This Buying Age - Shopping 24/7

[John P. Cooper]

*Inspired by a series of posts here - http://tinyurl.com/pjtj5

Originally Posted by mke

It doesn't seem right, somehow, to make people work in stores at 3AM. I guess people already do in shipping and transport industries, though. But it seems to be a degradation of social conditions. Kind of like having stores open on sunday. Sure, it's practical for the consumer, but should that be the only consideration?

This is an interesting spin off topic.

Growing up on Long Island in the 1960s, many so called "blue laws" were still in place, observed and enforced. Most stores were closed on Sundays.

The big shopping mall I worked in closed at 6 pm (!!!) every night except Wednesday night and one other night when they closed at 9:30 pm.

Retail is a poor enough career without having to work 'til all hours of the day and night or dealing with split shifts.

Social conditions and life situations are affected.

We have become a nation that is focused on commerce.

It was really nice to be able to go home at 6 pm, the day over and the evening to be called your own.

Many employers now don't really give a damn about the shifts or hours their employees work. Trader Joe's is a great example. They run 24 hour shifts even though they are not open 24 hours. Sure, it's great if you want to work swing or graveyard shifts, but most people don't.

What does Trader Joe's do? They schedule their employees really tightly. Your shift can end at midnight, but you have to be back at work at 8 am. What kind of life is that? Legally, all they have to give you off is 8 hours between shifts, but, morally and in other ways, it is wrong. You have to drive home, you have to eat and relax and maybe spend some time with your family and attend to some business and hobbies...and you still need to sleep...you still need the time to unwind and get to sleep, then you have to be up again, prepare for work, drive there and begin your next shift. A nightmare. And all in 8 hours???

The worst inconvenience of the old "blue laws" was you could not get everything you wanted on a moment's notice. You might actually have to remember to buy it the day before or wait 'til the day after to get something.

In a pinch, you could borrow something you needed from a friend or neighbor.

Anyway...I always have had mixed feelings about the 24/7 'buy and sell' culture that has taken over our lives.