The chair of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of
Commerce, Jim Thompson, and I have had discussions regarding
store hours and will probably never agree.
Working in retail and not working in retail
probably has a lot to do with our differences of opinion.
At one time we were told regarding Sunday
shopping, small stores did not have to be open on that day.
Guess what? As predicted by the retailers who fought against
this, most of us are now open Sundays. We had to open Sundays
to keep up with the competition and to keep customers happy.
Once customers are given the opportunity to shop during
extended hours, they expect it from all retailers. It is not as
cut and dry as saying we will open or not open if we feel like
it.
Another issue that has been raised before is
the difficulty we have finding employees willing to work
evenings and weekends.
The chamber should start listening to the
businesses that don't want the shopping bylaw eliminated. Ask
retailers and retail workers how they feel.
Opening longer hours in our current economic
state will potentially hurt small retailers. As stated by
Thompson, "the pendulum will swing" and "eventually settle
down." How many retailers will suffer serious setbacks before
things eventually settle down?
Has anyone done a study on the impact Sunday
shopping has had in our economy? Are people really spending
more dollars than before? Are businesses really benefiting from
this? Were full-time jobs created or lost? Would it not be
beneficial to analyze all sides of this issue and finally put
it to rest?
I'm all for change and economic growth. I
don't believe for a minute that current store hours have a
negative impact on our economy or the growth of our city.
Brigitte Michel-Finlay
Business owner