I understood perfectly, thank you and my point still stands.

You seem to be contradicting yourself somewhat...

who said it is? what research have you done into this? you appear to be the first person to bring this up. why would you say it was?


i would imagine it's unlikely too, but if you bothered to have read my other posts you may find reasons why people may wish to shop on that day. such as people who have been busy working on the lead up to xmas and that's the first day they have free to go shopping, after a day's holiday on xmas day when they maybe did many other things


there's nothing stopping anyone from doing that any of the 365 days of the year so the idea people may want to do that on boxing day is ludicrous. if the stores were closed the type of people who do boxing day shop would more likely either stay in or go to the pub or do absolutely anything other than see the people you refer to


so from that point of view, why can't you understand that people who work in retail often desire to work as many hours as possible to increase their income as they don't have the same luxuries as higher paid earners in other fields?

what gives you the right to dictate that those people should be denied the opportunity to work and earn a living because of your opinions when you don't even work in the retail sector? don't you believe in people making their own choices?

Dictating to others what interests they should have and how they should spend their free time is even worse for society.

you don't understand the simple concept that there are typically fewer "bosses" than workers who aren't bosses and bosses employ the other workers as the bosses aren't able to cover all the work themselves?

or the other simple concept that people who don't work in retail often aren't suited to working in retail or have other jobs instead?

nope. it's just you don't seem to think enough before replying

these days people can watch telly that shows movies or shows that were recorded previously. in fact people have been doing it since the 70s and 80s when video recorders came out and allowed them to timeshift shows. theres an amazing thing called netflix that let's you watch all sorts of stuff so you don't need to watch shite on ITV or repeats on BBC1 or noels house party or morons dancing on ice

no

is your imagination so limited that you think people only do what they post about, and are incapable of doing other things they haven't told you they do?

As i pointed out major retailers themselves have thier own online site, because PC world shop is closed does not mean i cannot buy from PC world, ( not as though i ever would buy from them ) If sainburys shop is closed i can still place an order and buy from them. Well saying they are all closed xmas day, but you can order from them on xmas day they are not losing. We have longer opening hours than ever before, but has this stopped shops closing down, how many apart from some supermarkets do 24 hour opening, very few because thier is no demand as people can sit at home and get it the next day by either going in when open or order it online. Germany bricks and morter retail is doing very well shops not closing down, but has less opening times and no sunday shopping. The problem in the UK is the public want both to sit at home and order but if they want to go out they expect the shops to be open, yet the public are doing more shopping online even with more opening hours than ever before, and bricks and mortor strores are alot less profitable for the business alot bigger over heads. And as someone pointed out the companies like John lewis, Aldi, lidl are not going to be open boxing day. Dont know if you know this but the law had to be changed because the greed of some major retailers they started to open on xmas day,

Someone really needs to find the multi-quote button.

It could carry over for the next day.

Hear hear.

Eh, it's a discussion forum. I'm discussing the issue and expressing my view on what constantly open shops are doing to society.
You sound very angry about the whole issue. Why not go out for a walk and get some fresh air?

The whole basis of your argument was that people want the shops open because they get tired of sitting on their arse eating, drinking and watching telly. You seem to be constantly contradicting yourself, as another poster has already pointed out. I think I'll just leave you to argue with yourself.

Whenever this or Sunday trading crops up, I'm constantly amazed by the number of people who, going by what they say at any rate, appear to think that shopping is compulsory - that if a shop is open, you have to go to it.

You don't.

The idea is choice - that people should have the choice as to whether they work or not and that others have the choice whether to shop or not.

Is this beyond some people?

But if the shops are open people will be forced to work, whether they want to or not. So it's about whether people's right to shop supercedes staff's right to have Boxing day off. I don't see the confusion.

Clearly that's wrong.

But in a country of 60 + million people I don't believe that nobody can be found who's quite happy to work Sundays/Boxing Day etc. It's simply not credible.

Speaking of choice, I just chose to sign the petition, which is a more constructive point than arguing with some posters on here. Just my opinion of course...

I am sure there are some people happy to work Boxing day. But there are also lots of people who are not happy to do so, but have no choice. Shops only employ so many staff, and if they open they need a certain number of those staff to come in.

What people watch on TV is completely irrelevant. My "Wizard of Oz" was a purely random example. It wasn't meant to be taken literally FFS!. People are free to watch or do whatever they want. Go for a walk, read a book, play a game, whatever.

The point that some of us are trying to make is that after weeks of the build up to Christmas, which will have inevitably involved lots of shopping for presents, food, party outfits etc and all the stress and expense involved in that, it just seems a bit crazy that people would choose to spend Boxing Day going shopping again! They can't even wait one more day without fulfilling the urge to buy stuff again and if the shops don't open and staff don't work shops will lose all their business to online retailers.

I'm not trying to dictate what anyone does in their free time but I do find it slightly worrying that the nation as a whole is so obsessed with buying material things that shops feel compelled to open on BD or else risk going out of business.

I'm with you JohnF.

I agree. It's a very sad reflection on us as a society.

I wonder why some people continue to think that the stuff they buy will make them happy. Even if it does, that satisfaction quickly fades...so it's off to the shops again.

They may not be selling happiness in there, but they're selling ....SOMETHING!!

Bit of philosophy there...

I think that’s one of the reasons why people should feel free to voice objections to shops being open 24/7. It’s part of an increasingly relentless pressure being put on people to have this, and have that, and get the latest upgrade on everything and to constantly pursue the accumulation of new ‘stuff’. It makes people who can’t afford all of these things feel like failures, encourages others to work ridiculously long hours so they can buy things they don’t really need and is just creating an insatiable appetite that will never be fulfilled, because there’ll always be something bigger and better coming along.

Yes i do miss the post Christmas hype towards the big January Sales. The days after Christmas and before New Year were the sort of sunset period, to reflect upon the year and spending quality time with the family during the holiday period before going back to work on January 1st. Strangely New Years Day is now a national holiday.

If the shops were closed on every saints day, we would be in trouble