so the more/longer brick and morter stores close, the more nails they put in their coffin, which means turkeys voting for christmas, or staff losing jobs

It just seems odd that some people act as though these people are frogmarched into retail at gunpoint. They ultimately choose to work in a shop and, therefore, accept the working pattern that affords.

I work in an office now but I used to work in retail so I've experienced working at Christmas time when it's very busy. I know it's a bit naff but almost every job has busy/stressful times and we accept that because that's what putting money in the bank entails.

It's not like retail workers are being put through physical pain or anything...

i just sit on my arse eating and watching telly whilst browsing online for sales bargains. in years before the internet i'd just be sitting on my arse watching telly and eating. now i can do more. no shopping trolley involved either

personally i hate shopping when it's busy, so xmas even and boxing day shopping in stores isn't my idea of fun. i'd rather buy online, same with groceries, i prefer to shop online and get them delivered

You are incorrect and the evidence already proves this, longer opening times does not mean getting more money, in law the shops only have to close 2 days a year yet they are closing down because people are choosing to shop on line even when shops are open, because most of the time the goods are cheaper and people like home delievery. Its the public themselves who are moving away from brick and morter stores, even supermarkets are cutting back on hours they open cutting back on stores cutting back of size of stores. All major retailers have online. The report out yesterday pointed this out. Thats is the public who are moving away from bricks and morter shopping. The ONS also said that internet sales posted the strongest growth for five years, jumping almost 27%.

"Non-store sales have surged over the last months, rising by 4.1% in September and 3.6% in October, showing no weakening in the trend away from spending on the high street to online shopping," said Samuel Tombs at Pantheon Macroeconomics.

this is one of the reasons why i usually point out how pointless these laws about sunday trading etc are, as they just restrict the times the stores can do business, not when staff can work

asides from that, why should some businesses have such restrictions when others can't. and as the laws relate to stores over a certain size, the businesses can ask staff to work in other stores instead


some people don't have family to spend christmas with, or don't want to spend christmas with family members they don't like. others live far away which means they may need to rely on other people working away from their families on xmas day in order to transport other people around

if some people want to shop and others don't, why not let each make their own choices. some people really don't like christmas and all the shit and hassle and cost that comes with it

what would be the point in getting the store ready for a day it would be closed on. that makes zero sense

just nothing happening? so no electricity, transport, tv, radio, internet, gas, public transport, petrol stations, no police, hospitals closed, no fire service, no newspapers? no where to buy food for a week, no bread or milk?

So instead of sitting quietly at home sipping a glass of sherry and watching "The Wizard of Oz" on the telly, they choose to battle with the crowds and traffic in the Boxing Day sales, because that involves far less shit and hassle and cost...

next do that at other times of the year too, so boxing day isn't much different

personally i think it's crazy to open a store that sells pretty much only own branded clothing at 5am when staff would realistically need to get up around 4am to get ready and travel to work. they aren't going to lose much business if they opened at 8am or 9am and no other competitor does this and being reduced price self branded clothing they have little competition anyway. they may as well open at normal time or an hour or two earlier and stay open later

what's worse is folk that queue up all night to buy a half price shirt or something from next, in the freezing cold or rain

but of course if that's what some people want to do, then let them

i've never seen this on boxing day. have you actually experienced this for yourself?

surely it would be reported on the news or videos online if that was the case?



it's not really. the general opinions of staff i worked for in retail was that they get a buzz when stores are busy, in particular around the xmas and sales times, they get a good feeling when they close a deal, they enjoy the banter with customers, and the day passes quickly. some even enjoy dealing with "difficult" customers and take some black pleasure in them being upset about things they deem irrelevant

staff don't necessarily need to get up earlier either. typically stores are open less hours on sundays and days like boxing day and easter so they often still get a long lie of types, a short working day that passes quickly, and they get paid for doing it

as for pubs, i've seen pubs open early on xmas day, boxing day and new years day

yup. some folk want to ban anything and everything they don't personally use or enjoy. imagine if it came true. there would be no schools or libraries for a start, as i don't use em. i don't drive so let's close petrol stations down too

however the point is that the workers benefit from the business that stores generate, meaning they can provide for their families which in turn makes a positive benefit to the communities

you seem to have a very negative outlook on life

they aren't forced at all. it's their choice to apply for and then accept those jobs if they are succesful in their applications for them. the working time regulations restrict the hours people can do and ensure they have breaks

opening on boxing day and busy xmas trading isn't a new or recent thing, it's been going on before the working time regulations

working in retail isn't hard work like labouring. it's not dirty work or outside working, and it's not usually late night working or night shift work

which is why there shouldn't be laws restricting the availability of work for those people

why should anyone be paid different rates of pay for doing exactly the same type of work on one day as oppposed to any other day?

overtime is different as that's doing addition work on top of the work someone is contractually obligated to do. but if someone is doing the same amount of work as normal, why should someone get different rates for working different days?

True. But why is shopping their only release from all of this. There are lots of things people can do on Boxing Day. Surely a day off shopping isn't going to kill them? In fact, if the shops stayed closed for a few days people might make more of an effort to actually engage with neighbours, contact elderly relatives etc. obviating the need for shops to open because 'some people are lonely or don't have family living nearby'.

And I really find the argument that people 'chose to work in a sector that involved going in on Boxing Day' a bit spurious. People choose to become nurses, doctors, paramedics etc. and working Boxing Day is a small price to get to do something they have a vocation for.
Working in retail is an occupation that is often thrust on people who don't, as I said in a previous post, always have the luxury of turning down a job offer because they might have to work over Christmas. Many shop assistants are on minimum wage and would dearly love to be doing something else but, because of lack of opportunities, education, or family circumstances find themselves forced to stand on their feet all day in B&Q or Next. Others are students who can't get work elsewhere because they're only available for limited hours.
There's something 'let them eat cake' like about the 'oh they chose that job' argument.

What is negative about stating that insatiable consumerism is a bad thing for society and it would be better if people spent more time developing other interests and spending time with family and relatives?

This happens all the time across different industries.

Yes there will be many that get paid the same whether it's Christmas Day or a normal Wednesday, but it does happen.

most people will have things they like and dislike about a job. i don't like working mondays for example. i'm no fan of working tuesday either. wednesday are pretty crap too. and thursdays. i like a friday off though. i don't like filing either

perhaps we could start a petition to ban offices opening on mondays and ban filing?

i know most office workers sit on their arse drinking coffee in front of a computer most of the day in air conditioned offices and go home, but mondays really suck, and theres 52 of them in a year compared to just one boxing day that retail staff have to put up with once a year

stuff the folk with proper hard jobs like police and hospital workers

i'm not incorrect at all.

present proof to show what ANYTHING i've said is incorrect


it can do. also if stores are closed it can mean them losing business to competitors


so the longer the stores are closed, the more business they lose to online sales. it also means the longer the are closed, the less hours are offered to staff, so less pay for individuals

Yeah I agree with what you say there. I certainly wouldn't mind the shops being shut over Christmas and Stephens day as I loathe the sales personally

nope. didn't say that did i? do you have a problem understanding what people have said?

wizard of oz is about 77 years old or something. most people who have the ability to go shopping are likely to have seen it if they have any inclination to see it.

most of the daytime telly on boxing day is just complete and utter shite, so no wonder people want to go out and do something else instead of a second day of sitting on their arses eating and drinking in front of the telly

I don't understand why the people who can't do anything else in life except shop can't work on Boxing day to give others the day off.

Or why bosses can't cover 1 year while the under classes work the next in rotation.

you really didn't understand what i said did you?

you have a negative outlook as you have completely overlooked the positive benefits that allow people to do the things you appear to consider good

Are you really so limited and unimaginative that you can think of no alternative to sitting on your arse watching telly than going shopping?