Deregulation of trading hours

[DesignFox]

I like working for the little guy BECAUSE I get more holidays off. It sucked working at the mall and having to come in on Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, New Year's Day and Easter.

I LOVE having those days off to spend with my family or friends.

I mean, really, especially the ironically named "Labor Day." What, just because I work in store, I don't actually do work? I think I deserve a day off just as much as Joe Blow at the office.

[Boozy]

I like working for the little guy BECAUSE I get more holidays off.

Interestingly, according to the article, current South Australian legislation exempts small business owners from certain public holidays restrictions, while demanding that large corporate stores close.

I say, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. I worked more holidays as an employee of a small business than I ever have at my current corporate gig.

[DesignFox]

I'm in the US, so I don't think the businesses are regulated like they are in Australia.

Our big retail stores chain their employees to the counter harder than the small business owners do. Malls are open every day except Christmas and Thanksgiving. Many supermarkets remain open during those holidays, but only for a few hours.

I was just responding to the general idea of having to work on Christmas and Thanksgiving. I'd be beyond pissed. When I worked for the bigger retailers, it was bad enough not getting to play on all the other holidays. I can't imagine not even being able to sit and eat Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner with my family!

[fireheart17]

Interestingly, according to the article, current South Australian legislation exempts small business owners from certain public holidays restrictions, while demanding that large corporate stores close.

Just a note that it's an exemption, not a requirement.

The mall I work in is fairly large. On public holidays, the ONLY shops that are open besides the cinema are (they usually do Movie marathons the night before too)

-A small cafe.
-Two fast food restaurants.
-A somewhat larger restaurant that was once a bar/nightclub.
-A bookstore (occasionally)
-A music store (occasionally.)

ALL the other stores in the mall are closed.

The company I work for, on the other hand, will close about 90% of its stores on public holidays, and leave some of the smaller stores open. I think it's more the actual size of the shop itself that's the requirement, not the company itself.

And an added note: those who do work public holidays get double-time-and-a-half or double-time depending on the company. The only time we're open on a public holiday is Easter Saturday.

[protege]

My boss has said that if it was up to him... we wouldn't be getting *any* days off Of course, this is the same guy who, on 9/11...said that it wasn't all bad, and that he wouldn't have left his office. Yep, he would have kept trading. Until the towers started coming down, that is. Funny how he reversed himself there

But, his work habits are a bit annoying. For example, because we're a financial services company (a brokerage), the markets are closed on most federal holidays--Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving, New Year's, etc. But, other holidays, it simply closes early.

When I first started working for him, if the market closed early, you left work at 1 or 2pm. But, now he wants someone to stick around until the stock market closes later in the afternoon. However, during those few hours...the phone *never* rings, and all of the online trading sites we deal with...have also shut down. Do we make any money during that time?

Of course not! If I'm the unlucky sap who has to stick around, I literally have nothing to do, and it's even worse if the boss is still in. Nothing is trading because 99.999% of the people we do business with have gone for the day. Seriously, over the past 12 years, we've only done *one* trade after an early close, and it was at 2:01 or something. Boss can't get that through his head, and if he stays behind...I get to hear him complain about how we're not "doing any business" or how I'm literally falling asleep at my desk.

Why am I falling asleep? Well, because I have nothing to do! I'm not allowed to read my sports car magazines, and web surfing has to be done very carefully. In other words, it sucks ass.