I can see your point, but then I can still remember what it was like before we had a 24/7 shopping culture. I rather lean to the idea that part of society's problems stems from the very fact that we can now just shop till we drop whenever the mood takes us.

As to your other points, the fact that "society" lets these things happen is surely due to the fact that most people don't give a flying fig about what goes on around them. If folk hadn't become so insular and selfish, perhaps ghettos wouldn't form.

Of course, I fully realise that would go against millions of years of evolution and social engineering.

I have to say, where I live, I just don't see the general selfishness that people are describing here. All my neighbours are friendly and helpful I'm happy to say, and it's the same with people I see on the way to work and in town... Younger people are often scrotes though

I'd put money on it that my older peers have often said the exact same thing though

The 'traditional Sunday' is long gone, probably forever, because the demands on time have changed. My personal experience of Sundays in the past was that they were extremely boring and felt like a 'dead' day before crappy Monday

What a load of twoddle.

If working Sunday's (or infact, any other day of the week), is a problem then don't agree to do it.

For me, Sunday's do not hold much value. In my life, Thursday night is a time I would much prefer not to be working. Is anyone who orders food that I have to deliver on a Thursday selfish? Probably not, because that fits in with your model.

Everyone is different, so what's the problem with those who would like to shop on a Sunday being able to do so and those who like to go out for a drink on Thursday's being able to do so?

It's good to see my old fogey image is working to specification.

Yes but the stores o not actually expect many people at that time. They have their staff in filling shelves and doing the cleaning etc, so it cost next to nothing to have someone occasionally doing something else and switch to man the check out. The staff do not mind as there is not the hassle like during the day, from managers or customers.

Except the drunks and the druggies.

My girlfriend works the early shift at the nursing home (she runs the kitchen). She works a 12 day fortnight, which means she works every other weekend (and covers for sickness or holiday on the free weekend!). That means that she has to get up at 04:30, Sundays included!

Usually I still get up with her and we drink a cup of coffee, before she goes to work - then I try and go back to sleep.

It is horrible sometimes, you are tired, you don't get to stay up late, because you have to get up early and she only gets to see the kids late afternoon at the weekends, which pretty much screws up any plans for trips out somewhere, at least every other weekend...

I wouldn't wish that on anyone, so I'm quiet happy for the shop staff to get their Sunday free - heck most small shops close between 14:00 and 16:00 on a Saturday as well...

Do we really need Sunday shopping at all? The place I used to work was fairly dead on a Sunday and I'd have much rather have spent the day with my family...
Do supermarkets need to be open at 8am ever day? People could buy their lunches at the weekend or at work...
Actually, why don't we scrap weekend shopping altogether? That way we've got two days to spend with our loved ones...

No doubt people here like to drop into the supermarket before work to pick up some lunch and maybe a paper? Aren't you being a tad unfair to those poor sods that have that shift?
Unfortunately, we're now used to high convenience, we want something and we want it now.

There is no reason why a supermarket shouldn't be 24/7, if there is a reason then surely that means that all garages/small co-ops/Spars/small convenience stores should also conform and close their doors at some point?
For a supermarket to become 24/7 you wouldn't need to make your staff work more, you'd hire more people (supermarkets have to love students for filling evening jobs and weekends), during slow periods you'd close off tills and make sure that the self-service is up and running (I know people don't like them, but it's a compromise).

Workers would hate it at first, but after a time they would just get on with it. And I'm sure that if you asked the right people, they would be begging you for the job to stack shelves at 2am.

All in all, I'm not sure if we need 24/7 shopping, but I can think of a handful of times in the past when it would have been mighty handy.

I don't think we need supermarkets 24/7 if small shops could stay open 24/7 or at least late night open times at the weekend.

I agree it's crap having to do shift work but some of us work such hours and days that sometimes the only free time happens to be in the evening/night of sunday and when you need something quick it can be useful. There are times when I've run out of food but unable to get time to shop because of a change in shifts at short notice or because I've had to work later either due to emergencies or problems with staff shortages.