Sunday Trading :(

**Bathsheba** · December 26th, 2007, 03:36 PM

I know many will disagree but I think it's wrong to have "business as usual" every day of the week. I read in another thread that WA doesn't have it and good on them I say! I think that there should be one day a week that is family friendly. Give people (workers) a break and let them spend time with their families.

Since Sunday trading has arrived there has been a marked drop in parents being able to participate as volunteers on a Sunday. Plus people are more likely to go shopping than participate in sports, go to museums, art galleries, parks and other activities.

I think it's contributing to mental illness. People are getting depressed and burnt out by the expectation of employers that they must be available to work everyday of the week. I know that we must have essential services. What I'm talking about are all the retail outlets that are open.

I can remember a time in the early 70's when only shops like petrol stations and some fast food outlets like ice-creameries and fish and chips shops were open. There were no ATMs either so you had to be organised and get cash out on a Friday... or borrow some until Monday. But I also remember a time when people, especially families spent more time with other families. We'd hang out at sports events (sailing in our family) relaxing in the knowledge that nothing else was expected of us. You didn't have to do the grocery shopping because you couldn't.

How would people "cope" these days if there was no Sunday trading?

**Liz** · December 26th, 2007, 03:43 PM

I agree! Altho I do go shopping on Sundays LOL. Lets us have saturday off knowing we can do it on Sunday.. but I guess should they all shut on Sundays again, we'd just rearrange our schedule

**all girls** · December 26th, 2007, 03:54 PM

I agree too, every other day is open so why do they have to be open? Greedy traders...

We are a sailing family aswell so don't really go unless it is food shopping.

**C~Q** · December 26th, 2007, 04:01 PM

I disagree, I think it's important to have places open on a Sunday. In England, in fast food places and shops etc there would be regular employees that work Mon - Fri then on the weekend they would have younger staff or more flexible staff. When I was 15 I worked in a shoe shop - if they hadn't had Sunday trading then I wouldn't have been able to earn the money I wanted to. Also it gives mothers (or fathers) an opertunity to work and have their little ones looked after by the other parent.

Bath, I do understand what you're saying but so many people work shifts now (evenings/unsociable hours) that businesses closing on a Sunday wouldn't even come close to solving the problem. I think it would just deprive casual staff of earning good money (time and half?).

Also alot of people I know, my Dad included, work Mon-Sat, if the shops where closed on a Sunday when would he be able to do his shopping?

**{sarah}** · December 26th, 2007, 04:04 PM

We rarely go to the shops on a Sunday because it's the only day in the week we can have family time, Aaron works weekdays & I work Saturdays until 1pm. Usually we go on picnics, visiting or do things together at home.

I'm not sure either if closing on Sundays would make people more active though.

**Trillian** · December 26th, 2007, 04:05 PM

Yes and no for me. Family dynamics have changed to the extent that they can only shop on weekends because they are working all week and some people don't want to finish work only to then go shopping so they are accomodating a need to stay open so those that do work or dont have time through the week can shop - same with places that stay open late accomodate shift workers. When I go out of town over the weekend sometimes, there are so many families that are out shopping together, so I suppose they are swapping family time at sporting events for shopping kwim?

Plus the business that keep the same trading hours 7 days a week might have rotating rosters too so that they might have different weekend staff.

Our here in the sticks though weekend trading is limited to cafes, pubs/clubs, corner stores etc after 1pm on a Saturday. Even the supermarket only started Sunday trading a few years ago (but the owners really are doing it for greed LOL). The downside of that a few years ago when the town had an industrial boom of sorts, the hours were very long and the workers didn't finish till well after the businesses closed and had nowhere to shop even if they needed the bare necessities.

The one things that really annoys me is that the whole country shuts down on Christmas Day, but can't do the same for ANZAC day - there is something so wrong in that if you ask me.

**Bathsheba** · December 26th, 2007, 04:14 PM

What I am concerned about is that the bank my DH works for is pushing for Sunday trading (opening of branches) and I think that's the beginning of the business/financial sectors following the retail sectors in "business as usual" on a Sunday

Ok... yes it convenient for some shoppers now... but what if everyday was the same... office workers commuting to work on a Sunday... it's not right. JMO People NEED some kind of cycle in their lives. We need certain days to be different or else I think we'd all go barmy!

**Trillian** · December 26th, 2007, 04:24 PM

Hmmm, I don't agree with places like banks being open all weekend, although I can still see how it would have it's place - think of the convenience for businesses like pubs/clubs/service stations that have to keep large sums of money on the premises because they can't bank over the weekend. If they could it might even reduce the number of armed hold ups that happen (in a round-a-bout sort of way).

But there does have to be a limit. Even the RTA is open on a Saturday in some areas.

**{sarah}** · December 26th, 2007, 04:32 PM

RTA is open on a Saturday here.

Banks I agree do have a place on a Sunday as well I think. If we have any home loan stuff to do with the bank Aaron has to take a day off or I have to catch the train (an hour trip) into the city so we can do whatever on a weekday. Very painful if it's only to sign one paper.

**briggsy's girl** · December 26th, 2007, 04:53 PM

i have to agree that the idea of having one day a week where families have their time together is important - but i don't think having things closed on Sunday's is going to fix the issue. both DH and i work - admittedly i don't work weekends, but his work (truck driver) means he is often away on the weekends, so we have our "us" time when it's available to us - which is usually during the week! i don't think enfocing a particular time of the week as "family" time is going to work for the modern families - i think this is something the family has to want to do, and it's up to individuals to make that work.

as others have said, sometimes weekend trading is the only time people can honestly do their business - i work part time, so for me, i have a day off during the week, but at my work place, full timers work 8-5 mon-fri - which makes it almost impossible to catch banks and things - for those people, weekend trading would be beneficial (although we live a fair way out of the city, so i think it would take ages to catch on!)

and if i'm honest - i almost always do my grocery shopping on the weekends. i have to trave at least 60km round trip just to get to a grocery store, so i tend to do everything on the same day - and most of the time it's on the Sunday as i spend time with family/friends or working in my garden on Saturdays...

Bath, i completely understand that need to encourage family togetherness - but i think it's up to individual families to do that...

slyder · December 26th, 2007, 05:19 PM

I totally agree Bath. I've always opposed Sunday trading and as a former retail worker I hated having to work Sundays as well. I started working before Sunday trading began here and it didn't restrict my capacity to earn. In my opinion all it does now is to spread the dollar over seven days instead of six and rob employees in sunday trading businesses the opportunity to have a recognised structure to their week. Still, I guess people do have a choice to some extent as to what type of work they choose to perform.

If banks and other organisations follow suit I will be very disappointed.

**Phteven** · December 26th, 2007, 06:25 PM

yay!!! I've been wondering when banks are finally going to catch up to the rest of the world and have sunday trading.

I think sunday trading is great. It's not like every worker has to work on a sunday and it gives students and so on a chance to work at a time that doesn't conflict with studies.
It also means that 2 working parents can schedule their rosters so as to minimise the amount of time children spend in childcare.

I've never been a 9-5 person and our business runs 24/7 so it's more convenient if other businesses do the same thing. DH spends more time with his children than other people we know who have 9 to 5 jobs so I think that family time is more about the commitment that parents make to create it than the hours their workplace operates. The only other dad we ever see at swimming and football lessons is the guy who works sundays and nights. Working those hours leaves him free to participate in his children's lives in ways that dads who work traditional hours can't.
I wish Australian banks had the kind of customer service that banks in some other countries have. Whenever I need to contact my bank in England I just pick up the phone and call. It doesn't matter what time of day or night it is over there, a real person always answers and is genuinely helpful. They don't even charge me bank fees.

ETA - in regards to people needing a cycle. I'm pretty comfortable without one and even supposing that I'm a freak and most people do need one then there's no rule that says it must be the same cycle. I once had wednesdays and thursdays off and TBH it was great. I could do all my banking, shopping etc on my days off and since I worked nights I could still go out late on the weekend nights and get up in time for work. It was like having 2 weekends every week.

**Trillian** · December 26th, 2007, 06:49 PM

LOL Chloe, back in my heyday

I worked in a bowling club on Sunday all day behind the bar and there were many a time when I only had time for a shower and a bit of breakkie before heading back to a bar LMAO.

slyder · December 26th, 2007, 06:54 PM

Depends on your perspective I guess. Working regular hours Monday to Friday is very important to me and something I've waited a long time to be able to have. Of course not everyone is the same, but I get pretty worked up on behalf of the people who used to work Mon - Fri and now have no choice but to work weekends. I'm thinking of career retail workers who can't just pick up another job easily.

**Trillian** · December 26th, 2007, 06:57 PM

It wouldn't be too bad if you had other days off though. For 10mths my DH worked a 13 day fortnight and it damn neared killed him mentally it was that draining for him, not to mention I felt like a single mother and the kids never saw him as he was gone before they woke and was home after they were in bed - so that sucked big time.

**Phteven** · December 26th, 2007, 07:24 PM

Yeah a 13 day fortnight is really a really big ask especially when the days are long and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. We all need time off.
I guess we're all different but I don't see why it's important that the days you have off are saturady and sunday.
Obviously for Jewish workers it's important that they don't work on the sabbath and there are Christians who aren't comfortable working on Sundays and Muslims who like to have Fridays off so they can go to Friday prayer but the great thing about a multi-cultural work force working a week of 7 days is that all these wishes can be accommodated.

ETA - the thing that bugs me is when companies want to remove penalty rates for working on public holidays, at night etc.

**Patooties** · December 26th, 2007, 07:55 PM

Bath I remember a time when the shops were only open until 12pm on a Saturday!! There was one shop which was 45 minutes away , that stayed open until 4pm, and that was a real treat.
I have to admit that i love being able to drop in at the shops any time on the weekend, but i do understand what Bath is saying also.

**visitor2** · December 26th, 2007, 08:01 PM

I hope the shops do open on a Sunday here in WA. I'm not sure about banks being open on a Sunday and not all are open here on a Saturday.
It was strange moving from the UK were supermarkets opened 8am on a Monday and closed 10pm on a Saturday and then opened again on a Sunday 10 till 4pm. I worked in one of the largest supermarkets and we didn't have to work a Sunday but when we did we would get double pay they would employ youngsters to work the weekends.

When we moved to Adelaide we got used to shops opening early our local Coles opened at 7am and stayed open late most of the week so it was a shock when we moved to WA and the supermarket didn't open till 8am and closed at 5pm.