Do all those things apply to everyone else as well as you?

Who has time for January sales when everyone has to get back to work? Housewives with time on their hands in January aren't as common as they once were. The fact is, seasonal shopping is a goldmine for retailers, so they need to be open for the hordes who do love to go.

Less shopping means lower profits. Lower profits mean job cuts.

But if many of the major supermarkets and stores were closed then they wouldn't have to work over the Christmas period.

Stores only open because it seems some people cannot do without their retail fix for more than 24 hours.

So in a nutshell, you know other people's minds better than they themselves do.

A bit like the people that can't go two days without shopping and think it's perfectly fine for retail staff to have to spend boxing day serving them instead of having time with their families then

My opinion is everything except for essential services, hospitals, power stations etc should close down and allow as many people as possible to have a nice relaxing Christmas. The sales can then start and people who are desperate for a 'bargain' can get one.

Oh for goodness sake.....this us and them crap again.............

If people want to go shopping on Boxing Day then fine. However, nobody should be forced to work that day if they do not wish too.

But of course they are.....and that I totally disagree with.

Sorry, I forgot to add, in my opinion. Because of course my views are not fact, only opinion, as are yours and those of everyone else.

Who has time for January Sales? Do most people go back to work the day after New Years Day? Usually not. For example, in 2017, the 2nd of January is a public holiday. The 27th December, this year is also a public holiday. What about the 28th, 29th, 30th & 31st December? Lots of days there for people to go shopping if they so wish.

We are talking no large shops open for two days, Christmas & Boxing Day. Are you trying to suggest the whole retail market will have to resort to cutting jobs because they are shut for these two days? No the seasonal shopping will still be available - just not for those two days.

That is my opinion - it's obviously not yours - that is fine too.

Is my opinion also - as an essential worker of 40 years.

Yes, I've never understood the sentiment that just because some people have to work, because they are essential then everyone else should have to do the same. Well I say everyone, not the people shopping obviously It's just a race to the bottom argument where everyone ends up losing out.

The petition - the topic of this thread - is saying shopping on Boxing Day is NOT fine, and legislation should be introduced to stop it.

Still, sure, I disagree with employers breaking the law, too. But that happens every day of the year, in every sector, and I think if this really was about looking after workers, people would be coming up with petitions that looked for more than closing some shops on one day of the year.

You miss the point. Just because you don't want to go shopping on Boxing day and have a great time doesn't mean that many millions of other don't or should be banned because of you.


You appear quite selective about which days you want retail employees to work when 'normal' people don't, and which days you don't want them to work. Surely your motives must be connected to Christian beliefs?

I was expressing my opinion - not referring to the petition. I have no problem with shops being open on Boxing Day, as long as the staff choose to work. No retail staff should be forced to work on Boxing Day against their wishes - IMO!

........but presumably you don't want to work boxing day, you want to go shopping. So you get to do what you want with your boxing day, but aren't too worried about what the people serving you in the shops want to do.

They can't traipse round the shops, spend time with their family, or even just relax.

Considering shops seem to have sales on an almost weekly basis these days, I wonder how many genuine 'bargains' are to be had on Boxing Day?

It used to be the January Sales were pretty much the only ones a shop had, so they could clear out the previous years stock to make way for the coming year's stock, but with sales happening all of the time now, that concept is, at best, very watered down.

It seems to me that most of the stuff in the Boxing Day sales today is brought in especially to be sold off cheap, rather than to sell off existing stock.

I don't see why suggesting that everyone might be better off if the shops closed for a couple of days is "middle-class sneering". I don't think anyone's suggested that instead of going to Argos the oiks should spend boxing day trying to better themselves by visiting museums and art galleries. Just go for a walk, watch the football or a film, play the Xbox, whatever.

The run up to Christmas and the day itself can be pretty hectic for many people so having a national "chill" day where everyone's "forced" in effect to "do nothing" seems like a good idea to me. The shops will all be open again on 27th and the following weekend for those who start getting withdrawal symptoms from not being able to spend, spend, spend every day of the year.

They choose to work in retail. Seasonal shopping is park of the deal, and you know that when you go into it. Like people who move next to air ports have no right complaining about the noise.

Some staff have to work Boxing Day but get New Year's off, and vice versa. What difference does it make unless you have religious motives?


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/n...Christmas.html

You miss my point. My opinion is simply this. I do not wish to go shopping on Boxing Day and do not believe any retail staff should be forced to work on Boxing Day against their wishes.

What is a normal person? IMO (again) nobody should be forced to work on Boxing Day if they do not wish too. Not connected to any religious belief at all. I have no religion.

If people wish to work on Boxing Day and people wish to shop on Boxing Day then fine.

It might be 'part pf the deal', however there is no reason why 'the deal' cannot be amended or changed to the benefit of those who work in retail if there is sufficient support.

I wonder how many of the people who signed the petition actually work for retail?

of those that do, I wonder how many actually understand the implications of what they are voting for, as it's almost like turkeys voting for Christmas


people who work in retail who actually know what they are talking about will know that Christmas is usually the busiest trading time of the year, and weekends are usually the busiest days of the week, and bank holidays are also some of the other busiest trading days of the year. this is because those are the times when most people have time off and are able to shop in stores

they will also be aware of the competition from online stores. many brick and mortar stores have closed down over the last few years since the internet became mainstream, with store such as woolworths, hmv, virgin/zavvi, game, british home stores, etc some that spring to mind

so if stores are closed on the days that people want to shop, many people will instead turn to buying online from competitors who get the business instead of the businesses that employ the shop workers

boxing day is one of the biggest trading days of the year so if there was a law that meant stores were closed, the stores would lose vast sums of money in income, in turn there will be less working hours offered to staff, which would mean some staff getting paid less. likewise laws about sunday trading

years ago there was no online shopping so stores didn't have that commercial pressure, so comparing now to years ago you will come across differences like this

the solution is simple. if people don't want to shop on any particular day or at any particular time, they don't have to

if people don't want to work on any specific days or any specific times, they don't need to apply for and accept jobs that require them to do so. if you don't want to work weekends, then retail work perhaps isn't the best option. if you don't want to work evenings, then pub and club work isn't perhaps the best option. if you don't want to work outside, don't take a job that requires you to work outside. simple common sense really

Here's some contemptuous sneering from earlier:


You're not using that language, but you're still presuming that you know better than them about what they should be doing, and - if you support this petition - a law should be introduced to force them to change their behaviour.

Surely the point is why does it have to be part of the deal? Why can't we just get as many people off work as possible? Let as many as possible have a relaxing Christmas. The shopping can then resume a day later. It's not a big sacrifice is it?

As mentioned up thread there are sales all the time anyway, so the customers wouldn't be losing out. Neither would the retailers, because people only have so much cash to spend anyway.

Then why Boxing Day? Why can't the same workers refuse to work Mondays or sunny, summer afternoons?

Because it's like Oliver Cromwell banning singing, dancing and laughing.

Because generally boxing day (as well as Christmas day) is when families get together. Mondays, or sunny afternoons wouldn't work, unless everyone got the same. Then people would be complaining the shops were shut then, so back to square one.

Your link proves nothing. The link was about Asda cutting jobs after a weak performance over the 12 week period to January 3rd 2016.

You could argue that not opening Boxing Day could have improved those figures as they wouldn't had had to pay staff, so reducing their overheads for an additional day within that period...

Get together and go shopping? What you're implying is that Boxing Day is a day when people generally go around each others houses and do little else. It's blindingly obvious that if this were true, there wouldn't be the growing hordes we see going shopping on Boxing Day each year. Market forces would cause supermarkets to close on Boxing day; they wouldn't need to be forced by Oliver Cromwell.

I believe retail staff should be allowed to have two days off together over the Christmas period if they so wish. There are many reasons why people would want both days off other than religion!

I notice Waitrose, Aldi, Lidl and John Lewis will be closed Christmas & Boxing Day this year......well done them. Any retail staff not wishing to work Boxing Day know where to apply.