The retail trading hours debate

[AtD]

Contrary to what The Advertiser tells us every single public holiday, I do not believe tourists come to Adelaide to shop. Let's face it the shopping centres in Adelaide (including Rundle Mall) are quite decent but not better than in most other cities.

I can speak from personal experience that people do travel to Adelaide and shop. Obviously these people aren't flying in from Paris and London, but coming down from regional centres for a long weekend. When I've flown from Canberra for a long weekend I have shopped or wanted to shop, simply because Canberra lacks the variety of stores Adelaide has.

[stumpjumper]

Sorry about that. I thought my earlier post had been deleted. (see cruel world's post next)

[cruel_world00]

It's a bit of a joke when we have the AO and Riverside Precinct pushing for more activity in the CBD and on the other hand we have the government consistently claiming that the CBD 'is not a tourism precinct'.

Last week, the government voted down a private member's bill to extend trading hours in the CBD over holiday periods. This followed the closing of the King William Street tourism bureau.

I wrote to the tourism minister in support of the private member's bill, and on 23/3/11 received a letter from Bernard Finnegan - the Industrial Relations Minister - repeating that the city is not a tourism precinct and that extended hours are grossly unfair on retail workers, ie members of the Shop DIstributive and Allied Trades Association with which FInnegan is allied.

Finnegan went on to say that I should note that shops selling hardware, floor coverings and furnishings can extend their trading hours in the CBD.

Do you have a template post for every thread? You're now repeating EXACTLY what you said only a few comments back. Maybe get some new material?

[Omicron]

So it's on the record, I am a retail worker that is wholly supportive of trading on weekends and public holidays. I do not understand the rabid necessity to shop on every single day (what a depressing existence), but fully support the prerogative of individual business owners to open on whatever day they see fit.

[crawf]

Our shop hours are a 'dog's breakfast'
Steve Rice From: Sunday Mail (SA) April 24, 2011 12:00am
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/our- ... 6043849882

Coles Mt Barker's David Strout at his checkout counter. Picture: Brenton Edwards

SA's complex trading laws allow Coles to open at Mt Barker today, but not at Bridgewater, 15km away.

The stores are covered by different trading laws with Mt Barker residents able to shop at their Coles for all five days of the Easter long weekend while those in Bridgewater were only able to shop yesterday.

The Bridgewater store is covered by suburban Adelaide shopping laws banning trading while the Mt Barker store is a considered a regional store and can stay open.

The state's shopping regulations have been criticised by retail groups and the Opposition who have called for an overhaul.

Coles retail and operations director Stuart Machin said South Australia's restrictive trading hours upset customers with the same issue at Christmas "falling on deaf ears".

"We can't understand why the State Government wants to make the simple act of grocery shopping so hard for South Australians," he said.

"It's a decision which is bad for the state's economy, bad for customers, and bad for our team members."

The state's trading laws mean:

MAJOR metropolitan supermarkets are closed from Sunday to Tuesday with the exception of those in the CBD, which are granted special dispensation to open on Anzac Day public holiday Tuesday only.

REGIONAL supermarkets are open from Sunday to Tuesday because country councils can opt out of restrictive city trading laws.

SMALLER supermarkets across the state such as Foodland and IGA can open every day - if they have a floor space not exceeding 400sq m.

STORES at Harbour Town can open from Sunday to Tuesday because each of its shops is under the maximum floor size limit.

Australia Shopping Council executive director Milton Cockburn said the four-day closure was damaging retailers struggling from the after-effects of the global financial crisis.

"The Government's decision to limit trading on Easter Tuesday only to those retailers lucky enough to be located within the Adelaide CBD is discriminatory, inequitable and grossly unfair to the 99 per cent of Adelaide residents who live outside the CBD," he said.

Retail analyst Stirling Griff said the retail industry lost out on a potential $60 million a day to other industries when its shops closed on public holidays. "The retail industry is South Australia's most important industry with more than 120,000 South Australians employed," he said.

The union representing shop employees, the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, backs the current laws with Association secretary Peter Malinauskas saying he supported the closing of stores this Tuesday because retailers should be entitled to a day off.

He also said retailers in the country areas should close over Easter like suburban stores.

Shadow Industrial Relations spokesman Rob Lucas said the Opposition would move to deregulate current trading laws so businesses would only be required to shut for 3 1/2 days a year - like other states.

"The current trading laws are nothing more than a dog's breakfast. We would look to shut only on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and Anzac Day morning," he said.

Adelaide shuts its doors to the public on all 10 public holidays every year - more than any other state.

A Government spokesman said the Government strived to achieve a balance between the needs of retailers, retail workers and consumers.

"The current system works," the spokesman said.

How can anyone believe this makes any common sense is beyond me... it really has given Adelaidian's another reason to go interstate for Easter.

Though this Easter is much worse with so much confusion at what/when things are open during this 5 day long weekend. It seriously is pathetic and things desperately need to change in this city.

[metro]

good friday.. people are on holiday and want to go out and celebrate and spend lots of $$ at the many pubs, bars and restaurants around Adelaide..

..they get to town and find Rundle Street, DEAD, Gouger st, DEAD, Rundle Mall, DEAD, every pub/bar/anywhere that serves alcohol, CLOSED, the Casino (always open 24/7) CLOSED, Try one of the big hotels, SORRY OUR BAR IS CLOSED UNTIL TOMORROW MIDDAY

Not just in Adelaide tho, was the same in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, i hate to think what Perth would have been like..

Is there a law againt serving alcohol on good friday or something?

[crawf]

double post.

[crawf]

Good Friday is a extremely religious day, it was the day that Jesus died afterall. Hence the reason why every single thing is closed on Good Friday.

So it's understandable for shops not to trade on Good Friday, same for Anzac Day morning.

[Nathan]

Good Friday is a extremely religious day, it was the day that Jesus died afterall. Hence the reason why every single thing is closed on Good Friday.

So it's understandable for shops not to trade on Good Friday, same for Anzac Day morning.

It's an extremely religious day if you're a Christian. For those that aren't, it's extremely annoying.

[metro]

it was the day that Jesus died afterall.

sounds like a good day to go out and drink to celebrate his death, those who arent christians can still celebrate because they get the day off, and those who dont want to drink/celebrate should just stay home or go to church and pray

[peas_and_corn]

Good Friday is a extremely religious day, it was the day that Jesus died afterall. Hence the reason why every single thing is closed on Good Friday.

So it's understandable for shops not to trade on Good Friday, same for Anzac Day morning.

It's an extremely religious day if you're a Christian. For those that aren't, it's extremely annoying.

Indeed. Secularism should win out here.

[rev]

Whether athiests or other minority groups like it or not, this is a Christian country, with the majority of the population being Christian.
If you don't like the fact Good Friday is a public holiday and everything is closed, or that other Christian events are marked in the calander, go start your own country where athiest "traditions" are kept.

[Aidan]

Whether athiests or other minority groups like it or not, this is a Christian country,

Are you sure? It doesn't say so in the constitution.

with the majority of the population being Christian.

Again, are you sure? I'm a Christian, and it doesn't seem like I'm in the majority.

If you don't like the fact Good Friday is a public holiday and everything is closed, or that other Christian events are marked in the calander, go start your own country where athiest "traditions" are kept.

Changing an existing country is much easier than starting your own, though simply moving to one without regulated trading hours is easier still.

And I really don't think it has much to do with Christianity - there's nothing in the Bible to say shops should be closed that day. There's no religious reason for keeping them shut today. And does anyone doubt the unions are the only reason they're shut tomorrow?

[[Shuz]]

I believe that a nation/state should have its public holidays, but only if they are celebrated in the national/state interest; ie. Australia Day, ANZAC Day. Proclamation Day, so on so forth, as quite frankly, Religion has no place in politics.

But, of course, acting in the national interest; us Aussies love a day off, right? So we should be making a new holiday for each religious holiday removed.

Say, a dual New Year's / Federation Day (Jan 1st/2nd) break. And Independence Day, when we become a republic, whatever day that may be. And... I'm sure we could make up an excuse for something else quintessentially Australian.

[AtD]

For what it's worth, my local supermarket here in Canberra was open on Good Friday, including the bottle shop inside. However it was closed until 1pm on Anzac Day. All of the tourist traps (Parliament House, etc) remained open too.

If you're in the shops in Adelaide on Thursday, Saturday or today, and the thought runs though your head "wow it's busy" then you should be able to see the argument for trading hour reform.