Saturday, December 23, 2006
Some last minute Christmas stories
With Christmas jingles flooding the air waves, here are some links which make for interesting reading.
First on consumerism.
The Telegraph reports that market research analysts estimate that 20 million people plan to hit the shops on Sunday, spending £1.14 billion. That is just one day of shopping!
The issue is here the six hour Sunday shopping law. So what store owners are planning is to open a little in advance so that customers can browse, and fill their trolleys, whereas the actual purchase begins only when the clock strikes the annointed hour. And at the end of shopping hours, stores are allowed another half an hour to clear the till. And most newspapers report that the temptation to make money shall lead to at least some chaos.
Another story on similar lines says: Thousands of branches will be staying open for an hour longer than the legal six-hour maximum to squeeze the last penny of Christmas spending out of shoppers.....read full story here
The Guardian quoted The Bishop of Worcester and Steve Jenkin, spokesman for the Church of England opposing the move. It also had Martyn Eden, of the Keep Sunday Special campaign, stating that "it was a ploy to make more money at the expense of smaller shops." He quipped, "They are making enough money anyway".
More on money matters here. Easier estimates that Over £700,000 per minute to be spent in Christmas Eve rush . It adds: Sainsbury’s Credit Cards research indicates that 49% of adults, intend to do some of their Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve, spending around £1.14 billion. This is equivalent to £47.5 million an hour or £791,667 per minute. The bank estimates that around 18% of this will be placed on credit cards.
But then there are the lonely people as well. Up to 50,000 people could be eating a Meals-on-Wheels Christmas dinner alone this year, figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats suggested today....read full story
First on consumerism.
The Telegraph reports that market research analysts estimate that 20 million people plan to hit the shops on Sunday, spending £1.14 billion. That is just one day of shopping!
The issue is here the six hour Sunday shopping law. So what store owners are planning is to open a little in advance so that customers can browse, and fill their trolleys, whereas the actual purchase begins only when the clock strikes the annointed hour. And at the end of shopping hours, stores are allowed another half an hour to clear the till. And most newspapers report that the temptation to make money shall lead to at least some chaos.
Another story on similar lines says: Thousands of branches will be staying open for an hour longer than the legal six-hour maximum to squeeze the last penny of Christmas spending out of shoppers.....read full story here
The Guardian quoted The Bishop of Worcester and Steve Jenkin, spokesman for the Church of England opposing the move. It also had Martyn Eden, of the Keep Sunday Special campaign, stating that "it was a ploy to make more money at the expense of smaller shops." He quipped, "They are making enough money anyway".
More on money matters here. Easier estimates that Over £700,000 per minute to be spent in Christmas Eve rush . It adds: Sainsbury’s Credit Cards research indicates that 49% of adults, intend to do some of their Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve, spending around £1.14 billion. This is equivalent to £47.5 million an hour or £791,667 per minute. The bank estimates that around 18% of this will be placed on credit cards.
But then there are the lonely people as well. Up to 50,000 people could be eating a Meals-on-Wheels Christmas dinner alone this year, figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats suggested today....read full story
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