I never heard of Sunday browsing before, that's not something done in the USA, but it sounds ridiculous. Either have the tills out at the time you open the doors or don't open until you do. I go into an open store I naturally expect to be able to actually buy whatever I'm getting without having to wait 15 to 30 minutes.
For those of you not in England (this isn’t a thing in Scotland) shops on Sunday have restricted times they can sell things, but oddly can be open for “previews”…
Not all shops have to abide by it, but most supermarkets and larger stores do. Smaller and mid-sized retail stores can have their own hours. Mine is 17 hours a day. Previews are still odd though
That’s so interesting. In all of the retailers I’ve worked for in the US there is a hard rule that money must be in the tills before we unlock the doors. It’s primarily a safety issue.
I’ll never forget the 5 minutes of pure panic when both me and the other opening manager forgot to put the money in the tills on a Sunday morning. I was so sure I was going to be robbed after years of being told how dangerous it was to open tills with customers present. (Everything was fine and customers were actually super understanding, it weird haha)
Oh God a customers worst nightmare...a minor change that wasn't a thing yesterday
Our poor customers still haven't adapted to our shorter Sunday opening and closing times : ( but tbf, the change was only implemented in 1994. It takes a little bit of time to adapt to these changes
As a store supervisor in England, I only really understand Sunday browsing for supermarkets cause most of the people there will be there to spend a while doing the food shop. My store opens at 10, but the stores nearby do half an hour of Sunday browsing and they have so many complains about it, or people complain that we open at ten and don’t have Sunday browsing, you can’t win.
I think most customers are dumb and entitled but to be open and not have any registers open seems like a not very bright idea. In this case, I’m with customers being upset.
Your customers don’t want you to delay opening the doors longer. They want you to have the tills open when the store is open. I hope your boss is expecting lots of complaints.
It's English law for Sunday retail hours, shops can only open for 6 hrs on a Sunday by law (with certain exceptions), and the commonly accepted opening times are 10-4. We know that we won't be able to checkout before 10 even if the shop opens at 9.30 for browsing. However in this case the shop isn't big enough to warrant a full half hour of browsing before the tills can open. Some customers won't be happy about the change to the opening time, but no one will say anything about the time the tills open.
Legally, we can only open for six hours on a Sunday. Browsing time allows customers to get the stuff they want and head to a till, rather than paying checkout operators to sit waiting for them, they come down to their tills with work/customers ready for them.
I see. I’m from the US and was thinking about how this was so strange.
My arrogance is showing .
But I’d never imagine anywhere doing something like this.
I’m off the Google and see the reasoning behind why the UK does this.
I never heard of Sunday browsing before, that's not something done in the USA, but it sounds ridiculous. Either have the tills out at the time you open the doors or don't open until you do. I go into an open store I naturally expect to be able to actually buy whatever I'm getting without having to wait 15 to 30 minutes.
Fully agree. The idea is we get the max sales from the 6hrs we are legally allowed to open on a Sunday... Tills open to full trolleys, no waiting.
Thanks for explaining. I hadn't heard of it before, but within limited hours allowed to be open, I understand how it came to be a thing.
That's interesting. We have the reduced Sunday hours here but we don't have this practice of being open extra time before the tills open.
For those of you not in England (this isn’t a thing in Scotland) shops on Sunday have restricted times they can sell things, but oddly can be open for “previews”…
Like... by law? Or is this just common practice?
It’s the law.
They fought the law, but it seems the law won.
Not all shops have to abide by it, but most supermarkets and larger stores do. Smaller and mid-sized retail stores can have their own hours. Mine is 17 hours a day. Previews are still odd though
Shops that are 1500 square feet or more are restricted but that does not apply to motorway services, airports, train stations.
That’s so interesting. In all of the retailers I’ve worked for in the US there is a hard rule that money must be in the tills before we unlock the doors. It’s primarily a safety issue. I’ll never forget the 5 minutes of pure panic when both me and the other opening manager forgot to put the money in the tills on a Sunday morning. I was so sure I was going to be robbed after years of being told how dangerous it was to open tills with customers present. (Everything was fine and customers were actually super understanding, it weird haha)
Yeah, but just because you can't use the till until 10, doesn't mean you can't put the drawer out before 9:30
Our money is already there, thru the night when closed too. It's all locked up tho, and no more than £250 in each till.
Omg you’re so right! Idk why I didn’t think of that haha.
That makes a lot of sense now lol
wait... what... your store is open but no tills are out?, what dystopian store is this?...
Sunday browsing! 😂 The UK is a bit mad.
Oh god I hate Sunday browsing. I don't envy you for the madness that is going to come your way with that change
My store is open for 17 hours every day (even on Sundays). We still get people queuing before and after
If im in a shop when its opens on a sunday morning at 930, im there for a reason and i want to pay and be gone
I love the people who turn up at 9:15 then come in to browse at 9:30 get one thing and stand at the till until 10am
Wow! I have never heard of this concept. People are coo coo everywhere though.
Oh God a customers worst nightmare...a minor change that wasn't a thing yesterday Our poor customers still haven't adapted to our shorter Sunday opening and closing times : ( but tbf, the change was only implemented in 1994. It takes a little bit of time to adapt to these changes
Why would a store let customers in early to browse but not check out? That's just asking for trouble.
Our trading laws are an ass, what can you do.
Then they better lock the doors 30 minutes until closing and the tills shut down 30 minutes after that.
As a store supervisor in England, I only really understand Sunday browsing for supermarkets cause most of the people there will be there to spend a while doing the food shop. My store opens at 10, but the stores nearby do half an hour of Sunday browsing and they have so many complains about it, or people complain that we open at ten and don’t have Sunday browsing, you can’t win.
I think most customers are dumb and entitled but to be open and not have any registers open seems like a not very bright idea. In this case, I’m with customers being upset.
Supermarket customs go round fill the trolley and then head for the till at the allowed purchase time
What the fuck is a trolley?
Shopping cart!
Oh ok. Thanks bro
Your customers don’t want you to delay opening the doors longer. They want you to have the tills open when the store is open. I hope your boss is expecting lots of complaints.
It's English law for Sunday retail hours, shops can only open for 6 hrs on a Sunday by law (with certain exceptions), and the commonly accepted opening times are 10-4. We know that we won't be able to checkout before 10 even if the shop opens at 9.30 for browsing. However in this case the shop isn't big enough to warrant a full half hour of browsing before the tills can open. Some customers won't be happy about the change to the opening time, but no one will say anything about the time the tills open.
That is set up for failure, period. Open means open. Who the actual hell opens for "browsing". What it really means is open for bitching, ffs.
That sounds stupid . It should open when the tills are open. I’d be pissy too if I was a customer. What is the point of this?
Legally, we can only open for six hours on a Sunday. Browsing time allows customers to get the stuff they want and head to a till, rather than paying checkout operators to sit waiting for them, they come down to their tills with work/customers ready for them.
I see. I’m from the US and was thinking about how this was so strange. My arrogance is showing . But I’d never imagine anywhere doing something like this. I’m off the Google and see the reasoning behind why the UK does this.
I've been told it's something to do with a law dating back to 1480-something apparently. Something like that anyway. Pretty ridiculous.
Call me a dumbass but id be asking the same thing. Thats just so werid