Nothing is open on Sunday

[PAK-9]

The city of Preston (Lancs, North of England) is DEAD on Sundays... absolutely N-O-T-H-I-N-G is open. I swear if I was starving to death and I had to buy something to eat or perish I would die in my search for nourishment.

I have nothing else to say, it just bugs me every damn Sunday when I want to go and buy food or drink or anything and I cant. Its totally different in Slough (Berks, South of England) where my parents live, everything is open on Sundays, why cant it be like that here?

I dont know if any other forum members from countries with similarly backwards traditions of not opening on Sunday feel the same.

[Mr Jones]

Fucking hell, get with the times, Sunday opening, or not opening in this case, hasn't been seen around these parts for about 10 years, in fact Sundays are just about the only day I'll venture into the town centre, mainly becuase...
1)People are busy being lazy at home on a sunday
2)People do that church thing on a sunday
3)People wrongly assume that nothing is open on a sunday.

In fact, just setting off in a few minutes for some lunch in town.

[fwgx]

Just going to try find a pub lunch in a few mins. I don't think I've ever been into Cardiff properly on a Sunday. I don't think it's totally dead though.

[ElChevelle]

Two words:
Plan ahead.

Liquor stores are closed here on Sundays.
What do I do?

PLAN AHEAD!

[fookknot]

Lots of things around here are closed on Sundays as well, but there's still tons of things that are open. Today, my mom and I are going to go look at surround sound systems since she's thinking about buying a new one for her house. I guess, if we can't find what we're looking for, we can always order online. :)

But yeah, I know what you mean. I wanted to go down to the Suzuki dealership last Sunday to look at their bikes, but alas, they were closed.

[ujay]

Don't think I've ever been past our kebab shop and it was closed.
There once used to be all these arcane Sunday Trading laws, where it was illegal to sell a bible but alright to sell a pack of playing cards, and you could sell fresh peaches but not tinned ones etc.

UJ

[dlinkwit27]

wtf. do you people not have walmart? Here in the US, if you wanna have a business, you pretty much have to be open on the weekend, at least on saturday. My g/f and I are going to get me a tux later as a matter of fact.

[Mr Jones]

The UK had, until recently, very arcane Sunday trading laws, Sunday was seen as a day or rest and worship so most of the shops were closed, those laws have been relaxed in recent years,1994 I think, although certain parts of the country still adhere to Sunday trading laws.

UK Sunday trading laws explained.
http://www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/facts/sunday.htm

Sunday trading act 1994
http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1994/Ukpga_19940020_en_1.htm

[WomanOfHeart]

It's Sunday, and I seriously doubt that there's a whole lot open here in Denver. Of course, that's because it's snowing like crazy! Such is life. Makes for a good excuse to spend the day with my friend who's trapped in my apartment for the day.

[Wildrose-Wally]

It's ok for the shopper if stores are open on Sundays, but for the worker it's often a different story.

I used to have to work on sundays, my days of could be whatever the employer decided. Now I have a different employer and all weekends off.

I prefer it this way. :)

[ElChevelle]

Originally posted by WomanOfHeart
It's Sunday, and I seriously doubt that there's a whole lot open here in Denver. Of course, that's because it's snowing like crazy! Such is life. Makes for a good excuse to spend the day with my friend who's trapped in my apartment for the day.

Just about every highway's closed in and out of Denver too.
Springtime in Colorado, gotta love it!

[Wolfgang]

cool. I wish it snowed in London a bit more than 1 cm once a year. In London at least you can always find a newsagent's open, they're all over the place.

[PAK-9]

I think the problem is tradition, because as Jones says there used to be laws about trading on Sunday, they're pretty much gone now but people are still used to closing on Sunday and they haven't bothered changing

[zootm]

I dunno about England, but it's illegal to sell alchohol until the early afternoon in Scotland on a Sunday, as well. I think it used to be (within my lifetime, if I'm right within a significant portion of my lifetime) the whole day.

[Mr Jones]

Originally posted by PAK-9
I think the problem is tradition, because as Jones says there used to be laws about trading on Sunday, they're pretty much gone now but people are still used to closing on Sunday and they haven't bothered changing

Just to compound that, and I don't know if this is just local to where I live in the UK, but there also used to be the 'half day closing' thing on a Wednesday afternoons, nothing in law it was just a 'thing that was always done', going back years and years, it's pretty much dead and buried now, however the town I work in is still very set in it's way's and you do still find the occasional shop that follows the 'half day on a wednesday' rule, amazing but true, up until a few years ago the post office was always shut, the chemist was always shut, the newsagents was shut, totaly nuts.

Now I think there are just two shops that follow this.

[fwgx]

Originally posted by Mr Jones
the post office was always shut The stupid Saturday opening times of the Post Office got me this week. I went there to get some parcel tape to pack a parcel, go home and wrap it. Go back and it's fecking shut. It was only like 12:30! For someone like me who goes the PO about 3 times a year, this is really annoying.

[ujay]

I remember half day closing well Mr Jones. It did vary from town to town but almost always a Wednesday or a Thursday. Butchers always shut on Mondays as everyone used up the remains of the Sunday Roast and didn't buy meat until the Tuesday.
I think it largly came about because everything was still on rationing after the war and there were just fewer goods on sale and very little competition. It started to die out in the Sixties with 'You never had it so good' and the rise of supermarkets.

The Post Office was almost an arm of the Civil Service originally and is incredibly resistent to change.

UJ

[xzxzzx]

*gets back from Wal-mart at 11:30PM Sunday*

:p

Most stores here are open on Sundays. Most of the Wal-marts near me (yes, there are more than one - 5 that are within a few miles) are open 24/7. Florida has some laws on liquor, I think. Can't sell liquor before 2PM on Sunday, I believe... I've never had to find out.

The only commonly used thing that's closed on Sundays is the post office - although there is one by the airport (15-20 minute drive) that's open 24/7.

I wish I were still in LA, though. I had a bank that didn't close until 9PM, and was open Saturday and Sunday. Plus, Fry's (enormous electronics/computer store) was open pretty late every day. Many fast food joints were open 24 hours, too...

[Wolfgang]

That's really good. Must be one of the countries where things stay open the longest in the world. Banks shut ridiculously early in the UK.

[izchan]

Malaysia .. open 24x7 .. the country never sleeps.

[Scar Da Kookee]

Yeah! I'm down here in Pensacola FL for my "a" school

and on weekends... NOTHING
ABSOLUTLEY FUCKINGNOTHING

I'm lucky that the mall opens, at when you ask? IN THE AFTERNOON
if anything opened at all... >.>

fucking southern rules and or laws... Screw florida. I mean, i like the weather, but fuck, I'd rather live in new york if i want to get any fucking thing done on the weekend....

[izchan]

it does suck to not be able to do anything in the weekends.

[MazaTheDog]

We have stores that work 3.4285714285714285714285714285714 here too :)

[Wolfgang]

what? Is that a borked version of pi?

[fish]

I'm guessing 24 divided by 7- 24/7

[xzxzzx]

Originally posted by Kookee
Yeah! I'm down here in Pensacola FL for my "a" school

and on weekends... NOTHING
ABSOLUTLEY FUCKINGNOTHING

I'm lucky that the mall opens, at when you ask? IN THE AFTERNOON
if anything opened at all... >.>

fucking southern rules and or laws... Screw florida. I mean, i like the weather, but fuck, I'd rather live in new york if i want to get any fucking thing done on the weekend.... You LIKE the weather? What the fuck?