Friday, September 23, 2011

Should Toronto stores be open on holidays?

When I came across this story on CTV's web site in Toronto "Should Toronto stores be open on holidays?" I just had to respond, thinking that the station would actually put my comments on their web site. How wrong I was to

believe that they would actually do it? It's not hard to see that Sunday shopping is still an issue in Toronto even though they had Sunday shopping for years. Mark writes " Enough is enough already. At one time there was no Sunday shopping, it was actually a family day, that's right, a family day once a week instead of once a year. I am dead against retail stores opening on holidays, especially Christmas. Employee's who work at these retails stores are given very little options as they are told they have to work. I remember when Sunday shopping was brought in, the government said that employers wouldn't punish employees who wouldn't work, but we all know what happened. How much more money do these stores need and how many more things do we as the consumers need to buy. It is getting ridiculous and out of hand. Enough already!! ".

Mark could have not put it any plainer. It's beyond ridiculous to open stores on holidays and have to pay employee's time and a half to work these shifts. Then to pass the extra costs of doing this down to the consumers is preposterous. It is effecting low income people and seniors with higher prices, because these business' are greedy. It's obvious that prices have to increase with extra costs and extra wages on holidays if stores are allowed to open.

Even though some provinces have laws protecting retail workers from working on Sundays, the pressures are still there and in most cases companies find a way around this to make employees work. Manner writes " Here is the problem. When the NDP first brought this to Ontario in the form of Sunday shopping they said employees could refuse and opt out of working. THAT WAS A LIE. I was in university and working in retail. Many of us practicing Christians refused and this caused huge problems at work. The pressure to work on Sunday was at first implicit, then explicit, then not even up for discussion. The same thing will happen here. Why do we keep eroding the majority Judeo-Christian culture and tradition in favour of a souless shopping culture? Take a stand for the family, tradition, and common sense. "

I'm happy that Manner brought it up about common sense. I remember when we had the debate here in Nova Scotia, Tourism and big business hammered away with this common sense argument. You can not legislate common sense! A lot of people bought into that argument and to be honest, big business and Tourism sucked a lot of people in with this nonsense. As many of you may be aware, the same line of the common sense argument is being used in Alberta. I'm speaking about the law which will stop you from using a cell phone and combing you're hair will be out lawed etc . Anything that can take away you're attention from driving a motor vehicle will be outlawed. So lets get this straight. I'm all for laws legislating common sense. If we have to legislate laws for serious cases like safety, why would any company not use common sense and give there employees Sundays off? Why would they not use common sense and close on Holidays? If it's not legislated, business's don't use common sense and we all need to wake up before we lose it all.



Beaucha writes " It is about time. Stores should have the option to open 24/7 365 days. Please do not use the old argument about family time etc. I worked in the manufacturing sector and we ran all all plant sites 24/7 365 days. If I recall right we all survived and enjoyed the holidays as do the police, firefighters, hospitals etc.



Beaucha's argument is like so many people's arguments that were planted into their heads when the Sunday shopping debate happened all across our country. It's not right that one occupation is played off against another occupation. Just because the manufacturing sector ran all it's plants 24/7 , doesn't mean that other occupations should have to do the same. We do not demand letter carriers to work on Sundays or holidays because police, Firefighters, and Hospitals work them do we?

We do not expect Motor Vehicle employee's to work on Sundays & holidays because church ministers do, do we?

Being human we all need to accept that we are all different. What works for the police may not work for a retail worker. What works for a doctor may not work for a restaurant worker. For occupations that do not mind working on Sundays or holidays to decide what another occupations that do not, is unfair and preposterous.

Comments were also made to the effect that if restaurants, call centers etc all have to work on Sundays and holidays, what makes retail workers so special? Again, playing one occupation against another is wrong. If other non essential services like restaurants etc want Sundays or holidays off, can't they lobby the government to have laws closing them down? I'm all for a common day off for all non essential services. Holidays are Holidays.