Should big shops open on St Stephen's Day for the sales?

road_high

I thought this had fizzled out a bit after covid but it seems some of the major retailers are pushing it regardless. Absolutely no need for it at all.

Idbatterim

They should definitely be closed on the 26th. Selling useless crap to many people who will be struggling financially in the new year...

appledrop

https://www.irishtimes.com/your-money/2023/12/26/arnotts-saves-christmas-by-honouring-massive-st-stephens-day-discounts/

This says it all.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121537767#Comment_121537767

And other ways to shop to.

Retail workers should get a choice. Either two days before and one day after Christmas off or one day before and two days after. They coukd decide as a group in stores which they want to do it maybe have a vote and if the shop is big enough to have rotating staff then half and half. So some get two days off before Christmas day and some after. They could take turns each year.

GSBellew

Vote with you feet, if people do not bother going in the shops will not bother opening, sad thing is that it is only a matter of time until more shops open on Christmas day too.

SEPT 23 1989

I have never witnessed so much pushing in the media for retail this Christmas

anyone else notice this?

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121539575#Comment_121539575

Well that's it.

I remember in the 90's when I was working in the local supermarket part-time, being asked did I not hate working on a Sunday? She went on to tell me that was one of the reasons she studied to be a pharmacist was chemists don't open on a Sunday (uh-huh)

The lack of self awareness was baffling....the supermarket wouldn't be open if the likes of her weren't in doing a shop.

As for me I was on double time so I was happy.

The big stores have plenty of staff and hire extra specifically to cover Christmas. You'll find the normal full-time staff will have days off over the period. It's the part-time staff that are in.....most of them will be let go mid January, so they'll be happy enough working all the hours they can.

The retail staff to feel sorry for are the small convenience store and garage staff....as usually they only have a skeleton staff to begin with.

blackbox

Someone spare a thought for the customers who have to give up their day off to make it worthwhile for the shop assistants to go in.

Jinglejangle69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121537756#Comment_121537756

You do realise we now live in a multicultural country where a lot of people don’t believe or celebrate Christmas?

Very naive and small minded of you to assume everyone loves Christmas or believes in it. To a lot it’s just another day to earn some money. Nothing at all wrong with that.

Times have changed and so has Ireland has along with it.

Seve OB

I’d ban them from opening Sundays also.

JVince

Absolutely shocking Joe, "forced" to work.

There should be a rule that no domestic violence takes place at Christmas, no drug gang murders or children being abused.

2nd Worst of all is people getting sick - how dare they. And worst of all is those already sick.

FFS, why can't gardai, help line staff, medical staff, emergency staff etc etc etc not have "family" time and have all these snowflakes begging for retail staff to have a week off.

It's not fair Joe. Not fair.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121539626#Comment_121539626

I got a better idea. Why don't you just go live in France or other European countries where they are closed as you like. There is nothing wrong with them being open on a Sunday. Besides as a poster above said they get double pay on a Sunday. You swear the day was special or something. Its just another day and to some it's probably the only day they wlll get to do their shop or go for some entertainment.

lbunnae

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058328385/should-big-shops-open-on-st-stephens-day-for-the-sales

Nanny state bolix, wouldn’t be my preference to shop on Stephen’s day , I hate shopping , but you have a business wanting to open, people willing to work for extra pay and shoppers willing to buy. What’s the problem? Because you don’t fancy it you think it should be made illegal. That is more pathetic.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121539497#Comment_121539497

Many jobs do not get double pay for a Sunday.

whisky_galore

I'm working over Xmas, couldn't give 2 fcuks about the hype and would gladly work it and take hols when the weather isnt shìte. Not everyone cares about a Hallmark Channel Xmas.

Ezeoul

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121539624#Comment_121539624

I didn't say shops should remain closed because of people "loving or believing" in Christmas.

I don't care who celebrates it or who doesn't.

I gave my opinion on sales being delayed for one day until the 27th, to allow for a proper two day break after a very busy time in the retail sector.

So take your ad hominem attack and stuff it up the turkey. 🦃

Merry Christmas.

lbunnae

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121539856#Comment_121539856

They legally have to get something , same as Bhs, mula or time in lieu

Greyfox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121540767#Comment_121540767

Sunday is just counted as a standard working day for some people, nothing extra. I personally think any owner who opens a big store on Stephens day are ar**holes and the people who shop their on Stephens day are also ar**holes.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121540547#Comment_121540547

Why, though?

Lots of the extra staff who are hired for the Christmas season are happy to work as many hours as they can get.

Sure, YOU like to have a rest and a family holiday. But some people don't, and don't appreciate being forced to not work at Christmas.

Dr Bob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121540767#Comment_121540767

might have changed in the last 20 years or so ..

I worked retail in the mid 90s for a few years , and it was just time in lieu (basically you were expected to work one weekend day and take one weekday off for most of the year , and getting close to Christmas it was two weekend days with TIL in the new year if I remember rightly.)

teediddlyeye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121541142#Comment_121541142

Those people are sad cases imo

Dr Bob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121539309#Comment_121539309

That pretty much sums up the shite I dealt with when I worked for a shop (similar to Arnotts) , management/marketing would come up with a 'deal' but half ass it and not alert staff (and not organise things like checking to see if the 'doorbuster' actually was available in any branches) . Then said management are on leave obviously over Christmas as of course they get the week off, and uncontactable. Staff are left to take flak from irate "I know my rights"* customers , so usually a manager eventually takes the hit and reduces similar items in price for said customers . And is then bollocked out of it a few days later when asked to explain why money was lost .

(*generally it boils down to ,very very roughly if a store makes an offer deliberately and doesn't cover themselves with a (1 per branch/may not be available in all branches etc dine print ), then they're expected to provide the deal , or a similar deal .If its a case of a provable mistake (i.e. staff member misprices something , or a verifiable misprint in an ad) they dont have to , but theres a good chance they'll honour the deal as an act of goodwill .Most customers are reasonable , but you get the occasional arsehole who'll argue a lot . I one had to deal with a guy who refused to accept a smudged 1 on a 10.99 video game price sticker , and demanded he be given it for 99 pence, much ranting ensued . My manager at the time ended up stepping in , and giving him the deal on the proviso he never return to the store , later the manager told me he knew the guy from his golf club and that " he was the prick who blackballed every new member that applied there")

HazeDoll

I worked a Christmas day years ago, and I've worked a couple of Steven's days, St Patrick days etc. It never bothered me. The day always flew and I always got at least time and a half. There was usually craic after work too.

Now I get two weeks off at Christmas and it's bloody brilliant, but in my misspent youth I was happy enough to go into work on those days. People who are far from home, struggling to pay bills, trying to avoid temptations like booze or just lonely might also be glad of the distraction of a busy day at work.

I have no interest in going shopping but I'm not going to condemn anybody who has.

Greyfox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121541142#Comment_121541142

The fact of the matter is many people are forced into working Stephens day, they don't have a choice, they also usually have to start work at stupid o'clock.

Larbre34

The following should apply, by law.

All stores and hospitality should be closed on Christmas Day, with the exception of small convenience stores and petrol stations, which may open for no longer than 2 consecutive hours at any time of that day, with a mandatory pay rate of quadruple time, for anyone rostered to work. There will be no off-licence sales.

All stores should be closed on St Stephen's day, with the exception of the above retail types, which may open for 4 consecutive hours, subject to all the same conditions. There will be no off-licence sales.

Hospitality on St Stephen's Day, should be able to open from 3pm to 11pm, if desired, subject to quadruple time for all staff rostered. Again, there will be no off-sales.

If Christmas Day and/or St. Stephen's Day fall on a weekend day, the consequent public holiday on the following Monday or Tuesday, should see restricted trade, with all retail restricted to 12 Midday to 6pm, and hospitality subject to St Stephen's Day restrictions, as above.

Further, Easter Sunday should follow St. Stephen's Day rules and new Sunday trading, throughout the year, should restrict ALL retail to 12-6pm and eat-in and licenced hospitality from Midday to 11pm only. There should be no off-licence sales at all, on any Sunday.

Pharmacies will be exempt from all of the above and may open subject to usual local cover arrangements.

People are the most important resource in our economy, the law does not protect working time, or leave entitlements rigorously enough, especially when it comes to migrant service workers.

And so, the least society and the government CAN do, is ensure two brief breaks from labour in a long year. I wouldn't be inclined to accept any argument from retailers about tying their hands, as many European countries don't permit Sunday or Christmas trading at all, and people easily adjust to buy what they need, for the other 310-360 days in the year that they are available.

antimatterx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121537764#Comment_121537764

Supervalu are hungry bastards though.

HazeDoll

Lots of people aren't Christian, aren't big drinkers or don't like being stuck at home for days on end.

I think the drinking thing might be a bigger factor than people think. Christmas gatherings can be very tedious for non-drinkers.

Maybe if we hear from somebody who worked yesterday despite begging for the day off I might be sympathetic but my own experience was that it really wasn't so bad, no worse than any other weekend really, but with better pay.

I know a chap who puts in for a Christmas day shift every year and gets it. Then he tells his wife that the business owner wouldn't give him the day off. Usually he's pretty devoted to his wife and kids but he just can't face dealing with his wife's entire family for a full day.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121541343#Comment_121541343

So because you live your life according to a Judeao-Christian framework, every single Hindu convenience store owner, who already closed to celebrate Diwali a few weeks ago, should a have his business hours changed. Nice.

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121541343#Comment_121541343

The Minimum Unit Price law has sent millions of people from as far away as Cork up to the North for cheap alcohol. Your new laws would finish off retail in the South completely.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121541568#Comment_121541568

If anyone is sad enough to travel to the north on St. Stephen's Day to shop they're welcome to keep them.