Sunday Shopping in Nova Scotia

[Haggis McBagpipe]

Hollaback, I was about to answer Rick's post, but you just said what I wanted to say, and you said it better, especially in light of the fact that you know of what you speak, being in Nova Scotia.

I can't help but think that a lot of the stress-related problems cropping up more and more often in our society might be a result of people ignoring the critical need for geniune rest and relaxation... and not the passive mind-deadingly flop-in-front-of-the-television kind, either.

 

[bevvyd]

Hollaback,

Thanks for the post. Unfortunately in many other parts of Canada, or should I say pretty much all parts of Canada, mechanics do work up to 7 days a week. That is not to say that it is 1 mechanic who works 7 days a week, but 2 mechanics who each work 5 days a week. And just because stores or shops are open on Sundays doesn't mean you HAVE to patronize them, you could still go fishing or visiting friends. And some of us stop worrying about work on Friday too.

It's unfortunate that we need two income families these days and that our students have to work while going to school, but that's the way it is. Not all of us are blessed with trust funds or wealthy parents.

 

[Haggis McBagpipe]

Re: RE: Sunday Shopping in Nova Scotia

Unfortunately in many other parts of Canada, or should I say pretty much all parts of Canada, mechanics do work up to 7 days a week.

Really? Where? Sure you can get non-mechanical stuff done like lube jobs, but real mechanical work? On a Sunday? This is news to me, and is certainly not universally true across Canada.

It's unfortunate that we need two income families these days and that our students have to work while going to school, but that's the way it is. Not all of us are blessed with trust funds or wealthy parents.

I'm not sure what this has to do with Sunday shopping?

 

[bevvyd]

Haggis, there are lots of places where mechanics work more than M - F. Maple Ridge, Coquitlam, many places in Ontario that I personally know of work up to 7 days a week. Lordco and Canadian Tire are just a few that are open that you might know of .

And I only mentioned about the two income family bit and trust funds and wealthy parents as working the Sunday gives an opportunity for some, not all, to put in more hours than if their place of employment was only open 6 days a week.

 

[Haggis McBagpipe]

Re: RE: Sunday Shopping in Nova Scotia

Haggis, there are lots of places where mechanics work more than M - F.

Bev, I know they work Monday to Saturday in many places, but I was not aware of any mechanic who worked on Sunday. I personally do not know of any. Canadian Tire was not a place I had actually considered as a mechanics shop, to be honest, but rather more of a tire-changing, oil-changing, etc. kind of place. I don't think they handle the big jobs, do they?

And I only mentioned about the two income family bit and trust funds and wealthy parents as working the Sunday gives an opportunity for some, not all, to put in more hours than if their place of employment was only open 6 days a week.

It is a two-edged sword, because on one hand some will, as you say, have a chance to scoop up a few more hours (although the longer hours during the week and the Sunday hours have been, in part, the reason why businesses hire part-timers rather than full-timers)... but on the other hand, you get people who are forced to work on a day that they feel is a family day. The idea that people can choose not to work Sunday is a false one, for there is enormous pressure to work the day, it is no longer optional to work on Sundays in the vast majority of cases. Legislating that one day protects people against having to discard their cherished family day for work.

 

[bevvyd]

Hi Haggis,

Yup they do mechanical work of all sorts. They don't have as many mechanics working the Sunday as they would M - S but there they are still 1 or 2 to be found on a Sunday. But the good thing is the mechanics are not on commission sales anymore. Thank goodness for that one.

Agreed that some will work because they feel pressured to, however every one is still asked if they are able to work Sundays upon employment and I don't believe for a moment that Labour Relations would be able to help that much if one was fired for refusing to work the Sunday. I think some people feel pressured into working just because they were asked and they probably aren't that good at saying no in the first place or saying it politically correct so they keep their job.

As for legislating one day, in Ontario the Protestants have their services on Saturdays (I don't know about here), the Jewish have theirs on Thursday/Friday (not sure exactly what day it is here as compared to Israel) and the Christians on Sunday. I'm not sure what day others set aside. So what day should it be? Seems we won't be able to please everybody no matter what day we choose.

 

[Haggis McBagpipe]

Re: RE: Sunday Shopping in Nova Scotia

Hi Haggis,

Yup they do mechanical work of all sorts. They don't have as many mechanics working the Sunday as they would M - S but there they are still 1 or 2 to be found on a Sunday. But the good thing is the mechanics are not on commission sales anymore. Thank goodness for that one.

Agreed that some will work because they feel pressured to, however every one is still asked if they are able to work Sundays upon employment and I don't believe for a moment that Labour Relations would be able to help that much if one was fired for refusing to work the Sunday. I think some people feel pressured into working just because they were asked and they probably aren't that good at saying no in the first place or saying it politically correct so they keep their job.

As for legislating one day, in Ontario the Protestants have their services on Saturdays (I don't know about here), the Jewish have theirs on Thursday/Friday (not sure exactly what day it is here as compared to Israel) and the Christians on Sunday. I'm not sure what day others set aside. So what day should it be? Seems we won't be able to please everybody no matter what day we choose.

Interesting to know about Canadian Tire. I am astounded to hear it, in fact. I suspect I, along with the vast majority of people, will still manage to find a way to get the car fixed during the week. It just isn't that difficult.

I doubt very much that it is as simple as you suggest, regarding people feeling pressured to work on Sundays. I doubt that people simply lack the courage to insist on Sundays off. I can categorically tell you right now that no, employers most certainly do NOT always ask about Sundays before giving the job (having been an employer and having mostly friends who are also employers, I can only wonder where you heard that idea).

As for your last point, you seem to be back on the religion thing again. What do the various religious days have to do with my suggestion that a day of rest be legislated? After all, I did not say (nor did I mean) that a RELIGIOUS day be legislated. Even the hardcore atheists among us deserve a day of rest. I would suggest that any day of the week would work just fine.

 

[eastcoastrob]

Living in a free society is all about choice. The choice to speak to the police, or not. To vote, or not. To shop or not. As far as I'm concerned religion has no place in business (although it arguably IS a business). If a religious business owner CHOOSES not to open on Sunday that is his/her decision. Just as it should be my decision to rest or power-shop. But the government should not be allowed to dicatate the actions of the business community.
By the way I am a religious sort

 

[peapod]

eastcoastrob where did you get that avatar? 8)

 

[eastcoastrob]

I googled it in their images section.

 

[bevvyd]

Haggis,

There are many types of employers out there, including managers who will do whatever they can to get the work done as quickly and cheaply as possible. I personally know of a few that prefer to hire immigrants as they do as they are told and don't know about the labour laws and are too afraid to voice any opposition. And this isn't a union-non-union thing either. These people are everywhere.

I heard about the Sunday work or not to work when my daughter was completing her paperwork for starting work at Tim Horton's.

Sorry if bringing up the religious thing is bugging you. But all I was trying to point out was that every person, especially religious persons would want "their" day of rest off, thats all. But for arguements purposes we could agree that yes 1 day set aside would work for everyone.

Sorry if I clouded the issue, didn't mean to.

 

[peapod]

even one good night would do a world of good

 

[Haggis McBagpipe]

Re: RE: Sunday Shopping in Nova Scotia

Haggis,

There are many types of employers out there, including managers who will do whatever they can to get the work done as quickly and cheaply as possible.

Sorry if bringing up the religious thing is bugging you. But all I was trying to point out was that every person, especially religious persons would want "their" day of rest off, thats all. But for arguements purposes we could agree that yes 1 day set aside would work for everyone.

Sorry if I clouded the issue, didn't mean to.

You didn't cloud the issue, Bev, and it doesn't 'bug' me for you to make reference to the religious side of this matter. I felt only that you had missed my meaning about a legislated day off, making an assumption that I might mean a religious day off.

I don't know if everybody would have fusses as to what day to take off, really. I mean, in Nova Scotia are the Jewish people upset about the Sunday no-shopping? Has it been a problem in that province with religious groups fighting over which day to take?

Regarding employers, yes there are many bad ones out there (and bad employees too, of course). I brought up the point because many employers, in all innocence, simply do not ask whether someone wants to work on Sundays or not because they assume that you will work on Sundays if the store (or whatever) in question is open on Sundays. That assumption is pretty universal, in fact, and is a very big influence on those who might wish not to work Sundays. People who want to keep Sunday a family day are up against some pretty stiff odds against them.

 

[peapod]

And now Mr. campbell wants everyone to drink into the wee hours of the morning..you should hear the stuff that goes on in this neighbourhood on the weekend....now we gotta put up with all night... and probally on sunday to...I say everything should be shut down for one day...once a week...everything

 

[Haggis McBagpipe]

I say everything should be shut down for one day...once a week...everything

I agree. Do you think such a thing would go down well where you live?

 

[bevvyd]

Agreed Haggis,

And No I don't think the Jewish people are upset about having to take a Sunday as date of rest, but I think they sorta knew about that when they first came to our country or switched religions. In Israel they take Friday and Saturday off as their weekend, sure messes the rest of us up have to work M-F and deal with Israel, it just makes it difficult although not impossible.

However while in Ontario about 15 years ago when Sunday shopping was a contentious issue the Protestants made sure that everyone knew that their day of rest was Saturday. It got ugly there, religion is huge there, and only high tourist areas like Niagara Falls and Niagara-On-The-Lake and certain areas of Toronto were allowed to be open on Sundays. I was so lost when I was out there so on Sundays I spend pretty much every weekend at the Falls. Wanna buy an ashtray? And I'm not sure where they are with it as I moved away.

 

[peapod]

Well they might not like it but they would get use to it, they do for everything else. They would probally end up liking it to...Every sunday my parents would load us in the car and force us on a "family" outing...we hated it....until we got going....now I have fond memories of sunday...and my family outings...and every time I got a few punches in....after all five kids in a car what can you expect...but a free for all somewhere along the line

But seriously...I see alot of people really lost when things are shutdown...like there is nothing else in the world except commerce...a nice country drive with five kids and a dog is way for fun.

 

[Haggis McBagpipe]

the Protestants made sure that everyone knew that their day of rest was Saturday.

Now, I am not sure which protestants you mean here, Bev. I was raised an Anglican, and the day of rest was most decidedly Sunday. This is true of Presbyterians as well. Which faction of protestants do you mean? I know there is one group - is it the Seventh Day Adventists? - who do the Saturday thing instead of Sunday.

Every sunday my parents would load us in the car and force us on a "family" outing...we hated it....until we got going....now I have fond memories of sunday...and my family outings..

Yes! Exactly! We now have a whole generation of kids who aren't getting those family times. Or rather, they get a family outing... to the mall. It ain't the same. Who's going to have fond memories of days spent shopping? You hit the nail on the head, Pea.

 

[eastcoastrob]

Every sunday my parents would load us in the car and force us on a "family" outing...we hated it....until we got going....now I have fond memories of sunday...and my family outings..

Yes! Exactly! We now have a whole generation of kids who aren't getting those family times. Or rather, they get a family outing... to the mall. It ain't the same. Who's going to have fond memories of days spent shopping? You hit the nail on the head, Pea.

If today's parents aren't taking the care to spend quality time with their kids I don't think that disallowing shopping on Sundays would change that. Maybe we need to deal with the bigger issue.

 

[Haggis McBagpipe]

If today's parents aren't taking the care to spend quality time with their kids I don't think that disallowing shopping on Sundays would change that. Maybe we need to deal with the bigger issue.

I am inclined to think that it would be one big step in doing exactly what you suggest, dealing with the bigger issue.