Whats the deal with sunday trading hours?

[Magnum]

Whenever i work sundays (in a smallish supermarket), business is always really good throughout the day. People wait outside from half past 9 waiting for us to open, and people continue to shop right up untill the shop closes at 4 in the afternoon.
Theres a lot of money potentially being lost by such limited trading hours. Businesses would make a lot more money just by staying open for a few more hours.
Why is there such a stupid law against opening for more than six hours on sunday?

[dizzyblonde]

.....and on the seventh day (Sunday), God had a rest?

[jamesterror]

Why is there such a stupid law against opening for more than six hours on sunday?

Unless your a convience store I'm sure your not allowed to sell products in a store in exchange for cash passed 4.30.

I work in Sainsbury's and you always get somebody rush it at 5 to 4 rushing for his sunday tea.

I dunno what the actual law is behind it.

My question is why be up and ready to go shopping at half 9, espically on Sunday (day of rest)?

[Gazza77]

Unless your a convience store I'm sure your not allowed to sell products in a store in exchange for cash passed 4.30.

I work in Sainsbury's and you always get somebody rush it at 5 to 4 rushing for his sunday tea.

I dunno what the actual law is behind it.

My question is why be up and ready to go shopping at half 9, espically on Sunday (day of rest)?

I want to know what the hell people did before any Sunday trading was allowed?!

[Magnum]

.....and on the seventh day (Sunday), God had a rest?

I hardly think working 8 or 9 hours is classed as a rest. Working hours dont seem to be affected, just trading.
Why should a whole country use the creation story to decide when we make money, when the majority of the uk is atheist (and over the world).

[Gazza77]

I hardly think working 8 or 9 hours is classed as a rest. Working hours dont seem to be affected, just trading.
Why should a whole country use the creation story to decide when we make money, when the majority of the uk is atheist (and over the world).

Why should any Sunday trading be allowed? Perhaps society would be better if more people were able to spend time as a family rather than being forced to work in retail outlets. Is not as if there aren't enough shopping days available the rest of the week. Just thinking out loud...;)

[jamesterror]

I hardly think working 8 or 9 hours is classed as a rest. Working hours dont seem to be affected, just trading.
Why should a whole country use the creation story to decide when we make money, when the majority of the uk is atheist (and over the world).

If it was down to me to chose Sundays would be non-trading days. Agreed with what Gazza said, I work in a "small/medium" sized Sainsbury's store, they turn over about £600k a week there average, and Thursdays, Friday and Saturday's are busiest days of the week. When I use to work Sunday's, there would be a few old people doddle round, however if the trade is there, the businesses will open :)

[Magnum]

Why should any Sunday trading be allowed? Perhaps society would be better if more people were able to spend time as a family rather than being forced to work in retail outlets. Is not as if there aren't enough shopping days available the rest of the week. Just thinking out loud...;)

I disagree. Increased trading hours doesnt necessarily mean that people would have to work more. For example, people on a full time week (say 35 hours) wouldnt start working 40 hours a week because the shop is open longer, it would just mean that part time people can have more work to do or maybe they can hire one or two more people to fill up the shifts. And what do you know, youve given someone a job.
In the shop where i work, the duty managers take it in turns and it is always the under 20's that do the sunday shift (apart from the duty manager). I work sundays quite often but i find theres still time for my family during the week.
My dad works 50 something hours a week because he has two jobs, and we see him just as much as my mum who works a normal full time week of about 38 hours.

[jamesterror]

It doesn't open job opportunities as businesses will probably get part timers to fill in the hours. Most the part timers at where I work are students, I've done a 64 hour week that was killer.

Convience stores are there for out of hours trading, supermarkets such as Sainsbury's have the convience stores, its just whether the business has the capital to diversify into that with all the competition.

Its not finacially viable in my eyes to open longer trading hours on a Sunday, the demand isn't there. Plus try getting employees to work earlier / later on a Sunday from what there use to would be interesting :D

[Gazza77]

I disagree. Increased trading hours doesnt necessarily mean that people would have to work more. For example, people on a full time week (say 35 hours) wouldnt start working 40 hours a week because the shop is open longer, it would just mean that part time people can have more work to do or maybe they can hire one or two more people to fill up the shifts. And what do you know, youve given someone a job.
In the shop where i work, the duty managers take it in turns and it is always the under 20's that do the sunday shift (apart from the duty manager). I work sundays quite often but i find theres still time for my family during the week.
My dad works 50 something hours a week because he has two jobs, and we see him just as much as my mum who works a normal full time week of about 38 hours.

So lets say that I want to organise a rideout. I work Monday to Friday (as do the majority of people), so I plan it for a weekend. However, I now have someone with Monday and Tuesday off, someone else with Tuesday and Wednesday off, etc. You get the idea.

By getting more people working different hours, social events become more difficult to organise, and society suffers.

It's the same with technology. Computers were designed to make life easier: remember the thought of robots doing all housework in the 1950s? All that PCS/blackberries/other technological tools used by companies mean is that everything is expected quicker and quicker instead. More stressful lives, not less. :(

[Gazza77]

It doesn't open job opportunities as businesses will probably get part timers to fill in the hours. Most the part timers at where I work are students, I've done a 64 hour week that was killer.

Convience stores are there for out of hours trading, supermarkets such as Sainsbury's have the convience stores, its just whether the business has the capital to diversify into that with all the competition.

Its not finacially viable in my eyes to open longer trading hours on a Sunday, the demand isn't there. Plus try getting employees to work earlier / later on a Sunday from what there use to would be interesting :D

In fairness, demand may well be there. You also however start running the risk of driving competition into the ground. Tesco open 24/7, so smaller stores either have to or die out. You either end up with small family traders running themselves into the ground or no competition. i know which I'd rather have. ;)

[Viney]

Stores under a certian Square footage are allowed to trade longer on a sunday.

Shops should open sunday hours all through the week during these difficult times. It would save businesss money etc.

[Magnum]

So lets say that I want to organise a rideout. I work Monday to Friday (as do the majority of people), so I plan it for a weekend. However, I now have someone with Monday and Tuesday off, someone else with Tuesday and Wednesday off, etc. You get the idea.

By getting more people working different hours, social events become more difficult to organise, and society suffers.

It's the same with technology. Computers were designed to make life easier: remember the thought of robots doing all housework in the 1950s? All that PCS/blackberries/other technological tools used by companies mean is that everything is expected quicker and quicker instead. More stressful lives, not less. :(

Fair point, but just get the students to fill in the hours. In my college so many people are looking for part time work and they would be very happy to have a sunday shift.
Obviously every store will vary in how busy it gets, but i can only go by the shop i work in which has a lot of business on sunday and would certainly make a lot more money if they stayed open. None of the older employees work sundays, its all the students since everyone else tends to take sunday off.

[madness]

I while back I dossed down at a TA centre in Sheffield on a Saturday night after a bit of a do. Next morning I wandered over to Netto as me and Ibby were starving. I couldn't believe the number of people waiting for it to open on a Sunday morning. When the manager raised the security shutter some people couldn't even wait for it to get high enough to walk in without bending down!

Some people really do need to 'get a life'!

[Ed]

It's an offence for larger shops (approx > 1650m2) to open beyond those hours. It used to be an offence for them to open at all, and the current law is a fudge after years of wrangling on the issue. The 'Keep Sunday Special' campaign is a powerful lobby group. Also, stores can't sack somebody for refusing to work on Sunday.

[Magnum]

It's an offence for larger shops (approx > 1650m2) to open beyond those hours. It used to be an offence for them to open at all, and the current law is a fudge after years of wrangling on the issue. The 'Keep Sunday Special' campaign is a powerful lobby group. Also, stores can't sack somebody for refusing to work on Sunday.


In that case, people can choose to work sunday, so managers should be able to choose whether or not to open the store due to high demand.
Those that dont aggree with working sundays dont have to work, and those that dont aggree with shops opening sundays dont have to shop there (when they realise theyre out of bread and milk they may change their mind :rolleyes:). It should be up to the companies themselves to make the decision.

[dizzyblonde]

I wish somebody would ban working on a Sunday. I work every weekend, I'm contracted to. I work 36 hrs on nights one weekend, then 24 on days the other. As companies get greedy, and supply and demand gets bigger they have to find some way of doing it all, and unfortunately that comes down to me.
Damn unsociable, damn family crushing, and should be banned i tell yer. If everything shut on a Sunday, and got back to the day of old fashioned values things would be a whole load better in this world....just for starters...I'm also wearing rose tinted glasses too.
Because everything is so 24/7 these days nobody seems to be able to get a real life anymore...its all work work work!

P.S I work for an international confectioners that supply all those greedy supermarkets with truck loads of tinned sweets and eggs

[Ed]

Oops, just checked - it's 280m2, far less than I thought.

This law does not apply in Scotland, where shops can choose their own hours.

[Magnum]

I wish somebody would ban working on a Sunday. I work every weekend, I'm contracted to. I work 36 hrs on nights one weekend, then 24 on days the other. As companies get greedy, and supply and demand gets bigger they have to find some way of doing it all, and unfortunately that comes down to me.
Damn unsociable, damn family crushing, and should be banned i tell yer. If everything shut on a Sunday, and got back to the day of old fashioned values things would be a whole load better in this world....just for starters...I'm also wearing rose tinted glasses too.
Because everything is so 24/7 these days nobody seems to be able to get a real life anymore...its all work work work!

P.S I work for an international confectioners that supply all those greedy supermarkets with truck loads of tinned sweets and eggs


Like Ed said, you dont have to work sundays. Its one of those things you can get out of due to 'religious reasons'.

I make a compromise between work and social. I work friday nights and early saturday morning, so this means i cant go out friday nights unless im off. But i like the money and if i want to keep working there i have to do those hours. Sunday is optional for me and i wont be working mothers day.

[the_lone_wolf]

Person A wishes to purchase an item at 7pm on Sunday

Person B is happy to work at the shop that sells that particular item at 7pm on a Sunday

Why make it complicated when it should be so simple???

Considering the vast amount of (tax free) cash religious institutions rake in on Sundays perhaps we should ban them from "trading";)

[dizzyblonde]

Like Ed said, you dont have to work sundays. Its one of those things you can get out of due to 'religious reasons'.

I make a compromise between work and social. I work friday nights and early saturday morning, so this means i cant go out friday nights unless im off. But i like the money and if i want to keep working there i have to do those hours. Sunday is optional for me and i wont be working mothers day.


AS I said I am contracted to work Sundays. I work weekends and weekends only.

[Sally]

I basically quit my last job as they couldnt offer me Sundays off...

Its not operationally possible..
Loads of p!sh!
They managed fine before i was there, so whats the problem?

Sundays are for recovering from Sat night and biking.
Nothing else :)

[MR UKI (1)]

I used to work weekends at a large Northern supermarket chain (oooh which one I wonder) when at college. Although the store was only open 10-4 Sundays, I used to end up working 8-6 or 8-8 to stock shelfs/clean for the Sunday and/or Monday.

[Sally]

My shifts varied on Sundays from..

0530-1500
8-4, 9-5, 11-7, 12-8, 2-10..

Usually the first one, which was a killer, especially if you were out the night before..

[timwilky]

Sunday trading laws are stupid. get shut I say.

We live in a 24 hour economy. I can buy what I want any day of the week but somebody has decided not on a Sunday. The rules used to say I couldn't buy fish&chips. But i could buy an Indian or Chinese meal etc.

Barkers it is. I work 5+ days a week. Why cannot I shop on my day off.

and why must pubs/clubs shut early on good friday?

[Ed]

Sunday trading laws are stupid. get shut I say.

We live in a 24 hour economy. I can buy what I want any day of the week but somebody has decided not on a Sunday. The rules used to say I couldn't buy fish&chips. But i could buy an Indian or Chinese meal etc.

Barkers it is. I work 5+ days a week. Why cannot I shop on my day off.

and why must pubs/clubs shut early on good friday?

...and Tesco Direct and any online retailer never closes. 1994 laws - already woefully out of date.

[Magnum]

AS I said I am contracted to work Sundays. I work weekends and weekends only.


Surely you signed up to do that shift on sunday?

[dizzyblonde]

yesssssss. i think your missing the point of my original post

[Magnum]

yesssssss. i think your missing the point of my original post


I must be missing the point...
If you werent given that sunday shift, you wouldnt hae got that job though?

[missyburd]

Stores under a certian Square footage are allowed to trade longer on a sunday.

Something like that (edit: seen your correction post later on :-)) When I worked in Matalan we couldn't sell owt past half 4 but we still had to work past then. Another job I have in a tiny shop in a tourist street is open for as long as they like on a sunday, usually till about 6 so that law stands about smaller shops being allowed to trade longer.

[sarah]

Much better here than certain other parts of europe.