23 December 2008

Unrealistic Canberra retail opening hours: a big whinge

| popgoescanberra
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Does anyone else find Canberra retail opening hours totally unrealistic for the average public servant?

Take myself. I tend to get into the office at around 9am, have an hour for lunch to get some sunshine and eat in peace, and knock off around 5.30pm. The thing is though, I have a life outside of work, which necessitates going shopping. Today, for example, I had the unfortunate state of affairs where a shelf in my fridge broke, I had a package to pick up from the Kingston post office, and my broken mobile phone to replace. The mobile phone took priority. A quick lunch-time trip down to Woden Plaza’s 3 Mobile shop ended up taking almost two hours, thanks to dawdling Christmas foot traffic in the shopping centre, people standing all over the place on the escalators, and the shop itself being quite short-staffed, and those that were there seemed a bit clueless (although polite, I’ll give them that).

Despite having already taken a long lunch, I left my desk in Barton at 4.55pm. By the time I was in Kingston to pick up my parcel, the Kingston Post Office had shut at 5pm. Disappointed, I thought, at least I’ll make it to the fridge repairers in Fyshwick by 5.30pm. I did! But they shut at 5pm. I had tried ringing ahead but there was no answer.

Another similar story: I like to buy vitamin tablets from the Healthy Start Discount Vitamins store near the carousel in Civic. I left my desk in Barton at 5pm, but with traffic along Parkes Way at peak hour (caused by people slowing down too much at the Anzac Parade roundabout), I didn’t get a park off London Circuit and reach the shop until 5.41pm. After clinging to the desperate hope they would shut at 6pm, I had arrived to a dark store. I ended up buying some overpriced vitamins at Coles Manuka.

My point is that shops should open a bit later if they want business. Of course, I understand retail workers have lives too and don’t want to be working forever, they want to get home. But which office workers (of which there are many in Canberra, I am led to believe) go shopping at 9am in the morning? Surely there can’t be that many. We’ve got to get to our desks to make sure Question Time Briefs are up-to-date and all that. My suggestion is that shops open a bit later in the morning and close a bit later at night, for example, 6pm.

On a related but separate matter, I would be quite content to see shops closed on a Sunday. Nice to have the Fyshwick markets and some supermarkets open, the cinemas, gyms, etc., but anything else isn’t really necessary.

What are your thoughts? Anyone else tired of fruitless attempts at buying merchandise or procuring services after work only to find empty and dark shops, then having to make harried shopping trips the following day’s lunchtime, when we really should all be sitting under a tree enjoying a healthy sandwich and a break from the drone of the air-conditioning? Coles Manuka and Woolworths Dickson, those temples to average-quality fruit, smelly fish, ordinary bread and disinterested check-out workers, must do very well out of other retailers’ early closing hours.

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Mysteryman said :

It sounds like the OP is just disorganised.

Disorganised people are a gold mine for the retail and services industry, so don’t knock ’em!

It sounds like the OP is just disorganised.

WifiDeTech said :

Wow, I am so happy to find others that agree with me out there. I have been complaining about this same thing, opening hours in Canberra, for years. Just seems strange how empty the shops are during business hours and then at lunchtime in pours a crowd of both frantically, hurried people along with the relaxed people who want to browse and have something to eat for lunch. Bedlam sets in and all of a sudden it’s every man for himself.

Surely there is better way? Here is a lateral idea, if not all employees have access to flex for one reason or another then perhaps we ought to be lobbying for more occupations to have access to some degree of flexible working hours.

3 year old post, but what they hey.

Canberra shops have some of the best opening hours I’ve seen in Australia, certainly better than QLD and WA. Plus we have the added bonus of the famous 2 hour lunch.

Wow, I am so happy to find others that agree with me out there. I have been complaining about this same thing, opening hours in Canberra, for years. Just seems strange how empty the shops are during business hours and then at lunchtime in pours a crowd of both frantically, hurried people along with the relaxed people who want to browse and have something to eat for lunch. Bedlam sets in and all of a sudden it’s every man for himself. Surely there is better way? Here is a lateral idea, if not all employees have access to flex for one reason or another then perhaps we ought to be lobbying for more occupations to have access to some degree of flexible working hours.

peterh said :

ok, for all the other retail people out there, I have a joke for you. Lunch Break.

bahahahahaha.

oh wait..its funny because it IS A JOKE!!

Does anyone else find Canberra retail opening hours totally unrealistic for the average public servant?

popgoescanberra.. who cares? Public servants choose to be public servants. If the job doesn’t suite the lifestyle, find another job that does. (I suspect it’s not that bad)

That’s why things don’t change – too many people are willing to put up with sh** and instead of changing themselves, expect that everything around them should change.

bubzie said :

Rightio, i seem to be in a flood of frigging pubes. great.

so, i work in retail, and …for godsake, everything in woden today is open to 9-10pm tonight, pretty sure the others are all the same, stop your winging.

and extended opening hours are just a fat joke. Gahhhhhh.

(oh, and i hate both prams and scooters equally..stop wasting my time, so i can serve some pube who’s “in a rush, and really doesnt have time to be shopping!”)

yeah..some built up hate there..

ok, for all the other retail people out there, I have a joke for you. Lunch Break.

hwahahahahahaaaa!

oh, wait. Siesta!

sorry, sorry. Never heard of “overtime” either.

now i know why i am not in retail any more….

but i still have a 20 second smoke break, and eat my lunch in the office whilst working…

popgoescanberra said :

Thanks for those who understood the point of my message, by for example, commenting on how things are done in other countries. I don’t quite understand what was so “troll”ish about it. I was simply suggesting a, perhaps, better way of doing things. I suggested that businesses might get more business and have happier customers if they adjusted their opening hours SLIGHTLY. I didn’t suggest that retailers change their hours to suit ME. I wondered if some of you might have suffered the same fate as me. I’m lucky to have a car, I wondered how people with a bike would manage going to Kingston, Fyshwick and Woden on a rainy day, all at lunch time.

The fact that I have chosen to write about this topic is not a reflection of the overall state of my life. I have plenty of more important things to worry about, but they aren’t really relevant to Canberra or RiotACT readers. I find it soothing to pen my thoughts. I thought having a whinge was one of the major topics on this blog, for example, people are often whingeing on here about the police force or the number of bike lanes on Canberra roads. This post was clearly titled as a whinge, so if you don’t like whingeing, you were not forced to read it.

Regarding lunch: I like the European approach of enjoying my food at lunch. What if we went as far as introducing siesta in Canberra?

Plenty of people stick up for businesspeople. People go into business to service a customer need and make a profit – by changing opening hours to suit the majority of their customers, they might make more money. By posting this message I was inquiring about whether other people found opening hours in Canberra a little limited. Canberra may well have decent opening hours compared with other cities. But if we never suggested changing things at all, then things would never improve.

People have also spouted vitriol and said they work much longer hours than me. You all seem a little bitter. No, I don’t work particularly long hours, but I work hard when I’m at work, I’m no bludger. Good on you if you do work long hours, I’m sure you do a great job (I’m not being sarcastic), but again, it must be tough for you also to get to the shops, and different opening hours would help?

My original message was not meant to be rude, I was just asking if some of you might have suggestions for a better way of doing things. Surely there is nothing wrong with that.

Nope, you asked for our thoughts and you got them, in spades!!!

Moving on…

Can I suggest you get your mail sent to your work address? Then it will be delivered to your desk while you eat your european lunch…You can also send outgoing mail though the mail room, just buy a bunch of stamps and envelopes and you have your lunch break back.
I am a public servant and have never had an issue with getting things done in my lunch break. If you need more time, as others have said, go into work earlier and work later or just take a few hours off if there is a lot you need to get done. I have spent many lunch hours in lines at mobile phone shops etc, seriously just get over it.

Whatsup said :

popgoescanberra said :

Regarding lunch: I like the European approach of enjoying my food at lunch.

One might consider putting ones European approach aside once a week. Eat lunch earlier at your desk and free up your 1 hour for miscellaneous tasks of lower priority.

Thanks for the giggle!!!

> It is unfortunate that in an internet forum, as with driving a car, it is easy to treat people in ways one would never dream of doing face-to-face.

Normally I’d agree with you Granny. But when this kind of guff gets spouted in public, I have no hesitation in calling someone out for being a douche. I’m the angry guy who grabs you, calls you a f**kwit and tells you to calm the f**k down and get a life when you start berating some 15 year old shopgirl (and I quote from an incident this time last year – people become even bigger jerks to retail staff at Christmas).

You want a opinion on how trading hours could be improved, popgoescanberra. Fine. It’s “trading hours are over-extended. Nothing should be open after 7 and nothing (and I mean nothing) opened on Sundays.” It might put paid to shopping-as-recreation; so people would have to start using their brains and making their own fun. It might even be a social good. It’s not like people will stop buying stuff.

Certainly used to be able to do so, when I worked in Woden and was a bus rider, I used get them shipped across to there. Cost nothing but time. I’d just ring, say I’d received their little card and would only be able to get to Woden Post Office during their hours.

It was too easy!

popgoescanberra8:39 am 24 Dec 08

Thanks for the advice Whatsup and Poptop!

Poptop, so you can ask the post office to send your packages (not that I get many) to any post office?

popgoescanberra said :

Regarding lunch: I like the European approach of enjoying my food at lunch.

One might consider putting ones European approach aside once a week. Eat lunch earlier at your desk and free up your 1 hour for miscellaneous tasks of lower priority.

Sometimes I get sick of doing Poptop’s menial chores, but!

*chuckle*

A quick glance at the income survey for the RiotACT posters shows we are, in the main, millionares. This being completely true, we send our slaves out to do the menial chores. I tend to shop and bank online (I have an extensive list of purveyors I patronise now), tell the AusPost people to send my parcels to the Tuggeranong Post Office, which means I can pick them up at 07:30 on the way to work. The PO inside the Hyperdome is open on Saturday mornings, so I include outgoing postal as part of my Saturday morning domestics.

If I have something that requires doing I’ll either start V early or V late at work and work the other end of the day to suit.

I don’t find the suggestion that because you tend to work from 9 til 5:30; retailers should rejig their opening hours particularly compelling. As the economy tightens, extended opening hours will be death to marginal businesses; I’d rather keep them around and try to be flexible with my timings.

popgoescanberra said :

My original message was not meant to be rude, I was just asking if some of you might have suggestions for a better way of doing things. Surely there is nothing wrong with that.

No, there’s nothing wrong with that, popgoescanberra.

People have raised some very good points on both sides of the discussion. It is unfortunate that in an internet forum, as with driving a car, it is easy to treat people in ways one would never dream of doing face-to-face.

When I was upset once that someone had called me names on RA, a more experienced poster told me, “You’re kidding right? It’s just an internet forum.” That has helped me to put things in perspective from time to time. You know who you are, and it doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks – you are still you.

Peace to you and yours,
Granny

popgoescanberra7:42 am 24 Dec 08

Thanks for those who understood the point of my message, by for example, commenting on how things are done in other countries. I don’t quite understand what was so “troll”ish about it. I was simply suggesting a, perhaps, better way of doing things. I suggested that businesses might get more business and have happier customers if they adjusted their opening hours SLIGHTLY. I didn’t suggest that retailers change their hours to suit ME. I wondered if some of you might have suffered the same fate as me. I’m lucky to have a car, I wondered how people with a bike would manage going to Kingston, Fyshwick and Woden on a rainy day, all at lunch time.

The fact that I have chosen to write about this topic is not a reflection of the overall state of my life. I have plenty of more important things to worry about, but they aren’t really relevant to Canberra or RiotACT readers. I find it soothing to pen my thoughts. I thought having a whinge was one of the major topics on this blog, for example, people are often whingeing on here about the police force or the number of bike lanes on Canberra roads. This post was clearly titled as a whinge, so if you don’t like whingeing, you were not forced to read it.

Regarding lunch: I like the European approach of enjoying my food at lunch. What if we went as far as introducing siesta in Canberra?

Plenty of people stick up for businesspeople. People go into business to service a customer need and make a profit – by changing opening hours to suit the majority of their customers, they might make more money. By posting this message I was inquiring about whether other people found opening hours in Canberra a little limited. Canberra may well have decent opening hours compared with other cities. But if we never suggested changing things at all, then things would never improve.

People have also spouted vitriol and said they work much longer hours than me. You all seem a little bitter. No, I don’t work particularly long hours, but I work hard when I’m at work, I’m no bludger. Good on you if you do work long hours, I’m sure you do a great job (I’m not being sarcastic), but again, it must be tough for you also to get to the shops, and different opening hours would help?

My original message was not meant to be rude, I was just asking if some of you might have suggestions for a better way of doing things. Surely there is nothing wrong with that.

Anyone suggesting people take a longer lunch break should consider that customer service and retail staffing in Canberra is so poor that there’s usually a line just about anywhere at that time and it is difficult to get much accomplished. Not everyone is a public servant with ‘flex time’.

‘Bout sums it up, G-Fresh.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Wrap it up

Give the extra dollars to DINKs and singles and it goes straight into savings, on the mortgage or to retire credit card debt. Net economic stimulus = zero.

Interesting… I was thinking the opposition myself – DINK or single would be more likely to be able to afford to “blow” the money on non-necessities. I thought it would be the people who are struggling a bit more who would be more likely to pay off debt and therefore not stimulate the economy.

Back on topic – Online shopping rules. If I could arrange things to somehow never have to go shopping again, that would be awesome. As this can’t be done, this time of year you have to just manage your time well and be creative, whether you’re a public servant or not.

Not just redundant but pointless

Thanks for reminding us what an absolute bludge of a job you have. Unless you are a troll?

My god to complain about having to get up at 9am and get an hour lunch break and claim no time to shop is just unbelievable and shows your job must be totally redundent

toriness said :

now more on topic – popgoescanberra, i know your pain, i used to work in barton too. you need to leave and come and work in civic. then your woes are over.

Except your parking woes! I’ve worked in Barton for six years and haven’t spent a cent on parking during that time

Have to agree with the OP though – the Kingston PO is the absolute worst if you live in Kingston and work in Belco or Tuggers.

peterh said :

Oh, we looked at one of the mountain buggies, but they were far too expensive. we went for the cheaper and far superior babyjogger – http://babyjogger.com/cityclassicdouble.htm at sub $800, it was a better option. we attach the toddler skateboard on the back, but still get the buggers that step over the front of the pram. cow catcher would sort them out.

We shopped around and picked up the Mountain Buggy double for just under $1K as year model run out (thanks to Baby Wombats in Belconnen). Yep it’s a bit to pay for a pram, but it’s tough as (our previous Valco had really suffered from only 1.5 kids thus far). We also have the Kiddy Board on the back so it can take all 3!

Will have to line you up for a race sometime 😀

What an utterly pointless whinge.

Can only suggest your time management skills are seriously lacking.

mooliganbags110:18 pm 23 Dec 08

I’d like to second Mr_Shab’s comment >”Your sense that the world ought to revolve around you in every moment sickens me. Get real.”

What especially makes me angry about this post is that it’s written by someone with fantastic working conditions at Christmas time when the average retail worker is already flat out.

Retail workers already work ridiculous hours, frequently unpaid at the expense of seeing their families and friends on days like Boxing Day and New Years, even Christmas Day. All this for the convenience of those fortunate enough to have the day off.

Perhaps you’d just like to be better organised with your shopping or wait until you have a day off.

What an inconsiderate elitist attitude.

Ah so the shops should all open to midnight to satisfy the needs of us public servants, I understand. I found taking a little bit longer for lunch or going home a bit early then making it up later or using flex is often a good way to go and do the things we need to do in businesses that close about 5pm. In fact the business hours here are better than a lot if not most other Australian states, where some places like WA and TAS still don’t allow most retail businesses to open on Sundays or past a certain time at night. But given that Canberra is the centre for whingers everything should be open at all hours.

This story reminds me of the idiot shoppers in Woolies at midnight with their full trolleys wondering why there are boxes all over the floor, why some areas aren’t fully staffed and that the only available checkout is an express lane because there is 1 person on. People who work in those retail outlets also have homes to go to and bills to pay in their lunch break too, plus they have to deal with the morons of the world every time they go to work.

I don’t mind if places want to close at 5pm.

Rightio, i seem to be in a flood of frigging pubes. great.

so, i work in retail, and …for godsake, everything in woden today is open to 9-10pm tonight, pretty sure the others are all the same, stop your winging.

and extended opening hours are just a fat joke. Gahhhhhh.

(oh, and i hate both prams and scooters equally..stop wasting my time, so i can serve some pube who’s “in a rush, and really doesnt have time to be shopping!”)

yeah..some built up hate there..

mmm boobs

Sounds good to me Granny!

*note to self, don’t seek financial advice from Granny*

It should ‘grow’ eventually ….

*boom boom*

I should open the Granny Investment Service. I’m full of ideas!

I was just getting my shovel and car keys.

Well, that killed the conversation!

I’ll bury it in my back yard.

Fiona said :

Give it to me! I’ll invest it in shoes and handbags…

I’ll put it back into the Community via the pokies!

I’m married with two kids. We expected and received nothing. To those that did get some extra cash this Xmas, Congrats! Enjoy it, spend it however you wish and have fun doing it. Seriously, what does it have to do with me or anybody else how you use what is now your money.

barking toad5:34 pm 23 Dec 08

Geez poppie, shouldn’t your missus be running round doing all this shit?

Timberwolf655:20 pm 23 Dec 08

Gee popgoescanberra life is bad for you, try working a nine hour shift with no break to go out and enjoy the rays of the sun, then going home to tend to the kids plus the house work, sometimes my days start at 5.20am and I don’t get into to bed until 11.30pm…and a normal lunch break for me on a normal shift is 30 min…what a whinger.

families are doing all those things too, retail isn’t getting all it needs from us.

Give it to me! I’ll invest it in shoes and handbags…

Woody Mann-Caruso3:25 pm 23 Dec 08

the government instead funnels that money straight into certain peoples’ pockets.

Give the extra dollars to DINKs and singles and it goes straight into savings, on the mortgage or to retire credit card debt. Net economic stimulus = zero.

We are just pointing out that we don’t get govt money, because you seem to really have it in for parents who do get anything. Not everyone does.

So we have to listen to the bellyaching about people with kids creaming off all your taxes, but we’re not getting anything.

If it helps you, then think of it as a form of welfare for the working poor.

As for Govt run childcare – great idea!

tylersmayhem3:11 pm 23 Dec 08

I have to say that I think it’s great that some banks open on Saturdays. St. George opens Saturday morning, and add to that they’re one of the best Aussie bank branches I have dealt with.

Always interesting going down the escalator and passing a closed Commonwealth!

justbands said :

> And it’s notable how some people say they don’t get any gov’t handouts for having kids, with a tone that suggests they think they *should* be getting them.

That’s a big assumption ant…I don’t believe that at all. In fact, I’m rather proud of the fact that I’ve never received any Government payments & I aim to keep it that way.

and as i mentioned, i did not expect to receive the money I did. It will, however, mean that I can cut back my evening hours over christmas.

> And it’s notable how some people say they don’t get any gov’t handouts for having kids, with a tone that suggests they think they *should* be getting them.

That’s a big assumption ant…I don’t believe that at all. In fact, I’m rather proud of the fact that I’ve never received any Government payments & I aim to keep it that way.

ant said :

Taxes used to be used by the government to do big things, things that only governments can do. They built and ran schools, hospitals, roads, built big things, ran big things, for everyone.

Perhaps government can directly run childcare then?

Maybe I haven’t really read all th comments… but I don’t get it why you don’t want the shops open on Sunday but yet want them open later? Sunday is the day when i generally get out and about and shop. I used to take longer lunches on flex to get to Woden or Tuggers when I drove to work or worked next to them, but don’t anymore, so I have to plan a little better.

I tend to Bank on a Saturday morning (only when i have to do something in person, liek deposit a cheque, other wise it’s all online, right?). Westpac is open then at Woden and Belco, not Civic, though, unfortunately!

Prams don’t scare me as much as older people in their little scooters. Yay for mobility, but some people should have to undergo a licence for those things…

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

You might have noticed that rather a lot of money is being collected by the tax department, and then re-allocated to those with children, for the mere fact that they have children…

…who will go on to become taxpayers, unlike your emissions, which only serve to benefit the good people at Kleenex and optometrists.

They might go on to become taxpayers. however, as one front-page article in the Australian pointed out a few months back, 47% of Families actually gain more back from government handouts/refunds than they pay in tax. So, those kids’ parents aren’t taxpayers.

Taxes used to be used by the government to do big things, things that only governments can do. They built and ran schools, hospitals, roads, built big things, ran big things, for everyone.

Now much of that has halted, and the government instead funnels that money straight into certain peoples’ pockets. Some of them might need it, most do not. While the country as a whole is suffering from neglect. And it’s notable how some people say they don’t get any gov’t handouts for having kids, with a tone that suggests they think they *should* be getting them.

More people should be questioning this trend before it becomes entrenched in the minds of people as a “right”, an entitlement.

the attitude that it is OK to soak people without children so that the money can be given to middle-class people with kids is to truly set up a two-tier society.

ant said :

the yanks don’t often get it right, but their post offices rule. The one I went to in Colorado was huge, and heated, all night! I’d teach all day, then go to the pub for beer and din dins, and then before catching the (free) bus home, I’d wander over to the PO to check my mailbox. POs there are open 24 hours for mailbox checking.

If I had a parcel, there was a key with a numbered tag in my mailbox, and I’d prowl along the cupboards until I found the right number, use the key to open it, and extract my parcel, or registered item. How civilised! Some of the cupboards were massive.

And they had tables for people to open their stuff at, with recycling bins for the paper, plus a spot to put the catalogues you didn’t want so others could look at them.

The stuff post office dreams are made of.

LOL @ thumper @ #19 – i could not agree more. i was ranting to my partner about that very issue today in civic. it is disgusting out there! i am grateful to have made it back to work alive.

now more on topic – popgoescanberra, i know your pain, i used to work in barton too. you need to leave and come and work in civic. then your woes are over.

astrojax said :

The US postal service sounds excellent, ant!

not only that, granny, but ant neglected to add that those canny americanos have a natty little flag on their letterboxes at their homes, which if they raise signals to the nice postie that their is outgoing mail, which the aforesaid nice postie will collect and send (provided it has a stamp, of course… they’re not that good!) now that, my friends, is the true hallmark of civilisation.

I forgot about that one: also, in most areas they get 2 postal deliveries a day, plus on Saturday mornings they get one. Although in some areas (downtown Park City for one) they don’t have letterbox deliveries at all… not sure if it was to do with the snow or some other reason.

I used to leave my Netflix DVDs in the mailbox at Stowe and the postie would take them, and leave me some more!

Pommy bastard2:18 pm 23 Dec 08

This morning I was in Belconnen fruit and veg market, you know the one?

I was amazed to see some silly bugger with a double width buggy clogging up one of the fruit stalls, so I went onto another one, only to find there was another person with virtually an identical buggy in there too!

I’m sure the kids were very pleased to see the bottoms of the fruit counters.

I wasn’t going to wade in; but by Jeebus, this kind of whinging gets my back up. The world is not there for your convenience, popgoescanberra. Stop acting so damned affronted when it isn’t.

Lets assume for a moment that the world was made for your convenience and examine the consequences.

All those retail employees would have to re-jig their lives to work around you. This means that there would have to be extended hours for childcare centres as well (you’ll have to find the workers to fill out that extra time and they won’t do if for free). The retail employees will have to find somewhere to park (I’ll wager the public servants aren’t going to volunteer to miss out on those plum positions in the morning now that they have an hour’s head start). They will start getting home an hour after the pubes (an hour less with the kids in the evening, an hour less to relax – don’t try to tell me the extra hour in the morning makes up for it, because it’s just not the same). People with kids at school are going to have to worry about what to do with said kids for an extra hour each night (is it going to be after school care, or an hour longer being a latchkey kid).

All this will make retail an even less attractive vocation than it already is. Don’t assume that it’s always easy to get kiddies in to work competently for peanuts for the extra hour (didn’t you say something about the mobile phone shop being understaffed by clueless kids? Now why would that be?).

The reason Coles and Woolies open longer hours is becuase they can still turn a profit for those longer hours. Do you think a fridge repairer is going to turn a bigger profit for longer hours or by rephasing hours? Their business is pretty fixed. Ditto rag-traders, computer shops, gift shops, white-goods sellers, etc. Why not drop your damned fridge off in the morning for repair?

You’re a public servant (as am I, FWIW). You have the cushiest conditions and most casual attitude towards work hours of just about any sector. Take some bloody flex, or just deal with the fact that you don’t get to sit “under a tree enjoying a healthy sandwich and a break from the drone of the air-conditioning” every freaking day. Your average retail monkey doesn’t get afforded the same dignity. Frequently they get no lunch at all (if it’s busy, you ain’t leaving the floor).

Your sense that the world ought to revolve around you in every moment sickens me. Get real.

Good oh, then!

: )

tylersmayhem2:03 pm 23 Dec 08

You’re not exactly a glass half full person, are you Tylers?

It’s worked for me so far in life Granny 😉 It’s also pretty invaluable in my job.

tylersmayhem said :

The US postal service sounds excellent, ant!

It can’t be all that great. Ever heard of the term “going postal”? I’m pretty sure it was tagged in the good ole’ US of A! 😛

now that was a good game.

You’re not exactly a glass half full person, are you Tylers?

; )

tylersmayhem1:40 pm 23 Dec 08

The US postal service sounds excellent, ant!

It can’t be all that great. Ever heard of the term “going postal”? I’m pretty sure it was tagged in the good ole’ US of A! 😛

Kramer said :

peterh said :

H1NG0 said :

Anyone with a stroller thinks it is their god-given right to mow you down in the mall. If you get in their way, then expect to receive the worst greasy of your life.

or, when they let me fit the large cow catcher, with spikes, I will clear the way myself.

No need for the cow catcher if you pilot one of these through the mall – as I regularly do. The size of the double, with the inertia of 2 or 3 kids onboard is enough to mow down anyone wandering into my path.

Oh, we looked at one of the mountain buggies, but they were far too expensive. we went for the cheaper and far superior babyjogger – http://babyjogger.com/cityclassicdouble.htm at sub $800, it was a better option. we attach the toddler skateboard on the back, but still get the buggers that step over the front of the pram. cow catcher would sort them out.

ant said :

Apfel said :

Having said that, for a couple of years I was privileged to live near the Garran shops. The PO inside the Newsagent will hand over parcels out of hours, and on Saturdays and Sundays.

the yanks don’t often get it right, but their post offices rule. The one I went to in Colorado was huge, and heated, all night! I’d teach all day, then go to the pub for beer and din dins, and then before catching the (free) bus home, I’d wander over to the PO to check my mailbox. POs there are open 24 hours for mailbox checking.

If I had a parcel, there was a key with a numbered tag in my mailbox, and I’d prowl along the cupboards until I found the right number, use the key to open it, and extract my parcel, or registered item. How civilised! Some of the cupboards were massive.

And they had tables for people to open their stuff at, with recycling bins for the paper, plus a spot to put the catalogues you didn’t want so others could look at them.

That sounds absolutely heavenly

OP by pogoescanberra…

Does anyone else find Canberra retail opening hours totally unrealistic for the average public servant?

No. The average public servant has flex. The purpose of flex is to allow for ‘work/life/balance’. The activities you have described can best be completed using flex. A public servant without flex is not the average and would need to plan their day better – this may mean not taking an hour to sit in the sun and eat lunch or coming in earlier/later to leave earlier/later. There is no reason to feel guilty if you put in the required hours.

Woody Mann-Caruso1:30 pm 23 Dec 08

You might have noticed that rather a lot of money is being collected by the tax department, and then re-allocated to those with children, for the mere fact that they have children…

…who will go on to become taxpayers, unlike your emissions, which only serve to benefit the good people at Kleenex and optometrists.

peterh said :

H1NG0 said :

Anyone with a stroller thinks it is their god-given right to mow you down in the mall. If you get in their way, then expect to receive the worst greasy of your life.

or, when they let me fit the large cow catcher, with spikes, I will clear the way myself.

No need for the cow catcher if you pilot one of these through the mall – as I regularly do. The size of the double, with the inertia of 2 or 3 kids onboard is enough to mow down anyone wandering into my path.

Sorry – i should admit i got $2.68 of something called child benefit.

and then they sent a letter saying they may have over-calculated and i would have to pay it back….

sepi said :

yep.

i think in canberra far fewer people get govt money, as incomes here are above average.

pity mortgages are also huge.

my income is above average…

But then, i am working 2 jobs, my wife works weekends. I sort of remember what she looks like…

yep.

i think in canberra far fewer people get govt money, as incomes here are above average.

pity mortgages are also huge.

Thanks, AngryHenry!

: )

Can we PLEASE stop talking as if ALL people with children get Government handouts? Thanks.

Good to see you back Granny. Hope you’re okay.

Our family’s taxes also go to a whole range of services and infrastructure that we don’t use ourselves, but we don’t resent those uses just because they don’t benefit us personally.

It’s not just one person’s taxes.

Unless you can track each dollar from your account and prove that it was your money used and not somebody else’s I don’t think it’s fair to say that it was your money specifically.

We all go through different seasons in our lives, and those who don’t have children were at least children themselves at one stage; and their parents would probably have been grateful for some assistance.

However, everyone is entitled to their opinions on how the public money should be used, and I can certainly understand people without children feeling this way.

Hey popgoescanberra, if this is all you have to worry about I’d suggest you’re going to have a much better Christmas than others. My heart truly bleeds for you.

The time you spent whining about this could have been spent figuring out a way around your quandry instead.

Then I wouldn’t have to read this and think to myself;

‘I don’t know how some people manage to stay alive with such misguided initiative.’

They can afford that level of postal service thanks to all the money they save on health care provision (or lack thereof).

oops, gordon bennett – ‘there is outgoing mail’ not ‘their’ (was confused of thought, was contemplating ‘their outgoing mail is awaiting collection’, but abandoned due to excessive length) ;P~

The US postal service sounds excellent, ant!

not only that, granny, but ant neglected to add that those canny americanos have a natty little flag on their letterboxes at their homes, which if they raise signals to the nice postie that their is outgoing mail, which the aforesaid nice postie will collect and send (provided it has a stamp, of course… they’re not that good!) now that, my friends, is the true hallmark of civilisation.

ant said :

peterh said :

ant said :

What is it with the families of five that walk abreast through the malls at the speed of a tortoise on prozac?

Surely there’s some old common law statute that says you legal allowed to kill them?

No, they’re entitled to do anything they like, seeing as how they’re entitled to everyone else’s money and all. You are meant to worship them.

bow down to my family of five!

and what do you mean – entitled to your money?

You might have noticed that rather a lot of money is being collected by the tax department, and then re-allocated to those with children, for the mere fact that they have children.

I’m one of those doing the paying, and watching where it goes. And I reckon it’s generating an interesting attitude in the ones doing the receiving.

I have received the baby bonus 3 times. The money went to pay for formula, clothes, nappies. we banked the rest.

I received the $1k per child – $3k total. straight onto the mortgage it went. we don’t get welfare payments, and my wife works weekends, I work days and nights during the week. If Rudd wants to give us a handout, i will take it. I just didn’t expect it.

> You might have noticed that rather a lot of money is being collected by the tax department, and then re-allocated to those with children, for the mere fact that they have children.

Not everyone with children gets these handouts…we get nothing.

People get christmas bonuses ?

The US postal service sounds excellent, ant! Even I get frustrated by our post offices.

Skid, you are making me want to race in there with a brown paper bag and call out, “Yoo hoo! You forgot your lunch!!”

*chuckle*

I am glad that the work situation also has its benefits.

Felix the Cat12:28 pm 23 Dec 08

tylersmayhem said :

Arrrgh! All those slow walking people in the Mall when I’m doing my 30 minute lunchtime powershop!! Slow elderly, disabled, kids, babies, parents, etc – it’s killing me!!!

What is it with the families of five that walk abreast through the malls at the speed of a tortoise on prozac?

@Kramer & Thumper: There is just the group for you guys on FB called “I Secretly Want To Punch Slow Walking People In The Back Of The Head”. There is well over a million members – so we’re not alone 🙂

Sign me up for that group too!

I do all my shopping either online, Friday night or Sundays (I work 6 days). If I’m lucky I get a 30min lunch break which is barely enough time to eat lunch (bring it to work with me, saves time and money) and barely enough time to go to the post office which is next door to work.

peterh said :

ant said :

What is it with the families of five that walk abreast through the malls at the speed of a tortoise on prozac?

Surely there’s some old common law statute that says you legal allowed to kill them?

No, they’re entitled to do anything they like, seeing as how they’re entitled to everyone else’s money and all. You are meant to worship them.

bow down to my family of five!

and what do you mean – entitled to your money?

You might have noticed that rather a lot of money is being collected by the tax department, and then re-allocated to those with children, for the mere fact that they have children.

I’m one of those doing the paying, and watching where it goes. And I reckon it’s generating an interesting attitude in the ones doing the receiving.

Apfel said :

Having said that, for a couple of years I was privileged to live near the Garran shops. The PO inside the Newsagent will hand over parcels out of hours, and on Saturdays and Sundays.

the yanks don’t often get it right, but their post offices rule. The one I went to in Colorado was huge, and heated, all night! I’d teach all day, then go to the pub for beer and din dins, and then before catching the (free) bus home, I’d wander over to the PO to check my mailbox. POs there are open 24 hours for mailbox checking.

If I had a parcel, there was a key with a numbered tag in my mailbox, and I’d prowl along the cupboards until I found the right number, use the key to open it, and extract my parcel, or registered item. How civilised! Some of the cupboards were massive.

And they had tables for people to open their stuff at, with recycling bins for the paper, plus a spot to put the catalogues you didn’t want so others could look at them.

And I already get in here at 0800. 😛

Swaggie said :

“average public servant” sums it up – one with any initiative would get in early at 7.30 and forgo a lunch break in order to clear off in mid afternoon once in a while.

If I come in any earlier, it just means people can start offering me problems sooner, but it doesn’t shift a whole day’s schedule forward.
So while your comment might hold some merit in a general case, not mine. 😛

And I know a lunch break is meant to be compulsory, but at this time of year everyone wants to get paid on time, instead of being told “You don’t get paid until next year and none of your staff get bonuses because [Skidbladnir] had to go and eat, and held everybody up.”
I dislike Christmas Shutdown in general, but the overtime is useful and I get a crapload of flextime to use when all of those people with kids come back from overpriced holidays.

Longer opening hours will only encourage the big retailers (eg supermarkets, chain department stores) at the expense of small independents who cannot afford to employ staff for longer hours, or cannot find staff willing to work when all their public servant friends are socialising (and childcare is unavailable – lots of retail staff are parents).

Why not encourage offices to work more flexible hours instead? Would enable better work/life balance, reduce traffic congestion during peak hours, and you could get to the post office when it’s open. Not all office jobs are suited to flexible hours, but many could make it work with a little support.

a lunch break is supposed to be compulsary 😉

I’ve always found that shopping is easier if you are unemployed.

“average public servant” sums it up – one with any initiative would get in early at 7.30 and forgo a lunch break in order to clear off in mid afternoon once in a while. Public Servants…gotta love ’em…Bless : )

colourful sydney racing identity11:26 am 23 Dec 08

toughen up princess

tylersmayhem10:44 am 23 Dec 08

If you ask me i think our shops are open way to long. Every year it gets longer and longer,

I agree completely.

Nice to know that the back of my head is safe Tylers 😉

LOL, I’m not really an agro person (despite my conduct on here), nor would I ever take a swing – so you were always safe 🙂

Some people just have no idea, p1 ….

; )

….a shelf in my fridge broke…//….The mobile phone took priority….

What the hell kind of priorities do you have? A potentially beer-limiting fridge malfunction and you choose to replace your phone?

I have two families of five … sort of!

H1NG0 said :

Anyone with a stroller thinks it is their god-given right to mow you down in the mall. If you get in their way, then expect to receive the worst greasy of your life.

or, when they let me fit the large cow catcher, with spikes, I will clear the way myself.

No, they’re entitled to do anything they like, seeing as how they’re entitled to everyone else’s money and all. You are meant to worship them.

Sadly, you are correct. I shall, from now on, bow and scrape to my new superiors. I shall even attempt to learn their language.

‘Carn Shazza, the JDs are on special at the bottlo and the kids want some Maccas….’

oh, you poor, poor fool….

you can never learn their language. they will sniff you out in a heartbeat. and the war cry “waddayousewant” will fill the air.

just recognise me as your superior. I have no funny language requirements for you…

but i do have a family of five.

New Yeah,

I have no problem with people walking slowly. it’s the families that dawdle along and hold everyone up. Dawdle all you like, but let people through 😉

I’m not too wide, you guys can scoot past me fairly easy!

Nice to know that the back of my head is safe Tylers 😉

Anyone with a stroller thinks it is their god-given right to mow you down in the mall. If you get in their way, then expect to receive the worst greasy of your life.

If you ask me i think our shops are open way to long. Every year it gets longer and longer,

Do we really need to have access to shopping 24/7, we use to get a long fine with out it, if you did a little planing. In Parts of South Australia and Northern QLD they don’t even open the shops on Sunday. It is great to see people out doing real recreational activity rather than spending all their spare time shopping. shopping is not a hobby.

I like shopping hours in Asian cities. Singapore is like 10am-10pm which is great.

As for the OP, why not get to work at 8 and piss off at 4 when you need to? I can’t see why your manager would have problems with that. I don’t imagine you have errands every day, so the occasional early start/finish shouldnt cause problems.

tylersmayhem9:56 am 23 Dec 08

Hence the “secretly WANT to” New Yeah 😛

Oh, and I miss the NT’s opening hours – similar to Asia, allowing for people to shop in the (relative) cool and convenience of the evening!

tylersmayhem said :

@Kramer & Thumper: There is just the group for you guys on FB called “I Secretly Want To Punch Slow Walking People In The Back Of The Head”. There is well over a million members – so we’re not alone 🙂

I walk slow in the shops. In fact, I walk slow almost everywhere and am yet to get a fist in the back of the head.

All talk, no action you people.

candelabra said :

online shopping doesnt solve the post office, banking, repairs etc tasks

I do all my banking online and rarely have to line up at atm’s for cash during the lunchtime rush. Lining up at AusPost to send off pressies is a necessary evil (unless you pre-purchase postage). As for chores/tasks/repairs, we’re always going to have them! I’m not arguing that the ‘net is the answer to everything, but as far as avoiding the Christmas crush it’s unbeatable.

As for deliveries, if I’m unable to receive them at my workplace (as at my previous job), I have friends who are more than happy to have my purchases delivered to their workplaces instead.

There are ways and means! Besides, a brisk walk at lunchtime rarely does anyone harm.

ant said :

What is it with the families of five that walk abreast through the malls at the speed of a tortoise on prozac?

Surely there’s some old common law statute that says you legal allowed to kill them?

No, they’re entitled to do anything they like, seeing as how they’re entitled to everyone else’s money and all. You are meant to worship them.

bow down to my family of five!

and what do you mean – entitled to your money? I admit, I am in sales, mrs peterh is in *gasp!* retail sales, so be careful about the comments re retail staff, I have worked in retail, and we compare notes each evening after she works, so I hear all about the “I bought this damn thing over 4 months ago, it isn’t working now, i want to exchange it” “do you have your receipt?” “no.” hmmmm.

you retail customers…..

I want your money, and so does my wife.

tylersmayhem9:44 am 23 Dec 08

Arrrgh! All those slow walking people in the Mall when I’m doing my 30 minute lunchtime powershop!! Slow elderly, disabled, kids, babies, parents, etc – it’s killing me!!!

What is it with the families of five that walk abreast through the malls at the speed of a tortoise on prozac?

@Kramer & Thumper: There is just the group for you guys on FB called “I Secretly Want To Punch Slow Walking People In The Back Of The Head”. There is well over a million members – so we’re not alone 🙂

I agree that retail hours, at least for most shops, in Canberra are too limited.

I am a big fan of the Asian style where shops tend to open well in to the evening. This providers freedom for every one to shop more conveniently: public servants and privateers, whingers and accepting folk alike.

There is no shortage of flexible labour (ie students) who are available to work ‘after hours’.

More generous opening hours would help make Canberra a bit less provincial.

online shopping doesnt solve the post office, banking, repairs etc tasks

Why are people so content with the way things are, is it easier? So many places have more than one late shopping day (even smaller country towns) and longer opening hours. It would indeed be great if shops were open only that 1/2 an hour longer (until 6) its not asking retail people to work longer at all if they started at 9:30 instead.
Not everyone gets flex time.

I too would like retail to be open longer around this Christmas period, precisely because my lunch break is about five minutes long thanks to pre-Christmas processing, and I’m working till 8pm at the moment, because people here have unrealisticly high hopes for what can be accomplished before New Years, and so made all of their announcements early.

And then expect that I can do twelve of hours of work in eight, and do it entirely without incident.
I would like someone to cater to my ‘unrealistic’ life. 🙁

But if you’ve got a whole hour for lunch, why not suck it up and use that?

tylersmayhem9:28 am 23 Dec 08

…maybe this is the last time I go in to bat for Public Servants. This post is certainly living up to the views of “pube haters”.

I almost suspect this entire thread is somewhat of a troll?! (I don’t often say that).

bluehammer said :

online shopping is the answer to all ills.

Bingo! I may not be able to leave my desk for the Chrissie shopping (Oct/Nov/Dec being a crazy-busy period where I work), however I can afford the two minutes to run out and sign for my online purchases that I ordered during my lunch-at-my-desk a week or two prior.

Having said that, for a couple of years I was privileged to live near the Garran shops. The PO inside the Newsagent will hand over parcels out of hours, and on Saturdays and Sundays.

Woody Mann-Caruso9:25 am 23 Dec 08

I love how you knock off at 4:55 but still rail on people who leave at 5pm. If there’s something worse than a hypocrite, it’s a pathetic, whining hypocrite.

Im an 0800 to 1600 Public servant, 1/2 hr lunch “Al Desko style – I never have a problem with retail, banks etc.

What is it with the families of five that walk abreast through the malls at the speed of a tortoise on prozac?

Surely there’s some old common law statute that says you legal allowed to kill them?

No, they’re entitled to do anything they like, seeing as how they’re entitled to everyone else’s money and all. You are meant to worship them.

post offices not being opn saturday mornings is simply ridiculous these days – the major ones, that is – the small ones are. not much help, though, when a large package (ok, i admit it, a delivery of wine!) is at the dickson p.o. and i work the other side of the lake, riding a cycle to work, means i have to find a way to take and early leave and cycle home from four and try to get home, in the car and to dickson before the nazi-chrono-fixated p.o. snap shut their doors on me. have left early on two occasions and stil missed them int he past, dammit. i was thirsty, too…

otherwise, really nil sympathy for a public servant with access to flex time and pretty relaxed working conditions – lunch time is a great time; as is something called ‘planning’.

I’ve had some issues this Xmas. I don’t get flex, so it’s a 8.30am til finish workday. This Xmas, Brand Depot have quite useful extended hours but DFO are a flat 6pm close every night. Qbn had extended opening last night, that was useful.

What is it with the families of five that walk abreast through the malls at the speed of a tortoise on prozac?

Surely there’s some old common law statute that says you legal allowed to kill them?

Not quite, what the common law statute actually states is that you are allowed to kick them very hard in the back of the knee.

Granny said :

I guess we don’t, really. Personally, I just kind of assumed it from where they said:

Does anyone else find Canberra retail opening hours totally unrealistic for the average public servant?

Exactry! This, together with their next next two words, “take myself” led me to the same conclusion.

I guess we don’t, really. Personally, I just kind of assumed it from where they said:

Does anyone else find Canberra retail opening hours totally unrealistic for the average public servant?

They left a subtle clue in the first line of their post, see if you can find it.

How do we know popgoescanberra is a public servant???

When I moved here from overseas I found the retail hours to be damn $*^&ing annoying, and it took me about 4-6 months to settle in. I was used to every shop and every mall being open until 9PM Mon-Sat (6 or 7 on Sundays). Grocery stores, gyms and petrol stations were open 24 hours. I thought Canberra (Australia) was a backwards place that was stuck in the 1950s.

Fast forward 4 years. I like things the way they are. People who work in shops work regular hours and go home to their families (or out on the town) like the rest of us. It’s just those poor folks in the restaurant business that suffer night and day.

From my observation, the problem is that the working environment is becoming more and more like the US (longer hours at the expense of other things) but maybe the retail sector is yet to adjust to it.

Maybe you should consider moving to a dept in a town centre, then you don’t waste your half an hour driving. I’m sure you could find some work writing QTBs at any of them…

Or go shopping on Friday nights or weekends.

A lot of post offices are open on Saturday mornings now.

popgoescanberra said :

Lunch hour is for lunch. If you need to drive fifteen minutes to get places and then back again, plus eat your lunch, doesn’t leave much time in an hour.

In more than 20 years in the APS I never heard a complaint like this. Lunch ‘hour’ isn’t specifically there for you just to eat your lunch, otherwise it’d be ‘lunch ten minutes’. It’s there for you to have a decent break in the work day so you can refresh for the second half. I’d simply take the time to get to the shops in this break. Failing that, talk to your boss work through lunch (eat at your desk) and leave work an hour early. Most APS bosses understand their staf have needs, especially this time of year so use your flex, or just chat to your supervisor.

Well, sorry for breathing!!

*chuckle*

9am – 5:30pm with a full hour for lunch…

Have a chat to some friends in the private sector to find out their tricks for shopping 🙂

Agree with the later start/later finish though. That’s something for everyone. Asia have got it worked out.

And online shopping is the answer to all ills.

Shopping gripe – pensioners and non-working-in-the-9-5-conventional-sense-mothers with prams who shop on weekends when they’ve 5 perfectly good days to do it.

You are just far too law-abiding, popgoescanberra. I certainly agree that lunch is the priority!! This is not negotiable.

So what I would do is amble out, decide where to eat, stand in the queue and order my lunch, then watch carefully as they make it in case they get it wrong. Then stroll on out in the sunshine, pick a favourite spot and eat it in a leisurely fashion as I watch the world go by and ponder on the lives of those that pass.

Then I’d chuck my rubbish in the bin and set off to do everything I had to do, and head back to work. Then, when the boss says, “Why are you late? Rah, rah, rah,” you just tell him or her what happened. You have to understand that it’s not your fault. The world is like this, and you had stuff to do.

After a while, they give up on you and get used to it, and you have them trained.

It’s quite simple really.

Do I have to think of everything?!

*chuckle*

If it takes you a whole hour to eat your lunch, then no wonder you fail to make it to places on time. You must have the athleticism of a sloth. Yeah, it sucks to have to do things in your lunch break, but thats life. We all have to do it. I’m sure people in retail also have families they want to get home to as well. The bastards.

la mente torbida8:36 am 23 Dec 08

No meant to be critical

la mente torbida8:36 am 23 Dec 08

So businesses and staff have to work extraordinary hours so you can shop at your leisure

popgoescanberra8:31 am 23 Dec 08

The Narrabundah (also a newsagency) and Griffith (also a pharmacy) post offices open until 6pm, it’s very convenient.

Lunch hour is for lunch. If you need to drive fifteen minutes to get places and then back again, plus eat your lunch, doesn’t leave much time in an hour.

Arrrgh! All those slow walking people in the Mall when I’m doing my 30 minute lunchtime powershop!! Slow elderly, disabled, kids, babies, parents, etc – it’s killing me!!! Especially those who loiter at the top of the escalators! And didn’t people get the message to stand on the left on the escalators?!?

;-D

I tend to agree. Use your lunchbreak and stand in the queues like the rest of us. Or Alternatively, being a public servant, you could probably take your lunch break a bit earlier or a bit later and miss the crowds. That advice is going to cost you though. I expect a cheque in the mail.

What a wanker. Use your lunch hour to do stuff you have to do.

popgoescanberra8:19 am 23 Dec 08

And their 9.30am opening time….means a lunchtime dash is the only option for banking.

While of course being a full-time parent is more than a full-time job, and kids are unpredictable, it would be good to be able to schedule your day the way you and your family wants to rather than being at the whims of superiors. We have work/life balance friendly flexible hours at work, but it still doesn’t stop the guilty feeling when getting in late or leaving early.

Well, I am a night person so often do my grocery shopping close on midnight, and did most of my Christmas shopping during the day (as I am also a full time parent) going through to 10 pm in the evening.

I really do appreciate this facility, but it tends to be only the supermarket chains and department stores who can afford to do it.

It’s nice and quiet at those times, and I must admit that having a whole lot of older daughters does provide a range of babysitting options plus Gramps prefers to stay at home and is happy to let me go out. If I remember, I mention it to him, but he is not surprised to get home and find I’ve got some meeting on or other to rush off to that he wasn’t exactly expecting.

I would think the best way to do it as a public servant is to take advantage of the whole ‘flex’ thing.

The Post Office is one place that is dead set in their ways. They will close 5:00pm on the dot. The other day I had a parcel to pick up and managed to make it with about 3 minutes to spare. At 5:00, the doors literally shut on a woman trying to walk in and she was asked to come back tomorrow. It was kind of funny and pathetic at the same time. Poor woman.

I’ve brought it up before, but the hours of opening for shops are a lot different in Asia, it’s great. For example in Tokyo most retail shops open ~10am (while most people head to work 6-9am depending on where they work), and close 7-9pm, giving a large window of opportunity to head to the shops after work. Some of these opening hours are reflected in areas like Chinatown in Sydney & Melbourne, where shops open and close much later than their ‘local’ counterparts.

I absolutely loathe the banks and their 4-4:30pm closing time. That’s just insanity.

popgoescanberra8:14 am 23 Dec 08

Or if not shopping or evening chaos, 5.30pm would also be an ideal time for a “GnT”….get it?!!! 🙂

Just goes to show that what you think are convenient shopping hours are not the same for everyone. As a full time parent I find it very convenient to go shopping at 9 am. By 5:30 pm we are well into the swing of the evening chaos and shopping is the last thing on my mind. I would have thought being a business, if they could make money staying open later they would. Since they don’t, maybe they can’t.

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