Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

In New Zealand, high street shops (eg clothes shops) close but supermarkets open. However, it largely depends where you are - central auckland and stuff will be open (and other tourist towns), little towns will have nothing open on a sunday.

Just this Morning I met a friend whose son rang from one of the Scottish islands where he is Cycling. He was starving because they are staying in a hostel and NOTHING opens on Sunday except the chapels, so they couldn't buy any food. I think they shared a Kitkat or something like that, and prayed for Monday.

midget wrote:Just this Morning I met a friend whose son rang from one of the Scottish islands where he is Cycling. He was starving because they are staying in a hostel and NOTHING opens on Sunday except the chapels, so they couldn't buy any food. I think they shared a Kitkat or something like that, and prayed for Monday.

............ that's what you get for cycling in the Scottish Islands on a Sunday.

Jan has an e-mail mate who lives in the Shetlands. It seems to me they're still in the dark ages up there !

what is Dark Ages about being shut on Sunday?

I expect they are family businesses and their time together is more important than profit.

englishangel wrote:what is Dark Ages about being shut on Sunday?

I expect they are family businesses and their time together is more important than profit.

........... or chasing sheep ??

At the moment I'm in university in France and they seem to have a whole new idea of businesses being shut...they seem shut a lot more often than open!

I'm in Lyon: second biggest city in France, 1 million inhabitants - and still practically everything is closed not only on Sunday but also lots on Monday too. And the lifestyle of workplaces taking two hours off at lunchtime and closing takes some getting used to...in the UK you can just head down to any shop anytime between 9 and 5 and it'll be open, but two hours is taken away in the middle of the day here. It's OK once you get used to it but is incredibly annoying if you need to do something. Even many cafés and restaurants are 'closed for lunch'...I thought lunchtime was a time when people like to go out to eat!

Also, they have about twice as many public holidays per year as we do...indeed, there are 3 public holidays between the 1st and 17th of May, where the entire nation is closed down.

Life is great living here...food, weather, language, people...this difference in lifestyle is the only one with which I'm majorly dissatisfied - and I don't get why people are so puzzled about the high unemployment here - if nothing's ever open, then how is anyone going to be employed?!

Maybe I'm just a typical northern European Anglo-Saxon with the stereotypical work ethic that isn't the same in southern Europe...but I prefer it when conveniences are indeed convenient and not having to constantly worry about whether something is closed again.

englishangel wrote:What really annoys me is when you get little old grannies tottering around Tesco on a Sunday when they have all week to do their shopping.

yes i totally agree, trying to get round Morrison's yesterday and kept get halted by elderly people just standing in the middle of the aisle! They have the whole week when its generally quieter.

I think shops should open slightly longer on a sunday, weekends are precious things and its not always convenient to get into town on sat and it does dominate your weekend when you only have a set time to do something in!

blondie95 wrote:

englishangel wrote:What really annoys me is when you get little old grannies tottering around Tesco on a Sunday when they have all week to do their shopping.

yes i totally agree, trying to get round Morrison's yesterday and kept get halted by elderly people just standing in the middle of the aisle! They have the whole week when its generally quieter.

I think shops should open slightly longer on a sunday, weekends are precious things and its not always convenient to get into town on sat and it does dominate your weekend when you only have a set time to do something in!

It's those bl00dy whicker two wheel shopping baskets with a walking stick for a handle that I can't stand ! The owners seem to think they can hack everybodies ankles with complete impunity !

Mind you, they make very good targets for a quick swipe with the supermarket trolley !

Great Plum wrote:I don't want to go shopping on Sunday and so I rarely do - it's up to the shops if they want to open though!

I try to avoid the English shops on Saturdays and Sundays - too many mums and kids so the roads are blocked, the car parks full, you can't get to she shelves for kids, the cashiers are too busy to take your dough and, if you succeed in buying anything you are not allowed to leave because the exits are blocked.

We had a security problem. My wife's company security card set off all the shop burglar alarms which gets a bit boring after a while especially at weekends with all the gawpers.

On top of that I had trouble with Cecil Gee in Manchester on a Saturday. I bought a leather jacket in their sale AND I even PAID FOR IT (I have the receilpt to prove it). So, having been into a few other shops (where there were no problems) their alarms started to go off before I could even get into shops which annoyed their security peeps. It turned out Cecil Gee had put innumarable alarms in the jacket and removed only one when I paid for it. Eventually they removed them all (or if they didn't then the ones they left are duds).

J.R. wrote:

sport! wrote:

englishangel wrote:What really annoys me is when you get little old grannies tottering around Tesco on a Sunday when they have all week to do their shopping.

here, here....

I propose a weekend curfew for the over 65s!

...and town centres at midweek lunchtimes........

At leat that gives me another 6 years !

How's yer pulse, DBTS ??

Hmm, I don't see why "little old grannies" get so maligned! I enjoy having a bit of a chat with elderly people in Sainsbury's. Perhaps I should be banned now!

After all, I haven't got that long to go myself!

Here's my blocking-the-system infuriation thing - women who go swimming in pairs, who b*gger the lane swimming gossiping at one end!

It shouldn't be allowed!

Munch

Good for you, Munch!
Perhaps th "little old ladies"" can only get to do their shopping if transported by loving offspring?

Wuppertal wrote:.....practically everything is closed not only on Sunday but also lots on Monday too. And the lifestyle of workplaces taking two hours off at lunchtime and closing takes some getting used to...in the UK you can just head down to any shop anytime between 9 and 5 and it'll be open, but two hours is taken away in the middle of the day here. It's OK once you get used to it but is incredibly annoying if you need to do something. Even many cafés and restaurants are 'closed for lunch'...I thought lunchtime was a time when people like to go out to eat!

Also, they have about twice as many public holidays per year as we do...indeed, there are 3 public holidays between the 1st and 17th of May, where the entire nation is closed down.

Life is great living here...food, weather, language, people...this difference in lifestyle is the only one with which I'm majorly dissatisfied - and I don't get why people are so puzzled about the high unemployment here - if nothing's ever open, then how is anyone going to be employed?!

Saturday we were invited to a friends (French) for lunch today together with the rest of their family - perhaps 20 in all.

Slight problem - she had wanted to get moules et frites (French equivalent of fish and chips) but because today, Tuesday, is a public holiday, the shops didn't have any moules yesterday. That is the equivalent of the UK supermarket not making any bread because tomorrow is a holiday.

She was not happy - we had to make do with salade nicoise, barbecued chicken and sausage and all the rest (conveniently I don't like moules but they don't know that!) out in the garden with plenty of pastis, wine, bubbly and coffee

Yes, holidays are a pain in the neck but shops are starting to remain open at lunch time and they do close at 7pm.

David (very bronzed!)

sejintenej wrote: we had to make do with salade nicoise, barbecued chicken and sausage and all the rest (conveniently I don't like moules but they don't know that!) out in the garden with plenty of pastis, wine, bubbly and coffee

Sounds nice to me......

Not sure about the coffee, though!