Sunday Trading

Guernsey's big supermarkets may be allowed to open on sundays this Christmas.

Trading laws at the moment say they have to stay shut but one of the biggest has asked if it can open on Sunday 23rd and 30th December.

The Sunday trading laws are due to be looked at by the States in the next couple of years anyway - but before that the Commerce and Employment Department will consider making a special allowance for this December.

Do you think that the Sunday Trading Laws need looking at sooner rather than later?

Should all shops be allowed to trade on Sundays?

Do you think that with the unemployment growing, is this a way to get more jobs on the market?

Sunday Trading has been a running debate issue for years. Personally, I dont think we need a detailed review of them, their are some weird anomalies eg cannot buy a bible etc but overall we as consumers aren't severly disadvantaged. However I can see why Sunday opening for shops on Sundays would make sense to spread the load of the increased shopping flows. So for me by exception be flexible at Christmas, but if all shops opened every day there is no doubt in my mind that prices would go up to cover the additional on-costs, as shoppers would just spread their buying over the longer week.

Yes i agree with that statement
i am against sunday shopping as i dont want the shops overheads to go up to be passed on to the consumer .
but a one off like this year at Christmas might be a good idea as we have days with no shops open and foods will go to the food mountain in the sky
it is also wrong to expect shope worker sto work every day .offices dont as does others so why them . we know there is always some who do us a serive that is essential and will work .shopping on a sunday is not in my books essential it is bad housekeeping .and before all say they work all week . shops are open until 8 at night so they can shop then . they do need to sort the laws out properly as it is goi ng on for too long now .
but travailing to Autria and Switzerland and across other countries nothing was open on a Sunday even the cafes were not we had to eat in our hotels . so the excuse that visitors want it is not true as others dont and they manage

It crazy rules we have here,we promote the Island as a Cruise Ship stop off but on Sundays non of the tourists can shop because of the law,

Ths Island has lost the the VAT free buisness it has here and a lot of locals are going to be unemployed, so why not generate some jobs by relaxing the law and letting companies if they want to open on Sundays

Its the 21st folks and lets wake up to real world..

As a member of the Commerce & Employment Board I support the approach to consult first on the request re this Christmas and then move on, as planned, with consultation more generally later this year on Sunday trading issues. Views expressed will need to be considered and taken into account, but my personal inclination is for more liberalisation. I think traders can adjust to what people want, and I think they want some Sunday shopping without it becoming like any other day of the week

Pegasus wrote:It crazy rules we have here,we promote the Island as a Cruise Ship stop off but on Sundays non of the tourists can shop because of the law,

Ths Island has lost the the VAT free buisness it has here and a lot of locals are going to be unemployed, so why not generate some jobs by relaxing the law and letting companies if they want to open on Sundays

Its the 21st folks and lets wake up to real world..

Shops do have a special licence for the ships . but many do not want to open as they do not take enough to cover their overheads
most ships have there own shops and all the food they want on board ,they would only shop for special souvenirs of the island .

sunday opening should be up to the trader
with unemployment rising more jobs need to be created
the laws def need looking at sooner than later

this has been going on for years and years - I encountered this with my first job - sunday trading laws were a problem then and they still are - I believe it should be down to the choice of the trader - as I said then and I will say now - Sunday is a rest day for some - but for many myself included Sunday is a day of work.

Here in Melbourne we get the same cruise ships as you do in Guernsey (it's a bit like - home from home)!!! The shops open every day - Sunday has no significance (I find it a bit weird) But most telling is that it does not stop shops going to the wall on a daily basis ! As Kat says they have their own 'real' Duty Free Shops not stuffed to overflowing with goods that are 'Made in China'.....why would they want to discard that for shops who sell 'tat' at inflated prices??? The people who do well out of these cruisers are the ones that offer something different..... mainly alternative tours like Harley Davison Tours and our own Trike Tours also Tut Tuts and the likes.......anything the the tourist cannot get in their own countries fascinate them and do well - but definitely not shopping!!!

A review is required, but it is not the most urgent island issue. Broadly, I'd favour more liberalisation to suit consumers/traders individual choices, but protection is required to ensure that employees are not exploited and can take adequate downtime; we also need to consider the impact on local residents given that we do have some quite large retail outlets located in residential areas, which probably does not happen as much elsewhere.

Pegasus wrote:It crazy rules we have here,we promote the Island as a Cruise Ship stop off but on Sundays non of the tourists can shop because of the law,

Ths Island has lost the the VAT free buisness it has here and a lot of locals are going to be unemployed, so why not generate some jobs by relaxing the law and letting companies if they want to open on Sundays

Its the 21st folks and lets wake up to real world..

Waking up to the real world as you put it, would lose the charm of Guernsey....there would be no reason for cruise ships to visit Guernsey!!...Opening on Sunday would indeed generate some jobs,but who is going to pay for the extra staff and overheads?...are people going to buy more?..no off course not they will just do their shopping on a Sunday instead of a Monday or Friday at a higher price!!!

sunday trading laws in Scotland at least ensured that workers had at least one day off with the family. now shops are open on a Sunday the staff have no option but to work if told. In one job i worked in i was working 7 days a week at one point .if you told the employer you wanted a day off you were a lazy b who had let the squad down. surely workers nee at least a day a week off. most of the people who want sunday opening will only work 5 Days themselves.