> Italian gas stations felt like upscale grocery stores in the US.
In some of European countries, shops are closed (by law) on Sunday. Gas stations are exempt from this, hence they morph into shops.
In some of European countries, shops are closed (by law) on Sunday. Gas stations are exempt from this, hence they morph into shops.
'Gas stations' morphing into shops, is related to the phenomenon of channel blurring, rather than just exploiting the exemptions in laws/rules.
Most of the "large" shops (I think there is a square-footage cutoff point) and shopping centres/malls must only open for 6 hours on a Sunday. So the normally 24/7 huge supermarkets that are the size of several football pitches and are usually packed full of people are forced to shut. This means that everyone needs to get out in the 6 hour window, so traffic is insane and the shops themselves are insane because all the shopping that normally happens spread across 24 hours has to be jammed into 6 hours. It is really annoying.
Smaller shops are allowed to stay open, so in the UK we now have a lot of smaller versions of the large 24/7 supermarket chain stores on high-streets that are typically open something like 8am-10pm/11pm/midnight 7 days a week. These are obviously much more popular than local businesses (cheaper, more reliable, loyalty schemes) so all small independent businesses (greengrocers, bakeries, small grocery stores, hardware stores, stationers, newsagents etc) are being forced out of business.
I wish that one day this silliness would be abolished.
I don't know how much longer this Christian stranglehold will have on England.
There was a distinct change of pace and feel, far, far less traffic on the roads, and a day free of annoying commerce everywhere. The whole world seemed quieter and lazier on Sunday, and thanks to the huge reduction of traffic, smelt nicer. It was the obvious day for the BBQ, day trip to the beach or theatre, the event in the local park, meet with friends etc.
I miss it.
There's plenty of families now where both partners getting common free days is a rarity, let alone organising group meets. You don't need a day for grocery shopping - just an hour or so. It's not like we found it difficult, or the public agitated for it before Sunday was added to supermarkets and Primark. It was just a concerted trade push for more commerce. :)
But when your refusal puts you at a disadvantage compared to your competition, it eventually stops being a viable choice.
Even the isle of Harris, which still maintains Sunday closing and the slow island pace of life, is changing away from it.
Or you can stop at a store on your way back from work...
And I was kind of annoyed when I realized how Sunday works here but came to realize other people want their Sundays free and quiet just as I do. Most people who really need to buy whatever on a Sunday would be screaming the loudest if asked to work Sundays.
The Islands, and some parts of Wales, maybe other regions had a much more restrictive approach to Sundays than our old "fun permitted" rules, as a religious thing. They'd have more like a total shutdown, with dry Sundays and restriction of entertainments and travel. That may have changed, but they might still be far behind even our old Sunday trading rules!
I left the church but really miss that aspect of it.