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Sunday trading outside the UK

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tony_mac

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Being a little rude/disrespectful yet liking the nice things Christianity brought us.
I don't believe in Roman Gods, does that mean I should be throwing my poop out of the nearest window?

Wednesday afternoon? Used to be the same here.
At some point, shops had to close one half day a week - the Shops (Early Closing Days) Act 1965 was only repealed in 1994. The actual day varied by locality - even different localities within the same built up area could have different days.

I remember some smaller supermarkets in France, particularly Intermarche, opening on Sunday morning - going back something like 10 years.

In Germany & Austria the railway stations are open on Sundays, but large stations will have usually have some sort of small supermarket as well as numerous other shops.
(e.g., in Berlin... https://www.einkaufsbahnhof.de/berlin-hauptbahnhof/lageplan/ )
 
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gordonthemoron

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Eastern Europe seems to have more shops open than western europe, also in Germany it varies by state; all large shops are shut but at least in Berlin there are a lot of little shops which operate 24/7.

In Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand shops are generally open the same hours all week including sunday
 

AlterEgo

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I see people who down tread on religion, but with that the Sunday trading hours should be eroded

Why?

OR accept we're from a Christian country and thus we should remember that and keep Sunday niceties.

What else should we keep in the name of Christianity? I assume we'd have to cherrypick, based on reason.

Artic Troll's post is exactly this. Being a little rude/disrespectful yet liking the nice things Christianity brought us.

Christianity didn't bring with it the concept of a day off and this is not a uniquely Christian concept.
 

Bromley boy

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OR accept we're from a Christian country and thus we should remember that and keep Sunday niceties.
Artic Troll's post is exactly this. Being a little rude/disrespectful yet liking the nice things Christianity brought us.

Both Christmas and Easter predate Christianity, originating as pagan festivals celebrating the winter solstice and spring equinox, which were appropriated by Christianity in the distant past.
 
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najaB

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Christianity didn't bring with it the concept of a day off and this is not a uniquely Christian concept.
Indeed, if anything keeping the Sabbath holy comes from Judaism so predates Christianity by a couple hundred years.
 

transmanche

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For many, having Christmas and Easter off is a right rather than remembering where it all stemmed from. Sunday trading is the same.
The concept of 'having Christmas off' is a relatively recent one.
  • Public transport used to operate on Christmas day: in London at least there was a limited bus and tube service until about 1980.
  • British Rail used to run a Sunday service on many routes on Christmas Day until the mid-1960s - some routes in Scotland lasting until the late-1970s.
  • Christmas Day only became a public holiday in Scotland in 1958. And Boxing Day only in 1974.
  • Royal Mail used to make Christmas Day deliveries until 1960.
  • There were Christmas day Football League matches until the late-1950s - in the 1920s these were some of the best-attended games of the season.
 

underbank

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Certainly in the more tourist-y coastal resorts throughout the med, including Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, there is usually at least one large supermarket open on Sunday, usually one of the more modern/larger "out of town" supermarkets and they're usually busy. At the other end of the scale, the smaller/convenience stores on virtually every street corner especially near beaches/hotels are also often open 7 days. It tends to be the "mid-sized" stores that close. We always go self-catering in a villa/complex with extended family and have never yet found nowhere to shop on a Sunday that's not within a 5/10 minute car drive.

I think it's good for the shop's trade as they've a "USP" - i.e. when we used to go to Paphos years ago, we always went to the same supermarket in the centre - in those days (10-20 years ago), we didn't expect Sunday opening. We've started going back the last few years and googled for one that opens Sunday - found one that was about a mile inland, so we tried it out - far bigger, far better range of goods, easier parking, so that's what we use all the time now, and havn't been to the central one since, regardless of what day it is. If the central one had opened on a Sunday, we'd be still using it and wouldn't have even known about the inland one. Same happened last year when we went to Sitges near Barcelona - used a central supermarket for the first few days, then noticed it was shut on Sunday, so googled for the Sunday opening one, which we again found was only half a mile further inland, but again, easier/free parking, far superior product range and cheaper. So it's not just the Sunday trade they benefit from, they get extra trade on other days once customers have experienced them.

I think 7 day trading is fast becoming the normal and Sunday closures will continue to get rarer and ultimately a thing of the past.
 

Tetchytyke

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Artic Troll's post is exactly this. Being a little rude/disrespectful yet liking the nice things Christianity brought us.

Easter and Christmas are ancient pagan festivals linked to the equinoxes. Ancient Rome had many of the same festivals in the same times of year. Christianity latched on to it when it developed in ancient Rome. The idea of Christmas as the birth of Jesus of settled down in the middle ages; no gospel states the date of birth. Indeed it is highly likely that no census actually took place in Judea at that time and that Jesus was probably born in about 6BC.

The Christian God is the exact same God as the Jewish God, but the Jewish one actually wants to be worshipped on a Saturday. Go figure.

A day off for everyone is lovely. It's only history that makes it a Sunday. In Jewish countries it's a Saturday and in Islamic countries it's a Friday.
 

najaB

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Indeed it is highly likely that no census actually took place in Judea at that time and that Jesus was probably born in about 6BC.
And, given that the shepherds were out watching their flocks in the fields, it is more likely that he was born in September than December.
 

whhistle

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Love how people suddenly become experts on religion..
Seen it before, will surely see it again. Next post.
 

47802

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The concept of 'having Christmas off' is a relatively recent one.
  • Public transport used to operate on Christmas day: in London at least there was a limited bus and tube service until about 1980.
  • British Rail used to run a Sunday service on many routes on Christmas Day until the mid-1960s - some routes in Scotland lasting until the late-1970s.
  • Christmas Day only became a public holiday in Scotland in 1958. And Boxing Day only in 1974.
  • Royal Mail used to make Christmas Day deliveries until 1960.
  • There were Christmas day Football League matches until the late-1950s - in the 1920s these were some of the best-attended games of the season.

But then less people had cars and were generally more reliant on public transport.
 

Tetchytyke

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Love how people suddenly become experts on religion..

Its amazing what a bit of theology study does.

As for disrespectful, I'm not going to respect anyone who tells me that I have to worship their sky fairy. Couldn't care less what they believe so long as they don't evangelize me. One of my best friends is a vicar.

But the real disrespect is the idea that we should all stop at home and do nothing because they want to worship that day. "Sunday is for worship" indeed.
 

northwichcat

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In some Spanish towns it seems everything (except churches) is closed on a Sunday morning but most places are open on Sunday afternoons and evenings. If you want to take some photos of a town minus people which isn't a major tourist hotspot, Sunday morning is as good as 5am on a weekday.
 

whhistle

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Its amazing what a bit of theology study does.

As for disrespectful, I'm not going to respect anyone who tells me that I have to worship their sky fairy. Couldn't care less what they believe so long as they don't evangelize me. One of my best friends is a vicar.
There you go again, it's like you can't help but be disrespectful, even though you can clearly see it offends some people... not a very nice person. But i guess that's how you get entertainment, a laugh or whatever.

I don't believe in certain things but wouldn't deam of offending people or putting them down because they do believe in it.

But "a bit of theology" is very selective.
Generally, unless people go through a whole course, they will do "a bit" of research into someting, pull out the bits they agree with / suits their point of view, then state those as fact without looking at other factors.

Don't feed the troll I suppose.
 

Tetchytyke

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I don't believe in certain things but wouldn't deam of offending people or putting them down because they do believe in it.

Read what I said again. I dont put people down for their beliefs, unless they try and impose their beliefs on me. Such as "Sunday should be for worship" (of my god, not yours). In which case, sod them.

As for your point, why should I have things imposed on me because you think "Britain is a Christian country" (it isn't, that's why the churches are empty) and therefore we should all stop at home on a Sunday? The fact you tried to claim Christians invented a winter solstice celebration is even more laughable.
 

najaB

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But "a bit of theology" is very selective.
Generally, unless people go through a whole course, they will do "a bit" of research into someting, pull out the bits they agree with / suits their point of view, then state those as fact without looking at other factors.
So, what statements do you disagree with? That Easter and Christmas broadly replicate earlier pagan festivals? That one day off a week is a feature of religions other than Christianity? Or that we live in a multicultural society and not everyone worships on the same day (or at all)?
 

heart-of-wessex

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Interesting reads about the Sunday trades. I noticed that the hotel I booked in Berlin someone on the reviews mentioned a Lidl or something nearby. Arriving at the airport at 1600, I can expect this to be closed? Only really want some food supplies for the night so better off getting something at the airport by the sounds of it
 
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Sundays on the whole don't bother me just the sunday surcharges you get hit with in Australia mainly in bars food places like pizza hut and Dominos.
My biggest pet hate is good friday and easter sunday murder for getting a pint especially inN Ireland made the mistake of going watching sport in Belfast and frankly the religious nonsense spouted by some bar staff was pathetic. (no alcohol before 1pm i think? nothing that resembles alcohol eg no energy drinks with ice as it looks like vodka red bull etc). Sydney is also a pain in the neck for getting a pint on good friday pubs shut at 10pm which is beyond a joke wouldn't mind but Sydney is probably not even a christian city any more with large jewish muslim indian islander and chinese communities its annoying they still have such backwards views with regards a social lifes and people that want to enjoy themselves
 

tony_mac

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Arriving at the airport at 1600, I can expect this to be closed?
Yes. If you can't find anything at the airport then some of the larger stations will have supermarkets open until 8 (and will likely be busy).

There are 8 Sundays a year when the shops do open, but I can't see any coming up.
 
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