HASTINGS SHOPPING HOURS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIX, Issue 303, 9 December 1929, Page 6

HASTINGS SHOPPING HOURS.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—l think most people got a surprise at the nine o’clock decision of the Shopkeepers’ Association. Why this change? Did they do it at the call of the general shopping public? Were the assistants notified or taken into confidence? Is it necessary that the drapers and fancy goods shops should reap an advantage of the extra half-hour over the grocers? It is high time these hours were made uniform for all shops. The grocers’ shops are mostly staffed by men—but the shops uow keeping open until nine are served by young girls round the ages of 15 to 17. I think the Saturday is already quite long enoughfor such workers.

This new move only encourages late shoppers who put off the matter until the last minute. The general public do not desire this extension. What is the motive behind the new move? If it is to get the last ounce out of assistants I am sure the people will not endorse tho revertion. If it is actuated by mercenary motives to scrape in the last dollar the changeover is far from ideal. It might be excused perhaps for Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve. but not as a regular thing. It savours somewhat of a backward trend. In it I hear again the clink of the chain. Rather let us push forward toward that larger liberty spoken of so frequently by Rotarians in after-dinner disquisitions.—Yours etc., THE EARLY BIRD. Hastings, 9/12/29.