The clothing store Massimo Dutti in Stary Browar is ready for the most fruitful period of the sales year / photograph Szymon Filipiak.On 1 March 2018, a trade ban was introduced in Poland on Sunday. After 5 years, the Civic Coalition, 3rd Road and Left announced the abolition of this ban. However, they promised that each worker would be provided with 2 weekends off a period and a double wage for working off days. How do students working in shops see that? Did the imagination of restoring the steady sale appeal to them, or did it confuse them?
With the October elections to parliament, it became clear that crucial changes are coming in Poland. Although the PiS received the highest number of votes (36.6%), summarizing the results of the Civic Coalition (31%), the 3rd Way (13.5%) and the fresh Left (8.6%), the opposition gained an overwhelming number of mandates. As a result, it allows it to form a fresh government, and this 1 has already announced many changes. Among them, the abolition of the trade ban on Sunday.
Economy calls for help.
Since the time of the pandemic, the coronavirus in Poland, the prices of everything, from food to services to apartments, have gone up. 1 of the opportunities to decision the economy is to reopen the commercial centres on Sundays. According to the Polish Council of Commercial Centres, this will consequence in increased employment and higher taxation revenues. In addition, this would supply much more comfort to customers who work during the week, and weekends are an perfect chance for them to shop.
Work or college
However, the state of the economy is only 1 side of the medal. The second is commercial workers, frequently students who do so after classes at the university.
After having brief conversations with employees of clothing brands, studying in the daytime mode, it turns out that they like the concept of a Sunday free of trade. The employees at the Old Brewery and Posnania gallery unanimously expressed discontent with the upcoming changes. I asked them if Sunday trade would suit them. The answers were clear:
– No, due to the fact that this is the only day I can relax – says Santa, the worker of Massimo Dutti. Rose, an consulting client from Zara, adds:
– Of course not, due to the fact that in day studies it's the only day I can spend on studying.
Speaking to working students, I learned that the employees of commercial centres are employed for an employment contract. So I asked myself if a trade Sunday would make it easier for them to get a job. My callers weren't so agreeable this time.
– It won't matter, due to the fact that for a week we have a certain dimension of the hours to make, if the trade Sundays come back, this time will spread proportionally, so they can only make life difficult," says Oysho, an employee.
On the another hand, Lidia, an advisory client from Zara, sees the positives of commercial Sundays:
– Before the ban, I was able to make 30 hours on Sundays alone, so specified a change would definitely aid me.
Daily students are not able to work full-time, so they can be employed in 3⁄4 (30 hours a week) or 1⁄2 (20 hours a week). An additional day on which they can gain money should so facilitate their working hours. However, it may be problematic to combine work with studies.
– Currently, I devote my free Sundays to catching up, due to the fact that I am incapable to do all my responsibilities in college in a week. I spend most of my free time at work, says Claudia, an consulting client from Zara.
But discipline is not everything. It turns out that returning commercial Sundays could make it hard for students to spend time with loved ones.
- Yeah. My household lives 100 kilometres from where I live. On Saturdays I work, which is why I do not pay to go home for little than 1 day," said Alexander, an worker of Massimo Dutti. Paulina, an consulting client from Zara adds.
– specified a change will make spending time with your household much harder. Most people usually have the day off on Sunday.
Who needs to store on Sunday?
The return of commercial Sundays is simply a imagination that scares many employees, including working students. Will students be forced to find another job?
– Unfortunately, due to the fact that I survey daily, I am only able to work in companies that work for 2 shifts or I can look for alternate employment – distant work without imposed working hours – says Dominika, an advisory client from Zara.
It is clear from the students' statements that Sunday should be a free day. Even the possible of double pay for work that day does not convince them to change their position. Salesmen who worked in the trade before Sundays were introduced mention that if 5 years ago they had not decided to make this move, it would most likely not be a problem today. They utilized to be able to plan at least 1 day a week. Now, however, things are completely different, and the return of commercial Sundays can consequence in backlogs in learning and hard contact with close working students who are already spending an tremendous amount of time on work. So the question is, is the anticipation of going buying on Sunday truly so essential for Poles?
Mr Simon FILIPAK
