The Boxing Day sales are undoubtedly the most stressful shopping experience you can endure – though, while you can at least cash in on the best bargains of the year, spare a thought for the poor retail staff who’ve been dragged away from the festive period to fulfil your shopping desires.
A petition calling for retail stores to close on December 26 has racked up over 87,000 backers, nearing the 100,000 target needed for the case to be considered for debate in Parliament.
It’s already smashed the 10,000 target needed to warrant a response from the Government, and is not the only petition calling for a bit of peace and quiet in the retail world on Boxing Day.
“Christmas is a family time, the one day is not enough time to see two sides of families, retail workers work extremely hard during the Christmas run up and only get the one day,” petition creator Jack Johnson wrote.
“If only everywhere could be closed boxing day! Some things are needed over the festive period, retail isn’t one of them.”
Interestingly, the constituencies in which the UK’s biggest shopping centres are – the MetroCentre, Trafford Centre and Westfield Stratford – have varying numbers of supporters.
There are only 75 backers so far in West Ham, home to Westfield, compared to the Stretford and Urmston’s 134 supporters and MetroCentre constituency Blaydon’s 337.