Do shops really need to open on Boxing Day?

No, they do not - give families time to spend together at Christmas- I'd go one further and add Xmas Eve as a day off too.

It's all very well to say that we don't need the shops on Boxing Day, but the shops need us. All that will happen if this closure is forced on shops is that everyone will spend their money in on-line shops and sales, another nail in the coffin for town shops and stores.

And not everyone has a family - or at least, not one they want to spend time with! Some people actually volunteer to work the late shift on Christmas Eve, and on Boxing day.

I love Boxing Day. All the hard work is over. The guests are still here and there's time to enjoy them. Turkey sandwiches. Play board games. Just relax. I never ever go shopping on Boxing Day. I'm all shopped out by then.

shandi- honestly ! Do people really have to shop 24/7/365!

Only in the USA ... and the UK...

I confess I have shopped on Boxing Day in my younger days. With grown up children and no visitors Boxing Day was borig. Now I'm more than happy to just vegitate.
I also think retail workers deserve the day off. I know lots of people have to work over Christmas. Shop assistants don't !

Food retail can give staff little choice, especially at management level. Once again one family member will be in his store until at least 8pm on Christmas Eve and be required to be back again by 7 am on Boxing Day as changes need to be in place before opening. There's also the risk of a call out on Christmas Day if a fridge or freezer malfunctions or there is an attempt at a break in. All have happened more than once. Christmas itself follows on from extended opening hours with no increase in staff to cover. Does he like Christmas? What do you think? Hopefully not all food retailers operate in the same way.

I think shops should close on Boxing Day. We don't need to shop then and shop staff should get a chance to spend more time with their families.

we never had several days off at Xmas due to OH's job - but we all understood that was partof the job in the health service and essential - no-one needs to shop 364 days a year

I never go shopping on Boxing Day. I don't think giving shop workers an extra day off is going to cause shops to go out of business.

You are correct Shandi if the shops closed, then all business would go to online stores.Independent shops in particular need shoppers on the Hight St and Boxing Day is big business for them. I rarely go to the Sales, but know lots of people who enjoy this day.We cannot force others to do what we ourselves don't like.

granjura, you misunderstand what I am saying. I'm speaking as someone who worked in retail for over 30 years and I was outraged when shops first opened on Bank Holidays.

However, it's a fact of modern life that some folk can't wait to spend money and buy things and if they can't go out to the shops and buy then they will spend their money on-line. Sadly, the stores and shops rely on Boxing Day as one of their big money earning days, to take it away from them is just giving on-line stores another unfair advantage.

And potentially putting retail staff out of work.

I think everything should be closed on Boxing Day. Sales started the day after Boxing Day for many years .

If the thought is that online sales would damage high street stores , I disagree. Most stores have an online and high street anyway. As it is I think it's hard not to believe that over time more and more shopping will be done online anyway.

My husband worked shifts as an essential services for over 40 years and we had many a disrupted Christmas . Even now he would tell you how much he missed by having to work. Seems to me we should be considering families not sales.

If people WANT to work that's a different matter .

Well, they wouldn't be able to work if everything was closed, would they?

Just as a matter of interest Boxing Day has been a BH since 1871 and New Years Day since 1974. I can remember my dad going to work with a hangover before then on 1 Jan.

i was just saying Ana there are two options. One is to have all the stores closed. Or the other is to staff with people who WANT to work for whatever reason.

Most shops are horrendously busy in the run up to Christmas. The least they could do is give people two days off.

The fact is we do have 365 day 24/7 shopping , it's called the internet. Warehouses are open to distribute the goods purchased on the internet like wise.

This is a catch 22 question similar to the Sunday extended opening hours.

The fact is our high streets are suffering from internet sales and the opportunity to 'sofa shop'. They are not in a position to turn trade away, especially on one of their profitable trading days.

We are now living in a 24/7 culture. Whether individuals like it or not, or would personally choose to shop on Boxing Day is not the point.

Retail is a competitive market, no different to other businesses in the Service Sector such as pubs and restaurants, taxis's, Airports, Petrol Stations, Motorway Services etc. etc. etc. Where do you draw the line.?

We as a family and extended family for the most part have /had employment that requires/required 24/7 working conditions and it is something you accept when taking on the job so I am not saying 'do as I say' not 'do as I do'.

That is right POGS, whether we like it or not things have changed. Maybe we should look at the whole issue of Bank Holidays which do cause all sorts of problems.

Well as said, this is very much the case for the USA and UK.

Here in SWitzerland, all is closed on Sundays - and exactly the same in local French towns. People are used to it, accept it - and do family things, sport, outings, on a Sunday- finihs early on 24th to celebrate Christmas and no-one works on the day after, the 25th. Perhaps too late to turn the clocks back in USA and UK - sad.

It's called St. Stephen's Day here in rural Ireland and apart from the odd petrol station and supermarket, nothing much is open between Xmas day and 2nd January. The towns are deserted.

Much more civilised, granjura.

Granjura

'Here in SWitzerland, all is closed on Sundays - and exactly the same in local French towns.'.

'no-one works on the day after, the 25th.'

Are you saying in the whole of Switzerland and local. French Towns there is categorically no service industry provision , not even a restaurant?

I didn't know that.

I wonder what the difference is between the internet shopping habits of the Swiss and the UK public. Does Amazon for example have many, if any warehouses in Switzerland?