Who's shopping today?

majiktripp

Just wondering , if anyone's planning to go to town today to do some sale shopping as a few stores seem to be open today (other half has to work as store open). Does anyone else think it's a bit early to be opening shops up and touting sales?

LadyMayBelle

Folks went out for a drive and said it's dead quiet around..and that TK Maxx is open. For me I feel St. Stephen's Day should be another lazy family one..heading for walk now and then another fine feed and more telly, visiting the boyfriend and his family later. It was only Christmas eve that people were stressing trying to buy presents and now they are back shopping again.

As for the poor staff who have to work it...it sucks. I worked in retail for years and it was always crap working St Stephen's day.

majiktripp

Went for a drive there, Curry's was open and very busy, a lot of people buying and a few returning items they didn't want I imagine. Passed the side of TK Maxx and thought it would be quiet but a lot of cars parked around so obviously busy enough as well.

WooPeeA

How about Tesco?

majiktripp

Was closed at around 1pm when I breezed through car park, however may have opened at 2pm but I don't know for sure.

NauP

Tesco closed today - open at 8:00 on 27th

GerardKeating

WooPeeA wrote: »

How about Tesco?

Tesco & Dunne's closed today.

LadyMayBelle

Joyces in Knocknacarra was crazy busy.

WooPeeA

Is there anything open in Renmore?

moimeme24

its not right that shops open today bar pharmacies maybe!!!

brianthebard

GerardKeating wrote: »

Tesco & Dunne's closed today.

That's quite surprising.

Fey!

I feel that that shops should have stayed closed today. Tkae next, for example; any of their staff living outside Galway would have had to cut Christmas Day with their families in half in order to make it back for work; add to that how dangerous the roads were last night.

GerardKeating

brianthebard wrote: »

That's quite surprising.

From memory, they never open Dec 26th...

Alessandra

Fey! wrote: »

I feel that that shops should have stayed closed today. Tkae next, for example; any of their staff living outside Galway would have had to cut Christmas Day with their families in half in order to make it back for work; add to that how dangerous the roads were last night.

+1
Worked in Next one year and had to travel back from home Christmas night for the St. Stephen's day sales:(

Wompa1

Fey! wrote: »

I feel that that shops should have stayed closed today. Tkae next, for example; any of their staff living outside Galway would have had to cut Christmas Day with their families in half in order to make it back for work; add to that how dangerous the roads were last night.

My sister had to leave at 1pm Christmas day to work Stephens day in Sligo. Not pleasent alright

_Whimsical_

Fey! wrote: »

I feel that that shops should have stayed closed today. Tkae next, for example; any of their staff living outside Galway would have had to cut Christmas Day with their families in half in order to make it back for work; add to that how dangerous the roads were last night.

On that basis alone I think people should boycott st stephens day sales. It will destroy the one day of the year that familes get to spend together.

Mrs OBumble

Wompa1 wrote: »

My sister had to leave at 1pm Christmas day to work Stephens day in Sligo. Not pleasent alright

Where did she travel via - Cork? :rolleyes:

Seriously folks, I know a lot of Irish people who're very pleased to tell me that the Irish have broken the church's stranglehold on the country, and that they personally are now atheist or Buddhist of whatever. Given this, you just can't expect Christian holidays to have the importance that they used to in the "good" ole days.

_Whimsical_

JustMary wrote: »

Where did she travel via - Cork? :rolleyes:

If you remember the weather was pretty awful. She'd have had to drive at a snails pace the whole way.It must've taken her hours.

JustMary wrote: »

Seriously folks, I know a lot of Irish people who're very pleased to tell me that the Irish have broken the church's stranglehold on the country, and that they personally are now atheist or Buddhist of whatever. Given this, you just can't expect Christian holidays to have the importance that they used to in the "good" ole days.

Christmas is no longer just a Christian holiday but that doesn't mean we want to make it a solely commercial holiday.For alot of people the true meaning of Christmas has become about spending time with your family and taking a few days out of the rat race.There's no other time to do that where everyone is free other than Christmas. Personally I don't really want to live in an Ireland where making money for UK chain stores and giving bored people an extra day in the year to paw through muck in TKMax takes precedence over people being able to spend that time with their families. We might not have many Christian values left as a society but we do have some values. We can live without shopping for 2 days of the year.

inisboffin

Yeah agreed, I don't care whether it is Solistice, Christmas, whatever..and whether it's 'blood' family or 'earth' family. It's the one time of the year where a lot of folks in 9-5s get the same time off, and a lot of people in non-traditional jobs plan that too. It's become to mean a time when you see a lot of people that you couldn't get to normally too. Plus you can eat as much as you want without guilt:p (see, not a bone of Catholicism left in me!):D

Mrs OBumble

chilly wrote: »

There's no other time to do that where everyone is free other than Christmas

Except for guards, nurses, doctors, nursing-home caregivers, radio and TV presenters and support staff, priests, petrol-station workers, security guards, some hotel/restaurant/hostel staff, homeless-shelter staff, undertakers, council staff (those gritting roads, for example), and goodness-knows-who-else I've forgotten. Even with skeleton staffing, there are still a fair few who have to work.

I fully support not shopping (and didn't shop myself on the 26th - or 27th for that matter!).

But I don't buy the line that it's all about one or two days. Not everyone has family to hang out with - or that they want to hang out with. OTOH, not everyone can see all their family in such a short timeframe. If a family wants to hang out together, it should be up to them to plan a time that suits their own religious/cultural festivals, not have it enforced by unrealistic social expectations.

And retailers aren't stupid: if no one shopped on the 26th, they wouldn't bother opening.