This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
Sunday Shopping Freaks
Can we please put this ridiculous matter to rest now? After spending loads of money and wasting loads of time ho-humming about if it’s somehow “right” or “moral” for people to be able to buy lettuce, diapers and pork chops on Sunday, finally the courts
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i wonder how many of these christians who complain actually rest (fast & dont work) on the 7th day (which is saturday btw), ill bet its less than 10%
Amen! I like this gov’t. They have the common sense to stand up to the right wing extremists in our midst. Finally! We’ll be safe until they elect another wingnut and then it’ll start all over again. The only solution is to make sure people with common sense and good judgement get out in droves to vote down these lunatics.
Amen! Put this stupid debate to rest!
So I voted no for Sunday shopping…not because I’m religious, not because I think its a day of rest…but because I used to work at Sobeys and realize how much that place sucks. They force every frontend employee to work on Saturdays, you have to beg, months in advance for a Saturday off or even for an early shift…every place is the same as this…they will pretty much force you to work Saturday and now Sunday…yes, I have shopped in the past on Sunday in other provinces I’ve lived in and yes I am happy that the stores now will be open on Sunday, it is more convenient but lets face it, its not a necessity. But at least I was considerate enough to consider the feelings of those who work retail and will be forced to work on Sunday. It is outright ignorant to say ‘go work someplace else then’, thats a great suggestion but unfortunately its not that easy for some, if it were no one would work retail. To all of you that think that Sunday shopping is an absolute necessity and are so fucking retarded that you line up outside of stores on a Sunday morning just to ‘prove a point’ get a fucking life!
it was going to happen regardless it was just a matter of time. now i agree lets let it rest! for those that are forced to work- now is the time to speak up!!! and do it – if you want 24 hours off to be religious – amen- if you need it off for family reasons – go family! but if you just want to be off on Sunday- really …think about all those who have always had to work Sundays- you’ve had it good.that’s it ! i swear i am not talking about this ever again!
What the deal with Sundays being so darn precious anyway? So you work at Sobeys, so you get a Wednesday or a Friday off instead, so what? You’re not working 24/7 either way.Besides, it might not be fun but thousands of people in many different jobs work this way already and no one seems to be out trying to change their lives. I would be willing to bet that many retail employees like to head to a pub on sundays so isn’t that a bit hypocritical?
Oh, cry me a river. You worked at Sobeys and think that it’s cruel if people are forced to work on Sundays. It’s not so cruel to those that wait on tables, doctors, nurses, firemen, police, customer support people, the list goes on. Ya, they’re not special at all. Only retail people are. Oh working on Sundays is not a neccesity either, so don’t bother going to the airport or catching a train. Who works on Sundays anyways?
I’m not a religious nutbar, I’m not a hillbilly and I’m as far from a right wing as you can possibly get. What I am is a student who happens to work retail. I attend school full time and currently work evenings and Saturdays. When I was hired by my employer 4 years ago working Sundays was not brought up as a possibility or requirement of my job. Last week I was informed that I should be prepared to start working on what was my only day off, it was strongly hinted that failure to agree to work Sundays would have repurcussions (ie: I would lose shifts. Most of the people I know that were ferverent supporters of Sunday shopping are not the people who would have to be there cheerfully assisting Sunday shoppers with thier purchases. So thanks alot to all the whiny fucks who can’t go a single day without worshipping at the altar of consumer greed, congrats you win.
Sonof a preacherman i,ve worked retail for 10 years with 2 college diplomas but when i was hired i was not hired to work Sundays it was excluded fr my schedule for your damn information i work 6 days a week my spouse is Gov and Sundays was the only day we had together but now ur arrogant richie rich head up ur ass attitude has gotton ur way-you belong in kindergarden u self rightous ass-h*le…not paid to be ur slave!!!PSidont make anything near min wage dickwad!!
SO the Sunday Shoppers didn’t take “no” for an answer and finally got their way. The lesson here: Don’t give up on what you want. DOn’t let it drop out of the news. Keep writing letters to the editor. I hope that the “NO” supporters who tried to put a limit on unbridled capitalism, learn a lesson from their nemisis and don’t give up. I think we ultimately have something to gain if we continue to speak up. Some people think they’re voting with their dollars but it’s a sad day when money trumps democracy (wait, didn’t that already happen…) The “no” siders should continue to voice their values.
Listen you half baked idiot bags: I’ll explain why restrictions on Sunday shopping will never again happen and why a gym teach should never be put in charge of anything more important than managing jock straps.Once Sobeys and Superstore challenged the Retail Uniform Closing Day act by rearranging their respective businesses and using the very same loophole in the existing law that allows Pet’s Frootique and other such stores to open, were then charged, fought said charges, and won in court, it established a precident. This precident meant that if the NS government wanted to ever try and stop a business from taking advantage of the loopholes in the law and opening it could not sucessfully win in court.Now, had Rodney Mac Gym Teacher not been a moron, and if he really wanted to ensure that that slim majority of NS citizens that voted no to Sunday shopping had their way and glorious democracy was everso protected, he would have let Sobeys and Superstore do exactly what Pets Frootique and other such stores do to get around the Uniform Business Closing Day Act and just shut the hell up. That way he never would have had to fight Sobeys/Superstore in court and this never would have established a precident that other businesses could then use to open.After the winning court case Rodney had only two options to maintain the No Sunday shopping ban:1. Outlaw any stores, in any form from, opening on Sunday (yup you guessed it, gas stations, restraunts and so on). But since this would have required he ammend the act, this likely never would have happened;2. Throw the towel in to trying to regulate sunday shopping, now that a court precident had been established that would allow any business to fight charges brought against them by the gov’t… and win.I am personally for Sunday shopping and voted so on election day. To all you idiots with your arguments of family days and days of rest. You want to rest? You want to spend time with your family? Then don’t go shopping excercise your freedom not to do something but don’t tell me what I can and can’t do by exercizing the very same freedom that you would take away from me.What you want is no businesses open on Sunday. It’s either one way or the other. Black and white. Then you can stay home and play board games with your family on sunday, better just hope that you’ve stocked up on gas, food, lightbulbs and so on, because if not you’re not getting it until Monday.
As a full time University student who also works in retail sales part time, Sunday shopping is not my favourite idea ever. I understand those who want to shop on Sundays. To those who don’t have to actually work those days, sounds awesome! But there are those of us who are in class all day and are either working or studying all night through the week, then working and studying our Saturday away. Sunday is the ONLY day that’s our own! That day is the only thing that allows us to keep our sanity after a week full of class, all night studying, midterms, and work on top of that (to pay for the insane costs of those classes we go to and books we have to have to study from). I realize there are those people out there who have been working Sundays all along, believe me… I used to be one of them, and when I graduate as an RN I will be one of them once again! I just find it hard to believe that your ability to come to the store I work in and buy a new outfit on a Sunday is more important than my right to a day to myself to decompress! When I worked in a drugstore, working Sundays was part of the job. When I graduate as a Nurse, once again, part of the job. I get all that… and I will gladly be there bright and early Sunday mornings with a smile on my face. However, min. wage is not even close to enough to make me eager to trade in MY day to sell you a new t-shirt (which you will probably return the next day because you realize you really didn’t need it in the first place!). I know my Sundays will never be my own again… I don’t like it… but I’ve come to terms with the fact that it won’t change. All I ask is that when you come to the mall on Sundays, PLEASE be polite and understanding when some of us are less than thrilled to be working. Most of us are stressed beyond, and in need of days worth of sleep! A simple “Thank you for your help”, or “have a nice day” in place of “this is too expensive” or the ever famous “uhhh hello?!?!?” (with the snapping fingers) will do wonders for our ability to smile through the retail torture that is Sunday Shopping!
i think being considerate should not be reserved for just those who are now working on Sundays- it should be a motto for life!
Wah, Wah, Wah! The ‘No Sunday Shopping’ supporters sound like a bunch of babies! Get over it. I’m sick of listening to you whine…”I’m a full-time student and my only day off is Sunday”…Get a life! I put myself through 4 years of nursing school working nights, days and weekends and I didn’t complain. I was happy to have a job, and happy to have a job that I could work on Sundays because it meant more money to pay for school. I graduated and guess what…I still work Sundays! La dee dah! Get over it..put on your big girl/boy undies and join the rest of the adult world. And for the less than ‘thrilled’ to be working on Sundays…come to my job and see if anyone is nice or polite to you and then talk to me about working in retail…ps: did it for 6 years and didn’t find it THAT stressful.
Seems to me that as the smoke clears on this ridiculous debate, it’s not about a “day of rest”, democracy, Nova Scotian lifestyle (whatever that is supposed to be), family time, blah blah blah.Seems to be that the poor, helpless, downtrodden retail workers have their panties in a bunch simply because they don’t want to work. Ha! Brilliant. After all is said and done it’s just about a single group having a legislated day off that just by chance, makes life more difficult for the rest of us and is based in nothing close to equality or fair treatment.Goodbye Forever stated the facts well. Although so often the sunday shopping freaks claim they are fighting for democratic rights and all that rot, when push comes to shove, they just wanted preferential treatment for themselves!Well wave goodbye nutbars and come to grips with the new normal. Now you’ve got all the same rights and obligations as the rest of us!
Whether I choose to shop or not, and whether you have to work or not as an RN on Sundays MISSES THE POINT ENTIRELY! My staying at home not shopping does not stem the busy flow of traffic around my house that only was peaceful on Sundays. It does not bring back the certain amount of leisurely calm on Sundsys that does NOT exist in other provinces (having lived in different provinces, I can atest to the Nova Scotia WAY OF LIFE) I came to treasure it and voted “NO” because I saw values, and a way of life existing beyond pure consumerism, and appreciated LIMITING business. I will not give up on these values! I simply encouraged everyone else who had their own treasured values to continue to fight for them in their society. How is it okay that the ProSunday Shoppers could fight for their wants until they won, but heavens forbid the NO side should suggest continuing their battle for the type of society they value.
Hey who won the Sunday shopping debate anyway…oh ya, I guess it was the YES side afterall…too much noise from the NO side, should have kept quiet and there would have been no debate…Wooo Hoooo an extra shift for me in the week. I am glad as well all know retail only hires part time because they are so insanely cheap. I just wish Walmart would hurry up and unionize already.
Bah, you people droning on and on about working on sundays……care to tell me why you deserve any preferential treatment as a singluar segment of the working population?Besides all of the many professions that work weekends, shift work, etc there are also those who because of the nature of their work, often have to work evenings, weekends, etc without even getting paid! Talk to some of the engineers and administrators I’ve known for example, who often put in loads of extra hours san $ and you’ll see why I don’t give a flying rat’s behind if you now also have to work. And those of you who are b*tching about how you never signed on for sundays, well again, tough. Work environments change, jobs change and economies change so get used to it.Oh and the guy accusing me of a “richie rich” attitude…holy crap man, you sound like you’re in elementary school yourself. This issue is not about how you are somehow “poor and opressed” by the “rich” of the world either. Get over yourself cause you just aint that important.
i think being considerate should not be reserved for just those who are now working on Sundays- it should be a motto for life!
To the guy who is insisting that the idiotic “no” people should keep on bringing this up……please don’t. It’s a lost cause for one and the only way you’ll change it is a court challenge, which you probably can’t undertake and would probably lose anyway.The matter is closed so save your breath for something worthwhile and let the government move on to something actually worthy of their attention.
I think everything should be open on Sundays, including Government Departments, banks, courts, etc,…Fair is fair, after all.
Pathetic leadership is what I see from this issue.We had a plebicite on Sunday shopping, the “nos” won because the “yes “people were too damn lazy to get off their asses and go and vote.Then along comes “Gutless Rodney”, who writes a law that couln’t possibly stand up in court. Democracy at its most shining moment. The people vote for one thing, politians agree to get elected and then do what ever they feel.Can’t wait until Rodney tries to bring back capital punishment because he thinks its a good idea.Any politian and their party that doesn’t have the balls to back what the people want will never get my vote again
sonofapreacherman is right. the truth seems to finally be uncovered, it is about having a legislated day off. “Work environments change, jobs change and economies change so get used to it.” it sucks but yes it happens and you just have to be ADAPTABLE, this is why employers look for this quality in employees. deal!
Who do you think that your calling a ´smalled minded hillbilly?´ Living in the dark ages? If you had done any amount of traveling outside that ¨big¨ city of Halifax, you would know that there are massive cities closed on Sundays and tons of people have found better things to do, than check out the Gap or Old Navy!
Listen up you lazy bums. If a business wants to open, let them open. How’s it hurting you? Have you ever owned or run a business? Let’s put it this way: I run a business which I want to open because my customers want me opened. Who the hell are you or the government to tell me that I can’t open? I listen to my customers, not some lazy ass bums that don’t want to work on Sundays. Btw, I work 7 days a week. That includes late nights to do paperwork as well. Vacation?? What’s that? I work because I have goals that I want to achieve. Now stop being so lazy.
Hey “lovin it in Madrid”,I’m betting I’ve been to far more places across this planet than you and I’m very aware of how things are done elsewhere. Point is, now business owners have the freedom to operate as they wish. If a few decide to close down once a day for siesta time then fantastic, if not then great. Oh and FYI – small minded hillbillys working in retail want big daddy government to some to their widdle wescue rather than deal with life themselves. That’s what makes them small minded. Now, if a store wants to close they close and if they want to open they open.Capiche?
Everyone notice how crazy traffic was yesterday? We’ve already lost our one day of quiet and it was only the first official day of everyone being open. Even when i’ve had to work sundays in the past (and I have) I always appreciated the quiet calm around me (plus getting into work superquick!) It really did seem like a different day. Yesterday, It just seemed like the other 7 days of the wk. Sad. Don’t get me wrong. I love living in the city and have lived in several large Canadian ones, but I loved the balance, and sense of moderation with having one day where society moved at a different pace.
You want a quiet day? Then go to the valley and enjoy time off there. You live in the city and expect quiet???? WTF are you thinking? Let me guess, you live down by pizza corner and had a say in Blues Corner shutting down because you were too stupid to realize that your building didn’t have a/c and the only way to stay cool was to open a window? From what you wrote, it was all “Me, me, me…me” What about the rest of the people that want to move at a faster pace? I got an idea for you: ear plugs. They work wonders.
SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU DON’T SHUT ALREADY!!
Quiet? Man, don’t make me laugh. This is a SMALL city ok? It’s got pretty low key traffic issue to begin with and if you can’t take a few extra cars then you also have the option of moving to any number of places very near to the core that are actually still quite rural!Gad now it’s traffic that’s ruining people’s lives?