They can't match online prices though Tel, at least not consistently.

The high street is going to keep suffering and losing out to online business.

We just need to accept that and decide what to do with our old high streets. A bulldozer might be best.

The only stuff I dont buy online now is just grocerys basically, and clothes.

 

This is IMO totally correct. It is very rare I buy anything from a store bar clothes and groceries (and even then I use the cash and carry). Richer Sounds is probably the only exception and a independant electrical retailer - however they both have to price match to a like for like deal online or better it. I can't be the only one savvy enough to do this.

I just had my CC bill come through for this month and I've spent a whopping £1300 on Audio/Visual, Computing and Networking gear. All spent online.

As much I would like to help prevent the highstreet from dying, I wouldn't even consider wasting the fuel to drive to a town, pay to park and walk to a store to find out I have to pay more (on top of my commuting costs) just to enable to me to play with the remote control and have a clueless sales clerk spout the latest buzzwords in features at me. Especially when the likes of Amazon have pretty good no quibble returns where the cost of posting the item back is less than the parking fee in the local high street!

This is a serious issue that no government past or present has even managed to acknowledge, let alone work towards a solution. Being open on a Sunday won't sort this.

 

I don't about helping out retail, but they should certainly be allowed to open when they like.

 

I don't see a solution as there is no problem. Nobody was saying the death of the compact cassette was a problem when CD was taking over. It's this sort of wrong thinking which has got us into a mess before with British Leyland, thinking that inexorable market forces and tendencies can be simpliy stopped by the government. The high street need managing in decline and plans put in place for use by other things after retail dies.

 

And on what authority do you have it that the British public are indifferent about the survival of their High Streets? Or are you just assuming that they are because nobody seems to be doing anything to halt the decline? Is that the basis of your theory?

 

What I think is wrong is the mass-dereliction that is happening. I still think we need to help preserve local economies, otherwise there will be nothing left.

In the boom-time it was fine, as all the derelict buildings were demolished and sold off for inappropriate mass-production housing (including Longbridge ).

But today? What use is there for all these empty shops? Thay can't all be turned into houses or trendy cafés (especially not where I live ) nor charity shops (more appropriate where I live ). Its like the exodus of traditional pubs, I know of ten empty and deralict pubs near me. Nobody wants them, and nobody wants to redevelop or build anything. For example one at the edge of town that was flattened for housing by a construction company, has since abandoned and turned into a make-shift car park - which nobody uses as it charges some ridiculous amount

The government does have the ability to take a handle on the situation to balance things out if it wishes. For instance the local councils taking too much out for rates and parking, greedy shop landlords (and NCP) and a taxation system that favours online retail over the traditional store's operational overheads.

 

I hated working Sundays in retail and if I still worked in retail, the thought of doing a full day would make me vomit as all I dealt with on Sundays were foreigners and shady characters. Normal people never seemed to shop in my place on a Sunday just odd *****.

My opinion still stands that this country is predominantly christian, so I would be quite happy to make Sundays and day of rest and stop all the shops opening. Everything is open too much now, everything in too easy accessed, why not have a break from it all for a day?

 

The question is why, and with what authority, would you stop them from opening? It's totally pointless. Are you seriously telling me you get some sort of benefit from shops not opening?

As for Christianity, are you having a laugh? I'd bet at least two thirds of the population couldn't give a flying **** about religion and never set foot in a church. The laws and rights in this country have moved past religion, and thank god they have (). Just because people put 'Christian' on the census form does not mean they are remotely religious in the sense that they would feel hard done by if Sunday was no longer a day of rest.

But if proposed, I agree, the whole thing will stir up cries from the Daily Mail and the like of 'change'. Ohhh, change bad. We no like change.

 

To have a balanced system where no competitor has an unfair advantage...all forms of retail commerce needs to cease trading on Sunday...so we'd have to shut down the internet too.

Now that would cause a stir.

 

Don't work in retail but i think all shops should be shut on a Sunday like in the olden days ,just the newsagent open of a morning to get a paper etc..Can't see it happening though,its all about money these days.As the saying goes all work and no play makes Jack a stressed out guy..

 

No internet on a Sunday,some of us would have to go back to the old method of buying **** mags for that day..

 

The idea of not working seven days a week isn't exclusive to Christianity. It's not just Christian groups who advoke restrictions on Sunday trading but unions also and secular groups.

Ironically the work ethic comes from Christianity in Protestant, Puritian form, and it's Christianity which here is the original basis for Sunday being a day of rest.

 

Can't. The shop's closed.

 

B0ll0cks

 

That sort of reactionary stance to capitalist rationalisation has been going on for hundreds of years, we'd still be living as feudal serfs, if you had your way.

In the early days of capitalist development it was the town and city which was the centres of commercial development, this was what the reactionaries railed against, including continental romantics who saw the city as corrupting. Ironically online retail renders the town and city even less important and relevant, we can be doing cool local things in our suburbs without having to go to the big smoke to buy our consumer goods. it's the rise and fall of the town.

Anyway the point is you can't stop in without seriously intervening in the market which will as usual be a disaster because government is useless online retail will always have cheaper overheads in a free market. Old high streets can be turned into green spaces for all I care.

 

Don't knock Christianity, it's how I was brought up and it's how I like life.

 

Like what?

All our suburbs comprise of is houses and a bit of woodland/parkland full of dog sh*t.

There is a nearby off-license though (which is probably part of a money laudering ring), so maybe I can linger on a street corner swigging a bottle of white lightning for kicks

 

Under the rule of Christianity does it say you don't need a TV licence,if so its given me an idea

 

I didn't really do that.

 

Dunno, but not having a tv, an ariel or satalite dish, I see no reason why I should need one.

 

This is where so many people who don't work in retail get it wrong. Many retailers now, don't pay any premium to those working on a Sunday, it's just flat rate like any other day. Also, what happens now (as retailers aren't all doing that well) is they simply spread the working hours over the week differently, so it's not even like the staff who would appreciate extra hours actually get any. Opening longer, for the majority of shop workers, will be of no financial benefit, it just takes yet another day away from us.

I'm not opposed to opening on a Sunday full stop, it is handy, but I am opposed to opening even longer. People in retail need a break as well as you lot going out shopping

What I don't understand about all the people crying out for longer opening hours, is how they can't manage to shop within the time shops are already open. Just taking supermarkets as an example, many are open 24hrs over the week, then slightly less on a Saturday, 6hrs on a Sunday....how on earth can people not manage to do what they have to do within that time?

 

People aren't paid any more by most retailers, so no financial benefit.

This isn't about not working Sundays as such, we already do (well I opted out, but it looks very likely I am going to be shafted in that respect) it's about not having to work longer again. Plus, people in other sectors kick off, and in some cases strike over 'small' changes, whereas a significant change to our working week is greeted with the attitude of 'get on with it' and 'I have to suffer and work Sundays, why shouldn't everyone else'. A lot of the jobs people bring into this argument, people knew what was expected when they signed up for it and chose to accept that, this isn't the case with the proposals for retail.

 

Sorry, I was just repeating what LH (who works in retail) said.

Even if staff are paid no more, then the shops have to pay for heating lighting, security, etc. Therefore to make it worthwhile staying open, there must be an increased take and not just the same sales spread over a longer period. A lot of it is about market share, and staying open when your competitors are closed certainly helps in that respect.

 

It depends on the operation of the store in question. Obviously what I'm going to say won't apply to all retailers, but some stores may already be open for staff to work deliveries etc on Sundays outside of the shopping hours, so to stay open longer would only cost a handful of staff just to cover tills, perhaps the odd few if that, on the sales floor. Sadly, retailers are greedy and if a few extra quid is taken, it doesn't matter how the staff feel.

What some customers also don't consider is the level of customer service. I don't mean that staff will all be unpleasant because they don't want to be, but in terms of staffing levels. As retailers stretch their staff more across the week, the likelihood is that service quality will drop as there just aren't the numbers there that once were. Where I work, we are busier during the week and a Saturday by a country mile compared to a Sunday, but if they make their intended move to spreading the staff across the hours to cut costs, service will suffer on those days that require the most amount of staff possible.

Those at the top always know best, but in my opinion, this isn't the right one. Ultimately, not only will staff be unhappy, but the customers will ultimately suffer.

 

I think it's good and should have happened ages ago. I don't think it will make people spend more, but just at different times.

 

I've retailed for 30 years and 22 years in a Sunday and sales now run at
Sat 20%
Sun 30%
Monday 18%
The rest is spread over Tuesday - Friday
If shops extend for another 2/4 hours on a Sunday sales will not increase over the week and probably not over the Sunday it just means that the people will spend more time wandering aimlessly about looking at every single shop at the same products before actually buying something
We find on a Sunday's trading normally busy 11-1pm then dies the death untill 3pm while everyone looks for something to eat then panick buying 3-4pm and the last are straggles after 4pm who can't decide after looking all day then panick buy at the last minute as the shops are closing

The costs of opening another 4hours a week will have to go onto the retail price or we will have to absorb the costs even more
Shops will take on more part timers just to cover extra hours which again has a cost just because joe public are disorganised and can't buy in that 6hour window

As far as far as more money into the economy
Just not really going to happen with the average shop assistant getting another £12-18 in wages before tax so that's not going to solve the UK problems the average shop worker are really big spenders

It would be nice TI get back to all shops close on a Sunday to raise family values and family days out together where families can actually talk. TI each other and spend time with the children and grandchildren instead of spending all day walking around with a carrier bag with some impulse buy in it
And let's face soon everything will be bought online just hope I can last another 3years and 2 months and a day untill I can take early retirement

 

From a consumer point of view - I can't see the point. Do we really need some poor f*cker running around after our consumerist needs on a Sunday? Is this really important to us at all?
As an Atheist, I think that just because an idea originates from religion, doesn't make it bad.
Anyway, if having a day off after six days of work is good enough for God, then it's good enough for me too.
One idea of the Sabbath is that all men are equal, ie. the King has his day off and so does his servant. This idea appeals to me.
The idea that you can spend your time with your family or just in self-reflection with no other obligation/distraction also appeals to me. I know that these two ideas are alien to many in this country these days.
But let's face it, from a social/society point of view, this country does have something of "The English Patient" about it.
Perhaps there is a connection?

 

I work for Tesco (for my sins!) and since the new opening times on Sunday for the Olympics, it has actually cost our store more in wages and keeping the store opening than the takings took, some of the staff are on upto double time because they started with the company before they changed it to any new recruits would be on a fixed hourly rate. I believe that people just haven't the money to spend anymore, noticeable in the week let alone the weekends.

 

Just to pick up on the DT thing. Leaving to one side, retailers that pay a flat rate already, those that don't, or rather didn't (like Tesco) are in some places just spreading the hours out over the week effectively to get around paying a premium.

At my work, the plan is to basically make staff work on a Sunday as part of their working week and just deduct the hours from other days. It's never been explained very well, so at this point I'm not 100% sure how they plan to implement this/where the hours will be taken back. What I can imagine, is they will take only some hours off each shift (rather than allowing a full day off or late start/early finish) and that will then mean staff working more or less the same sort of shift, just with limited breaks. It's win win for our company if they play it that way, and yet another f*** you to the staff.

Going back to your point about spending, we have seen the same thing. Takings are down across the company, we are still making a profit, but not like we were a few years ago. If people aren't spending for whatever reason, then opening different hours is unlikely to make a difference, it would just mean people had a bit more freedom of when to go out on a Sunday, not that any more people would.

 

There's nothing in the bible about needing a TV license.