sunday trading

[chocadmin]

OK following the new poll on supermarkets I wondered how people felt
about the Sunday trading laws? I get really annoyed at the fact that if
you're out visiting relatives or whatever then you've got no chance of
getting to a decent sized shop before it's shut 

How does everyone else feel about this?

[robbie]

In Liverpool, fewer and fewer shops are closed on Sundays.

About 10 years ago, there was nothing open on a Sunday, and a lot of shops even closed on Wednedsay afternoons!

It is possibly due to religion, with less people caring about the sabbath day tradition.

[smurfboy]

As an atheist I wouldn't care if the shops opened all day on Sundays, and I do sometimes find it annoying if I'm hung over on a Sunday and I don't really want to venture out until late! But I suppose it's a compromise. Eventually though I can see us becoming more like America, where Sunday trading is the same as any other day (I don't know about redneck country by the way). Shops are already finding ways to get round it; e.g. opening earlier for 'browsing time' or allowing customers who are in the store by closing time an extra half an hour to finish their shopping.

[robbie]

It does annoy me that the supermarkets close at 4 bells.

You English and your "quaint" "religious" laws!

[salsa]

I can see it from both sides. It is a pain they shut at 4, but, people these days are more often being forced towork unsociable hours because we are demanding 24/7 shopping etc.

So on balance I am happy with it.

[oldspice]

Although I am not a committed Christian, I don't really like Sunday trading - although I must admit to being forced to shop on Sundays sometimes because of being so busy at work the rest of the week (although I teach, I start work before 8am and often work until past 6 and on Saturdays).

I think anyone who works Sundays should get double time.

[goldencup]

My husband works Sundays, Bank Holidays (including Christmas Day) and often til 4 or 5 in the morning and he only gets the same pathetic rate of pay for all of it.  Never go into the hotel industry anyone!

Sunday trading while being convenient is just another of the things which degraded life and moral values in Britain.  Bring back my quiet Sundays.

[loulou]

I like the shops to open on Sundays but wouldn't miss it too much if they didn't. All the shops here open at 10 and shut at 4 on Sundays.

Just like the rest of the week in the 'sunny' North East

[loulou]

No I think the supermarkets open at 7am through the week and close at 10pm. Other shops open at 9am and close at 6pm, except the electrical stores on the retail parks stay open until 9pm. We have a 24 hour Tesco.

[chocolate chick]

A lot of shops in the South East seem to opt for the 11am - 5pm or 12pm to 6pm trading on a Sunday.



I went to Greenwich this weekend and wacthed the Spurs game in a pub.
We came out ofter 6pm and the Starbucks and M&S Simple Food were
still open and trading. I don't know what time they opened though. Very
much of Greenwich was still buzzing at that time.

[Cherry_Ripe]

Maybe some of the reason the supermarkets are taking customers away from other businesses (even shops like Boots) is the hours they open? If you work and can't get to the specialist shops by 17:00 or 17:30 when they close, supermarkets are really convenient for most things.

Personally my weekends are precious to me and I would prefer the shops to be open longer hours in the week so I didn't have to use the weekends to trek round the shops. But in the current situation I don't think it would be unreasonable if the shops were allowed to open 09:00 - 17:00 Sundays - it's then up to them if they do or not.

In my area a lot of places still close Wednesday afternoons!

[smurfboy]

I went to Greenwich this weekend and wacthed the Spurs game in a pub. We came out ofter 6pm and the Starbucks and M&S Simple Food were still open and trading.

Simply Food can probably open later due to its size. I'm not sure what the figures are, but stores under a certain size can open whatever hours they want as they are classed as convenience stores. The M&S Simply Food on New Street station opens until 10.30 on Sundays.