Whats the deal with sunday trading hours?

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]

Originally Posted by Magnum

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]

Originally Posted by jamesterror

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?!

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

.....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]

Originally Posted by Magnum

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]

Originally Posted by Magnum

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

Originally Posted by Gazza77

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

[Gazza77]

Originally Posted by Magnum

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.