# supermarkets, malls, shops open on Sunday



## Encolpius

Is Germany the only country in the world where all shops are closed on Sunday? I never lived in Germany, so have no personal experience, but heard people say that. How about your country can you go shopping on Sunday? 

In Central Europe (Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary) some supermarkets are open as many as 24 hours on Sunday. It seems the only holiday is the 1st January when all shops are closed here.


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## Sepia

Denmark used to be the worst of them all - with stores closing at 17:30 Mondays to Friday and at 14:00 on Saturdays.

But things have changed a lot. 

I don't even know if all German supermarkets could stay open 24/7 but a lot of them stay open till 23:00, all through the week.


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## la_machy

In México all stores (well, most of them) are open on sunday. Of course they close earlier than monday to saturday. But one can easily go shopping on sunday.

Saludos


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## Mishe

Encolpius said:


> Is Germany the only country in the world where all shops are closed on Sunday? I never lived in Germany, so have no personal experience, but heard people say that. How about your country can you go shopping on Sunday?
> 
> In Central Europe (Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary) some supermarkets are open as many as 24 hours on Sunday. It seems the only holiday is the 1st January when all shops are closed here.



Larger supermarkers/hypermarkets here in Ljubljana are open every weekday until 21h (9 pm) and on Saturdays too. On Sundays they are open until 15h (3 pm). Smaller supermarkets that are part of larger chains are closed on Sundays, however some smaller private businesses are open also on Sundays. 

This has been a subject of controversy here a few years ago, especially when conservative circles actually reached a referendum on this subject.


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## mattdelm

Hi,

In France Monday to Friday everywhere is open but they have a 2 hour lunch break from 12 till 2.

Sunday everywhere is closed apart from the boulangeries. Sometimes there are also things closed on Monday like banks.

Kind regards,


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## Encolpius

Since I live in the capital it can be a little bit different and maybe in all countries.


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## Epilio

In Spain malls and supermarkets close on Sunday, except on special days (like in Christmas time). Nonetheless there are shops that normally open even on Sundays, usually local markets that are opened till midday.


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## Nunty

Israel is kind of interesting that way.

In the Jewish areas, all shops, schools, government offices and so on are closed on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, and Sunday is the first day of the work week. (Some enterprises close on Fridays, too, to give employees a two-day weekend, but shops are open.)

In the Arab areas, schools are closed on Friday and Sunday but open on Saturday. I've seen shops open on Fridays and closed on Sundays and the other way around. I assume it depends on if the owners are Muslim or Christian, but I don't know for sure because I never asked.

I have never been to the new shopping malls in the PA, so I don't know if they are closed down on Fridays or not.


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## ewie

In the UK the _only_ restrictions on shop opening-hours are on Sundays: shops which are over a certain size are restricted to a maximum of 6 trading hours.
Otherwise it's a free-for-all.

There used to be a rather charming old law which forbade the selling of alcohol anywhere before 3pm on Good Friday.  I'm not sure if it still exists.


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## Frank78

Sepia said:


> I don't even know if all German supermarkets could stay open 24/7 but a lot of them stay open till 23:00, all through the week.



They aren´t allowed to open on Sundays and public holidays, except the shop is run by a family. If they employ someone the shop has to be closed.

Another exception is gas stations and their small shops. They are open 24/7.


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## Sepia

Frank78 said:


> They aren´t allowed to open on Sundays and public holidays, except the shop is run by a family. If they employ someone the shop has to be closed.
> 
> Another exception is gas stations and their small shops. They are open 24/7.


 
What Sundays are concerned there is at least one more exception which isn't even new - it existed for decades: In certain zones are declared "touristic zones" - like Hamburg-St. Pauli - stores may stay open all days of the week. For some stupid reason main stream supermarkets were reluctant to take advantage of that law for a long time but now they do.


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## sokol

Encolpius said:


> In Central Europe (Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary) some supermarkets are open as many as 24 hours on Sunday. It seems the only holiday is the 1st January when all shops are closed here.


This was not so before 1991: much has changed in the nations which once lay beyond the Iron Curtain.

Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia have adopted very free opening hours (and I'm sure other Central/Eastern European countries too).

In *Austria *opening hours are still restricted (even more so than in Germany): on sundays most shops are closed.
There are some exceptions for shops on airports or in railway stations and shops run only by the owners (who may open their shops if they run them by themselves - if no employees need to work on sundays), but for the most part you can't go shopping on sundays.

This however is discussed controversally for some years already (decades, in fact); the reason for this restriction (especially for sundays) once was religious (one shouldn't work on the day God rested ) but this isn't an argument anymore; nowadays the debate here in Austria is almost exclusively about shop assistants too deserving to have a day off on sunday.

Anyway, in Austria shopping hours are regulated through agreement between the so-called "Sozialpartner" ("social partners" - that would be the unions on behalf of the employees, and the federal economic chamber on behalf of the employers).
Shopping hours have been extended constantly over the last two decades, but only step by step - with sunday still being closed for the most part, as explained above.


Sepia said:


> Denmark used to be the worst of them all - with stores closing at 17:30 Mondays to Friday and at 14:00 on Saturdays.


In Austria shopping hours once were even shorter - saturdays till 12:00 and weekdays 17:00 or 17:30, I don't remember anymore (that was the case in the 1980ies or so).
Nowadays shops may be open between monday and friday from 05:00 till 21:00 and on sunday till 18:00 - but with the restriction that overall a shop must not keep open for more tha 72 hours a week.


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## Grop

mattdelm said:


> In France Monday to Friday everywhere is open but they have a 2 hour lunch break from 12 till 2.
> 
> Sunday everywhere is closed apart from the boulangeries. Sometimes there are also things closed on Monday like banks.



Hello, actually supermarkets (as opposed to small shops) in France generally make no lunch break. Also, you may find a few of them who happen to be open on Sunday morning.

(I don't know how to look for them, you have to notice it when you randomly see one).


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## Aerio

I live in the USA, in the Midwest. 

Most of the big-box stores here are open twenty-four hours every day, except big holidays like Christmas or New Year's Eve. 
Some supermarkets are like this too.

In my experience, grocery stores / supermarkets tend to have more limited hours, closing earlier on Sunday. 
Most don't do this though, lately.

The mall tends to close earlier on Sunday.
During the holidays, they open earlier and close later.

Local shops open later and close earlier on Saturdays, especially Sundays.

Nonetheless, despite all those limited hours, almost no shop / store / mall / supermarket I've known closes completely on a Sunday, unless for a specific reason.


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## JamesM

I agree with Aerio about my experience in the U.S., except for the big box stores (if we're talking about Best Buy and other similar stores). Even our Wal-Mart isn't open 24 hours a day, but I live in the suburbs. We have one grocery store that is open 24 hours a day and two that close around 9:30 p.m. each night. Even the Christian bookstore in the next town over is open on Sunday afternoons.  

I know you didn't ask about this, but just in case you wanted to know....   Banks are not open on Sunday.  Neither are government offices (most are also closed on Saturday).  Most car repair shops aren't, either.  Doctor's offices are closed then, too.  Even our local urgent care centers aren't open on Sundays.

We have other traditions, though. For example, most beauty and barber shops are closed on Mondays. Some restaurants will close on Mondays. Live theater is often "dark" (closed) on Monday. Monday is often the slowest day so it works out better for the shop owners to be closed then.

We were in Paris a few years ago. Our friends' luggage had been lost so they needed to buy clothes. The only place we could find open was the underground mall at the Louvre (but we don't know Paris very well.) It wasn't a surprise since we had read about this but it was still... disorienting to have all the shops closed on Sunday.


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## emma42

Similar here in North Eastern USA.  Most shops open on Sundays, but boutiques and beauty salons often close on Mondays.  

It reminds me of the old "early closing day" in England.  Shops all used to close around 2 or 3 pm on a Thursday, I think it was.  Why did they do that, Ewie?  I can't remember.  Was it something to do with "pay day"?


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## ernest_

In Spain it's *illegal* to open on Sundays. Only very specific shops are allowed to be open, namely newspapers & bakery shops. There are, however, many  Pakistani-owned supermarkets ootside the law that are open 7 days a week, although they charge you an extra fee on a Sundays.


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## sdr083

By law Norwegian shops have to close on Sundays and holidays.  The exceptions are grocery shops smaller than 100 m2 (we call these "Brustadbu") and petrol stations.  In the countryside most shops will close early on Saturdays (around 14:00 in the village I'm from), but supermarkets are open later.  In the cities you can always find something open.
The Norwegian "opening hours law" was changed in 2003, before that there were more restrictions.



ewie said:


> There used to be a rather charming old law which forbade the selling of alcohol anywhere before 3pm on Good Friday. I'm not sure if it still exists.


In Norway shops cannot sell alcohol on Sundays, religious holidays, the first of May, Constitution day or election days, and the day before any of these days the sale of alcohol must stop at 15:00...


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## mirx

This illness is clearly more widely spread than I thought, I had a really hard time understanding why Ireland, in the paws of capitalism, still had limited trading hours compared to Mexico, a much less capitalized country, and where you can shop basically anytime day or night. For the responses here I can guess that Ireland is actually quite flexible in these regards. 

So back to Mexico, here most supermarkets open 365 days a year. Big chains, and depending on demand and location, may choose to open 24 hours. Gas station shops and pharmacies are also, for the most part, open 24 hours. Family run businesses usually open on Sundays although some tend to have very irregular opening times.

Most commercial trading is done between 10 am and 9 pm, malls usually follow these hours but the particular stores within may not.


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## Miguelillo 87

ernest_ said:


> In Spain it's *illegal* to open on Sundays. Only very specific shops are allowed to be open, namely newspapers & bakery shops. There are, however, many Pakistani-owned supermarkets ootside the law that are open 7 days a week, although they charge you an extra fee on a Sundays.


 
Ilegal for malls only? I mean supermarketsm drugstores abnd that stuff are open right???


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## sokol

Miguelillo 87 said:


> Ilegal for malls only? I mean supermarketsm drugstores abnd that stuff are open right???


No, he means it: all shops are closed except for those very few exceptions: that is actually - it seems - the norm on "continental" Europe [not including UK and Ireland] west of the once-Iron-Curtain.

It was like that east of the Iron Curtain line too, pre-1991, as we seem to have established in this thread already: after it fell they adopted the American way of opening on sundays very quickly there while most of the rest of "continental" Europe obviously still sticks to very strict restrictions for opening on sunday.


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## ernest_

sokol said:


> ... the reason for this restriction (especially for sundays) once was religious (one shouldn't work on the day God rested ) but this isn't an argument anymore;



It's interesting, I'd always thought it was a trade-union thing, so as to prevent workers from being forced to work inhumane hours. Now that you mention this, I'm thinking that maybe it was Franco who introduced these restrictions on the grounds of religion.


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## sokol

ernest_ said:


> It's interesting, I'd always thought it was a trade-union thing, so as to prevent workers from being forced to work inhumane hours. Now that you mention this, I'm thinking that maybe it was Franco who introduced these restrictions on the grounds of religion.



In my opinion all the "Catholic" nations once were the strictest, concerning opening hours; and this would include Spain. But this is just my impression, I cannot offer hard facts to support this. 

And anyway, as said above, religious arguments aren't very relevant anymore (but nevertheless the Austrian Church still complains on a regular basis whenever somebody is lobbying for supermarkets and malls being allowed to open on sundays: and this topic is brought up in Austria regularily).

Today it is definitely the unions which are the main force against open sundays, here in Austria, and probably in most other "Continental" European nations.


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## Frank78

As far as I know the work-free Sunday was in decline during the industrialisation. Then it was reintroduced at the end of the 19th century as part of workers´right.


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## Jacobtm

From what I've seen in México, small businesses are frequently closed on Sunday afternoons, probably because the proprieters are with their family and don't even have other employees. There are plenty of businesses here that are literally run/operated by the same owner/operator every day, so it makes sense that they'd at least want to take off early on Sundays.


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## Miguelillo 87

Jacobtm said:


> From what I've seen in México, small businesses are frequently closed on Sunday afternoons, probably because the proprieters are with their family and don't even have other employees. There are plenty of businesses here that are literally run/operated by the same owner/operator every day, so it makes sense that they'd at least want to take off early on Sundays.


 
Yeah, it makes a lot of sense when we talk about small bussines, but teh big ones!!! It's kind of akward!!! I mean here in the city most people work form Monday to Friday so sunday you went out woth your friends, you go to the nite club etc... and sundays you go to the church, watch football on tv and go to the supermarket, I usually go to the market, supermarket and related on sundays, and I have to say This day it's when the supermarket it's crowder!!! The same about malls, in fact those days they close later because they know there are more people buying and passing by their time, window shopping or going to the cinema or some restaurant.


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## sokol

Frank78 said:


> As far as I know the work-free Sunday was in decline during the industrialisation. Then it was reintroduced at the end of the 19th century as part of workers´right.



This is indeed the case for Germany, says Wiki (see the German Wiki page, unfortunately only French and Dutch versions of the page available which respectively describe situations in France and the Netherlands).

Situations however were slightly different in different nations, see the Dutch site where it seems religious orientation too played a role (as also was the case in Austria, and still is even though only to a very small degree).


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## Miguel Antonio

sokol said:


> No, he means it: all shops are closed except for those very few exceptions: that is actually - it seems - the norm on "continental" Europe [not including UK and Ireland] west of the once-Iron-Curtain.
> 
> It was like that east of the Iron Curtain line too, pre-1991, as we seem to have established in this thread already: after it fell they adopted the American way of opening on sundays very quickly there while most of the rest of "continental" Europe obviously still sticks to very strict restrictions for opening on sunday.


Not exactly. I live close to the border with Portugal and I have a choice of supermarkets there that only close a handful of days in the year (Christmas, New Year's day, Easter Sunday, and some other national Portuguese holiday). They are open until 10 pm, which is 11 pm in Spain. And I am aware that this happens elsewhere in the country, further away from the border, and in some shopping malls too.


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## Porteño

emma42 said:


> Similar here in North Eastern USA. Most shops open on Sundays, but boutiques and beauty salons often close on Mondays.
> 
> It reminds me of the old "early closing day" in England. Shops all used to close around 2 or 3 pm on a Thursday, I think it was. Why did they do that, Ewie? I can't remember. Was it something to do with "pay day"?


 
If I remember correctly, 'early closing' day was on Wednesday, at least in the SE where I hail from. I always understood that this was to compensate for the employees working on Saturday mornings as in those long distant days the shops, or many of them, closed at midday on Saturday. Nowadays, it seems to be a free for all with shops opening whenever they want. On my last visit in 1986 I did come across some weird practices like I was unable to buy alcohol in the supermarket before midday on a Sunday or 5pm in the afternoon of other days because the pubs weren't open!!   (the old licensing laws were still in effect).

Here in Argentina all the shopping centres and supermarkets are open practically 24/365. This year they're going to close at Midnight on Christmas and New Year's Eve. Private shops keep to their own rules with many still following the old 'siesta' system (even in Buenos Aires), closing at 1 or 2 pm and opening again at 5pm and closing around 8 or 9.


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## ampurdan

ernest_ said:


> In Spain it's *illegal* to open on Sundays. Only very specific shops are allowed to be open, namely newspapers & bakery shops. There are, however, many  Pakistani-owned supermarkets ootside the law that are open 7 days a week, although they charge you an extra fee on a Sundays.



If I'm not mistaken, in some Autonomous Regions in Spain it is perfectly legal to open whenever the business wants, including Sundays. That is the case with the Madrid Community, controlled by the neo-liberal line of the conservative party.


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## Orlin

In Bulgaria, it is usual for shops (regardless of size) to be open on Sundays, but usually the working hours are shorter. It is possible for some shops to be closed on Sundays, but it isn't so often. Shops are almost all closed on some major holidays: December 25, January 1 and Easter Sunday or have limited working hours (working hours are also short on December 24 and 31). There is no legal restriction for work on Sunday.


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## pickypuck

ampurdan said:


> If I'm not mistaken, in some Autonomous Regions in Spain it is perfectly legal to open whenever the business wants, including Sundays. That is the case with the Madrid Community, controlled by the neo-liberal line of the conservative party.


 
You are right. In the following link you can see what the law says.

There is total freedom for:

-A business that sells bread, sweets, prepared food, press, gasoline/fuel, flowers, plants.

-A business located in a station, airport, etc.

-A business located in a very touristic place.

-A business located in an international border.

-A business lower than 300 m2 or a convenience store (both under certain circumstances).

A business that doesn't fall into these characteristics is subjected to restrictions. But these restrictions can be suppressed by the Autonomous Community to a great extent. Thus, for most Autonomous Communities the number of Sundays that a "regular" store could be open during 2009 was 8, as compared to 22 for the Autonomous Community of Madrid.

Cheers.


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## Porteño

sokol said:


> This however is discussed controversally for some years already (decades, in fact); the reason for this restriction (especially for sundays) once was religious (one shouldn't work on the day God rested ) but this isn't an argument anymore;
> .


 
Not so many years ago there was a very powerful organization in the UK called 'The Lord's Day Observance Society' who were, to say the least somewhat Puritan and were responsible for most of the laws restricting commerce and drinking on Sundays in force at that time. It was even illegal to bet on your golf game on a Sunday!!


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## Lugubert

My favourite supermarkets in Sweden's second largest city are open 8-22 and 7-32, respectively, all days. Perhaps a few hours less at Easter and Christmas. Smaller shops will voluntarily close early or totally on Saturdays, and be closed on Sundays.

No Sunday or other holiday restrictions on entertainment. There will even be Good Friday dances. When I was young, cinema offerings on Good Friday was severely restricted, and that was all the entertainment allowed.


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## Orlin

Lugubert said:


> My favourite supermarkets in Sweden's second largest city are open 8-22 and 7-32 , respectively, all days. Perhaps a few hours less at Easter and Christmas. Smaller shops will voluntarily close early or totally on Saturdays, and be closed on Sundays.
> 
> No Sunday or other holiday restrictions on entertainment. There will even be Good Friday dances. When I was young, cinema offerings on Good Friday was severely restricted, and that was all the entertainment allowed.


 
Sorry but I don't understand what you mean by 7-32.


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## Einstein

When I lived in England in the 1970s the supermarkets were always closed on Sundays and public holidays and stayed open late (until 21.00) only a couple of days a week. Strangely, though, people didn't starve to death; they knew when the shops were closed and organized themselves accordingly, so shopping day was Saturday. A similar situation existed in Italy where I now live and still supermarkets are open on some Sundays but not all. Of course there was an argument for a certain degree of flexibility but in general it was considered that shop employees, like the customers, were human beings entitled to a free day with their families. It wasn't really a religious question; how they spent their free day was a personal choice.
Extending opening hours doesn't increase overall sales, it simply means fiercer competition which puts small shops out of business. And as it doesn't increase sales it means reducing the hourly pay for the workers. As a result there are now shop employees who "want" to work on Sundays because being underpaid they need the overtime.
Also in other jobs the hours have become longer and for this reason people want to find the shops open on Sundays, but it would be better if all workers together resisted this increasing exploitation!

Having said the above, I must comment that closing at 2 p.m. on Saturdays seems like going too far the other way!


PS Orlin, I think Lugubert means 7-22, not 7-32.


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## london calling

Einstein, I agree totally!

I just wanted to add something to what you say about opening times in the 70s. I was still at school and had what was known as a "Saturday job" (for our non British friends: most of us had one then. For Brits who still live in the country: does anybody know if British kids still do this?) in one of the big supermarket chains in London. As a matter of fact, I didn't only work on Saturdays, but on Thursday or Friday evenings until 9 p.m. as well (late night closing was only twice a week!).


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## Lugubert

Einstein said:


> PS Orlin, I think Lugubert means 7-22, not 7-32.


Correct. Blame an assortment of medical issues as well as strerss frpm stress from work overload.


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## wildan1

JamesM said:


> I agree with Aerio about my experience in the U.S., except for the big box stores (if we're talking about Best Buy and other similar stores). Even our Wal-Mart isn't open 24 hours a day, but I live in the suburbs. We have one grocery store that is open 24 hours a day and two that close around 9:30 p.m. each night. Even the Christian bookstore in the next town over is open on Sunday afternoons.
> 
> I know you didn't ask about this, but just in case you wanted to know....  Banks are not open on Sunday. Neither are government offices (most are also closed on Saturday). Most car repair shops aren't, either. Doctor's offices are closed then, too. Even our local urgent care centers aren't open on Sundays.
> 
> We have other traditions, though. For example, most beauty and barber shops are closed on Mondays. Some restaurants will close on Mondays. Live theater is often "dark" (closed) on Monday. Monday is often the slowest day so it works out better for the shop owners to be closed then.


 
The laws that restricted business hours for shops and businesses (known as "_blue laws_") were mostly eliminated in the 1970s in the U.S. Since the U.S. is a federation of 50 states, all of those laws were based on each state's legislative decisions (or even local laws), and  not consistent across the U.S.

One remnant of those old blue laws is the restriction on the sales of alcohol--either only after a certain hour of the day (in Washington, DC you can't buy alcohol before 9:00 AM any day of the week) or not at all on Sundays in some jurisdictions. I am not sure why this was not eliminated with the other blue laws, but those restrictions are still quite common across different parts of our country.

There is more information here on this topic generally.


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## Einstein

wildan1 said:


> The laws that restricted business hours for shops and businesses (known as "_blue laws_") were mostly eliminated in the 1970s in the U.S.
> [...]
> There is more information here on this topic generally.


I looked at your link on "blue laws" (and have learnt a new expression), and it leaves me wondering if everyone sees this as a purely religious question. Does no one agree with me (post 36) and *london calling *(post 37) that there were other (valid) reasons apart from religious ones for restricting business hours?


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## JamesM

Einstein said:


> I looked at your link on "blue laws" (and have learnt a new expression), and it leaves me wondering if everyone sees this as a purely religious question. Does no one agree with me (post 36) and *london calling *(post 37) that there were other (valid) reasons apart from religious ones for restricting business hours?


 
It would be interesting to see a case where there were no such restrictions when a religion dominated the legal structure followed by the introduction of such restrictions by a more secular government.  I don't think I've seen an example of that. 

I'm sure there are many valid reasons for restricting business hours but as far as I know all restrictions had their origins in religious convictions.  

I'll review your posts to see if I missed something.


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## Einstein

JamesM said:


> I'm sure there are many valid reasons for restricting business hours but as far as I know all restrictions had their origins in religious convictions.


Opposition to extension of opening hours seems to come more from protestants than catholics and in any case religious objection would be to Sunday opening, not to late night opening. In the 1970s in Italy all shops had to close at 7.30 pm; this was imposed because previously the small shops had stayed open until very late, competing with each other, so it was a form of protection. In large stores, Sunday opening has been imposed against the protests of the unions, not of the Church.


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## Lugubert

I'm fairly certain that the laws on Swedish Sunday closing was a Protestant only thing.

The fist laws were introduced in 1909, when Swedes for no more than 36 years had been allowed to adhere to the Catholic faith without risking extradition.

When the last shop opening restricting laws were scrapped, in 1972, Sweden was already sufficiently secular. Protests came from the unions.


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## Miguelillo 87

JamesM said:


> I'm sure there are many valid reasons for restricting business hours but as far as I know all restrictions had their origins in religious convictions.


 
Here in Mexico City, a new law has been imposed in Álvaro Obregón district (The City has 16 districts) where any kind of alcoholic beverages (beer, rum, tequila not even coolers) are allowed to be sold after 12:00 am until 7:00 am. 

This law has nothing to do with religion, the reason for it, it's because alcohol it's related to street fights; car accidents and violence; so forbiddne to sell alcohol prevent people on the streets trying to find it. 

Obviously you can be "preventive" and buy a lot of alcohol if you are having a party, but sometimes alcohol runs out faster than you believe or simply if there were a not planned party, maybe you stop drinking earlier. 

(By the way I live in the "border line" of the district so if I cross the street I'm in other district, and the liquor store it's on the other corner !)


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## Copyright

wildan1 said:


> The laws that restricted business hours for shops and businesses (known as "_blue laws_") were mostly eliminated in the 1970s in the U.S.
> 
> One remnant of those old blue laws is the restriction on the sales of alcohol.



_[Note that this is a cut-down quote from wildan1.]_

I just discovered this thread and read through it and was wondering if anyone would mention blue laws that were in force across many (all?) of the Bible Belt states. 

I spent nearly every summer of my childhood at my grandparents' in Kansas and I know that besides the prohibition on Sunday sales of alcohol, hardware stores were also closed – it was a day of rest, so you weren't supposed to be building and fixing things. When I went to college in Missouri in the middle and late '60s, it was still true for liquor and hardware stores.


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## effeundici

Frank78 said:


> They aren´t allowed to open on Sundays and public holidays, except the shop is run by a family. If they employ someone the shop has to be closed.
> 
> Another exception is gas stations and their small shops. They are open 24/7.


 
It's a wise law whose goal is _man _and not profit


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## Einstein

Copyright said:


> I spent nearly every summer of my childhood at my grandparents' in Kansas and I know that besides the prohibition on Sunday sales of alcohol, hardware stores were also closed – *it was a day of rest, so you weren't supposed to be building and fixing things*. When I went to college in Missouri in the middle and late '60s, it was still true for liquor and hardware stores.


In GB the idea wasn't that *you* shouldn't be building and fixing things on a Sunday, but that you bought the materials on another day and didn't make *other* people work on Sundays!


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## JamesM

Miguelillo 87 said:


> Here in Mexico City, a new law has been imposed in Álvaro Obregón district (The City has 16 districts) where any kind of alcoholic beverages (beer, rum, tequila not even coolers) are allowed to be sold after 12:00 am until 7:00 am.
> 
> This law has nothing to do with religion, the reason for it, it's because alcohol it's related to street fights; car accidents and violence; so forbiddne to sell alcohol prevent people on the streets trying to find it....
> 
> 
> (By the way I live in the "border line" of the district so if I cross the street I'm in other district, and the liquor store it's on the other corner !)


 

If alcohol is related to street fights and the goal is to reduce violent incidents, how does forbidding it in one district accomplish the goal?


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## PaulaWulff

It's not illegal to open on Sundays, it's just that small markets claimed to be treated unfairly by large stores due to non compete agreements (unfair competition). Basically it's up to each region in Spain to decide whether to declare it illegal or not, nevertheless, downtown stores in Madrid were recently accorded the right to open:

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/madr...r/domingo/elpepiespmad/20100224elpmad_11/Tes/

And in Barcelona it's been discussed as well:

http://www.noticias.com/zonas-comerciales-de-bcn-piden-poder-abrir-en-domingo.192052

And Galicia: 

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/Gali...ir/domingos/elpepiautgal/20100427elpgal_6/Tes

It's about workers' right to rest, getting paid leaves, but at the same time having competitive stores, even the small ones.


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## mirx

Miguelillo 87 said:


> Here in Mexico City, a new law has been imposed in Álvaro Obregón district (The City has 16 districts) where any kind of alcoholic beverages (beer, rum, tequila not even coolers) are allowed to be sold after 12:00 am until 7:00 am.
> 
> This law has nothing to do with religion, the reason for it, it's because alcohol it's related to street fights; car accidents and violence; so forbiddne to sell alcohol prevent people on the streets trying to find it.
> 
> Obviously you can be "preventive" and buy a lot of alcohol if you are having a party, but sometimes alcohol runs out faster than you believe or simply if there were a not planned party, maybe you stop drinking earlier.
> 
> (By the way I live in the "border line" of the district so if I cross the street I'm in other district, and the liquor store it's on the other corner !)


 
Interesting, as far as I am aware in Durango liquor stores are allowed to open from 10 am to 10 pm Monday to Saturday. Sundays and holidays is from 12 pm to 6 pm. No districts here.


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## SaritaSarang

Encolpius said:


> Is Germany the only country in the world where all shops are closed on Sunday? I never lived in Germany, so have no personal experience, but heard people say that. How about your country can you go shopping on Sunday?
> 
> In Central Europe (Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary) some supermarkets are open as many as 24 hours on Sunday. It seems the only holiday is the 1st January when all shops are closed here.


 
Definatly not the only one. Where I live in the south of the U.S, EVERYTHING is closed on Sunday. If you're going to get a flat tire or have car trouble, do it on any day other than Sunday, because you will find nothing open to get help. Banks are closed. Malls are closed.(some of them). All liquor stores by law have to be closed on Sunday. No mail is delivered. It really sucks.


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## Einstein

I find no inconvenience at all in not receiving mail on a Sunday! On the other hand it's not nice to find I can't have an emergency repair on my car.
I think we should make a distinction between services that are "necessary" and ones that we have come to accept as normal. In the past, if we knew the shops were closed on Sundays we simply made sure we had what we needed by Saturday evening. On the other hand, if we want to eat out or go to a bar on a Sunday it's not the same thing to say we'll go another day.
I feel that in general the number of people working on Sundays should be kept to a minimum; it's not very consistent to expect others to work on Sundays rather than spend time with their families so that we can enjoy our own free day to the full.


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## rayloom

In Saudi, shops close all at the same time every night (usually 10 pm). But on Fridays, the shops start working late, after 5pm usually.


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## JamesM

SaritaSarang said:


> Definatly not the only one. Where I live in the south of the U.S, EVERYTHING is closed on Sunday. If you're going to get a flat tire or have car trouble, do it on any day other than Sunday, because you will find nothing open to get help. Banks are closed. Malls are closed.(some of them). All liquor stores by law have to be closed on Sunday. No mail is delivered. It really sucks.


 
Everything??? 

Is the Wal-Mart closed where you are on Sunday? How about fast food places? Pharmacies/drug stores? Convenience stores (Circle K, 7-11)? Movie theaters? Restaurants? Grocery stores? Gas stations? If so, I think that's unusual. Is it a very small town?

I don't believe mail has ever been delivered on Sunday in the U.S.


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## Porteño

Einstein said:


> I find no inconvenience at all in not receiving mail on a Sunday! On the other hand it's not nice to find I can't have an emergency repair on my car.
> I think we should make a distinction between services that are "necessary" and ones that we have come to accept as normal. In the past, if we knew the shops were closed on Sundays we simply made sure we had what we needed by Saturday evening. On the other hand, if we want to eat out or go to a bar on a Sunday it's not the same thing to say we'll go another day.
> I feel that in general the number of people working on Sundays should be kept to a minimum; it's not very consistent to expect others to work on Sundays rather than spend time with their families so that we can enjoy our own free day to the full.


 
I fully agree, particularly with your closing remarks. However, here in Argentina, especially Buenos Aires, the 'Porteños' (natives) have always had the custom of going out to lunch on Sundays at practically any hour. You may find yourself standing in line for table at 3 or 4 in the afternoon! The only way to avoid that is to make sure you're at the door no later than midday with a reservation if you can make one.


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## wildan1

JamesM said:


> I don't believe mail has ever been delivered on Sunday in the U.S.


Mail is usually delivered once a year on Sunday in the US--the Sunday before Christmas (as a college student I used to do that job).

Maybe it's no longer done nowadays given that snail mail volume has dropped due to the Internet. 

But it does reflect a dominant US attitude towards work--you do it whenever it needs to be done to benefit the public or the customer. And if you don't want the job, someone else will be happy to take it on...


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## JamesM

wildan1 said:


> Mail is usually delivered once a year on Sunday in the US--the Sunday before Christmas (as a college student I used to do that job).
> 
> Maybe it's no longer done nowadays given that snail mail volume has dropped due to the Internet.
> 
> But it does reflect a dominant US attitude towards work--you do it whenever it needs to be done to benefit the public or the customer. And if you don't want the job, someone else will be happy to take it on...


 
Were those parcels or letters?  I can imagine parcels on a Sunday but it's hard to picture something in my mailbox on a Sunday.


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## rayloom

JamesM said:


> Were those parcels or letters?  I can imagine parcels on a Sunday but it's hard to picture something in my mailbox on a Sunday.



I imagine they were letters. Since the internet has decreased our reliance on a physical written letter being sent via mail, can't say the same about parcels though.


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## Ibermanolo

Not only for malls. Most of the stores are not allowed to open on sunday.


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## SaritaSarang

JamesM said:


> Everything???
> 
> Is the Wal-Mart closed where you are on Sunday? How about fast food places? Pharmacies/drug stores? Convenience stores (Circle K, 7-11)? Movie theaters? Restaurants? Grocery stores? Gas stations? If so, I think that's unusual. Is it a very small town?
> 
> I don't believe mail has ever been delivered on Sunday in the U.S.



Walmart is open. Pharmacies are usually closed or close early, convencience stores are open but might close early, theatres are open, restaraunts might close early, same for grocery stores. Obviously when I say everything is closed, I don't mean *LITERALLY EVERYTHING in the entire town. *I figured people would understand that.... It's a town in the south so what isn't closed usually closes early, like noon or early afternoon. The gas stations maybe open but not the ones that have a repair station for a flat tire or broken down car. This has happened to me many, many times.


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## JamesM

> Obviously when I say everything is closed, I don't mean *LITERALLY EVERYTHING in the entire town. *I figured people would understand that....


 
I thought it was worth clarifying, given that we have had contributors from Spain who have said that shops are forbidden by law to be open on Sunday. The good and the bad of having such a global user base as WRF has is that most assumptions don't hold true for long here.

It is possible that you live in either a very unusual town or a very small town. I have never personally visited a town in the U.S. where the restaurants were not open for Sunday dinner, even in small towns. I've only lived in three states but I've visited over a dozen on business trips. I have been to a place in Utah where the market closes on Sunday but it is a town of about 800 people in the middle of the desert. It was four hours to the closest Wal-Mart; this was a point of pride for them (and I don't blame them). 

I would be interested in hearing if other people in the U.S. live in towns where most businesses are closed on Sunday.


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## SaritaSarang

JamesM said:


> I thought it was worth clarifying, given that we have had contributors from Spain who have said that shops are forbidden by law to be open on Sunday. The good and the bad of having such a global user base as WRF has is that most assumptions don't hold true for long here.
> 
> It is possible that you live in either a very unusual town or a very small town. I have never personally visited a town in the U.S. where the restaurants were not open for Sunday dinner, even in small towns. I've only lived in three states but I've visited over a dozen on business trips. I have been to a place in Utah where the market closes on Sunday but it is a town of about 800 people in the middle of the desert. It was four hours to the closest Wal-Mart; this was a point of pride for them (and I don't blame them).
> 
> I would be interested in hearing if other people in the U.S. live in towns where most businesses are closed on Sunday.



I live in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It's the capital of the state, and it's big, but nothing like New York City or Chicago. Things are just kinda different in the south. It's common for things to close and people to just go to church on Sunday and then go spend time with family. I found this on blue laws.

"A *blue law* is a type of law, typically found in the United States, designed to enforce religious standards, particularly the observance of Sunday as a day of worship or rest, and a restriction on Sunday shopping. Most have been repealed, have been declared unconstitutional, or are simply unenforced, although prohibitions on the sale of alcoholic beverages, and occasionally almost all commerce, on Sundays are still enforced in many areas. Blue laws often prohibit an activity only during certain hours and there are usually exceptions to the prohibition of commerce, like grocery and drug stores. In some places blue laws may be enforced due to religious principles, but others are retained as a matter of tradition or out of convenience."

In Oklahoma, It is illegal to sell packaged liquor (off-premises sales) on Sundays. Sales also are prohibited on Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.[30] Car dealerships are also closed on Sundays.[31]

It's a southern thing.


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## pickypuck

JamesM said:


> I would be interested in hearing if other people in the U.S. live in towns where most businesses are closed on Sunday.


 
This is not the case of San Antonio (TX). As far as I can remember, everything was open with a few exceptions: Chick-fil-A, liquor stores (no spirits sold on Sundays, as it is the tradition in other USA counties, although you can get beer, wine, alcopops, etc.), family-run shops/businesses, etc. Most stores like Wal-Mart, Target or H-E-B were open from 06:00 am to 00:00 am everyday (including Sundays) and some 24 hours 7 days a week.

As for Spain, in post #32 you can find what the law says and why you may find in some places many stores open and in other places most stores closed 

Cheers.


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## wildan1

Store closures are under local jurisdiction in the U.S., so it is impossible to give any sort of broad description of this that will be accurate in all cases. 

You can live in one small town or county (in the South or elsewhere) where local laws require stores to be closed and drive 10 minutes to another town where anything goes...


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## Ukrainito

Here in Ukraine stores are never closed on weekends. In fact, many Ukrainians do their Saturday/Sunday shopping as a sort of pleasant pastime, often with their families or friends.


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## manicha

In Spain, non family-run supermarkets, malls and department stores are usually open 12 hour a day, from Monday to Saturday. Smaller food shops and boutiques and other business are usually open 8 to 10 hours a day. Opening on Sundays is possible for small shops, but most of them only use this right in sales and christmas time, the very same days that larger shops are allowed to do so.


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## NewtonCircus

In Belgium family-run bakeries, butcheries and convenience stores have traditionally been open on Sunday until 13:00. Some large shopping malls, furniture malls and other speciality shops operate under special licences which allow them to open the entire day on Sunday. They are more like tourist attractions and the ones located at the border are patronised by a large percentage of Dutch, Germans, and French. Since last year, some nation-wide supermarket chains are open on Sunday as well.

In Singapore virtually any shop is open on Sunday except the ones that operate in industrial and business district. Shops in Singapore generally open very late, often at 11:00. At least one supermarket/shopping mall complex is open 24/7.  

Cheers Herman


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## tvdxer

Back in the olden days, there were few businesses open on Sunday, which was widely recognized as a day of worship and rest.

This has all changed, and now Sunday, for many people, is a day to shop.  

The local situation seems to be that most small shops and offices are closed on Sunday, but all major retailers are open.  Most restaurants and cafes (local or chain) are open, too.


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## LilianaB

Yes, usually most stores are open on Sundays in my area but today only cellular phone stores and dog food stores are open. People could always shop there for food, in case of  an emergency.


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## AquisM

In Hong Kong, practically nothing is closed on Sundays (or any day, for that matter, except for the Chinese New Year period). The only shops that are guaranteed to be closed are public services (post offices, marriage registries) and banks. It's ironic, isn't it? That the "essential" services are closed and yet private shops, which are not "essential", are not.


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## Youngfun

Same thing in Mainland China.
But banks and post offices are open on Sundays too.

In Italy before it was forbidden to keep the shops open on Sundays, now with the economical crisis, they are allowed.


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## merquiades

In France, at least in the heartland, almost nothing is open on Sunday (I think only the 3 Sundays before Xmas are the exceptions).  It is depressing.
You have to make sure you get everything you need on Saturday or you'll regret it.  Today I'm missing my bottle of coca-cola.
Fortunately, cinemas stay open.  So it's my cinema/ cleaning/ sleeping day.


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## Einstein

merquiades said:


> It is depressing.[...] Today I'm missing my bottle of coca-cola.


The shop workers are also depressed, because they miss something more than a bottle of Coca-cola; they miss a complete day with their families. Of course, some are "happy" to work on Sundays because they are so underpaid that they need the money, but basically they are human beings like you and me, with the same needs.


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## Porteño

Einstein said:


> The shop workers are also depressed, because they miss something more than a bottle of Coca-cola; they miss a complete day with their families. Of course, some are "happy" to work on Sundays because they are so underpaid that they need the money, but basically they are human beings like you and me, with the same needs.



I couldn't agree with you more. Hopefully they get time off on some other day.


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## merquiades

Einstein said:


> The shop workers are also depressed, because they miss something more than a bottle of Coca-cola; they miss a complete day with their families. Of course, some are "happy" to work on Sundays because they are so underpaid that they need the money, but basically they are human beings like you and me, with the same needs.



I will certainly not question the right to time off and proper remuneration for all employees, but I don't believe Sundays have to be mandatory down time for everybody.  Timetables should be flexible. Having days off other days for some workers can compensate Sunday working.


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## Einstein

I'm not doubting that they have other days off, but unless the whole family can have a day off together it's not the same thing. As I said in an earlier post, when shops were generally closed on Sundays we were used to the idea, did our shopping when we knew they were open and didn't starve to death. I'm not against some flexibility and of course there are essential services, as well as leisure and entertainment which you can't "buy" the day before. But I don't think a bottle of Coca-Cola on a supermarket shelf is an essential service...


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## Ely79

I completely agree with Einstein. Here the shops were usually closed on Sunday except in Christmas period. Pharmacies are generally closed but one open pharmacy in the area ("farmacia di turno") is always available, and signaled by other closed pharmacies. Banks are closed on Sat. and Sun.

Only in the last few years some large supermarkets and malls began to be open on Sunday... and began to be the destination of a "Sunday walk". Before that, on Sundays you could stay at home or go out for lunch, take a walk when the weather is good, or go chatting with friends in a bar, go to the cinema etc. Saturday was "the" shopping day if you worked Mon-Fri and you couldn't go shopping in the evening.
Shopping seen as "entertainment" is something recent in Italy.


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## RM1(SS)

tvdxer said:


> Back in the olden days, there were few businesses open on Sunday, which was widely recognized as a day of worship and rest.
> 
> This has all changed, and now Sunday, for many people, is a day to shop.
> 
> The local situation seems to be that most small shops and offices are closed on Sunday, but all major retailers are open.  Most restaurants and cafes (local or chain) are open, too.



Living in the Midwest (Michigan, Illinois, Iowa), the first time I ever saw a mall open on Sunday was around 1979 or 1980.  Supermarkets were almost always open on Sundays, though, but most other stores were also closed.


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