfectly well without late, late opening on Saturday and Sundays are much more of a day of outings/leisure activities/visiting families etc.
And their economy is booming. Do we really feel this change is going to improve the quality of our lives, or just mean more bored or stressed looking people trailing round shopping malls? Shopping seems to have become our national leisure activity.