As more and more of us work shifts and different hours, why is it that the infrastructure of this country - in terms of services, retail and leisure - is still of the opinion that everyone works 9 to 5, Monday to Friday and goes to Church on Sunday?
Apart from our incredibly backward Sunday Trading laws (which, ironically, got their abolishment blocked by the SNP - when there's already free Sunday trading north of the border) things like shops, bars, cafes and clubs seem to ignore anyone who doesn't get up at 5am and is in bed with some Bovril by 9pm.
In my town, for example, the shops and services are all open from 6-6:30am, but many will shut by 2pm. Most pubs are shut midweek by 10:30pm. Infact I drove through my (fairly large) town at 11pm tonight, and it was like one of those horror movies where everybody is dead except you.
I used to often work weekends, and still sometimes do - so Monday and Tuesday will be my days off. Sunday night is therefore my Friday night, or it would be if anywhere was open long enough. No sooner do I get to the pub than they're shutting up shop and telling everyone to piss off. (The pub industry must the only industry I know where paying customers are told, often quite aggressively, to sod off. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.)
But then can I find any food? No, because there's no takeaways open and as I've had a drink I can't drive to the only open place, McDonald's. So I have to go hungry.
It's not just me... go into any Tesco Express or similar at 6pm on Sunday. It'll be rammed.
If we're going to have a 24/7 society, we need to cater for those people who are providing it.
24/7 Society
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Presumably for the same reason why Tesco scaled back the 24/7 opening of many of its stores. There just isn't the economic demand.
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I live in a town with less than 10,000 people. I can get a takeaway any night of the week until 12pm at the very least, and up until 2pm on Friday and Saturday.robschneider wrote:As more and more of us work shifts and different hours, why is it that the infrastructure of this country - in terms of services, retail and leisure - is still of the opinion that everyone works 9 to 5, Monday to Friday and goes to Church on Sunday?
Apart from our incredibly backward Sunday Trading laws (which, ironically, got their abolishment blocked by the SNP - when there's already free Sunday trading north of the border) things like shops, bars, cafes and clubs seem to ignore anyone who doesn't get up at 5am and is in bed with some Bovril by 9pm.
In my town, for example, the shops and services are all open from 6-6:30am, but many will shut by 2pm. Most pubs are shut midweek by 10:30pm. Infact I drove through my (fairly large) town at 11pm tonight, and it was like one of those horror movies where everybody is dead except you.
I used to often work weekends, and still sometimes do - so Monday and Tuesday will be my days off. Sunday night is therefore my Friday night, or it would be if anywhere was open long enough. No sooner do I get to the pub than they're shutting up shop and telling everyone to piss off. (The pub industry must the only industry I know where paying customers are told, often quite aggressively, to sod off. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.)
But then can I find any food? No, because there's no takeaways open and as I've had a drink I can't drive to the only open place, McDonald's. So I have to go hungry.
It's not just me... go into any Tesco Express or similar at 6pm on Sunday. It'll be rammed.
If we're going to have a 24/7 society, we need to cater for those people who are providing it.
I'm not sure which shops and services open 6-2 in your town - the supermarkets are both open 7am-10pm Monday-Saturday, the local newsagent is 6:30am-7:30pm (and frequently later), the pubs open until 11pm midweek, and I think the reaction from pub staff is more of a reflection of the sort of pubs you go to than anything else. Or perhaps your behaviour there.
If I wanted a pint of milk at 3am on a Thursday and a takeaway burger, I'd move to Hull.
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Do you find that happens much when you go places?robschneider wrote:No sooner do I get to the pub than they're shutting up shop and telling everyone to piss off.
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Oh you're hilarious.all new Phil wrote:Do you find that happens much when you go places?robschneider wrote:No sooner do I get to the pub than they're shutting up shop and telling everyone to piss off.
I find it happens when I rock up to the pub at 10pm of a Sunday.
The people I know who run pubs and bars are generally quite happy to stay open late on a Sunday, provided people are actually buying drinks.
If there's just the odd straggler wandering in and getting a drink while everyone else just nurses the pint they bought 2 hours ago, then its time to close up for the night.
Besides, isn't it a bit "lefty" to expect services to be available for those who want/need them regardless of if there's any commercial interest in providing those services?
If there's just the odd straggler wandering in and getting a drink while everyone else just nurses the pint they bought 2 hours ago, then its time to close up for the night.
Besides, isn't it a bit "lefty" to expect services to be available for those who want/need them regardless of if there's any commercial interest in providing those services?
Not this crap again? There is TORY MAJ gov which covers England, WHY did the Tory and Labour MPs help SNP to block it? OF course its not the tories fault its someone else...robschneider wrote: Apart from our incredibly backward Sunday Trading laws (which, ironically, got their abolishment blocked by the SNP - when there's already free Sunday trading north of the border) things like shops, bars, cafes and clubs seem to ignore anyone who doesn't get up at 5am and is in bed with some Bovril by 9pm.
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Yes, it is - but as we move to a 24/7 Society you have to be able to cater for people whose lifestyle clock isn't the one everyone had in 1972.dosxuk wrote:Besides, isn't it a bit "lefty" to expect services to be available for those who want/need them regardless of if there's any commercial interest in providing those services?