Shopping

I left shop work 18: years ago as I wasn’t at home much over the festive period and had younger children never regretted it. My friend retired before Christmas and Said it was the first Boxing Day she had spent with her husband in ten years. She had Worked in retail for thirty years.

I agree, absolutely no one has to go shopping in Boxing Day.

I can’t actually think of anything worse than going shopping on Boxing Day

My daughter had her first boxing day at home for 4yrs as it fell on her day off.

Shops will only open if they have customers! So IF everyone boycotts Boxing Day then it will not be worth opening. But all shops have to agree!

Problem is competition: Now there are many muslim owned shops that will open on Christmas Day even. And ...t.b.h. they do seem to get a fair amount of trade with people 'forgetting' basics not to mention the main meal! I've even done it myself... arrrah...not enough milk ...I know where to get it! In the past it all came from the milkman, double quantities on Christmas Eve.

Years ago this NEVER happened. No shops available so you simply HAD to remember everything for 2 days.

Times have changed and I doubt they will ever revert t.b.h. If you don't make hay while the sun shines and all that.

Mind you I DO remember when Christmas Day wasn't even a holiday (in Scotland) SO, maybe things have improved in some ways if not others?

Oooh but thinking about it? Wasn’t there ALWAYS Boxing Day sales? So guess it isn’t anything new?

My DIL & youngest GD both work for one of the supermarket chains albeit at different stores in the town. The only day they had off together with my son and eldest GD was Christmas day. GD is only 18 and still at school and is given no choice in the matter of what days she has off - both she and her mum are on new contracts and are just told you are working tomorrow with no leeway at all. My DIL has worked there for many years but even she has had to comply. It's made things very difficult family wise as they are two hours away and my other son is here from abroad so we had hoped we'd be able to all get together but it was't possible. In the end eldest son came up on the day GD had off with his other daughter and her fiancé (who was also working but finished early) on the spur of the moment so we had a nice evening together but minus my DIL.

I worked in retail most of my life. The only way I could get Boxing Day off was to swap with someone who had to work New Years Day which I wasn't so bothered about as I'd rather spend Christmas with my family.

Yes, two of ours have retail careers. It wrecks family life. On a personal level I refuse to shop on a Sunday or any bank holiday, my own personal protest.

But again...thinking about it! LOTS of careers don't get either days off do they? For years I was worked 9-5 office and had Christmas Day and Boxing Day off. Automatic given. Now (I've 'retired' lol) I work in the care industry and it is 24/7 52 weeks of the year! Nurses, Doctors, Fire, Ambulance etc ...non of them get automatic time off either do they?

It’s bad enough that the shops open on Boxing Day so that retail staff only get Christmas Day off, but a friend of mine was telling me that her DD had to be at work for 5 am as the sales started at 6 am and the staff had to prepare before doors opened. That seems completely unreasonable. Even if there is demand to have Boxing Day sales, surely absolutely no-one needs to be shopping at 6 am in the morning, causing the poor staff to be unable to even participate fully in celebrating Christmas Day.

I agree its unreasonable to open at 6am for a sale and I think fewer people are interested in the sales nowadays.
Lots of people have to work over Christmas, hospitality, health care etc.

Funny you should raise this. I think more people are feeling the same. I did a very quick shop on Sunday for the third time since it became an option. I was surprised at how busy it was.

All this talk about mental well being and there I was remembering how Sundays and bank holidays were for church, visiting others and gardening. The good old days? A luxury few give themselves nowadays?