Lisawrx

iTrader: (1)

As most people will know, the hours that retailers could trade for were extended from 6 hours for the Olympic period. Now it would seem that the government are trying to push for this to be the case in the long term (as if I couldn't see that coming )

Anyhow, I'm curious as to what you guys think about it. Do you think it would be a good or bad move?

I'd like to know the views of those on here that work in retail as well, as I have a feeling that the opinion may be split between those that do and those that don't.

jura11

iTrader: (7)

Good or bad move,depends on people I would say and mainly on the this people who will be working on the Sunday longer hours.

Hope this will be voluntarily and this will depends on the people who wants the work on Sunday and not to everyone




Jura

Dedrater

From a consumer view point, i am massively for it, i can't see a negative. Stores should be allowed to dictate the opening times as they see fit and nobody in this day and age should be pandering to some religious ideology.

Jimbob

iTrader: (13)

I have worked Sundays for the best part of ten years, and don`t see why business days are Monday to Friday. With e-commerce and people having flexible shift patterns, I don`t feel the need. The standard business hours cut off some people from doing things, like people who work nights, or people who work long daily hours. Say I work Monday to Friday 7am - 6pm (which I have), I can't do as much as I want as businesses are closed.

Its the same as 24hr drinking hours, just because you can, doesn`t mean that they will, as it may cost more to be open than they get in. So uneconomically viable. Surely allowing shops to be open dictated by customers need is better than only having Monday - Friday.

lordharding

iTrader: (1)

Well we have trailed it for the last 6 weeks we normally work 11-5 and changed to 10-6 and to be honest it was a waste of time for us nobody came in before 11am and everyone disspaeared at 430pm so we haven't actually had anyone come in on the longer hours
As there is just three of us now work where I do indie a late 12-6 (as i like a lie in and gonto my local church anyway which fits in great for me ) and the other bloke did a early 10-4 as he likes away early and our third person did a normal hours but yes I saw the govt would as being under pressure by the retailers association consiider scrapping the existing law and letting us trade more then the six hours ,which is ashame for all the thousands of shop workers as then Sunday becomes just another working day
I would imaging the 6 hours will then become a 10 hour working day and the poor shop worker will get a few quid more for The extra hours ,but then it means Sunday is a normal day which defeats the idea of Sunday being a " special day"
It will make no difference to trade generally as people just take longer to browse then buy something and by being open 2/4 hours more people will NOT spend 30% more cash to get is out of recession but it's the poor workers who will suffer

I could think of far better ways to get us out of double tip recession then stick a few hours opening on a Sunday but the govt and retailers don't care about the poor workers

Jamescsti

I don't see why Sunday shouldn't be a normal working day for shop workers, I've worked a shift pattern for the last 10 years covering 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Sunday trading is an antiquated idea which should be scrapped, it's the 21st century for gods sake .
High street retailers complain they are losing out to the Internet, maybe they can't compete on price but they can beat them on convenience by being more flexible with their opening times.
There will always be people who will pay a premium for having the product their and then if they can get it.

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

For the people who work over Sundays on shift patterns, do you get a shift premium either for said days or as part of your overall package/salary?

Do retail people get double time for Sunday working? Would it be viable for companies to pay staff this extra but be able to make it up on a Sunday? No malice there, I'm just asking straight questions. It could be a signal to working anytime any day for one rate of pay, ie no more for unsociable hours or weekend working. Isn't that why mon-fri is classed as "business days".

I get 10% shift premium for working 6-2/2-10 mon-fri. The turners and millers next door get 27% for working continental shifts, ie 10-6/2-10/6-2 shifts but over 7 days. I prefer my lot as I get every weekend off which is important with a young family.

lordharding

iTrader: (1)

In my trade its part of your contract to work a sunday although you can opt when you start work except you would never get the job in the first place
We make big money on Sundays through sales commission as 30%+ of the busines is done that day and it better then Saturdays now for trade
So my hourly rate is very good on a Sunday
My misses gets the same basic hourly rate for her 12 hours a week she works including sundays

An0n0m0us

+1

I've been down to the local Tesco express on a Sunday at 6pm and it's dead in there as if no one knows it's open, I only knew of this as my Wife told me about the extended hours. They don't even have any tills open, only the ciggy kiosk for paying for your shopping.

I'm all for the longer hours as I want to be able to pop to the supermarket at 6pm on a Sunday if there is something I have forgotten and want at that particular time.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I'm on the fence with this; Its handy to have shops open on a Sunday. Which when compared to France or Spain where NOTHING is open, except restaurants and bars. Not even petrol stations (although there are plenty of self service ones in France).

There is however a social ramification for the UKs approach. And that is pushing further the social decay of the family unit. If you look at families in Spain or France, Sunday is the family/friends day, they all clobber together down to one of their houses or a Restaurant for a good get together. And when I mean the whole family, I mean pretty much every relation and close friend.

I don't think the UK has this anymore, nowhere near to that extent...I clearly remember the sunday lunches at my Gran's when the UK still properly closed on Sunday. Everyone was there. These days that just simply doesn't happen - nobody has the time!

I do think there should be an additional minimum wage cap for weekend working. As sometimes I think sunday shift work can be pushed onto employees who's rather do it at some other time. And I feel a employee needs more compensation for that.



However roadworks contractors working on Sundays, yet doing nothing during the week...sack them all off! If thats not milking tax payer's money, I don't know what is!

David Lock

I'm pretty sure my local Co-op doesn't work restricted hours on a Sunday - why would this be?

dl

Scooby-kid

The local co-op may be open 6am-11am like some small Tesco Express shops. If they are below a certain size, then they have different opening hours anyway.

I work as a kitchen/bathroom salesman at B&Q and I work 9-6 on Sundays anyway, makes no odds to me if we are open shorter or longer as I'm still there. Same as the rest of the employees in the store. Most people are in either 9-6 or 11-8 so if anything, a few more customers in the evening help to pass them hours that we'd normally be closed!

Scott.

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

It's all to do with retail space. Shops with floor space under 3069 square feet are not restricted by Sunday opening hours.

tony de wonderful

You think the idea of having a day where people don't work is only to be justified by religion?

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

I think the only ones to suffer will be the small shops who rely on the increased trade when the big supermarkets are closed.
Although the only people who seem to be in asda at 12 at night are the police and the wineos.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I agree, its a shame that work has to be put before enjoying a day out with loved ones.

People can argue what matters more in the real world, but ideologically, the latter should preside over the former.

tony de wonderful

To be fair a lot of people don't or wouldn't know what to do with themselves on a work free Sunday cos their lives are dominated by either working or consuming.

Geezer

Well, that's where it originates from! As for justified, what justification is there for not opening nirmall on a Sunday? The world we live in now means it would be a lot more convenient to have all the days the same.

If you want to keep Sunday special, don't go shopping, it's not hard!

As for the comment about France and Spain, I have just returned from two weeks in Spain and they certainly didn't close anything on a Sunday! maybe it's because it was a tourist area, but the law allows them to if they wish.

I really don't see the point of restricting the hours for the big shops.

Geezer

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

In Germany everything is closed on a sunday except restaurants and petrol stations. Also only essential workers are allowed to work, Trucks are also banned from the roads on sundays unless you have special permission.

Bank holidays are the same. It can be a pain in the **** when everything is shut but you get used to it. It is a pity you can't nip to the DIY shop on a bank holiday though, afterall isn't that what bank holidays were invented for

tubbytommy

iTrader: (20)

i think they should stop tesco and the other massive shops opening on a sunday and let the small business open any hours they want.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Won't make any difference to the recession if that's what that fcukwit Cameron and his clowns think.

People haven't got any money to spend, how is opening longer on a Sunday going to magically give them money to spend?

They'd be far better off working out how to stop the train companies being aloowed to increase fares by up to 6.2% or how to get the price of petrol down a little so families could actually afford to go out and enjoy their nice free Sunday!!

They are absolutely ******* clueless!!!!!

Scooby-kid

Why should you punish a company just for being successful in their sector?

tubbytommy

iTrader: (20)

i have to say i 100% agree with that

speedking

LH, the argument doesn't stack up. If the shopworkers are paid more, then they will have more money to spend elsewhere Maybe not in shops, but on cars, TVs etc.

Considering all the workers who already 'have' to work on Sunday, emergency services, train drivers, airport workers, petrol pump attendants, NHS, farmers, sports facilities, tourism, breakdown sevices, etc., adding one more sector sems like a small change to the overall total of Sunday workers.

An0n0m0us

Well I don't.

Firstly it's not about people having more money to spend, they are spending the same money just not being restricted as to when they spend it. I don't want to be restricted by laws based on religion as to when I can go to the shops to buy something.

Secondly some people will only be too happy for the extra hours to earn Sunday money (paid at a premium) and to this will benefit those who want those extra hours.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Whereabouts? It will likely be the ex-pat/tourist "little England" areas. I spend alot of time in the Alcoi region in Spanish dominated areas and the only thing you will find open is restuarants, and the playing/sports/park areas filled with people enjoying themselves.

The shopping centre malls are weird though, as the malls are open but everything inside is shut....except for the food court and the odd restuarant. Even the Carrefours are shut, and they are usually quadruple the size of the average Tesco superstore.

Siestas are the similar, except the supermarkets, out-of-town shopping malls and petrol stations typically stay open all day.

TelBoy

Retailing in this country needs a bigger overhaul than just extending Sunday opening hours. Shops need to basically become the window for an online-dominated world. Too many shops are going under because people just use them to see the product physically before sniping the cheapest Ebay offer. And who can blame them. Unless retailers can breach this gap and offer on-the-spot internet price matching, High Streets will continue to decline at a rapid pace, whether they're open on Sundays or not.

Leslie

I think it would be a mistake to extend working hours on a Sunday. People should have a free day during the week and it would be unfair on those who would have no option but to go to work when they don't want to.

It has the feeling of yet more greed dictating how we live.

Les

scunnered

iTrader: (1)

There are no Sunday trading laws in Scotland. Sunday trading is fully deregulated
In my local shopping centre, only two small shops are closed on a Sunday making it virtually no different to any other day of the week.
My local supermarkets are open 24 hrs all year long, except for a few hours on Xmas eve and new year.

Dingdongler

Everything should be open all the time. My place of work is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 etc etc.

Can't see why shops should be shut on a day dictated by religion when we are meant to be a secular society