Well that's garbage for yourself I have to say, not fun at all.

I do work the holidays but I'm paid double my hourly rate, as I think everyone should be for their wares on Christmas.

I sympathise with you. But that still doesn't change the fact we work in industries that do require this kind of work. Perhaps it's high time you looked elsewhere for a new job if your current one treats you scrappy as you say they do.

I've worked a couple of boxing days in retail but I did it with a mardy face on and made sure to tell everyone I served that I couldn't wait to get back home to see my kids play with their presents, I hope the fckers all felt bad, and it's one of the reasons I'd never work in retail again, I just hate the customers who don't have anything better to do with their sorry lives then bloody shop. Go home, watch some films, eat quality street, play games with your kids, visit your parents whatever.

You mean go home and use electric (kept going by staff who have to work over the holiday period)? Or watch some TV being staffed by people who have to work over the Christmas period?

Well saying the OP is a nurse, should nurses give up work and look for a job that pays double time ?

Which once more don't have 100% normal staffing or service.

Much like shops.

But there are still people who have to work on these day's aren't there?

And there are still people who work in shops.

Just not the 100% just like every day service people want, as long as it's not them expected to work.

Yes there will always be people who have to work on these days for the benefit of everyone else. Emergency services, power suppliers and you could even include people in the leisure/entertainment business. I don't think shop workers should fall into this category though.

Personally I think it would benefit EVERYONE (not just shop staff) if most non-essential shops were closed on Boxing day. Maybe just keep petrol stations open where you can get milk, basic medication (and petrol obviously!) if you need it. I reckon the main reason shops get crowded on BD is because that's when the sales start so people don't want to miss out on a bargain. If the sales were postponed for just 1 day it would give everyone a better break, staff and customers.

However, and writing as someone who was in the RAF for 10 years, working over Christmas and New Year has always been 'part of the job' in those sectors. Even then staffing levels are at a minimum to maintain the service, the majority wouldn't be working.

The January Sales used to be just that, sales starting in January and not December 26th. Boxing Day opening is a very recent phenomenon.

I'm just happy our Asian shop owners near us open on Christmas Day.

Why would it? If people want to go shopping on Boxing Day then where is the problem?

Because I'm not convinced they really do want to deep down. I think maybe they go because its the start of the sales and they don't want to miss out.

I mean does anyone on here really prefer the idea of trawling round the shops on boxing day with crowds of people rather than having an extra day doing something relaxing - going for a nice country walk, visiting friends, watching a film, playing with the kids etc?

The people buying loads just before Christmas are probably people like me, who want to have enough in to last them a few days so they don't have to go out to the shops.

Well yes obviously they do prefer to go shopping. I think you are making alot of assumptions.

Well... yeah if they're unsatisfied with the conditions of their employment. I for one don't really lose out or miss anything on christmas day so if I were in that field of work it would jsut be another day to me.

Perhaps. Maybe I'm just a little unusual in that my idea of the perfect day doesn't generally involve queuing up at Next and Curry's to buy clothing and electrical items that are generally available on the other 363 days of they year.

If that's most other people's idea of fun though I guess the shops should cater for it...

What we should do is everyone that goes shopping on boxing day has to work in the shops on boxing day next year. That would soon put them off I imagine

Yes, these will be the same people we have seen images of fighting each other in Asda on Black Friday.

Lol I have been doing 'this job' for 40 years! I work in the NHS.

If you read my previous posts you will see I realise working public holidays is part of the job - after 40 years you would think I had got used to it! I have btw.

My point is should retail workers be forced to work Boxing Day if they don't wish too and my answer is - no they should not.

I did 6 years in retail for a major supermarket (not mentioning names but still exists) back then all Christmas hours were planned in early November, holidays in December were not allowed.

Everyone would be taken into the office, each department manager had a massive diary with extra shifts written in, the first to be called in were the ones that always refused to work any extra, literally not a minute more. Then it was people with kids that would be skint after Christmas, typically worked part time and were glad of a couple of hours extra, typically an extra half hour or so a day. Then the short straw crew, we were brought in last. Our store was just coming 24 hours then so 'daytime' opening was 6am-midnight, the rest was done by night shift. We were basically given the choice of which 12 hour shifts we wanted if we were lucky, if not you could be on 12-12 then 8-8. We frequently had to work outside of working time regs and customers literally had to be asked to finish their shopping on Christmas eve closing. Christmas day was spent asleep or falling asleep.

I now refuse to go in shops unless I have to around Christmas, I have witnessed full on fist fights over turkey.

So? Employers do lots of things that are illegal. I've heard staff in several branches of both Aldi and Lidl say this goes on. The reality is that staff are given a list of jobs to be done on their shift and they leave when they're done, not when a clock changes number. You must still be at school not to know how employment works in the real world. How many office workers work start early, work their lunch break and stay late without overtime? Read the post above by Andys Corner.


Then don't. I have no idea why you even mentioned this as it doesn't reflect the reality of seasonal shopping trends or people working on Boxing Day.

The reality is many are on low hours contracts and are made aware that if they don't work long hours over Christmas then they will be on contract hours from then on. Frequently this is the young staff, as often happened where I was

But as usual with these threads, shoppers are viewed with near anger, almost contempt: "lazy", "mindless" etc.

It seems much like the Victorian attitudes that brought in the old Sunday trading laws in the first place. The same sneering, middle-class sense of superiority, the feeling that these people aren't like "us", we're above them, they don't count, and it's perfectly fine for us to control what they do. It's for their own good.

I can honestly say in all my years I have never gone shopping on Boxing Day - and I never will.

There are so many more important things to do on Boxing Day, than shopping for a bargain. Let the sales begin after Boxing Day - or better still wait until the New Year for the January sales - remember them?