Lazier Sunday afternoons?

Exactly. Sundays. The shopping centres are open, as are the shops, the restaurants and the cinemas inside them. Taking one glance at the human traffic in these malls, it would be easy to come to the conclusion that, at least in a big city, Sunday shopping is a fixture on the weekend agenda of many people, and not only the younger ones. But perhaps this is all going to change. A letter of intent was signed at the Polish parliament on March 8th, at the initiative of NSZZ Solidarność (Independent and Self-governing Trade Union Solidarność), to petition for a civil bill to ban working on Sunday in the retail sector. The current balance of power in the parliament means that this proposal is likely to see the light of day – and that the Poles (just like the Germans, the Austrians, the Swiss and the French) will no longer be able to shop on Sundays. Although the ultimate form of the act is not yet known, it has been suggested that small shops where only the owner works will be excluded from the ban. The act is also unlikely to apply to the catering and entertainment sectors, while the regulations for pharmacies, bakeries and petrol stations will not be changing either. As those proposing the new law claim, it could also include such exceptions as retail in tourist towns and cities as well as during pre-holiday or sales periods. On its coming into force the new law would increase the number of days covered by the prohibition on such work from 13 to 65 in a year.

Market analysts have since got down to work and turned such declarations into estimates. According to the Lewiatan Confederation, 30,000–40,000 people could lose their jobs as a result of the introduction of the act. According to the Polish Trade and Distribution Organisation, the number could be as high as 65,000, while PwC is projecting job losses of even as many as 85,500. This is but one compelling argument against the new law. However, there are more reasons for maintaining the status quo. Opponents of the proposals also point to the reduction in retailers’ profits and, as a consequence, pay cuts for their employees. They also claim that the market should not be regulated from the top in this way – enterprises should be able to decide for themselves when their shops open and how customers want to spend their Sundays should be up to them. Analysts have also factored in the effect of a shopping centre opening on one day of the week purely for the sake of its cinema or restaurant zone: the costs of running the centre would still be the same as for a normal shopping day. If the initiative does eventually enter the statute book, the owners of shopping centres and other retail facilities will face quite a challenge.

There are, however, many more voices in this debate. The supporters of Solidarność’s proposal have hit back at the criticism with counter-arguments of their own. They make the case that the turnover of stores will not decline dramatically because customer traffic will shift to the other days of the week. On these days the retailer will need a higher number of employees, so the argument that unemployment will grow is unjustified – claim the supporters of the ban. One of the most important issues raised is the protection of those people employed in the retail sector to allow them one day free of work. Everyone is supposed to benefit from all this – those who will no longer have to go to work and those who will no longer be able to do their shopping. And they accentuate the main positive aspect: more time for ourselves and for the family. The new law will also contribute to a change in habits – instead of going to work on a Sunday, you can go to the art gallery, the theatre, the cinema, a concert, or get out of the city completely. Enthusiasts of the ban on Sunday trading also have the example of those countries that have gone without Sunday retail for many years to reassure those who are worried about the proposals. The Hungarian market can also be cited, since after last year’s introduction of such a ban, the sales of online stores went up. One thing is for sure, if the Seym passes the new act, a large section of society will have to be weaned off their present shopping habits. Fortunately, a habit is not an addiction – and hopefully it will hurt much less to give this one up.