Why do most shops open 9 till 5

Soldato
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Southampton
Longer opening hours and shifts seven days a week could become the norm to maintain social distancing, however, some outdoor jobs are simply not practical or safe to do after dark.

In many ways it would make sense to maintain static shift patterns, so you are only likely to meet the same people, with the exception of circumstances such as annual leave.
 
Soldato
OP
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Guernsey
Shops open 9 til 5 is because they also open weekends and late on Thursdays. If you work 9 til 5 you can go on a Thursday or the weekend. A lot of their weekday customers will be students or people who are on their lunch breaks, tourists, etc. There is no need for them to open late every day.
Here shops don't open late on a Thursday some even close on a Thursday or Thursday afternoon

Closing or not working Thursday is an old Tradition here that some shops and work places still do
(same as my last job 11 years ago we didn't work Thursday afternoons)

For Example
MILLARD & CO LTD
9-11 VICTORIA ROAD
ST PETER PORT
GUERNSEY
GY1 1HU


OPENING HOURS:
Mon - Fri: 8.30am - 5.30pm
Saturday: 8.30am - 4.00pm
Sunday AND Thursday: CLOSED
Model & Toy Shop

Opening Hours

Mon: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Tue: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Wed: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Thu: 9:30 am – 1:00 pm
Fri: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Sat: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Sun: Closed
 
Last edited:
Soldato
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5,392
Must be an English thing... :p
I love our true 24hour supermarkets, shops that are open from 0900/1000 and don't close till anywhere between 2000 and 2200. Late night opening once a week (infact do they still do this?) and late night opening on the run up to christmas.

I remember going to England one sunday for a collection, totally forgetting about different trading hours and only googling nearby places to buy a sandwich/dinner, everywhere was shut.


edit: just googled to educate myself. The out of town shopping area is late opening while city centre shop (just picked Next as a one off) still closed at 1830 and the late night Thursday is 1900. No wonder the traditional high street is also dieing
 
Soldato
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No wonder the traditional high street is also dieing
Yes the amount of times i order online in the evening after work is unreal...No shops are open so it far more easy to just order online..

But there lots of stuff i don't what to order online like Beds, Large TV's, Garden stuff, etc but the shops are already closed when i finish work :( Same as i want to buy 2 new PC cases but all my local computer shops are closed when i finish work..
 
Soldato
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Why should shop workers work more hours on a Sunday to please 9-5 mon-fri workers? Why don't you change your hours so you can get to the shop on a sensible time/day instead?
 
Associate
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Derby
Why should shop workers work more hours on a Sunday to please 9-5 mon-fri workers? Why don't you change your hours so you can get to the shop on a sensible time/day instead?

Perhaps because shop workers will be the ones made redundant when the likes of 9-5 works choose to shop online due to being able to buy things when they get home? Shops are the ones who need to change to suit customers otherwise we’ll shop online more because it’s a lot more convenient
 
Soldato
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Perhaps because shop workers will be the ones made redundant when the likes of 9-5 works choose to shop online due to being able to buy things when they get home? Shops are the ones who need to change to suit customers otherwise we’ll shop online more because it’s a lot more convenient

The Tory Toffs already tried to reverse the Sunday trading laws a couple of years ago and it got voted down. Longer Sunday trading is not coming anytime soon.
 
Soldato
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The Tory Toffs already tried to reverse the Sunday trading laws a couple of years ago and it got voted down. Longer Sunday trading is not coming anytime soon.
Which is crazy really when there's no similar restriction for Amazon warehouse/delivery drivers
 
Caporegime
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Cornwall
edit: just googled to educate myself. The out of town shopping area is late opening while city centre shop (just picked Next as a one off) still closed at 1830 and the late night Thursday is 1900. No wonder the traditional high street is also dieing
The high street is only good for giving and receiving Covid 19 these days. I never liked bumping into people in crowded stores at the best of times.

Online is far easier/less stress and mostly cheaper too.
 
Man of Honour
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London
Why should shop workers work more hours on a Sunday to please 9-5 mon-fri workers? Why don't you change your hours so you can get to the shop on a sensible time/day instead?

Without wishing to start anything, maybe some shop workers work on Sundays and Bank Holidays for extra pay and possibly days off in lieu, and yes, I’m aware that a lot of big stores pay the same rate no matter which day you work.
When I was driving an oil tanker for a living, we had the option of double time and a day in lieu for working a Bank Holiday, or triple time and no day off.
I worked every Bank Holiday that I was offered, I reasoned that I’d have a day off when the trains and roads were empty, and enjoy a day in maybe York or Winchester, rather than go on a Bank Holiday, when interesting cities were rammo.
 
Soldato
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M28
Simples :)

Workin' 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin'
Barely gettin' by, it's all takin' and no givin'
They just use your mind and they never give you credit
It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it
9 to 5, for service and devotion
You would think that I would deserve a fat promotion
Want to move ahead but the boss won't seem to let me
I swear sometimes that man is out to get me!
 
Soldato
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I'm going to get flamed for this but if you don't have kids, sat/sun are just normal days anyway. Surely workers without kids can do those days:p. I say this as a mon-fri worker (not retail) with kids:D. The bank one is what annoys me most, as Santander don't have the option to scan in cheques (unless I missed it).
 
Pet Northerner
Don
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I'm going to get flamed for this but if you don't have kids, sat/sun are just normal days anyway. Surely workers without kids can do those days:p. I say this as a mon-fri worker (not retail) with kids:D. The bank one is what annoys me most, as Santander don't have the option to scan in cheques (unless I missed it).

Does the satander app not yet you deposit with your phone? I know lloyds / Halifax do.
 
Permabanned
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Longer opening hours might mean jobs created for extra work surely?

Someone does 8 - 2 then 2-8 something like that? Shops may make a lot more money as they opening an extra 6 hours where people who can’t go because they at work.

Dunno just thinking out loud here.
 
Soldato
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The busiest points of the day are 10am to 1pm and then again 4pm to 6pm. A shop won't generally loose much by closing at 6:30 or 7pm.

Also, the problem ordering online... why the hell to delivery companies work 9 to 5?!? It costs extra to get a Saturday delivery and Sunday often isn't even an option!?
 
Caporegime
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The only time you'll find me in a shop on a weekday is before 9am. Anything after that makes me want to stab a dolphin with a kitten. I find the vast majority of people in shops on weekdays to be so far removed from the work life that they're happy to spend three hours in a Tesco just blocking aisles and dithering around getting in the way.
 
Soldato
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I'm going to get flamed for this but if you don't have kids, sat/sun are just normal days anyway. Surely workers without kids can do those days:p. I say this as a mon-fri worker (not retail) with kids:D. The bank one is what annoys me most, as Santander don't have the option to scan in cheques (unless I missed it).

No flaming necessary it's a perfectly valid point. I had my first job working in retail when i was 16 and on Saturday/Sundays the majority of people working were young/single/no-family. In fact the contract i had was for working saturday/sunday and one evening of a week, because like most people of my age back then they were at college during the week. This meant those who were older or had families typically worked during the week. I think most probably did one weekend a month.

Longer opening hours might mean jobs created for extra work surely?

Someone does 8 - 2 then 2-8 something like that? Shops may make a lot more money as they opening an extra 6 hours where people who can’t go because they at work.

Dunno just thinking out loud here.

Yep, especially at the moment with mass employment affecting the young more than any other age category, the typical argument against abolishing Sunday Trading Laws is that you've got workers who want to spend time with their families. Which is perfectly fine, you've got a huge pool of youngsters who want to work , so let them cover the weekend shifts.

why the hell to delivery companies work 9 to 5?!? It costs extra to get a Saturday delivery and Sunday often isn't even an option!?

Do they? I've had plenty of parcels delivered after 5pm, i'm pretty certain Amazon's couriers work until 9pm/10pm.
 
Permabanned
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Maybe just maybe it might be feasible for companies to open outside of core hours. Create some extra jobs and economy might go back into recovery once the virus slows down.

I’ve just had a push notification from news that the government is now back tracking and telling people to work from home again and not to go into work.

haven’t thought about the downsides of it though I don’t think I can actually see any.

Do they? I've had plenty of parcels delivered after 5pm, i'm pretty certain Amazon's couriers work until 9pm/10pm.

They do some delivery companies. I have had delivers at night before.
 
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