Should shops shut on Boxing Day?
Totally agree, retail work is exhausting in the run-up to Christmas. Staff need more than one day to relax. Kim Day
A PETITION calling for a ban on Boxing Day shopping has divided Telegraph readers.
It has already attracted dozens of signatures, but not everyone is a fan.
Currently sitting on 290 signatures, the petition argues that retail workers deserve “some decent family time to relax and enjoy the festivities like everyone else.”
Here is the best of the best from our social media pages and comment section: Kerry Pepper: “In an ideal world yes it would be nice, but so many people have to work all over Christmas. At least retail staff get Christmas Day off; carers nurses, doctors emergency services don’t.” Dee Cammack: “Boxing Day used to be a day to recover, spend time with family and get out in the fresh air, perhaps a country visit. Why do we need to shop to buy more stuff which we probably don’t really need?”
Barbara Magee: “Shops should be closed on Boxing Day. Give the staff a extra day.”
Suzy Lea: “What about people who work in restaurants? We are open 365 days a year. I’ve lost count of the number of people that ask me every Christmas Day have I had my Christmas dinner yet. My family have had to wait for me to finish work to have their dinner for years. Yes, it’s my choice to work in a restaurant. People are told in interview process that they will be expected to work over the Christmas period so the fact they are open on Boxing Day wouldn’t come as a shock. If they didn’t want to work in that type of industry, then should have thought about that before accepting the job in the first place.” Steve Mckernan: “Nobody shops in Coventry anyway so it really can’t pay to keep the shops staffed in any case. The approval of out-of-town shopping centres merely paved the way for all the student lets.
“I went into the town at 8pm last night and it felt deserted. Well done Coventry City Council. You’ve managed to do what other’s couldn’t. You’ve totally destroyed the heart of a once great city.” Ian Fraser: “There will always be people working over holiday periods, even Christmas, and it’s not only store people either. Essential service people, doctors, nurses, police, ambulance or paramedics, gas fitters plumbers, the list goes on and on. Yes I’d say the majority have it off, but where I worked there was a rota, if you worked Christmas one year you didn’t the next.” Pauline Coulter: “Totally agree, retail workers deserve a Christmas too.” Teerath Singh Gill: “Completely agree. It’s the people at the lower end of the food chain who have to always suffer. The chief executives are not sat behind the tills, I can promise you that.” Kim Day: “Totally agree, retail work is exhausting in the run-up to Christmas. Staff need more than one day to relax and enjoy time with their family.” Elizabeth Ali: “All shops should be closed.”
Marty Mckeown: “Doesn’t bother me either way. Personally, come Boxing Day I’ve had enough shopping. Just want to be at home, enjoy a nice dinner, and relax.” Anne Hinton: “Yes definitely, the shops are open long enough! People don’t need to shop on Boxing Day. Give the shop workers time off too! You eat too much over the festive period anyway, how can you need any more on Boxing Day?”
Fred Bison: “Why not give the shop workers a break from the madness as well?” Lisa Michelle Quinn: “But what about people who work in care homes and have to work Christmas Day? They don’t get a choice. At least shop workers get that day off each year.”
Dan Mallier: “Why should it be banned? We’re supposed to be a free society so if people want to work and earn money, who are we to stop them?”