I worked Christmas Day from 7am-3pm and I'l be working both of the Bank Holidays on Monday and Tuesday from 2pm-10pm. They needed cover and I volunteered. It's not greed, it's an opportunity to earn some extra money which I need with 2 children at university. Actually, I would have preferred 4 days off work!

Rather narrow minded, don't you think?

Shops have been opening on Sundays/public holidays etc for years now. And I'm sure not every person working in a shop has done so since before the shops started opening on Sundays/public holidays, so they know they score.

Also, I'm sure many, many people are just glad of the work and the income which really they need.

Jobs are needed nowadays and many places, including shops, are struggling and if that means opening on Sundays and public holidays then so be it. It keeps folk in a job and keeps shops opened. It's better than them being closed down completely. Many shops rely on Boxing Day and sales for a decent turnover, especially nowadays.

Also, not everyone has family to spend time with or wants to for that matter and maybe they'd prefer to work.

Not everyone can choose and I'll bet many folk are just glad to be in a job and earning a living. Such as myself.

Indeed - and I am sure there are plenty of people out there willing to work on such days if it meant they was in a full time job.

Exactly. There are many people out there who need the work because they need the money- and if that means working Sundays, so be it!

Can I just ask, Jols, has it ever occurred to you at all that many people work Sundays because they need the money in order to survive and pay bills etc, regardless of the profits the companies they are working for are making?

I'd rather not work full time (and then some) and spend more time with the dogs instead, but I can't as I need the money to survive! And yes, sometimes that involves working Sundays and the company I work for makes billions in profits which I don't see any of!

Precisely - my family owned a general store that opened 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, with only one day off a year (for us) in the late 1970's. Our staff had days off but we didn't!!!! we were open every day except Christmas Day (and you wouldn't believe it but people still banged on the door, as they did most days of the year, when we closed at 10pm after being open since 7am).

We were open Sundays and back then we weren't allowed to sell certain things on a Sunday, including razor blades....

So quit whining about it Jols, and realise that nothing much has changed. It's not greed, it's about businesses staying afloat and providing a service to the community.

LOL. It is hardly greed - it is called business! what days do you think that shops make their most money? you guessed it, weekends and bank holidays. Why? because a big majority of the workforce are off on those days and on those days people are therefore able to shop.

If shops were forced to shut on those days, 95% of them would go bust. I'm sure that is just what we want in this economic climate.

Christmas isn't a holiday for everyone, not everyone can, or wants to take 4 days off.

As for shops, the economys up sh1t creek, it needs the cash injection, shop employees may need the money for bills etc, the business owners likewise need the money for the same reasons.

Its not all about greed, not all shops are part of multimillion/billion £$ chains, owned by millionaires who make large profits. Though tbh, if they've done the hard work setting up the business from the ground up, then if they're making millions, good on them.

On the other hand, some shops are barely surviving, and with staff to pay, rent for the unit, and their own bills on top of that, any day they can possibly have open they will. If they've got any money left over at all after outgoings, they'll be lucky.

Greed is a mindset, a way of thinking, anyone can be greedy, it doesn't matter what their bank balance is.

Clive is on call 24/7 including bank holidays, weekends etc., which is why we didn't have a honeymoon, we don't do holidays or weekends away incase he misses a call out. It is the way of the world, if you want to keep your job or keep your business afloat then you have to be prepared to put in the hours regardless.

It doesn't bother me, I knew what I signed up for

You were quick to suggest Snorri moved house in order to help with his mobility problems, maybe you could suggest to your friends that object to working bank holidays etc that they need to think about changing jobs?