Never on a Sunday revisited

I must thank one of our clerics for writing about satanic influences and thereby persuading me to think about Sunday trading and the devilish amendments proposed.

At present Guernsey’s Sunday trading laws are a bit of a pigs breakfast. Go to one of our garden centres on a Sunday and you see areas cordoned off as they contain forbidden fruit such as books and pots. Or rather I should say empty pots because potted pots  fall under a different heading and can therefore be legally sold on a Sunday.

I’m sure there are many other anomalies but that is not the point.

The proposed changes allow shops to open rather than demand that they do so. They allow shoppers to buy goods on a Sunday rather than compel them to do so. It is a matter of choice.

If you want to preserve your Sunday as it is, then don’t shop. If enough people agree with your stance and do the same then shops will not see the expected demand, will not make a profit and so will not open on Sundays. It’s a bit like Town and Sunday cruise ships. If you don’t make a profit from their visits then you don’t open your shop.

The downside is of course that not everyone might agree with you; shops may see increased profitability and will stay open. Unless you work in such a shop, your Sunday will still not be spoilt because you can carry on as before and ignore this change.

So unless you approve of State social engineering I can’t see much of a reason for getting in a lather.

But then we must look at the knock on effect.

If shops can open on a Sunday, why not other organisations? Isn’t it more convenient for their customers for banks to open on a Sunday? How about those States offices which demand you visit them to transact business? How about schools, so they can provide essential child minding facilities whilst their parents are otherwise occupied?

Is this the thin end of the wedge? Will we all end up working on a Sunday?

Surely this would be self defeating. If we’re all at work, then who gets the convenience of Sunday opening? Only those few who don’t have to go to work on that day.

So I don’t think that this trial period of sanity will lead to wholesale social change.

Shop workers will obviously be affected but how many people work in shops these days? Anyway, you will never please all of the people all of the time.

Let’s try it and see.

If you don’t like the effects, then the remedy lies in your hands. Just don’t shop on a Sunday.

As a final point, what will be the success criteria for this trial?

What is this amendment seeking to achieve?

I want shops to be allowed to open on a Sunday because…?

Because it will make people happier that they can shop for seven days a week rather than six?
So we amend laws to cater for shopaholics?

Because it is more convenient to shop on a Sunday rather than any other day of the week?
Rather a trivial reason and only of benefit to those who can’t organise their life to make those all so essential purchases on any one of the other six days available.

Because shops will be able to make more money?
Do you think that people aren’t spending their money just because they can’t do so on a Sunday? There is only so much money to go around and people won’t spend more overall just because of an extra shopping day.

Because they do it in the UK and we need to be more like them to compete?
Our competitiveness relays on the fact that we’re not just like the UK. As an Island we are old fashioned and quirky and guess what? The tourist love us for it!

You know, the more I think about this, the less benefits I see.

So what am I missing?

What are the benefits of Sunday opening?